#145: 🚗 Get In, We're Going on an Upward Spiral
The neuroscience of how positive self-talk rewires your brain for success
Hey Friends,
Have you ever been getting ready for a presentation, or a performance, or maybe a race and you hear two voices compete in your head.
One whispers, "You've got this, you've trained for months."
The other hisses, "You're not good enough, everyone here is better than you."
Which voice wins determines more than just your race.
It shapes your entire reality.
But here's the thing: choosing the supportive voice doesn't just help you in that moment.
It kicks off something I like to call an upward spiral, where one positive choice makes the next one easier, creating momentum that builds on itself.
Our self-talk literally rewires our brains.
What I discovered in my research on positive self-talk, changed how I think about the conversations I have with myself every day.
💬 In this note:
🚗 Get in, We’re Going On An Upward Spiral
📚 Doppleganger
⚡️ New Longevity Series
#145: 🚗 Get in, we’re going on an upward spiral
Your brain processes between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day.
That's a lot of internal chatter.
The quality of that conversation matters more than most of us realize.
Positive self-talk isn't about toxic positivity or pretending everything is perfect.
It's the practice of consciously choosing supportive, realistic, and empowering internal dialogue.
Instead of saying "I always mess up presentations," you might tell yourself, "I'm getting better at presentations with each opportunity."
Dr. Shad Helmstetter wrote a book on this topic (Nina’s Notes BOTW #124) and discovered that repetition rewires neural pathways.
When you repeatedly tell yourself something, whether it's "I'm not good at math" or "I'm capable of learning new things," your brain starts to treat it as truth.
This isn't just feel-good psychology.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford
Henry Ford knew something about the power of mindset. 😉
The Neuroscience of Manifestation & Self-Image
Neuroplasticity is our brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections.
This means that repetitive thoughts literally change our brain structure.
When you practice positive self-talk, you're strengthening neural pathways associated with confidence, resilience, and possibility.
Maxwell Maltz discovered this accidentally.
As a plastic surgeon in the 1960s, he noticed that changing someone's external appearance didn't automatically change their self-image.
Some patients still saw themselves as "ugly" despite dramatic improvements.
This led him to write Psycho-Cybernetics, which showed how visualization and self-image fuel goal-seeking behavior.
Your brain has an internal search engine called the Reticular Activating System (RAS).
When you repeatedly tell yourself "I notice opportunities," your RAS starts filtering information to show you more opportunities.
It's not magic; it's selective attention backed by neuroscience.
Dr. James R. Doty, a neuroscientist and neurosurgeon, puts it perfectly: writing intentions, reading them aloud, and visualizing activates the brain's default mode and attention networks, effectively embedding goals in the subconscious and making them more achievable.
The Power of Setting Goals + Supporting Statistics
Positive self-talk is only one tool we can use to amplify our upward spiral.
The other is setting goals.
People who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those who don't, according to Dr. Gail Matthews' research at Dominican University.
But it gets even better.
People who wrote down goals, created action plans, AND shared weekly progress with a friend?
They had a 76% success rate.
Compared to just 43% for those with unwritten goals.
That's a 33% difference just by adding accountability.
The visualization piece is equally powerful.
People who visualize their goals are twice as confident they'll achieve them.
This creates what I call the Goal-Achievement Upward Spiral: this clear vision informs your self-talk, positive self-talk reinforces belief, strong belief translates to consistent action, and successful action reinforces your positive self-talk.
Round and round, each cycle building momentum.
Research by Locke and colleagues from the 1960s shows that 90% of studies report that specific, challenging goals yield higher performance than easy goals or vague instructions like "do your best."
Manifestation vs. Positive Psychology
Popular books like Rhonda Byrne's The Power and The Secret suggest you can attract anything through positive thinking alone, the so-called "law of attraction."
While these ideas have inspired many people, they often lack scientific grounding and can promote magical thinking.
Evidence-based positive psychology takes a different approach.
Instead of assuming the universe conspires to give you what you want, it focuses on:
Goal-setting backed by implementation intentions
Affirmations rooted in cognitive reframing (replacing distorted thoughts with realistic ones)
Realistic visualization that includes obstacles and problem-solving, not just desired outcomes
Action-oriented thinking that bridges the gap between intention and behavior
The difference matters.
One approach might leave you disappointed when positive thinking alone doesn't change your circumstances.
The other gives you practical tools that actually work.
Creating Your Upward Spiral
Here are some simple, science-backed tools to start your own upward spiral:
Morning Affirmations (3 minutes)
Write down three statements about what you want to develop:
"I'm becoming more confident in presentations"
"I'm capable of learning new skills"
"I'm improving my health every day"
Read them aloud each morning. This is very important.
