.
A few weeks ago in a Sunday School class that I teach, we talked about the story of David and Goliath. It’s one of the great passages in that Old Testament that tells about the turning point in David’s life that made him a hero and helped shape his destiny and that of Israel’s.
Many of us face challenges that we feel are too large to overcome. Some of the challenges facing the Commonwealth seem almost impossible against powers that feel like Goliath. Here are five key points from David’s example to help you face your personal challenges or conquer any threat your organization is facing.
1. You must be confident that you can overcome any challenge, no matter how large. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons and it was his job to feed the family’s sheep. One day his father asked David to deliver some food to his three older brothers who followed King Saul of Israel into battle against the Philistines. When he arrived at their camp, he saw the armies facing each other across the valley of Elah. Each day a massive man, who stood almost ten feet tall, would come out and challenge any man in the Israelite army to battle with him. The winner of the fight would have the other army become their servants. It was the fortieth day that Goliath had come out to taunt and frighten Israel, but the first time that David observed it. While others stood in fear, David’s response is classic: “…who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David didn’t see a giant who could easily slay any man, he saw a tormentor that mocked the armies of the God of Israel and who needed to be removed. When the words of David reached the King, Saul sent for him and David told the King: “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with the Philistine.”
2. Don’t allow your lack of credentials or experience stop you from moving forward. King Saul pointed out the obvious, that David was too young and untested in war. David had never fought in a battle, nor held any military rank or credentials. Yes, David was confident, but the King and others were not just allowing this overconfident youth to foolishly go against Goliath, they had to trust in him to be their champion, because the loser would obligate the entire army to become the servants to the army of the winner.
David was totally confident that he could meet this challenge and succeed. His incredible faith and trust in the Lord overcame any fear or doubt that caused other men to shrink. You may not have all the credentials that a job or position lists as important, but you should not let that stop you. Many of the best leaders started out with no experience, but they had tremendous confidence in their ability to get the job done. That confidence spreads to others and creates internal enthusiasm and momentum.
3. Use your past successes, no matter how small, to conquer your current challenges. David countered the concern of King Saul and others by telling them a story about how both a lion and a bear took lambs out of his father’s flock, and David pursued them and killed them to save the lambs. He reasoned that even though Goliath is a man, his past success against a lion and bear was adequate proof that he could succeed against the Philistine giant.
You should take advantage of every opportunity to improve yourself professionally. Learn new hobbies, volunteer to try new things at work, or get involved in clubs or groups that will help you learn new skills. Those skills can be developed and used to overcome new challenges. Be sure to document your training and skills with certificates, references and letters of recommendation that can be shared with others.
4. Hit the ground running. Goliath was condescending toward his much smaller adversary and in distain he said: “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.”
David showed absolutely no fear of Goliath and countered him by foretelling his fate. When Goliath arose in anger to meet him, David ran across the valley of Elah to attack the Philistine giant. As he got closer, he slang a stone that hit Goliath in his forehead, and to the dismay of both armies, Goliath fell on his face to the ground.
Once you start working on your challenge, put your whole effort into it. Don’t hesitate or allow others to slow you down. It’s important to get off to a fast start and sustain your momentum so that it carries yourself and others toward your desired results.
5. Don’t stop until you’ve finished the job – persist until you succeed. David had only brought a sling and some stones into battle, and when Goliath fell to the ground, the work was not over yet. If Goliath was only unconscious, he could recover and remain a threat to others. David ran and stood on the giant, then took Goliath’s sword out of his sheath and cut off his head. When the Philistine’s saw their champion was dead, they ran in fear from the pursuing Israelite army.
Too often, people start a project with gusto, but when the going gets tough they hesitate and often don’t finish it. Be consistent and persistent in your efforts to see a job through until it’s complete.
You may be facing challenges that seem insurmountable at the moment. Unfortunately, the biggest Goliath for some people is the challenge they create in their imagination. The constant fear and worry over finances, love relationships, or other issues can cause those concerns to grow into huge obstacles that seem unconquerable. The very act of focusing on the problem rather than the solution can create a self-fulfilling prophecy that brings to pass the very thing one wants to avoid. Face your Goliath with courage, confidence, and persistence and more than half the battle will be won.
“…the Lord saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.” – David to Goliath (I Samuel 17: 47)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Goat Rope
.
When we were going to check our mail in San Vicente, a road construction worker held up a sign that said “SLOW.” I turned to Janel and said, “They don’t have to advertise how slow they are working.” The two mile stretch of “road repair” in San Vicente has been going on for almost eight months now, and it seems to be getting messier by the day.
