The Olympic Games again will be remembered for their youth, vitality, camaraderie, and most of all the amazing athletes’ determination to win. I am sure many have used a hypnotist to help their concentration, stamina and zeal to prevail.

Most professional teams in the United States and overseas use a hypnotist. He will help anyone who asks. One hypnotist mistakenly motivated his team. He hypnotized the whole roster to do what they needed to get to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the hypnotist never hypnotized them to win the Super Bowl, which the team lost.

As you watched closeups of the Olympic competitors, did you notice the look in their eyes? Once each athlete became involved,  every one appeared to have “The Thousand Yard Stare.” Their eyes were focused far away. Almost as if they were not present.

I Have Seen This Before

As a hypnotist, this look is so familiar. It is what I look for when I hypnotize someone. The look is hypnosis. All persons have flashed this look, whether or not they realize it. Ever been sitting at your desk as your mind wanders to an upcoming vacation? The faraway look is hypnosis, which is when your body is in one place, your mind another.

Next time you are at a traffic light, check the eyes of the driver behind you in your rear-view mirror. They will appear to be defocused, far away. You are not immune to these stares, either. When I lecture, I ask the audience if they can remember cars they saw driving to their destination. Results never vary. No one can remember any vehicle except a fire engine, cop car or ambulance. The reason: Everything is normal. Nothing stands out. Only when something happens do you pay attention. It was okay to drift off. As soon as something unusual occurred, your conscious mind became aware. You reacted.

I remember a manager at a restaurant who would stand in one spot and gently rock side to side as if in a trance. The moment something out of the ordinary occurred, he pounced into action. 

We all have the same capacity for concentration and success as the Olympic athletes.  All knew what they had to do. Each athlete trained very hard to get to the Olympics and each athlete competed very hard to win. The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Imagine the heartbreak for an athlete who ends up not competing because of an injury.  I recall an Australian 500 meter speed skater. He had been training exhaustively for years to qualify. Ten meters into his race, he caught his foot and crashed.

His story is not unique. Some never won medals but did better than they ever had done before.

The Olympics was a wonderful real life education about how each of us has within the potential to accomplish great things. All we must do is accept that we can focus on what we want, figure out how to get it and do the work to be the success we want.

Do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, 310.204.3321, or by email at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net. See my website at www.hypnotherapy4you.net