“Every time I play, in my own mind I’m the favorite.”
– Tiger Woods
It’s amazing to talk to a person who is unhappy because of an event that occurred in the past, even many years ago.
They think about the negative experience, dwell on it and become angry, upset and depressed all over again.
We’ve discussed the power of fear, doubt and worry, confidence and negative emotions.
These are all huge contributing factors that can propel you towards your goals. Or if used negatively, can repel you from your goals.
But the good news is you can at anytime stop thinking about, discussing, and rehashing an undesirable situation. After all, its quite common for tennis players to focus on the 10th first serve they just missed, or the wide-receiver re-visualizing how they dropped the ball while standing in the end zone.
When life is not going your way or you are feeling awash in negative emotions – in every situation – the solution is saying to yourself:
“I am responsible”
This statement (self-talk) will immediately make you feel better and put you back in the drivers seat. It will produce a rush of chemicals throughout your body and tell your mind to find a solution. It will literally re-frame how you look at life and how you go about going after your goal.
Top psychologists know there is a direct relationship between control in life and how positive and productive you are.(1) The more you feel you have a sense of control, the more positive and happy you are in every area of your life.
Decide today to take control of the things that you can control (and let go of things you can’t):
- You can make another sales call
- You can start earlier and stay later
- You can do one more repetition
- You can practice a little longer
When you tell yourself, “I am responsible”, you are putting yourself back in the drivers seat.
References
(1) Sense of Control Predicts Depressive and Anxious Symptoms Across the Transition to Parenthood: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2834184/
Mental Strength 
