Magic of Believing: Self help I

Bill believes in you!

If you can Think Yourself Thin, if you can Think and Grow Rich, I guess you can think your way to better riding, at least for the four minutes you're in the show ring.

Thanks Jane!
Jane Savoie helped me get over show ring jitters. I attended a lecture she gave at a Horse Expo years back. She talked about reframing negative thoughts to positive ones. A negative thought like my "oh my god, everyone is watching" she changed to: "Gee I wish there were more people here so I could REALLY PERFORM." That was her example. She nailed the thing that always made me nervous (people watching) and gave me the tools--positive thoughts, and a sense of humor and fun--to get me past it.

Outside the dressage ring
Phyllis Diller -- what a cool lady -- was a housewife until at age 37 she read The Magic of Believing, a book that she credits as giving her the drive and courage to follow her dream of being a comedian.  She promoted this book throughout her career, but also said there are a lot of good self-help books out there and you have to find the one that speaks to you. I have the Magic of Believing and I'm skimming it now.  It's not a new concept -- the power of the mind  -- but it is well written. Yes, think we all know intellectually that our thoughts are powerful, but maybe we don't think to apply it in our lives. Phyllis got no encouragement from friends and family, she had to believe in her own talent. She said she read and re-read that book, and she carved out a niche in one of the toughest areas of entertainment -- stand up comic! See this interview to hear her talk about the book in her own words.
 

Stay tuned for part II.