DON’T think about a pink elephant right now. Seriously don’t do it.

Fortunately for most of us we did, and cheers to still having a pulse.

Our brains don’t pick up on the DON’Ts in life. A primal function of the brain picks up on the subject matter and it wasn’t until language came along that we started connecting the dots on the DON’Ts.

Unfortunately, in sports especially, the tendency is to focus primarily on connecting the NOTs when we could connect more effectively with a primary brain function, the DOs. An athlete in our gym may use a bad habit and say “Dang it, I did that thing again. I’m NOT going to do that thing anymore”. It’s something that we constantly desire to make better in the newcomers to our program.

I want our guys telling me where they are going and what their focus is “I am going to do it this correct way next time”.

I call it specific verbal atonement. Where are you going, given what you know/feel now.

I am not advocating for the absence of pointing out mistakes. We can gain a deeper understanding of how we function, if we have an outsider’s perspective/judgment; Especially if it comes from people we trust.

What I am advocating for is for both to be present…

Sports:

“When you swing with that motion, you are losing velocity that you could be getting. If you try and swing in this way you will eventually see an increase in velocity and range.”

Business:

“You cannot scream at your employee like that. I need you to talk with your employee in a way that says I respect you and if you need assistance please come talk to me.”

Life:

“Stop being so lazy! Arrrgh. Just do it.”

We screw up. It’s bound to happen and when we do, acknowledge the mistake and move on to what you want to replace it with.

Our brains are really good at recognizing those pink elephants.