Just for fun, bring some chairs and your favorite beverage and sit in the middle of the dirt triangle across from the Tudela Retail Store when the traffic is busy. There are no signs or people directing traffic, and if you’ve got a sadistic sense of humor, you’ll be entertained as you watch how all the frustrated drivers try to squeeze their way through constricted, one-vehicle spaces that were previously two-lane roads.
One would think the intent of the project is to improve the road condition and make traffic move more efficiently, but it’s turning into the CNMI’s biggest “goat rope.” What’s amazing, though, is that it seems to work okay for the drivers because I haven’t seen any accidents or road rage issues. It’s proof that drivers in the CNMI are flexible and can deal with difficult situations.
“Goat rope” is American slang for a confusing, messy, or disorganized situation. Its origin comes from how new cowboys were taught the art of roping a moving target, such as a horse or cow. When I worked on my uncle’s farm as a 12-year-old in Holbrook, Idaho, I practiced roping a stationary sawhorse. Trying to rope a moving target exponentially increases the difficulty, and when those moving targets are much larger than you, it also increases the likelihood of getting trampled, dragged, or maimed. So the young cowboys would be put in a corral full of goats, which are smaller and less dangerous. The old timers would gather around the corral with their drinks and whoop and holler as they watched the amusing melee of goats, ropes, and cowboys.
The road construction work is a fitting metaphor for the general mess we’re in. The longer we deal with it, the worst it seems to get. The words "slow," "confusing," "messy," "disorganized," and "frustrating" are words that would fit aptly in a sentence describing your typical interaction with many of the organizations in the CNMI.
Amazingly, there have not been many serious altercations between the organizations and “customers” who are less than satisfied with the service they’re getting. It’s proof that the people in the CNMI are resilient and flexible when they experience inept, incompetent, or inconvenient service. But, do we have to put up with it, or is there a solution?
Although it may be entertaining to watch young cowboys hone their skills on panicked goats, the eventual outcome is that the cowboys will improve their ability and become seasoned ropers. In order for effective change to occur, the leader, manager, or a results-oriented person within an organization must be committed to make improvements. Here are ten steps that can turn a goat rope into a professional operation.
1. Recognize when something is wrong and realize that customers are not pleased.
2. Identify the specific problem areas that need to change. These might be obvious, but it is still good to talk to customers formally or informally to get their feedback and learn if there are unrecognized areas of difficulty.
3. Now it’s time to find solutions that will address the problems. This can come from brainstorming with staff, talking to customers, or doing some research to discover how others have solved similar problems.
4. List the alternatives and prioritize the solutions so you can choose the best one to resolve the problem. Also, identify the expected outcome for the solution so you know what success will look like.
5. Identify the resources needed to implement the solution. Also, create a timeline for the project to be completed.
6. Take action and hold a person responsible to act on the solution. It’s fine to have a group implement the solution, but if the group is collectively made responsible, it will be too easy for members of the group to dissipate the responsibility, which means that no one will feel accountable.
7. Periodically monitor the project to ensure that it is being completed on time and within budget. Create some type of dashboard that reports the most vital results of the project so discrepancies can be quickly identified.
8. Communicate progress to interested parties so they know what is happening. Lack of communication creates anxiety and misunderstanding.
9. When you’ve achieved your desired result, celebrate the accomplishment and recognize those who helped.
10. The last step is to systemize the process so that you won’t slide back into the normal pattern of behavior and find yourself “reinventing the wheel” at some point in the future. If needed, create standard operating procedures that are documented and regularly followed. Organizations with high turnover experience lapses in progress as new people are unaware of any progress that may have been made, and they tend to repeat what has already been done.
If your organization is experiencing the “goat rope” syndrome, then take the goat by the horns and implement these ten steps before someone holds up a “SLOW” sign where you work.
When we were going to check our mail in San Vicente, a road construction worker held up a sign that said “SLOW.” I turned to Janel and said, “They don’t have to advertise how slow they are working.” The two mile stretch of “road repair” in San Vicente has been going on for almost eight months now, and it seems to be getting messier by the day.
Just for fun, bring some chairs and your favorite beverage and sit in the middle of the dirt triangle across from the Tudela Retail Store when the traffic is busy. There are no signs or people directing traffic, and if you’ve got a sadistic sense of humor, you’ll be entertained as you watch how all the frustrated drivers try to squeeze their way through constricted, one-vehicle spaces that were previously two-lane roads.
One would think the intent of the project is to improve the road condition and make traffic move more efficiently, but it’s turning into the CNMI’s biggest “goat rope.” What’s amazing, though, is that it seems to work okay for the drivers because I haven’t seen any accidents or road rage issues. It’s proof that drivers in the CNMI are flexible and can deal with difficult situations.
