Chapter 6 — Principle of Reinforcement

Section: Two — Building the Conscious Circle

1-sentence summary

"The more we think about, talk about, and write about something happening, we improve the probability of that thing happening" — so champions deliberately reinforce successes and refuse to reinforce failures.

Summary

Reinforcement is the first explicit operating rule of the Conscious Circle. Bassham defines it directly: thinking, talking, and writing about an outcome increases its probability. Writing carries the heaviest weight — written reinforcement reaches the Self-Image more deeply than spoken or merely thought reinforcement. The corollary is the rule he hammers throughout: complaining is negative reinforcement. Don't reinforce a bad shot by getting angry, don't reinforce a bad day by venting to your spouse, don't dwell on a missed putt. Recall something you did well. The chapter ends with the operational habit: every day, find the success and rehearse it.

Key scenes

• The "think / talk / write" hierarchy — three concentric stages of reinforcement strength.
• The shooter who reinforces a missed shot by analyzing it aloud, training their own subconscious to repeat it.
• The discipline of writing one good thing each day before recording anything else.

"Characters" referenced (concepts)

• The Principle of Reinforcement (full chapter)
• The Performance Journal (foreshadowed; the writing instrument)
• The Self-Image Circle (recipient of reinforcement)

Locations / settings

Conceptual + journal/desk; practice range and tournament locker room as backdrop.

Visual motifs

A pen crossing out "missed" and circling "made"; a journal page with three columns labeled THINK / TALK / WRITE in increasing weight; a thought-bubble of a good shot being deliberately replayed; a crossed-out complaint bubble.

Source references

• https://www.everydaymarksman.co/resources/with-winning-in-mind/
• https://whatgotyouthere.com/with-winning-in-mind-by-lanny-r-bassham/
• https://kevinconnelly.blog/2020/09/07/book-summary-with-winning-in-mind-by-lanny-bassham/

Confidence

High — exact wording quoted across multiple sources.