(#159)
Here’s a great video clip on the power of confidence and motivation from The Dirty Dozen (1967). 15 times in 31 seconds Jiminez says (and believes) he “can’t make it.” And he still believes he can’t make it until he stops thinking about what he can’t do. (1 minute clip)
“I really can’t make it Major! I can’t! I can’t! I really can’t! I can’t make it Major! I can’t make it! I can’t make it! I can’t! I can’t! Really I can’t! I can’t make it! I can’t make it! I can’t! I really can’t make it Major! I can’t!”
He couldn’t move a muscle.
When you pull the brain “muscle” you pull them all. They are all connected.
In this scene. the motivation comes from the motivational speaker, but in realty it must come from within. “Can’t, “ whether thought about or verbalized, paralyzes you. It’s a “contraction distraction.” Can. Can’t. Those are the only two choices in life. You either can or you can’t. Can, “can” and can’t, “can’t.” If you think or believe or know you can’t, you ain’t.
But if you simply don’t think can’t, the brain automatically believes you can. It is the “default factory setting” for all brains.
The rules of motivation say: If you really, really want to do something, nobody can keep you from doing it and if you really, really, don’t want to do something, nobody can make you do it. If you try to think or talk you way out of something, you will.
Your confidence is enhanced with you really, really want to do something.
So in that hail of machine gun fire and the falling rope, Jiminez decided without much deliberation that he “really, really, wanted to do it.” And he did.
And he sure stopped thinking about can’t.
Well… can you or can’t you today?
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 