“Goat rope” is American slang for a confusing, messy, or disorganized situation. Its origin comes from how new cowboys were taught the art of roping a moving target, such as a horse or cow. When I worked on my uncle’s farm as a 12-year-old in Holbrook, Idaho, I practiced roping a stationary sawhorse. Trying to rope a moving target exponentially increases the difficulty, and when those moving targets are much larger than you, it also increases the likelihood of getting trampled, dragged, or maimed. So the young cowboys would be put in a corral full of goats, which are smaller and less dangerous. The old timers would gather around the corral with their drinks and whoop and holler as they watched the amusing melee of goats, ropes, and cowboys.
The road construction work is a fitting metaphor for the general mess we’re in. The longer we deal with it, the worst it seems to get. The words "slow," "confusing," "messy," "disorganized," and "frustrating" are words that would fit aptly in a sentence describing your typical interaction with many of the organizations in the CNMI.
Amazingly, there have not been many serious altercations between the organizations and “customers” who are less than satisfied with the service they’re getting. It’s proof that the people in the CNMI are resilient and flexible when they experience inept, incompetent, or inconvenient service. But, do we have to put up with it, or is there a solution?
Although it may be entertaining to watch young cowboys hone their skills on panicked goats, the eventual outcome is that the cowboys will improve their ability and become seasoned ropers. In order for effective change to occur, the leader, manager, or a results-oriented person within an organization must be committed to make improvements. Here are ten steps that can turn a goat rope into a professional operation.
1. Recognize when something is wrong and realize that customers are not pleased.
2. Identify the specific problem areas that need to change. These might be obvious, but it is still good to talk to customers formally or informally to get their feedback and learn if there are unrecognized areas of difficulty.
3. Now it’s time to find solutions that will address the problems. This can come from brainstorming with staff, talking to customers, or doing some research to discover how others have solved similar problems.
4. List the alternatives and prioritize the solutions so you can choose the best one to resolve the problem. Also, identify the expected outcome for the solution so you know what success will look like.
5. Identify the resources needed to implement the solution. Also, create a timeline for the project to be completed.
6. Take action and hold a person responsible to act on the solution. It’s fine to have a group implement the solution, but if the group is collectively made responsible, it will be too easy for members of the group to dissipate the responsibility, which means that no one will feel accountable.
7. Periodically monitor the project to ensure that it is being completed on time and within budget. Create some type of dashboard that reports the most vital results of the project so discrepancies can be quickly identified.
8. Communicate progress to interested parties so they know what is happening. Lack of communication creates anxiety and misunderstanding.
9. When you’ve achieved your desired result, celebrate the accomplishment and recognize those who helped.
10. The last step is to systemize the process so that you won’t slide back into the normal pattern of behavior and find yourself “reinventing the wheel” at some point in the future. If needed, create standard operating procedures that are documented and regularly followed. Organizations with high turnover experience lapses in progress as new people are unaware of any progress that may have been made, and they tend to repeat what has already been done.
If your organization is experiencing the “goat rope” syndrome, then take the goat by the horns and implement these ten steps before someone holds up a “SLOW” sign where you work.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Renewal
.
I was taught in college that the process of making new brain cells stopped in adolescence and we are basically “hardwired” by the time we start school; however, new findings have turned that theory upside down by stating that we are making new brain cells and neural connections throughout our life. This means that you are capable of changing your attitudes, beliefs, and ultimately your results in life – if you believe you can and want to change.
In order to start learning how to change your brain, you should understand how your brain functions. In a previous article I mentioned that our mind works like a self-correcting guidance system to “steer” us toward the results we expect. In order to take advantage of our cybernetic ability, we should know the Results we want, take Action, and be Self-correcting, which can be remembered by the acronym: RAS.
RAS also stands for reticular activating system, which is the scientific term for a network of nerve pathways about the size of the tip of your little finger. It is located at the base of your brain that connects to the spinal cord, cerebellum, and cerebrum. Your RAS acts as a filter or control center for the billions of bits of sensory data your brain processes every second. Everything you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch passes through this control center, which is then relayed to the appropriate part of your brain for processing. Much of this occurs at a nonconscious level at a speed eight hundred times faster than your conscious brain cells operate. If there is something important to you, your RAS sends a signal to your conscious brain to alert you.
For example, if you’re walking through a noisy airport with hundreds of people talking and lots of ambient noise, not a lot is brought to your attention. However, when an announcement is made over the public address system that states your name or your flight information, your RAS automatically alerts you so you can focus your attention on the important information.
