Positive affirmation

[Iron]

Years ago, I worked for a company that was founded by a self-help guru (a guy who called W Clement Stone, who started his working life - aged 6 - selling newspapers on the steet, and ended up one of American's richest men).

Staff in their offices have to shout the following every morning, with conviction:

'I FEEL HAPPY! I FEEL HEALTHY! I FEEL TERRIFIC!'

It might sound a bit new agey, but if you're having a bad day the worse it will do is make you laugh!

I only remembered this exercise because someone told me this morning on Twitter that she was feeling a bit down ahead of a meeting. I suggested this exercise, and this evening she tweeted me to tell me that it had worked!

“Regardless of what you are or what you have been, you can still become what you may want to be.”
W Clement Stone

Jeff

[mister man]

yeah, what a shame they just didnt have that info in auschwitz or belsen..if only....

[Iron]

'Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way'.
Viktor E. Frankl - Concentration camp survivor

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/autho ... z1gVEU1EYB

yeah, what a shame they just didnt have that info in auschwitz or belsen..if only....

[mister man]

ah thats why they all looked so happy, and so many survived...

[Iron]

'If a prisoner felt that he could no longer endure the realities of camp life, he found a way out in his mental life– an invaluable opportunity to dwell in the spiritual domain, the one that the SS were unable to destroy. Spiritual life strengthened the prisoner, helped him adapt, and thereby improved his chances of survival.'
Victor Frankl

[mister man]

you clearly dont understand the meaning of the word spiritual, nor the context of the quote..

[Iron]

I bow to your superior knowledge.

Jeff

you clearly dont understand the meaning of the word spiritual, nor the context of the quote..

[CaerMyrddin]

I bow to your patience, Jeff

[mister man]

oooh thanks.....
positive endorsement from others makes me want to chant...
'I FEEL HAPPY! I FEEL HEALTHY! I FEEL TERRIFIC!'


its working its working, its like a direct line to happiness, maybe i should get a magic crystal too, just for "insurance" then if i cause injury or offence to others i could just say thats very lucky..

[Iron]

Why not put your scepticism to one side, and try some of these self-help methods!

Not in a half-hearted way, but with passion and conviction!

That way, we'll take you more seriously when you say they don't work!

Go on, what are you afraid of? Worried you might discover that you're un-necessarily unhappy? That might be painful to swallow, but not as painful as remaining unhappy...

Jeff

[mister man]

Jeff
in all seriousness, i used to be a devotee like you, yes its true, i do have a copy of you cant afford the luxury of a negative thought, the rules of life and a vincent peale book or two still knocking about from years ago.
Indeed i used to run training courses for my employers that involved a lot of positive thinking and techniques such as this.
However im now poacher turned gamekeeper, being much older and as you would have it not wiser, i realise its severe limitatations and I would go so far as to say its a load of old cobblers.
But if it makes you personally happy, all well and good.
Ive seen too much of life myself and some of its effects in others now to not believe as I do now..
false positivity can be just as dangerous as over negativity, and many of its purveyors wouldnt know a genuine hard time and the effects it can have on the human spirit if it hit them in their moisturised face.
It takes a far stronger man than i to smile and be blissfully serene through thinking positive thoughts, so well done for that, you have me beat.

yes ive been through a fair bit, and tbh it did me no good at the time and in subsequent years, apart from get people to say about me "i dont know how you stay so positive, how do you do it, amazing etc, etc...

enough already....

i doubt very much if john terry had been reciting positive statements and infusing himself with more positivity than he has already when walking to the penalty area in russia, that he would not have missed the penalty in the champions league final, all the positivity in the world would be as nothing compared to changing his boots for those with a slightly longer stud.

cheers and we will just have to differ

[Iron]

I'm not advocating telling lies to yourself. In fact, I'm a firm believer in people being brutally honest with themselves, as you only improve at anything if you know where you're going wrong.

But equally, I think we have a choice of whether to spend our time wallowing in misery or thinking positive thoughts (or, at very least, focusing on the doing - living in the here and now, without positive or negative judgement).

It's interesting you mention penalty taking. There was a time when Ruud Van Nistlerooy was at Man U when you would have bet your house on him scoring a penalty. But then he missed a couple, and it was obviously playing on his mind. I remember thinking, before he took a particular penalty, that he'd miss it. His body language said he had doubts in his mind, and lo and behold, he failed to score! Just a couple of months previously, he'd have hit the back of the net 99 times out of 100. You can't tell me that miss wasn't due to what was going on in his head...

Jeff

[CaerMyrddin]

Cheers mister man, this was a constructive post by you!

I have to agree with Jeff, honest positive thinking can do miracles. We are not defending you should be building castles on the air, but your chances do improve by staying positive.

I'm no shrink, but maybe whatever you had to deal with was never properly dealt with?

Penalty taking is one of the things where psicology has a profound impact.

It's a bit of a gamble, but you can figure out much of what's about to happen just looking to a players face. I made a killing in this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmH9aXQNNz0

Look at Cardozo's face, he's simply frightened.

[Quinny]

What a load of bollocks positive affirmation/thinking is. It is harmful and destructive, it limits progress and is hostage to self esteem and dignity.

Only charlatan psychologists believe this shit now. And those who have a vested (monetary) interest in brain washing the weak and vulnerable.

Learn about your own true nature and you will see.

For the record, I don't think this can be achieved spending your life looking for other persons' opinions on message boards like this. Adding your two bobs worth to every thread.

My own understanding of the trading markets excelled out of all recognition when I stopped visiting trading message boards. You can not survive this discipline unless you think independently. You won't achieve that by relying on your learning from these places.

Listen least to those who speak the most.

[Iron]

Quinny

Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

Do you have any constructive advice re. how to achieve success in trading and life?

I'm not being facetious, btw. For you to have coached Andy Murray, you must be an expert in peak performance psychology...

Jeff

PS Your colourful language is interesting, given that you've written in a previous post 'Why do you allow vulgar language on the forum. This is the single biggest reason why I don't contribute so often.
SO why?'