The combination of writing, speaking and hearing engages multiple neural pathways.
Visualization Journaling (5 minutes)
Before bed, write about your goals as if you've already achieved them. Include:
What it feels like
What obstacles you overcame
What actions led to success
Micro-Affirmations
Weave simple statements into your day:
While brushing teeth: "I'm taking care of my health"
Before a meeting: "I have valuable insights to share"
After a setback: "I'm learning and growing"
Set Goals
Break big goals into small milestones called a “Goal Ladder”
Goal Ladders
Ultimate goal: Run a marathon
6-month goal: Run a 10K
3-month goal: Run 3 miles without stopping
This month: Run 1 mile three times per week
This week: Run 10 minutes every other day
Now try the The 3-3-3 Experiment
Pick one goal
Create its affirmation
Say it aloud three times a day for three weeks.
Track your progress.
Notice how your thinking and actions shift.
Small Shifts, Upward Spirals
The way you talk to yourself shapes your reality.
Not through magic, but through the very real processes of neuroplasticity, attention, and behavior change that create upward spirals of improvement.
Here's how it works: positive self-talk → better focus and confidence → improved performance → stronger belief in yourself → even more positive self-talk.
Each cycle builds on the last, creating momentum that feels almost effortless once it gets going.
Start small.
Your brain loves gradual changes more than dramatic overhauls.
Choose one affirmation that feels authentic to you.
Write it down.
Say it aloud.
Notice what happens.
The beautiful thing about upward spirals?
Once they start, they become self-reinforcing. One small positive change creates the conditions for the next one, and before you know it, you're living in a completely different reality—one conversation with yourself at a time.
So as I said before - Get in, because we’re going on an upward spiral.
Want to dive deeper? Here are some key resources:
Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D. – Author of What to Say When You Talk to Yourself and 365 Days of Positive Self‑Talk, a foundational voice in the self‑talk field
Maxwell Maltz – Psycho‑Cybernetics, illustrating how visualization and self‑image drive subconscious goal‑mechanisms
Norman Vincent Peale – The Power of Positive Thinking, one of the earliest popular books of affirmations and visualization
Rhonda Byrne – The Power and The Secret, the power and manifestations via "law of attraction”
📚 Book of the Week
Döppleganger by Naomi Klein
Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is wild, brilliant, and occasionally exhausting in the best possible way.
Klein starts with a seemingly simple premise: she keeps getting confused with Naomi Wolf, the wellness-turned-conspiracy author.
But what begins as an exploration of mistaken identity becomes a sprawling meditation on doubles, mirrors, and the fracturing of reality in our digital age.
Klein's writing is razor-sharp as she dissects how we've all become "doppelgangers" of ourselves online, curated versions that may or may not reflect who we actually are.
She dives deep into conspiracy culture, the wellness-to-QAnon pipeline, and how people end up in completely alternate realities while thinking they're the enlightened ones.
What I loved: Klein's ability to be simultaneously personal and political.
Her analysis of how trauma, isolation, and economic anxiety create fertile ground for conspiracy thinking is both compassionate and unflinching.
The sections on climate change and capitalism as the real conspiracies hiding in plain sight are particularly powerful.
What challenged me: This isn't a linear argument, it's more like following Klein's mind as she connects dots across philosophy, politics, and personal experience.
Sometimes the connections feel loose, and I occasionally wished for more structure, but maybe that's the point?
In a world of doppelgangers and fractured realities, traditional narrative structures might not be enough.
The book left me thinking about my own digital doubles and the stories I tell myself about who I am. It’s a great read, and an even more fascinating lens on how we talk to ourselves about who we are versus who the world thinks we are.
This was a reader recommendation from John! Thanks John!
⚡️ Check This Out
A new longevity series.
Hosted by David Rubenstein on Bloomberg
David Rubenstein deep dives into conversations about the science of aging with leading researchers and innovators.
He examines the key barriers that affect longevity, including obesity, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
I’ve watched the first episode on Obesity which debuted on July 23, 2025.
The series will appeal to Nina’s Notes readers, as you all are interested in the intersection of health, technology, and human potential. <3
This was a recommendation from Kathy! Thanks Kathy for telling me to check this out.
🗣️ Looking for the Nina’s Notes Podcast?
It’s available on: 🟢 Spotify, 🟣 Apple Podcasts, 🟠 Substack Podcasts
On the Nina’s Notes Podcast I interview entrepreneurs who are building products based on the science that I write about in the Nina’s Notes Newsletter.
You’ll also find voice overs of all the weekly Nina’s Notes.
Edited by Wright Time Publishing