The Power of Positive Thinking

Not too long ago a book was reccommended to me by Lisa Bentley, who is someone I really admire and look up to. The book is called "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Pearle. Throughout my Ironman journey, from last year to this year this book has been crucial.

I am a very spiritual person. I do not go to church but I am a person of great faith. My church is my yoga practice, which.... unless you practice yoga will sound really strange. I believe in God, but I will not tell you that you should believe in God. I think it is up to each of us to define our own higher power and spirituality. I don't believe that we each fit into a neat and tidy round hole when it comes to religion.

So in an essence I have created my own.

Sometimes I feel very silly when bringing my thoughts of spirituality into Ironman chatter. In the grand scheme of things I often feel like there are real things my higher power could be giving energy to, so I feel in many ways selfish to ask for help in an Ironman.

I have to always remember that the Ironman is just a representation of something so much bigger. A bunch of lessons that help me in my real life. It's more than swimming biking and running. It's learning to have 110% faith and belief in myself. It's about demolishing the old thought patterns that did not help me in life.... the ones that took me to the very brink as I battled with Bulimia for 10 years of my life.

When I began reading this book it felt so strange to abandon those old thoughts of self doubt. But I am learning to. I realize that in the Ironman there is absolutely no place for self doubt. It requires 110% belief in what I can do, faith that I have the ability to do it, and courage to ask my higher power for the strength to do it.

"The greatest secret to eliminating self doubt is to fill your mind to overflowing ... with faith. Develop a tremendous faith in God and that will give you a humble yet soundly realistic faith in yourself." Norman Vincent Pearle.

Think of how very true that is. It's so true for me that I can feel it. The words of NVP speak to me so loudly that I keep a journal and I write down words, thoughts and phrases that touch me deeply. I read the words again and again and I write down more.

As I approach the Lake Placid Ironman, and I am in week one of taper...... I begin to hone my mind. As I said before there is no place for self doubt in the Ironman. And of my four previous Ironmans I have had 1 where I didn't believe, 2 where I believed completely and one where I believed for 75% of the time.

This one I must believe 200%.

In the book there are 10 simple rules that I like to follow which help me develop faith in myself and my abilities, these are written by Norman Vincent Pearle:

1. Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never let it fade.

2. When a negative thought concerning your personal powers comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.

3. Do not build up obstacles in your imagination. (How often o we do this.... in a workout.... a race.... in our lives?)

4. Do not be awestruck by people and try to copy them. Nobody can be YOU as efficiently as YOU can. Remember that most people, despite their confident appearance and demeanor are often as scared as you are.

5. Ten times a day repeat these dynamic words "If God be for us, who can be against us!" (Romans 8:31)

I am skipping #6 because I have already done it ;-)

7. Ten times a day practice the following affirmation repeating it out loud if possible: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13). That magic statement is the most powerful antidote on earth to inferiority thoughts.

8. Make a true estimate of your own ability, then raise it 10 percent. Do not become egotistical but develop a wholesome self respect.

9. Put yourself in God's hands. Simply state "I am in God's hands.". Then believe you are NOW receiving all the power you need.

10. Remind yourself that God is with you and that nothing can defeat you. Believe that you now RECEIVE power from him.

By reading these 10 rules I feel the natural self doubt of Ironman begin to bounce off of me like they are hitting a force field that I have surrounded myself with. Thoughts of have I done enough, am I ready, what will happen? .... they have no place in my Ironman.

I think about the feeling I will have as I again tread water at the start. I've been there so many times before and by the grace of God I will be there again in less than 2 weeks. The physical work is complete. The space between my ears is being fine tuned.

Because what it comes down to is what happens between my ears that day. Believing that through anything that comes to me or at me or around me, that yes I can and yes I will.

I will believe and I will have faith that the higher power I believe in will reveal to me the tools I need to have the best day I possibly can have.