The winner effect, Psycho-Cybernetics and the Victorious attitude

[TestY]

Chase has written articles on the importance of the winner effect; like in his articles on Ironclad mental health, men's testosterone levels, and motivation. The winner effect is such an important element for morale. When we are winning, work is enjoyable, we are confident, people respond better, and we tend to win more. I believe that one could supplement Chase's small-wins-approach with visualizing a win, to gain confidence, courage and faith.

"The experienced quarterback who has been parked on the bench for weeks needs and wants to turn on his winning feeling in an instant, when' suddenly needed in a game, without requiring the gentle, patient build-up of small victories. This acceleration must be created totally through imagination, not actuality. In the Theater Of The Mind rather than the arena of real experience. Because synthetic and actual experience have virtually identical impact, this can be done"

The winner effect, Psycho-cybernetics and the Victorious attitude
Skills, Karea and others have mentioned Maxwell Maltz and his book: Psycho-Cybernetics. The book has some interesting things to say about developing the winner effect through visualizing. I'll include an extract from chapter 14: "How to get and keep 'that winning feeling'":

Thus, if we dwell on failure and continually picture failure to ourselves in such vivid detail that it becomes real to our nervous system, we will experience the feelings, even the physical responses, that go with failure. On the other hand, if we keep our positive goal in mind, and picture it to ourselves so vividly as to make it real, and think of it in term of an accomplished fact, we will also experience winning feelings: self confidence, courage, and faith that the outcome will be desirable. ...

Dr. Cary Middlecoff, writing in the April 1956 issue of Esquire Magazine, said that The Winning Feeling is the real secret of champi onship golf. "Four days before I hit my first drive in the Masters last year, I had a feeling I was sure to win that tournament," he said. "I felt that every move I made in getting to the top of my back swing put my muscles in perfect position to hit the ball exactly as I wanted to. And in putting, too, that marvelous feeling came to me. I knew I hadn't changed my grip any, and my feet were in the usual position. But there was something about the way I felt that gave me a line to the cup just as clearly as if it had been tattooed on my brain. With that feeling all I had to do was swing the clubs and let nature take its course.

Obviously, as adults we are eager· to speed, up this process. To accelerate success. To have such a good foundation in place we can even trigger our winning feeling on command. The experienced quar terback who has been parked on the bench for weeks needs and wants to turn on his winning feeling in an instant, when' suddenly needed in a game, without requiring the gentle, patient build-up of small victo ries. This acceleration must be created totally through imagination, not actuality. In the Theater Of The Mind rather than the arena of real experience. Because synthetic and actual experience have virtually identical impact, this can be done

So we can vividly picture ourselves acting confident and cool with stunners, and in turn getting their attraction - and thereby get "that winning feeling", activate the winner effect. Another resource I like is from Orison Swett Marden. He is the father of the american self-development movement, and wrote books in the early 1900s - and is referenced by guys like Tony Robbins. Similar to what Chase has described about his reading of early 1900s fiction, and how it included classical references, Orison Swett Marden also seems to be inspired by the Classics in his writing, and this comes though in his emphasis in conquest, victory and the like (cf. Napoleon or Plutarch's lives). In his "The victorious attitude", he writes:

To be a conqueror in appearance, in one's bearing, is the first step toward success. It inspires confidence in others as well as in oneself. Walk, talk and act as though you were a somebody, and you are more likely to become such. Move about among your fellowmen as though you believe you are a man of importance. Let victory speak from your face and express itself in your manner. Carry yourself like one who is conscious he has a splendid mission, a grand aim in life. Radiate a hopeful, expectant, cheerful atmosphere. In other words, be a good advertisement of the winner you are trying to be.

Doubts, fears, despondency, lack of confidence, will not only give you away in the estimation of others and brand you as a weakling, a probable failure, but they will react upon your mentality and destroy your self-confidence, your initiative, your efficiency. They are telltales, proclaiming to every one you meet that you are losing out in the game of life. A triumphant expression inspires trust, makes a favorable impression. A despondent, discouraged expression creates distrust, makes an unfavorable impression.
...
The spirit in which you face your work, in which you grapple with a difficulty, the spirit in which you meet your problem, whether you approach it like a conqueror, with courage, a vigorous resolution, with firmness, or with timidity, doubt, fear, will determine whether your career will be one grand victory or a complete failure.

Marden's contemporary Henry Thomas Hamblin expands on how to do this in his "The Power of Thought":

"The tecahing that bids you merely to dismiss your trouble from your mind and think of pleasant things, ... can be positively followed, but as usually applied is quite negative. When applied in a negative way it weakens the will, robs one of initiative, and destroys one's power to decide and act. Instead of avoiding the issue, whenever the thought of the impending trouble or difficulty rises into consciousness, we should meet it boldly, affirming our ability to overcome it and be victorious. If, every time the thought arises, it is met with an affirmation of power, overcoming and victory, then when the time arrives to meet the difficulty in actual experience, we find that we have ample power to overcome and go victoriously throuogh the experience. We find ourselvevs steadast in mind and possessed of a reserve of power that surprises us.

Interesting to note how similar this seems to Chase's approach in his article on testosterone... As well as his article on "picture the conquest". We can picture the conquest in all areas of our lives...

Any others who have attempted these approaches?

Cheers.