Am I good enough ?
 

Am I good enough?
The biggest gift I can give back to Howard is the now burnt into my heart and soul. There is something that has been planted deep in me. His dream to build winners is working. Positive feelings over taking negative ones. This feeling is in me. I'm certain it will live in me for the rest of my life.
I will not let bad days effect me as I once did
The few weeks that followed the news of Howard's passing have led me to reflect on what I have learned.
Doc’s teachings in the follow up and our private conversations are the tools I can use to pry out the little nagging rough moments that stick up. We all have bad days. We give and take. I no longer read too much on the subject of horse racing. I prefer to read novels and short stories but occasionally I still read some things. This often causes me to slip back into self doubt. I am not blaming what I read. I am just a little too inclined to build up another persons view point. I have found out after many sessions of deep moments of self diagnosis that this is a problem for me. My thoughts are the my feelings of self doubt could be described as being too sharp at the critical point. I use a school yard see saw as a focal point, A see saw with two children sitting on it. They are very similar. They could be identical twins. The key beings they are equal weight. This equality is the balance of a strong look at life. In my mind I call the children child A and child B..
When things are going well the children are in a resting mode. They are sitting on the see saw.
Since they are equal weight. The see saw is level. They are sitting eye to eye horizontally balanced. They don't pull or push each other up or down. The problem I have learned to deal with is that in life I have placed these children on a see saw that was poorly designed. It has a sharp pivot point. It comes to a sharp point. Any little set back, anything that could cause me to
slip back to self doubt could be like taking a heavy stone and placing it on the see saw
In front of one of the children. My past, poorly designed see saw with its sharp pivot point would drop that child down too much. Now my balance was off. Sadly the stone that caused this imbalance often is a very small problem that only I caused it to become too heavy.

What I feel I have learned, and what I do to keep myself focused is this. I have redesigned
that see saw with a pivot point that is slightly rounded off. The see saw with the sharp point that I lived with for many years cost me many troubled times. This was my downfall. It was pushing and pulling at my confidence and good feelings. I was too susceptible to negatives. A healthy balance was too easily effected. With the newly designed, in my mind see saw. Problems sill tilt the seesaw off balance but the rounded pivot point cause the balance to be more easy to correct
It is not that sharp All. It instead is what Doc refers to in some early programs, And and or both
way to attack a race or in my case a problem, The winners feeling in me has allowed me to
not take setbacks so badly. Problems now are pushing slightly down to one side
But they are easily swayed back to balance.
The pleasant feelings of self confidence and a good healthy mind and body,
Together with the peach of mind that comes from the methodology. The guidelines to success
In life and at the races. This is allowing me to pursue my ultimate goal, To win enough money at the races to allow me to retire and enjoy the benefit of all the hard work. Work that I have dedicating myself to. I shall follow the guidelines and methods taught to me in the Sartin methodology
The trick is to stay balanced. Even our day to day dealings with co workers and clients or people in line at the coffee shop can cause self doubt. Things people say or the way they are taken
can easily effect the needed charged mind negatively. My problem is these negatives directly cause me not to do as well as I can. Very often my firdt response is to say either out load or to myself . I’m no good. This is a cry to somebody within earshot to somehow magically say
Yes you are little Billy. It’s a cry for pity. I really don’t want pity Nobody can help me. I don’t really
Need the help anyway I have the skill. The tool I need is the methodology Doc gave me a gift to sand down that pivot point . I still every now and then battle bad feeling of not being good enough. This is why for me The Sartin Methodology is so much more than horse racing success

Good message
 

Bill,

That is a good thing for us all to remember. We all need to stay focused and when we are not, just get the tools out and re-balance.

We appreciate you dude!

Budman :)

Bill
I hope to God all this is part of your book. You are writing from the heart and it shows.

Thank you :)

stay focused
 

Bill

In the short time I've known you, you've come a long way. You are a credit to Doc and all his teachings.

When you wake in the morning say to yourself that it's going to be a beautiful day , focus on that and say I am me and I am strong and I have all the tools I need to be happy and do the things I need and want to do today and the people around me will enjoy me too. Find something good about each day, no matter how small it is. Soon you will find more and more things good. It grows.

Barb

The Book
 

Good Morning Rich and Budman and Barb

Thank You for the nice words.
Our table of good people grows.

Yes the book is coming from my heart. So much has been given to me
I know that it has affected so many others


Friends helping friends. A little slogan, Just a little thought that was scribbled on a napkin. A place to meet in the quiet time after the work and noise of the day. A friendly table with a beer or a soda or coffee.
Just sitting back and talking. This is when the positive wins of the day, and or the setbacks and near misses are reflected on. Not so much dwelling on them, this is not the time and place for negatives. No not with your friend. Not with people you come to think of as brothers. Not when you see in their eyes and body language the pain after a loss. Especially when you watch them when they are working alone accross the room. When you see the joy of wins and the pride when they win. These are people you care about because they are motivated to win. These are friends who strive to live life as a winner. We are not the big mouths type. We are users of a methodology that teaches us to get the winner on the track But also the one in our heart and mind. We show it and carry it into our off the track lives. Each one of us has the winner inside. When you’re with friends who care about your success you work harder. After you have done your own thing.
You have worked the race through your own pace line and contender selection methods. To win is a wonderful thing. Nobody always wins.
If your losing so much that you say “I always lose" you can sit at the table with winners but don't expect them to change you. Don't think they will come down to your level. If you want to win your going to have to do it in a way that you find works best for you. Until you believe in yourself and your method You will never get it in your heart and mind. There is a table for winners. And it’s a table big enough for whoever wants to join us. When you sit at our table you will hear stories and tips and you will know if you belong Its not much more than just a discussion, a friendly ear to build up the positive talent each winner possesses. The chance to have that is what it’s all about. Talking over with friends afterwards. Asking questions about what Doc has written in his Follow Up and manuals. What was meant in a seminar audio tape? Who knew that there were so many of us? This world that we each work alone in but share a common goal, we have a place. Doc and his trusted and loyal assistance and teachers build us a methodology. You are very welcome to join in.
The book will be awesome Its the Sartin Methodology and what it can do

Bill

Bill,A couple of questions about your book if you dont mind

1) Will it be for sale?


2)What do you hope to accomplish with the book?


It seems that everything has already been written on the subject that's why I asked No2. Jeff

For me, it starts with the fact that I woke up. There is an alternative.

That already makes the day good.

You are right Clore. Everyday is a blessing!

Bill V,

I am new to this forum, and, so far, I like it very much. Postive, upbeat and supportive, unlike many other forums that are riddled with negativity.

Your post is on the right side of brilliant. The psychological aspect of the game is not written about nearly enough. (On that note, I do not think everything has been written, Shoeless. Plus, the mere writing of a book is an accomplishment in and of itself.)

Through the years, I have come to realize that all successful horseplayers I have encountered, have a high degree of sound mental health.

You need to be comfortable in your own skin, so to speak, in order to succeed at the racetrack, no matter how talented you might be with data interpretation.

If you are plagued with self-doubt or even a subtle tendency toward self-destruction, operating at a profit will prove virtually impossible. There are enough distractions in life that get in the way, and we cannot be one of them.

Ultimately, there is much more to it than mere positive thinking. You need to be psychologically sound, otherwise your personal demons will distort your data interpretation and/or impact your ability to act on your profitable conclusions.

Welcome.

You are right on the mark. I for one. look forward to hearing more from you.

Barb