A lesson from sports champions: The power of intention changes reality. Your health. Your career. Your world.

Lynne McTaggart

Seven weeks before Muhammad Ali met World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman for their “rumble in the jungle” at Kinshasa in 1975, Ali practised his punches as if he couldn’t care less, taking a few desultory swipes at his sparring partner as if distractedly popping a bag. Mostly he’d lie against the ropes and allow his opponent to pound away at him from every angle.

In the latter years of his boxing career, Ali spent much of his training time learning how to take punches. He studied how to shift his head by just a hair a microsecond before the connection was made, or where in his body he could mentally deflect the punch so that it would no longer hurt. He was not training his body to win. He was training his mind not to lose, at the point when deep fatigue sets in around the 12th round and most boxers cave in. Ali’s most important work was being done, not in the ring, but in his armchair. He was fighting the fight in his head.

This is how Ali remained “the greatest.” He drew upon the power of intention for strength in the ring. And I think we could all learn something from him. After poring over data from many people who use the power of intention successfully in their own lives, I believe the art of intention can enhance our performance in many activities, and even affect our health.

The most instructive examples of the art of intention come from sports, not only from the greatest boxer of all time, but other top sportsmen and women. Athletes of all varieties now routinely perform what is variously termed “mental rehearsals,” “mental practice,” “implicit practice” or even “covert rehearsal.”

Focused intention is now deemed essential for star athletes to improve their games. Swimmers, skaters, weightlifters, basketball and football players all employ intention to enhance their levels of performance. It is even used in leisure sports, such as golf and rock climbing. (more…)

By Gary Evans

http://www.Manifest-Miracle.com

Are you living your dream life? If not, there are three main reasons why this is so. They may sound simple, and in a way they are. Like everything else, they are habits, and habits can be changed. It’s a matter of putting your attention on making the desired changes.

The first reason you may not be living your dream life is…

That you don’t have any idea what your dream life would look like. This is often pointed out in books and workshops on goals. You can’t very well achieve goals you’ve never set! Your dream life is related to this, but a little different, and actually more important even than goals. For when we talk about a dream life, we mean the sum total of everything you want. It is more of a picture than a goal. This is how some people lose sight of it, or never set their sites on it in the first place. Just because it’s a “big picture” kind of vision doesn’t mean it’s too big or intangible for you to map out.

You don’t need to know all the specific details of what your dream life will look like, but you do need to know the general outline. For example, you probably can say or write down the kind of home you’d like to live in, the kind of relationships, the kind of health and the kind of financial situation. Put all of this down in the form of affirmations or goal statements. You can also create a “dream board” to go along with the statements -images that are visual representations of what you’d like to attract. Remember, your life doesn’t have to exactly replicate the pictures you choose. These are only guidelines, but very important all the same, as it gives your imagination something to work towards. (more…)