Gill Books

If you’re constantly being zapped by the idea that you can’t do something, or that you’re stupid or less important than somebody else, then eventually you’re going to start believing it.

Improving your self-esteem isn’t about becoming selfish, loud, competitive and arrogant. It’s about taking care of yourself so that you have the strength and energy to help and give to others when appropriate.

The third group (who had done absolutely nothing) showed no signs of improvement. That makes sense – as we know, you won’t get better at something if you don’t practise.

The first group, who had practised for an hour every day, had improved – in fact, they scored around 24% more. For example, if a player had scored 16 baskets the first time around, one month later they scored 20 baskets.

Again, nothing very unusual about that – Alan expected the group that practised to get better at throwing, and that’s exactly what happened.

But what about the second group? That’s where the big surprise came.

That group had done nothing but IMAGINE themselves throwing the ball into the basket – but they had improved too! In fact, they had improved ALMOST AS MUCH as the group that had practised every day!

Had the group been secretly practising? Was it just pure luck? Was it a magic trick?

Nope, Alan realised, the truth was even more astounding: if we IMAGINE ourselves achieving something, then our brains begin to believe that we have already done it and believe we can do it again!

MICHAEL PHELPS is currently the most decorated Olympian OF ALL TIME. He has spoken countless times about the power of his IMAGINATION – how, the night before a race, he played a movie of his swim over and over again in his head – IMAGINING what it would be
like to WIN again, to SMASH another world record.

When you have a difference, adapting to situations is a skill that you learn from a very young age. So when things happen now, and there might be a bit of panic, I’m able to think outside the box a lot more easily than other people because I have learned there is always more than one way of doing something.

You need to feel relaxed and happy in all aspects of your life to function optimally.

when self-esteem is low you are not in the driving seat. Other people or events are steering the wheel, while you crouch in the back wondering where they will take you next.

It’s about being yourself, and knowing that within you lies the power to create all that you want in life.

it is time to take a deep breath and deal with the present.

It’s easy to look back and blame the past, your parents, your siblings, your teachers, your partner for leaving you, and so on, but at the end of the day the way you feel about yourself now is your responsibility. You can choose now to respond to life without your old self-doubt, hesitation and confusion.

Love and fear are deeply and intrinsically interconnected – one cannot exist without the other.