A mind trick is all you need: Always be optimistic

Yesterday, I finally got around to doing some sewing that I had been putting off for a while. I got out my set of needles and picked the one that seemed largest; they were all rather small.

And then started the struggle to put the thread through the rather tiny hole began. It took me a while, and I even joked that surely, I was losing my sight. Either that, or my approach was just wrong.

I was about to send for a larger needle when my stubborn streak took over. I won’t give up, I resolved, even as I recalled this tale on golf I had read from a blog called Moodscope.

It is obvious that if the size of the holes were to be increased, the game would take a much shorter time. The bigger the holes are, the more likely it is that the golf balls will plop into them, rather like moving the goalposts further apart in football.

The account goes ahead to say that psychologists at Purdue University in Indiana have recently discovered that better golf players appear to perceive holes as being larger than they actually are.

The research involved showing golfers a board with different sized circles after they had finished their round, then asking them to indicate the one that was the size of those on the course. (One circle had the same diameter as the golf hole while the others were either smaller or larger.)

The better players tended to overestimate the size of the holes by between ten and 20 per cent. In their minds, they had better opportunity to play since the holes were larger.

Now, the researchers believe this is the reason why the players subconsciously adopted a more positive mindset to improving their game.

I bet this is nothing new, as the school of positive thinking urges us to cloak ourselves with as much positivism as we can. To adorn ourselves with affirmations that we can do it, that we will do it. They say faith can literally move mountains.

Realistic

If you have never applied this mode of thought, then you will be quick to rubbish such talk. But as clear as day, it does really work. Just try it today.

While at it, remember that being over-optimistic can be self-defeating, so be realistic. Still, it is best to adopt a positive attitude.

I like to call this abstract science; for it is something you cannot touch; simply an attitude, or a trick of the mind. But this trick of the mind has served many people wonders. Like a friend says, a positive mind is all you need to traverse the valleys and dark tunnels of life.

Photo: en.wikipedia.org