Instead of asking, “How do I feel?” you should be asking yourself, “What do I do?”
Trevor Moawad was an advocate of neutral thinking. Here’s the idea:
The past is the past. What happened, happened. There’s not a thing you can do to change it.
Feeling down. Feeling sorry. Losing energy because of a negative occurrence. Feeling like a past positive assures current success. All those things aren’t true.
The future is uncertain. Whether fearful or optimistic, you can’t know what will happen until it happens. Letting feelings about the future affect you is a waste of energy.
Neutral thinking says what’s important now is what you do next. Selecting what you do next is dictated by resources and abilities which are with you right now and your dedication to using those to your best ability.
Neutral thinking leads to constructive action.
Buc quarterback Tom Brady is a neutral thinker. He studies the film. He practices the passes. Whatever has happened in the game, he believes the next time he has the ball, he has the ability to succeed if he does what he knows.
Neutral thinking says don’t get down or be cocky. Just prepare and do what you know.
