The beliefs athletes hold about themselves and the mindsets they adopt about winning and achieving are fundamental to understanding success and optimal performance in sports. We, as consultants, can inspire athletes to achieve new levels of performance by pushing the boundaries of what athletes believe they are capable of. I call these boundary-breaking beliefs “quantum thoughts” because they involve creating a new reality for the athlete.
Quantum thinking can lead to transformations and enlightenment if the thoughts are positive. Positive quantum thinking evokes hope and a life with a better future. When these thoughts are consistent and fuelled by passion, confidence, and intensity, they work through the belief system of the athlete and transform into reality. In other words, what athletes think will happen does happen.
This is the self-fulfilling prophecy effect described by Robert Merton and demonstrated in Robert Rosenthal’s famous studies of school children. Rosenthal found that when school children are told they are excellent at something they outperform children who are told they are not.
The self-fulfilling prophecy effect can be seen in great athletes and great teams in many sports. Inspiring quantum thoughts noticeably manifest into reality. A great example of a story that supports the efficacy of this wisdom, is the story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
In a television interview in 1984, Michael claimed he would be the world’s number one player, and the Bulls, the worst team in the NBA, would be the greatest team. Everyone laughed at this prediction. In a game dominated by seven-footers, it was believed Michael at 6 foot 6 was not going to change the game. Moreover, Chicago had no history of greatness in the NBA. They had never won anything. Michael’s predictions manifested into reality in 1991 when he became the best athlete in the world and Chicago Bulls became the NBA’s number-one team.
In another example, Tiger Woods at the age of 12 put Jack Nicklaus’s record in the Majors on his wall and aimed at being the world’s number one golfer. At the age of 21 Tiger became the number one player in the world.
Tiger and Michael show us that beliefs and quantum thoughts have an overwhelming effect on performance. Certain beliefs and thoughts are fundamental if you wish to be great.