Projecting Can be a Good Thing

Excerpted and edited by Chris G. Dalrymple, K.C.

Projecting in psychology is referred to as: the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another.  

Often “projecting” onto someone else is used as a “bad” thing.  But excerpts from the article Jedi Mind Tricks, These are the Mental Habits You’re Looking For by Steve Tarani and published in Shooting Illustrated, May 2024, points out how projection can be used in physical skills as well.

I think that you will find the following excerpts and edits to be of interest.  This is but an introduction into “quantum thinking” in a very practical way.

Ask any Master of a physical skill what makes them a “master” of their art and they are likely to tell you that it is “all takes place between the ears.”  You must engage your mind if you want to keep reaching upwards towards the next level.  You have to “get out of your own way and mentally allow yourself to be the” exceptional artist that you want to be.  “It’s far more Zen than anything physical and facilitates what George Lucas would call ‘Jedi Mind Tricks’.”

“According to Quantum Field Theory the mind can alter constructs of the time-space continuum itself (i.e. relative universe) of which we are all part and parcel.  It’s no secret that you can use your mind to accomplish extraordinary tasks by applying brainpower in ways that may at first seem unconventional.”  

Brainpower.  That conjures up an image of our brain as a powerful radio receiver and transmitter.  What power settings are you using to listen to and to transmit to the universe?  What is it that you desire, intend, and act to make your universe to be, or become?  This article focuses on three actions and notes “your actions are only as orderly as the thoughts that govern them.

These physical actions discussed are get there early with your mind; step on a mental gas pedal; and stay mentally focused on you desires, intentions, and actions.  “The body cannot go where the mind has not yet been.”  Thought moves faster than anything, I believe even faster than light.  

Getting there early refers to engaging your mental processes prior to being engaged in the activities you are training for.  “You can only move as quickly…as you can [perceptively] process everything around you.  However, you can only run your [perceptive] process if your mind is actively engaged.  The mental process must occur prior to [perceptive] processing which occurs prior to mechanical processing.  Your mind functions subconsciously and is paramount to both visual and mechanical processing.”

“Getting there early can also be directly applied to the mechanical process.  Prior to [engaging physically] it is recommended to reach out and touch the target with your mind the same way you do with your eyes.  Once you have made mental contact with the target, connect an equally ethereal dotted line from that point of contact to [your physical action].”  This is setting your intention.  If you are playing basketball, baseball, or any physically projecting activity and you throw the ball at the target then the ball will ever only arrive at the vicinity of the target not necessarily arriving at the desired target.  If you want to achieve the target that you desire you must 

• First actually desire to achieve the target, not just settle for in the vicinity.

• Secondly, you must intend to take the physical actions necessary to achieve the target, not just throw the ball AT the target.

• Finally, you must take action.  This is training without repetitive incorporating these first two steps the brain is less likely to develop the necessary physical pathways to allow for the successful repetition of the art to which you aspire.

Step on the mental gas pedal. What happens when you take your foot off of the gas pedal of a moving vehicle?  It starts to slow down.  What happens if you take your foot off of the gas pedal AND step out of the moving vehicle?  Besides getting hurt, the vehicle will become out of control and will likely crash without achieving its desired destination.  The mental gas pedal is your focus.  When you maintain your focus on your desire, your intention, AND your actions you are more likely to achieve your desired destination.  When you get out of the vehicle while on your way, you are highly likely to crash without achieving you desire or intended destination.  So not only are your desire and your intention important, so are YOUR actions.

Repetitive actions build habits and habits build pathways in the brain so that conscious energy is not used to repeat the habit.  Your repetitive actions are necessary in honing your desired and intended skill to the level required to reach your desired objective.

As one last observation this article notes that various world class shooters seem to become different people when they are engaged in their professional shooting activities.  One example offered is a “world champion competitive shooter… [who] is one of the nicest guys around.  He’s a cool guy and an excellent teachers who enjoys having fun training with his students.  However, when it is game time he converts into the fire-hardened, world-champion, get-the-job-done [participant] changing his persona mentally. … Personally I have watched superstar competitive [artists] … change persona so much that you could observe them change physically.”

Everything we deal with requires a mental approach. You have do know what it is you desire to achieve.  Your have to set your intentions regarding that desire.  As the OLD joke goes: when one asked for directions, “how do you get to the symphony all?” The other responded “practice man, practice.”  Once you know your desires and have set your intentions then “practice man, practice.”

“Harnessing the power of your mind …is to [mentally] get there earlier, touch the target with your mind, stand on that mental gas pedal and stay mentally focused.  Armed now with your Jedi Mind Tricks, there is either do or do not; there is to try.”

–MEWE/Yoda