Hello and happy Monday! This is Susan Hyatt and it’s GO time. This is episode number 138.
In this episode we’re talking about the power of positive thinking. We’re talking about how the words you say to yourself—the words you say privately inside your head, and the words you say aloud— have a direct impact on how you feel. And how you feel… has a direct impact on how you perform.
If you are new to this show, welcome! This is a show where we
talk about goals, and courage, and going after what you really want in life.
Today I have an AMAZING true story for you. It’s going to blow your mind.
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Wanna read the full transcript? Here ya go:
So, there’s a woman named Vanessa Van Edwards. She’s a researcher who studies human behavior. She studies things like why we lie… what happens in our brains when we get scared… what our body language means. Fascinating stuff.
Vanessa wrote a book called Captivate.
At a recent book signing event, she told a story about how our thoughts directly impact our behavior. A friend of mine attended this event and she relayed this story back to me. It’s amazing.
So, here’s what happened…
Group A—a group of random, ordinary people, not professional singers—were instructed to stand up in front of a crowd and say, “I am nervous.”
Right after saying, “I am nervous,” they had to sing the song “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey in front of a live audience.
Group B—another group of random people, not professional singers—was instructed to do the exact same thing.
Except with THIS group, instead of saying, “I am nervous,” they were instructed to say, “I am excited!” And then sing the song.
A computer recorded each person’s performance and measured things like pitch, volume, accuracy.
And can you guess what happened?
Group A—the people who said, “I am nervous”—didn’t do a very good job. They missed some of the notes. They struggled with the tempo. They messed up some of the lyrics. On average, they did OK but not great.
Group B—the people who said “I am excited!”—did significantly better than Group A. They hit the notes more accurately. They sang louder and stronger. The computer measured all kinds of metrics—pitch, tempo, and so on—and the “I am excited!” group did BETTER on every set of metrics.
Again, neither group was comprised of professional singers. Just regular people doing karaoke.
The only difference between the two groups is… the first group started with a NEGATIVE statement and mindset, and the second group started with a POSITIVE statement and mindset.
Here’s the really amazing part…
The researchers repeated the same experiment—except with a math test instead of a song.
And the SAME THING HAPPENED.
The people who said, “I am nervous” performed WORSE on the math test than the people who said “I am excited!”
So, what does this mean? It’s pretty obvious, right?
It means that the words you say to yourself—the words you say privately inside your head, and the words you say aloud—these words have a direct impact on how you feel. And how you feel… has a direct impact on how you perform.
So if you want to score higher on your next test… if you want to sing louder and stronger… if you want to run faster… if you want to pitch yourself to a client with confidence and win the deal… if you want to feel energized and confident and perform better on every level… start with a POSITIVE statement and mindset.
It will absolutely make a difference.
As a life coach, this is something I’m constantly telling my clients, because people…
this is for real. Change your mindset, and it will change your life.
Remember this, as you go about your week.
Get out of bed and tell yourself, “I AM EXCITED” and see how it shifts… everything.
It’s GO time.
