Did you know that the brain is consistently seeking out success? It seeks common patterns and familiarity to make sense of situations. If the brain is trained to seek success, then it will find it. This is why athletes will meditate and visualize catching a game-changing interception, hitting a grand slam, or making a half-court winning buzzer beater before a performance. Of course, versions of success vary by individual, and unfortunately, if someone believes that they will fail, then they will because that is what the brain deems successful.
Every time we walk through a doorway, we have a chance to reset our minds and map out the new space for success. You may have heard about the “doorway effect” or experienced it when you’ve walked through a doorway only to forget what you were looking for in the new room. This brief disruption of thought can be transformed into a powerful opportunity—a moment to refocus and set clear intentions for achieving our goals. Our brain forgets the past when we walk through a threshold, so that it can make sense of the new situation or circumstance. Turn this into a metaphor for whatever you’d like.
This is where the concept of “doorway affirmations” enters the chat. Michael Phelps used the strategy of doorway affirmations as a strategy to help with his anxiety and depression. When speaking about the technique, Phelps said that every time he walked through any doorway, he would say something positive to himself. Examples of these optimistic glimmers are: “I’ve got this,” “I’m awesome,” “I’m so smart,” “I’m amazing,” “I’m beautiful,” “I’m loved,” “I’m confident,” “I’m enough,” and “I’m worthy.” Essentially, we can harness the brain’s natural tendency to reset, a powerful mental shift, at every doorway, as a way to prime ourselves for success, leave behind doubts, and remind us of our own capabilities.
In addition to offering a moment to visualize success and focus on goals, I’d like to think my current workspace entrance offers a welcoming environment to both students and colleagues. On the door itself, I have posters and data about censorship and the Top Ten Banned Books of 2023. To the right of the door, in the floor-length window, I have a picture of me with the very first class I taught at GCC to remind me of their curiosity, determination, and ganas. Accompanying that picture, there is a cool Route 66-esque Write6X6 sticker, a group selfie of me and colleagues at one of Lori’s infamous Holiday Happenings, my Student Support Hours, a sign that says, “I Teach. What’s your superpower?” a wooden painting of a Catrina with a crown of red, yellow, and purple paper marigolds, my teaching philosophy in a word cloud, a censorship: the assassination of an idea bookmark, GCC Values, a thank you card, a Foster Advocate sign, and the printed poem, “Anyway”:
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
Right above the doorway to my office entrance, I have my lucky horseshoe hanging, “GOOD LUCK, ROXANNA” – a treasure from one of my adventures as a kid at Girl Scout camp or Rawhide. Every day I walk through the doorway, my affirmation might be, “Let’s do this,” or “I can do hard things,” or “Today is going to be a great day,” and I hope my colleagues and students do the same.
