Thinking & Action

California in the winter of 1998/99.

What do you believe about the power of programming your mind?

Feeding your mind with healthy positive commands to do things you thought were impossible, requiring courage and learning or time to complete. To do it now!

I think the benefit of having courage to take bigger steps in life leads us to greater fulfillment. I think it is okay to go kicking and screaming, but we must still go for it.

Okay, I will get to the story.

I am standing on top of a mountain looking down a double black diamond run at a ski resort in the Tahoe Mountains of California. I have only been on a snowboard for 2 hours learning how to break,stop and fall.

How did I get here?

I had taken a wrong turn while trying to find an easy way down the mountain. Here I was on the hardest ski run of the mountain; mind you my first time at a ski resort aswell.

You see I grew up in the deserts of Australia and some of its cities. What now?

Just as I was about to shuffle off the side and quietly try to sneak awkwardly away, a large group of Aussies came around the bend and were daring each other to complete this ski run.

As true gentlemen they insisted I go first as I was sitting on the peak ready to go.

One guy Brunero, was a blonde haired Italian Aussie who had a great attitude to life and would later become a good friend over the next few months.

I explained laughingly I had only hopped on my board 2 hours ago.

He said quietly 'do not worry, I have a great tip for you'.

He then explained that the task of balance and speed were influenced by the language in your head.

Not really what you say, but how you say it. If I ride down the mountain and speak to myself I am likely to follow the action of the command.

If I say 'don't fall' to myself, I will more then likely follow the command 'fall' not the 'don't' part of the statement.

What do I do? I said.

He said 'say the same command differently, so the action is proactive and the result is positive'.

If I say 'stay up' to myself, I will follow the command which has the benefit of positive reinforcement.

Now, to someone who wants to save face and slide away from this danger these ideas seemed worth a go.

I am up on the board looking down and Brunero reminds me again 'positive commands to the brain'.

okay!' I reply. I slap on my locked knees trying to convince them to let go and start this new journey.

The board starts to move as I tip the front down the slope and WOW the board just takes off. It is fair to say 60% degrees is a good description of the angle.

All I notice is I am going so fast any thoughts in my brain get blown out my ears and there is a deafening silence.

I am quickly and repeatedly whispering these words to myself 'stay up, stay up, stay up...'

Then as I pass halfway I noticed, I could not hear the soft powder under my board, I could not recognise any thoughts and my fears disappeared from my mind. In this high speed silence I hear a pure and spirited voice whisper to me 'F..R..E..E..D..O..M..'

I flew down the mountain with a breaking slide and sat on my backside with my hands in the air bellowing at the top of my lungs. What a wonderful ride.

MESSAGE: What you serve your mind, it will deliver to you.