Hi Reader,

Lately, I've been coaching youth athletes, which I enjoy because upgrading their beliefs and skills at a young age helps them avoid needless suffering as they progress through life.

It's also fun for me because I experience the innermost thoughts of tough competitors. The kids brought to me, whether in college or middle school, are very accomplished.

I've coached those in martial arts who placed in world championships. Others have gotten full college scholarships, ranked #1 in the country, or become Olympic athletes.

Why did their parents call me for help if they were so talented? Even the most gifted people sometimes get stuck in their heads.

For example, I was once asked to work with an 11-year-old girl in competitive cheerleading struggling with her backhand springs.

She had been able to throw herself backward and land on her feet successfully many times, but one day, she suddenly couldn't get herself to do so anymore, even if the coach spotted her.

Like many top athletes, she put tremendous pressure on herself to conquer the fear, but it only seemed to paralyze her more. She said, "I know I can do it, but I can't make my body move!"

Her parents were supportive, and the coaches tried various tactics, but nothing seemed to work, and she was in danger of losing her spot on the team she had trained so hard to get.

Some girls I've worked with had fallen on their heads, gotten injured, embarrassed themselves, or encountered an immature coach. But none of that was the case for her.

So, I took her through my One Belief Away experience, The Awakening, to find the belief that caused her to get stuck.

Suddenly, she recalled a situation from the year before, where she saw a friend fall and start crying. She hadn't remembered that event until now, so we reframed that situation by looking at it from a different angle.

First, even though the girl was crying, she was okay. The new belief is that even if you fall, you're still OK.

Second, I asked my young client what she would say to the girl who had fallen and was crying. She replied, "I would tell her she would be okay and she could do this."

The second belief is that you can do things even if difficult, and people will support you.

I then showed her how to support herself and reinforced that it is her most important action. The best way to eliminate fear is to be loving to yourself.

Finally, I taught her how to activate the relaxation response, rev up her confidence, and then take action using a trigger word.

When athletes are in the zone, their minds are always quiet. They aren't thinking; they are doing. When we start analyzing everything, we begin hesitating and imagining worst-case scenarios.

So we mentally rehearsed getting quiet and successfully throwing her back spring. Then we celebrated the victory, and I planted one more belief in her subconscious mind: the more fun you have, the more successful you will be.

After the session, her mom texted me that she had a little trouble at first but was finally doing her back handsprings again.

People don't feel afraid for no reason. Fears have roots; you can trace them back to the moment they formed, even if those experiences are forgotten or repressed. Repression is a psychological term for when an event is so traumatic that our brain blocks our conscious recall of it.

Yet, even if it's pushed way down, those fear-based beliefs heavily influence how we think, feel, and behave, and many refer to this phenomenon as feeling "blocked."

The good news is you can release the fear without reviewing all your bad memories, which is what therapists often make you do.

From thirty years of coaching people to success, I've learned that the beliefs that form as a result of those memories influence us the most.

You can't change the past, but you can upgrade your beliefs, ultimately enhancing your confidence and ability to perform at a higher level.

So, let's review.

If you want to feel paralyzed by fear, over-analyze situations as much as possible so they are very noisy in your head.

Justify why your past keeps you stuck, and focus on everything that could go wrong. That’s a surefire way to stay stuck.

But if you want to stay out of your head and perform at your best, do what the top athletes and leaders do:

• Identify the root belief behind your fear.
• Reframe it into a supportive, empowering belief.
• Mentally rehearse success with a calm, focused mind.
• Celebrate progress, no matter how small.
• Remember: the more fun you have, the more successful you'll be.

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You're just one belief away from your next breakthrough.

:) Tim

Tim Shurr, MA
Founder, Indy Hypnosis Centers​
The Hypnotism Academy of IN​
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PS, Happy Cinco De Mayo!

To celebrate, I'm offering 50% OFF my favorite mindset training program, Millionaire Brain Tapes! Take advantage now...

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