"Your destiny depends entirely on your own mental conduct. It is the thoughts that you allow yourself to dwell upon all day long that makes your mentality what it is and circumstances are made by your mentality."
~Emmet Fox
photo by John Cheng (USA Gymnastics)
That's Gabrielle (Gabby) Douglas, 16-year-old Olympic gold medal winning gymnast, in mid-leap during one of her performances...where the energy of joy, exuberance, the energy of YES is palpable. What a joy to watch her perform her routines on the uneven bars, where she earned the nickname Flying Squirrel, or on the balance beam, where she performs somersaults with perfect landings, as effortlessly as if she were taking a stroll down the street.
Gabby comes to mind today as I reflect on a wonderful article that was sent to me by a dear friend--an article from Psychology Today titled "Words Can Change Your Brain", by Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman. It's about the power of language to effect brain chemistry, for good or ill. According to this article, when we engage in negative thoughts or speech, stress chemicals are released that interrupt normal functioning of the brain, impairing logic, reason, and rational decision making abilities. Ruminating on negative thoughts over time actually damages structures in the brain that effect memory, feelings and emotions, and may cause disruption in sleep, appetite, and the ability to experience happiness.
On the other hand, the article proposes, we can overcome this "neural bias for negativity" by consciously generating at least three positive thoughts and feelings for each expression of negativity. "Positive words and thoughts propel the motivational centers of the brain into action and they help us build resilience when we are faced with life's problems...when you generate a minimum of five positive thoughts to each negative one, you'll experience 'an optimal range of human functioning.' That is the power of YES."
Gabby, it has been well publicized, has shown a tendency to experience 'the jitters' when performing in important events. An article in Time magazine mentioned a "haunting self-doubt that gnaws away at the bravado built up from hours and hours of nailed routines in the gym." I imagine the inner dialogue that must take place within her to counteract feelings of self-doubt, as clearly confidence reigned at the Olympics this week. I was very moved by something caught on camera just as Gabby was about to begin one of her routines—one of her teammates came up to her, and looking intently into her eyes, said very slowly and deliberately, "You're fine. You can do this." And Gabby nodded, saying, "You're right. I can." And boy, did she!
In gratitude today for the power of YES, and for the ability to choose it every moment!
In gratitude today for the power of YES, and for the ability to choose it every moment!
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