A Word of Wisdom

This is a brief story from my mothers life in which she describes the importance of the mind and how much power it really has over our bodies. It is more than just a mental thing, it transfers to the body as well.

The “mind” . . . if we only knew how to use it! Growing up I was an athlete and in every sport I could possibly be in. My Dad told me a hundred times to practice my shot, my hurdle jump, my serves, catching the ball, all while I was in my bed! Yes, while in my bed! No he wasn’t crazy. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference if you think it or actually do it. Therefore, every time you sink a three pointer in your head it’s just like you were standing on the basketball court taking the shot. So cool! So I did this a million times throughout all my school years in every sport I was in.
One day after a church softball game this guy approached me and asked me if I would like to be his short stop on his city league team. I hadn’t played much softball but I was good at it. I was really quick and had a great arm. I was very confident at softball. I told him sure. His team was “A” league which was the very best. His team had been together a long time and I was the youngest on the team. I admit I was a bit intimidated.
The season had just started when I joined the team. I had missed one game and several practices but he already knew I could play so he put me right in at short stop. Long story short . . . right in the middle of my second game I got benched! Then the next game he put me as the designated hitter but left me out of my short stop position. I had some kind of mental block going on! In my first two games I could catch any ball that came my way but for some reason I couldn’t throw the ball to first base. I would get too excited and throw it straight into the ground or 20 feet over the first bases head! For the first time in my entire life “I’d been benched!” I was humiliated and it seemed like the more I practiced, the worse I got! I’d forgotten completely how to throw a softball!
I’ll never forget this. The game I got benched was a Friday night and we weren’t having practice again until Monday evening. So I had almost three days to fix my head or lose my position and probably the opportunity to even be on the team. I had used my Dad’s theory growing up but I wasn’t positive that it worked. I now had the perfect opportunity to put it to the test. I was desperate and didn’t have anything to lose! For the next two days I pictured catching the ball at short stop and throwing it perfectly to first base. I threw the ball thousands of times and every time perfect in my head! I completely forgot about all the bad throws I’d made the last couple of weeks.
When Monday practice rolled around I was ready! Keep in mind I hadn’t touched a ball since my last game, only in my mind. My coach was hesitant to put me at short stop and I didn’t blame him. I had looked like an idiot the last couple of weeks and I hadn’t made one good throw to first base since I had been on the team. So the only thing that had changed since our last game was my head! I was now going to find out whether or not this head game of my Dad’s really worked. I walked out onto the field and imagined myself just as I had the entire past weekend in my head. I was freaking awesome! I threw the ball like I had NEVER thrown the ball before . . . EVER! I fired the ball to the first baseman, dead center every time. I couldn’t miss and every ball I did it perfectly. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever experienced. I was the best I’d ever been! Since this experience I have practiced a million different things in my head, from telling myself I’m brave to cramming a volley ball straight down. It always works! You have to imagine your perfect shots and perfect throws and great moves. Forget about your mistakes! If you keep thinking about your mistakes it’s like practicing them! It works negatively as well! Tell yourself you’re ambitious and you will become ambitious! Remember your mind doesn’t know the difference between fact and fiction. Get what you want, do what you want! Your mind is the only thing stopping you. It is also the only way to get it! It is who we are! ~Dennalee Rupp

My mother is the best in the whole world! I know that everyone must say that about their mother but mine truely is one of a kind. She always knows what to say, when to say it, and how to make everyone happy when she says it. It is no different now. I now know why she is so good at everything she does... Because she believes it in her mind and so she is. That is truly amazing to me. That is why she is such a successful person. I know that the only way that we are to become successful in our lives is if we think that we are going to be successful. Tonight I am going to tell myself that I am going to do GREAT at my job, and protect many families tomorrrow and I will tell everyone on this blog how it went. I want to say thanks to my mother for her great example and the wisdom and inspiration that she has and that she is willing to share it with others. I hope that me and everyone else will be able to have the right mind set and be positive so that in turn we will have a better and more successful society.