“All living things seek to be in harmony with their nature. To the extent that harmony is achieved, optimal functioning and performance are possible. To the extent that harmony is blocked, optimal functioning is compromised” (Bennet and Pravitz 68). Many say that the mind is a mystery; there are no clear lines, no black and white, only gray and blurry imaginary boundaries in one's subconscious. Yet, psychologists and coaches have been managing for years to manipulate the psyche of the "stars" of human refinement through physical performance. The connections between mind, body and soul are ancient ideologies that have influenced the creation of sports psychology and the perfection of human harmony, inspiring psychiatrists of the modern age to improve the performance of many athletes. This pulling of mental strings is a highly layered method with a myriad of techniques for unlocking harmony within oneself; each technique is unique to the individual. The roots of sports psychology, many believe, date back to the Cold War era, when Eastern Bloc nations, including East Germany, began exploring a way to "empower" their athletes. In France, at the same time, large companies and manufacturers hired people based on personality traits, not skills. Sports teams have begun to do the same and have found that skills are much easier to instill in their athletes than character, thus resulting in more successful teams. These ideas, while not new, did not prove useful until modern science came into play. Thanks to the discoveries of the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, the German psychologist Johannes Heinrich Schultz and the American psychologist James (Jim) Loehr, the idea behind sports psychology has become an important player in the world of no... .. ....the Game of Winning.” US News & World Report. February 14, 1994: 47-51. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 30, 2014.Gary Mack, David Casstevens. Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print. “IPS-Ideal Performance State.” Quad Cities Sales and Management Training. Np, nd Web. April 15, 2014 James G. Bennet, James E. Pravitz. The miracle of sports psychology. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.Jerry Lynch, Chungliang Al Huang. Training, working within: the Tao of inner fitness through sport and exercise. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1998. Print.“Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness | Speak video | TED.com.” TED: Ideas worth spreading. Np, 2004. Web. April 15, 2014. Tolson, Jay. "In the Zone." US News & World Report. July 03, 2000: 38-45. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 30 2014.