It's All in Your Head

Jeremy loves baseball. It’s his favorite sport, and he's been playing since Rookie League when he was six. Over the years, Jeremy became a really skilled player. He’s fast, has a strong arm, is a consistent hitter, and was a starter on his Babe Ruth team in the spring. So, it came as a shock to his father when Jeremy got to high school and decided he is not trying out for the Freshman Baseball team.

“I'm not doing it."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I don't really like baseball all that much."

"You don't like baseball? It's always been your favorite thing."

"Well I don't like it anymore"

"Is that all there is, or is something else bothering you?"

"I don't know. I'm not going to make the team anyway, so it's a waste of time."

"What makes you think that? "I just know it, and anyway, I can't hit."

"What? Last season you had the highest batting average on you team!"

"Yeh, but that team wasn't very good. It’s different in High School. I'll never be able to hit the ball."

Jeremy's worry about the baseball tryout is not unusual. Even though he has been a great hitter for most of his life, he IMAGINES that he won't do well, and won’t make the team. The ideas or thoughts that kids hold in their heads are more powerful than you might think. In fact, if Jeremy goes to the tryout thinking "I'm not a good hitter", chances are he will not hit the ball.

When we work with kids, we help them create a positive vision of what they want to achieve. This is more than just changing the words from "I'm a bad hitter" to "I'm a good hitter”. It’s about helping Jeremy create a powerful mental image in his mind of what he wants to do- an actual picture of himself standing at the plate, watching the ball release from the pitcher, feeling the bat connect with the ball – as he smacks a line drive between second and third base.

It is just as important to practice the positive images you hold in your head as it is to practice your hitting in the batting cage, because the thoughts we hold in our head really matter.

We move towards the things we think about!