Tony Robbins -Re-Awaken_the_Giant_Within

where you are; neither can it be stuck in the past or fixed too far in the future. While remaining fully aware
of where you are, you have to be anticipating what’s about to happen in the near future.
This was one of the first lessons I learned when I started racing school. The instructors put me in what’s
called a “skid car”—an automobile that has a computer built into it with hydraulic lifts that can pull any
wheel off the ground on a moment’s signal from the instructor. The number-one fundamental they teach
in driving is: Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.
If you start to skid out of control, the tendency, of course, is to look at the wall. But if you keep focusing
on it, that’s exactly where you’ll end up. Drivers know that you go where you look; you travel in the
direction of your focus. If you resist your fear, have faith, and focus on where you want to go, your
actions will take you in that direction, and if it’s possible to turn out of it, you will—but you stand no
chance if you focus on what you fear. Invariably people say, “What if you’re going to crash anyway?”
The answer is that you increase your chances of survival by focusing on what you want. Focusing on the
solution is always to your benefit. If you have too much momentum in the direction of the wall, then
focusing on the problem just before the crash is not going to help you anyway.
When the instructors first explained this to me, I nodded my head and thought, “Of course! I know all
about this. After all, I teach this stuff.” My first time out on the road I was screaming along, and all of a
sudden, unbeknownst to me, they pushed the button. I started to skid out of control. Where do you think
my eyes went? You bet! Right at the wall! In the final seconds, I was terrified because I knew I was going
to hit it. The instructor grabbed my head and yanked it to the left, forcing me to look in the direction I
needed to go. We kept skidding, and I knew we were going to crash, but I was forced to look only in the
direction I wanted to go. Sure enough, as I looked in that direction, I couldn’t help but turn the wheel
accordingly. It caught at the last moment, and we pulled out. You can imagine my relief.
One thing that’s useful to know about all of this: when you change your focus, often you don’t
immediately change direction. Isn’t that true in life as well? Often there’s a lag time between when you
redirect your focus and when your body and your life’s experience catch up. That’s all the more reason
to start focusing on what you want quicker and not wait any longer with the problem.
Did I learn my lesson? No. I’d had an experience, but I had not created a strong enough neuroassociation.
I had to condition in the new pattern. So sure enough, the next time I headed for the wall,
the instructor had to loudly remind me to look at my goal. On the third time, though, I turned my head
deliberately and consciously. I trusted it, and it worked. After doing it enough times, now when I go
into a skid, wham! my head goes where I want it to go, the wheel turns, and my car follows. Does
this guarantee I’ll always succeed by controlling my focus? No. Does it increase my chances? One
hundredfold! The same thing is true in life. In later chapters, you’ll learn some ways to make sure you
condition your focus to be positive. For now, realize that you’ve got to discipline your mind. A mind out
of control will play tricks on you. Directed, it’s your greatest friend.
The most powerful way to control focus is through the use of questions. For whatever you ask, your brain
provides an answer; whatever you look for, you’ll find. If you ask, “Why is this person taking advantage
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