I was a technical rock climber when I was younger and had some rather harrowing experiences and close calls. I have a fear of heights, but as long as I trusted the person on the other end of the rope to belay me safely, I was usually able to overcome that fear. But when I think about some of those close calls, even today, I can feel that surge of adrenaline. I was climbing Mt. Princeton (14,000+ feet) in February. We were trapped by a blizzard and a whiteout just below the summit at about 13,700 feet and had to spend the night up there. The temperature was at least 40-below. That’s the lowest my thermometer registered, and the mercury just curled up in the ball at the bottom and refused to come out! Most of my toes got frostbit that night. I have never been so cold before or since. Thirty years later, whenever I think of that night I still shiver.

How often have you heard a particular piece of music and were immediately transported to an event that was very significant in your life – complete with all the sights, sounds and emotions that occurred the first time? Have you ever smelled a certain smell, and were immediately back in Grandma’s kitchen, with all the emotions that were attached to that experience?

Here is the point: Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between a real event and a vividly imagined one.

Why is that important? Finish this sentence: “Practice makes ____________.” But is that really true? In fact, PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT. What if you practice the same bad habits over and over? You get perfect bad habits. What if you replay your failures over and over in your mind? You make those failure-oriented behaviors permanent. It’s time to begin using your imagination to your benefit instead of to your detriment. Stop replaying your failures over and over in your mind.