Dear Friends,

When my son Paul was about 5, he was walking through our kitchen, and I heard him counting to himself in Spanish.

“Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis…”

I was impressed, so I called after him, “Paul, come back here and count to ten for me in Spanish again!”

His response:

“I don’t know how to count in Spanish.”

Ha! He had no idea what he was saying or how much he knew. This is — for better or worse — really common. We hear things, we repeat them, but we don’t always understand what they mean. Paul had the information — the Spanish numbers — in his brain, but he couldn’t actually apply it.

We definitely learn things through repetition. My bet is that Paul heard someone on Sesame Street counting over and over in Spanish while he was playing with his cars. It just sunk in.

Hmm. The insidious creep of words.

Let’s think about that. What do you imagine your reality becomes if you are always saying — or hearing — “I can’t”?

You think you can’t, so you won’t.

But if you think you can, then you will.

Michael Jordan once said:

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot — and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

We have to be willing to challenge what we think we know, and be acutely aware of our thoughts.

Your thoughts create the framework of your reality.

They can be your rocket fuel — or your brakes.

Look at how Michael Jordan perceived repeated failures: not as barriers, but as stepping stones to success.

Every time you catch yourself thinking a non-affirmative thought, check it at the door. Make a habit of challenging those negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. It may not feel natural at first — but practice it long enough, and you’ll believe it.

Get enough reps in, and one day the affirming thoughts will be the first ones to pop into your head.

Let’s start on 3.

UNO, DOS, TRES…

God Bless,

Dr. Dan