No more affirmations and mantras?
I have been a strong believer in the power of affirmations and mantras for more years than I care to remember. But for the last few months I have started to have some doubts. Don’t get me wrong. I still think they can help people achieve their goals, but I think there are other methods that will be hugely more powerful.
Breaking news (17 June 2017) about my client poker legend Chris Moorman, and his breakthrough victory in the World Series. This link has details. At some point Chris and I may share more details of our work together, including our current views about affirmations, and the background to his latest victory.
This video below explains how my thoughts about the value of affirmations have crystallised, and, as so often happens, it required a synchronicity to ignite these thoughts and propel them to my conscious mind.
The synchronicity was the photograph of my old friend Johnny Cooper, who I met in Oman years ago. He was a founder member of the British Special Air Service (SAS) and was a huge inspiration to me at that time. Then I believed the world was full of inspirational people, and it took me many years to realise this is not true.
I doubt Johnny had his own affirmations other than to get the job done. I also doubt he knew what a mantra was, but it did not stop him achieving incredible success in his chosen career.
For those of you interested in military history, and the SAS, in particular this link provides a few details of John’s exploits, though is out of date, or inaccurate, or both. It is only recently that much of this material has been declassified.
I was surprised by how difficult it was to find biographical material or even an obituary about Johnny. The best sources are books and a television video series featuring many interviews with Johnny. It was filmed when a few Originals were still alive, and has now been released since being declassified information. My understanding is that Johnny died in 2002.
My message is that you will have at least one inspirational person in your life. Value this person while they are still alive and so avoid any regrets of words left unsaid after that they have gone. This sentiment applies to all who are close to us, and not just the special ones.
