Manifesting Greatness on a Piece of Paper

Gauff wins the French Open, her second Grand Slam title

Some people, mostly women, suffer from imposter syndrome. They have an unfounded self-doubt, that they somehow bluffed their way into the good jobs they have, or are terrified they are going to be found out to be a fraud.

But they have to be told over and over that no, they really are qualified for the positions they have, and they are doing a good job.

Gauff wrote down her affirmation

And then there are the dreamers who have goals they want to achieve.

These days millennials and Gen Z believe in manifesting these aspirations. That means thinking about it and believing in it.

And for tennis ace Coco Gauff, who just won the women's French Open this weekend, it meant literally writing it down.

She took her cue from Gabby Thomas, who won gold in the Olympic 200 metres last year in Paris. Thomas had written down that she would be the Olympic champion in the 200 metres in her Notes app.

"I wrote, 'I will be French Open champion 2025' like a bunch of times," Gauff explained. "She [Thomas] wrote 'I will be the Olympic champion' and she ended up winning the gold. I think it's a great mindset that she had." 

And it worked for Gauff too. She defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.

Not only did Gauff write that line down eight times, but also convinced herself in the mirror she could do it. 

Gauff followed Thomas' winning method

"Looking at myself in the mirror so I was trying to instil that belief, and obviously it happened. I didn't know if it was going to work or not. [But] it did," Gauff said, then laughed and added: "When you're desperate, you're just trying anything to think that it's going to help you win."

Hey -- whatever works.

And the rest of us also need to write down our affirmations. When you see it written down, it's real. It's not just in your head.