First, let's explore what the Pygmalion Effect is about. In the classic study conducted by Robert Rosenthal, primary school teachers were told that a small group of the schoolchildren they were teaching were above average intelligence. This resulted in the teachers unconsciously differentiating their attention with respect to those children; and this affected the results the children actually achieved. In other words, the expectations of the teachers were realised - it became a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Variations of this experiment have been performed that show that students will also perform better when their expectations are similarly raised. The principle has become the cornerstone of modern sports-psychology. It is not, of course, a substitute for doing physical work, but working on mental attitude to elevate expectations and thereby subsequent results, is a familiar technique for most athletes; and a central tenet of most modern approaches to coaching.

The reason it works is simple: we are all inclined to make pre-judgements about our likely performance in a whole multitude of situations. Our ability to perform, in many situations is, to some extent based upon our self-confidence. Quite simply, our raised expectations amount to increased self-confidence. In exactly the same way, a negative expectation about performance translates into reduced self-confidence; and also tends to produce the expected results.

So the discussion naturally brings up the question of how we can raise our own expectations in order to positively affect our results. There are a number of ways to do this, but an excellent technique is to make use of affirmations. This is where you say to yourself (by the way: don't worry, everyone talks to themselves) ... I AM ... followed by ... whatever it is you want to be. For example ... I AM Calm ... I AM in Control ... I AM Confident; and so on.

If you repeat phrases such as these, over and over in your mind, day-in, day-out, then eventually, your subconscious will come to accept that you are those things - that you have those qualities. That is how you can quite easily, raise those expectations; the results will invariably follow because a confident person is a person who, first and foremost, believes they are confident; and therefore expects to perform confidently.

You too can become a winner by making use of exactly the same techniques that are used by winners. When you begin to work on yourself, by making use of the right affirmations, you can transform the expectations you have about yourself; and you will then begin to experience the Pygmalion Effect operating in your life.