Positive Thinking-Fake it until you make it

As a young music student, the positive thinking was a constant challenge. I remember a moment in a lesson when I was struggling with a musical phrase in the upper range. Missing the top note repeatedly, I was extremely frustrated. I had an upcoming performance of the piece that was important to me. After making the same error several times with only my increasingly bad attitude to show for it, my teacher stopped me.

“Put your horn down. Close your eyes. Play the line in your head how you want it to go. Hear all the accompaniment, and imagine that the line is flowing easily from you.”

I had no problem with that part – I could imagine the line perfectly. “Now, play it again, but this time, pay no attention to what is coming out of your horn – think only of how it sounds in your head.”

I tried it, and missed the note again, becoming even angrier at myself, because the dichotomy between the music in my head and the music I was putting out into the room was enormous. She shook her head. “You are still listening to what is coming out of the horn. If you can focus on how you want it to sound, that’s more than half the battle in getting the line the way you want it.”

Is Positive Thinking just Magical Thinking?

I left my lesson confused. How was just “thinking” about something supposed to be more effective than trying to correct the problem by playing it again and again? I promptly returned to the practice room and kept attempting to master the phrase “my way,” that is, failing repeatedly and hoping something would magically change. After all, practice makes perfect, right? [I’m reminded of a poster in my therapist’s office that read: “Insanity is when you do the same things again and again, but expect different results.”]

In graduate school that I learned an updated version of the phrase that has proved to be more accurate: practice makes permanence. To this day, when I think about that particular moment in the music that I was trying to master, my mind hears a “double image”. I hear the correct version as well as the superimposed version with the consistent error. If I were to try to play the phrase today, with no changes in my approach, I’d guess that my chances are around 50-50 for playing the phrase correctly. I had firmly imprinted the mistake in my memory.

Being “on the ball”

I later read a book called The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey, which described exactly what my teacher had been trying to instill in me. In order to send an action into the world with genuine control over its trajectory and destination, one must first see the entire course desired by the ball in one’s mind. I had to learn to imagine that the ball (or note, or whatever) was going to travel the path I set for it, landing exactly where I intended it to land.

It sounded like a bunch of voodoo. How can positive thinking do anything? I’m always thinking about playing the right notes, how come that doesn’t work? I noticed that lots of famous sports figures were very much in favor of this “Inner Game” system, and they were making millions of dollars by putting, throwing or hitting balls exactly where they wanted them. Was this the power of positive thinking at work? So, I kept reading.

“Fake it until you make it”

I was no closer to making sense out of the concept. Soon, I learned another interesting phrase: “Fake it until you make it.” For a trained musician, whose job it was to project confidence and competence on her instrument at all times, this was tough to swallow. Should I just “pretend” that everything is OK? Won’t people notice if things are less than perfect? Isn’t this just lying to myself? Aren’t I wasting valuable time that I could be bashing my head against the brick wall of a practice room? I would be fooling no one, including myself.

But I just couldn’t get that catchy little phrase out of my head, so I did what any academically minded person would do – research. And there was plenty of research on the subject of positive thinking. This concept is used by not only sports figures to hit balls but by musicians, scientists, professionals from many walks of life. It is called “projected outcome”, “projected imagery”, or “manifestation work”. I’m sure there are other terms as well. It was explained in many ways, but I’m creating my own explanation as to how I understand the concept. I’m also going to tell you how I am using it in my life.

Revising the Bus Ride

Imagine that you are at a bus stop, waiting for a bus. Most likely, the majority of your thoughts are about your destination. Perhaps you think about what you will be doing, thinking, feeling, once you get there. To some extent, you may take note of the people around you, the ads on the wall, the smell of the bakery next door. At that moment, however, you are focused: you have a goal. The bus, the scenery, everything around you is incidental to the goal of your destination.

Along the way, any number of things could go awry. The bus could be late, you might not be able to find a seat, you might miss your stop. You could get completely caught up in the worry of lateness, or missing your stop, and you could get distracted from the goal. You would not appreciate your arrival with the same satisfaction as you had anticipated.

What if, before you even left your house, you spent a few moments with positive thinking envisioning your trip as you wanted it to be? You see a pleasant, short wait at the bus stop. There are plenty of seats on the bus. You enjoy watching the people and scenery on your trip. When your stop arrives, you are rested and ready to arrive at your destination. Would this keep any of the unwanted things from happening? Maybe, maybe not. Would it change your attitude about unwanted things if they did occur? Absolutely!

Bus Ride, Take Two

Imagine that you have done this mental preparation, and the bus is late. You fall into conversation with someone at the bus stop. She turns out to be an excellent business connection for you. Imagine that the bus is full. You are in very close quarters with your fellow travelers. Another conversation takes place. You meet a friend of a friend whom you have lost touch with over the years. Imagine that you miss your stop, and have to get off at the next stop and walk. You discover a new shop, and they just happen to carry one of your favorite types of tea. Your mind expected to have a positive experience. Consequently, you experience the unexpected (and unwanted) experience as an opportunity rather than a setback.

In our success-driven world, failure is like a plague that we hope never darkens our doorstep. In reality, failure is simply the manifestation of something we didn’t want or expect (or both). It’s rarely fatal, and with the right mindset, failure is educational. Failure tells us a few important things about how we are feeling at any given moment:

• Clarifies the things we do NOT want in our experience.
• Gives us clear feedback as to how the things we do not want impact our lives in a negative way.
• Allows a clean slate upon which to draft a new set of goals and to strike out in a new direction, armed with valuable information.

So, how is positive thinking supposed to make a difference? How is “faking it” a valuable tool?

Making the Mental Movie

The difference comes when we take positive thinking one step further into feeling. I was spending all of my practice time worrying about missing notes and thinking about how frustrated I would become if that trend continued. It’s not enough for me to imagine myself playing the right notes. I need to create the mental movie of my confident stage entrance, picking up my instrument with grace and ease. I need to feel my relaxed breath, my complete and joyful connection to the music, and the effortless soaring through the phrase in question.

But it has to keep going. I imagine how great I will feel as the last chords of the piece sound. I acknowledge the applause of the audience. Feeling the hugs and handshakes of congratulations and the glow of accomplishment, I put my instrument away. I prepare to go out and celebrate with my friends. The emotions of this scene play through my mind each day for five to ten minutes before I practice and before I go to sleep.

I need to let myself get caught up in the good feelings of making music at this moment – or any moment that I’m seeking to create my success. I take these good feelings into the practice room with me. Firmly, I turn my back on any concepts of failure or negative self-talk. There must be no room left in my mind for these destructive demons to do their work. All that matters is the joy of connecting to the music and my desire to keep the joy flowing.

The universe shifts to a place where fewer notes missed. Above all, missed notes no longer have the power to rob me of joy in my present and future. It’s a place where we connect to our Source. Where we confidently stride forward into a world of our own making.

Clear your Space – Recharge your Self – Direct your Life

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Christina Laberge

Owner at Wellspring Energyworks

Liturgical Fabric Artist, Composer, Reiki Master Teacher, Space Clearing Consultant, Energetic Better Living Coach - Christina Laberge is living abundantly in the Boston area with her wife, Kelly, her two cats (Tam-Tam and Rosie) and one very cranky parrot (Daisy). She loves choral music, creating fabric art, travel, and riding on the back of a very large Harley motorcycle.

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