Think it, believe it, become it.

"I believe in everything until it's disproved". John Lennon

I was really happy to read today that Thusha Kamaleswaran has defied the odds and is making remarkable progress in her recovery. 

Two years ago, at the age of 5, Thusha's spine was shattered by a stray bullet during a gang war. Happily playing in her uncle's shop minutes before being shot, Thusha was left fighting for her life, almost bleeding to death and having to be revived twice after suffering two heart attacks. 

The amazing thing about this story for me is the fact that despite doctors predicting Thusha would be permanently paralysed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, her family made the decision NOT to tell her this.

This courageous schoolgirl has never stopped believing therefore she would walk again and is now taking steps on a treadmill with a harness. She is completely focused on being able to dance and play basketball again, never doubting that she will. Could part of her recovery be attributed to her mind not knowing that she isn't, according to doctors, supposed to recover?

When doctors originally told me there was nothing they could do for my condition and that I would have to resign myself to a life of disability and pain I wouldn't accept this. I stubbornly researched other hospitals, treatments and natural options available to me and never gave up hope. Although I am not fully recovered (yet) I am more mobile than originally predicted and, like Thusha, carry out the same gruelling physio exercises day after day, fully committed to my recovery.

The mind is such a powerful tool. I completely understand the doctors have to predict, to the best of their knowledge, what they think the future will hold for patients but, in many cases, this can be nothing more than an educated guess based on past similar cases and their knowledge of the body.

Whereas it's true that a spine is a spine, the difference is, the awesomely amazing difference, is that we are all beautifully human with unique outlooks, thought processes and coping mechanisms.

If you have been "written off" by anyone don't give up hope I say. That belief really could be the difference between succeeding or not. If you are searching for a miracle, never forget you are one.

I believe I can fly

"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is."
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

An experiment was carried out recently led by Dr Robin Rosenberg, from Stanford University, and documented in the online journal Public Library of Science.

Volunteered completed missions, via virtual reality equipment, with some participants being given the superpower of flight.

After their virtual reality experience, the participants were all seated waiting to go when the researcher (as was prearranged) knocked over a large cup of pens. Interestingly the people who sprang forward to help her pick them up were the people who had believed they could fly through their googles.

The scientists have said that one possible explanation was that playing the role of Superman in virtual reality led players to ‘think’ like superheroes, making them keen to help someone in difficulty.

It was written "Because the participants in the flying conditions were given a superhuman ability, cognitive (thinking) channels linking 'super' activity (and related concepts and stereotypes) to heroism and helping behaviour may have been opened, which would then influence their decision to help".

Visualisation is such a cool concept and the subject of many studies. From athletes using it to enhance their performance to students thinking their way to better grades, a few minutes positive thinking a day can help you achieve your goals.

For some tips on creating the life you really want using visualisation as one of the tools check out my previous article; All I want to manifest is ice cream