You could also compare your RAS servomechanism to an internet search engine where you type a keyword and within seconds, millions of websites are searched to find relevant pictures, videos, or articles for your inspection. Similarly, your reticular formation scours your neural network in thousandths of a second for all the relevant data you have in your biochemical hard drive. When you plant an idea into your RAS, it will search your brain to find precisely what you want.
If you create a clear picture that has strong emotional appeal (Result), your reticular activating system moves into high gear (Action) and uses your sensory abilities to hone in on anything that is relevant to your goal (Self-correcting). Your intention focuses your attention for retention of anything that can help you successfully achieve your desired result. If you’re in a crowded, noisy room and two people twenty feet away are carrying on a conversation related to your goal, your RAS will focus on that conversation and alert your conscious brain to pay attention.
This marvelous ability of your brain can also work against you depending on what’s been programmed through your beliefs and self-image. For example, if you earn $30,000 and you believe that is all you are worth, then you create a comfort zone and act in ways to maintain that self-image. If you have a million-dollar idea, your RAS will filter it out so you won’t become aware of it or you won’t act on the idea. Research shows that a significant number of lottery winners lose their winnings within five years because their new wealth doesn’t fit their self-image. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards estimates that nearly one-third of lottery winners become bankrupt.
Another way your RAS can work against you is if you program it with what you don’t want. It will cause you to think about the negative thought until you get exactly what you don’t want. This is the reason why people who focus on not being broke, not getting divorced or breaking up, not getting fat, or not failing a class typically get the very thing they’re trying to avoid. The habit of thought around a negative idea produces negative results.
Here are five steps you can take to harness the power of you RAS to become more successful: First, clarity is power. Choose the exact message you send from your conscious to your nonconscious mind. Condition your brain to have clarity so that it knows precisely what you feel is important and what you’re going after.
Second, spend time thinking about your goal each day and imagining the results you want and how it will feel in full sensory detail. You may want to cut pictures out that represent the achievement of your goal and place them where you’ll see them often. Read books, watch movies and listen to music that inspire you and reinforce the image of the new person you want to become.
Third, focus on the positive aspect of your goal, and stop thinking about any negative thoughts about it. Avoid people that are negative and belittle your efforts to change. They act as an anchor to maintain your status quo. As you begin to progress, the negative influencers will have a tendency to pull you back down to a level where they feel most comfortable with you.
Forth, take action. Be aware of the thoughts that your RAS sends to your conscious mind to move you closer to your goal. As you act on the cues given to you through your RAS, you’ll develop greater awareness and you’ll also begin to reinforce your new self-image and provide greater proof why you are worthy of your goal. Keep a journal of your ideas and thoughts. As you create new neural pathways with your new thought patterns you may have bursts of inspiration.
Fifth, once you’ve achieved your goal, reinforce the idea that you deserve your success. If your new self-image is not firmly planted in our mind, you may find yourself slipping back into old habits and moving toward your old self-image.
A similar process can be used to overcome the negative patterns created by a group of people that have a common cause such as families, organizations and communities. The leader of the group must initiate the renewal process and act as the group’s RAS to help initiate change through positive transformation in the shared culture, values, and beliefs. It’s more difficult because there are always dissenters who want to rock the boat and maintain the current situation, but the journey can be worthwhile if the final outcome is consistently communicated and kept at the forefront of the group’s mind.
With a change in your life, family or business, you will have a change in the way you think and interpret the world around you. You will develop new neural pathways that override your negative programming and old habit patterns. It is possible to change and renew yourself. As Napoleon Hill said: “Whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.”
I was taught in college that the process of making new brain cells stopped in adolescence and we are basically “hardwired” by the time we start school; however, new findings have turned that theory upside down by stating that we are making new brain cells and neural connections throughout our life. This means that you are capable of changing your attitudes, beliefs, and ultimately your results in life – if you believe you can and want to change.
In order to start learning how to change your brain, you should understand how your brain functions. In a previous article I mentioned that our mind works like a self-correcting guidance system to “steer” us toward the results we expect. In order to take advantage of our cybernetic ability, we should know the Results we want, take Action, and be Self-correcting, which can be remembered by the acronym: RAS.
RAS also stands for reticular activating system, which is the scientific term for a network of nerve pathways about the size of the tip of your little finger. It is located at the base of your brain that connects to the spinal cord, cerebellum, and cerebrum. Your RAS acts as a filter or control center for the billions of bits of sensory data your brain processes every second. Everything you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch passes through this control center, which is then relayed to the appropriate part of your brain for processing. Much of this occurs at a nonconscious level at a speed eight hundred times faster than your conscious brain cells operate. If there is something important to you, your RAS sends a signal to your conscious brain to alert you.
For example, if you’re walking through a noisy airport with hundreds of people talking and lots of ambient noise, not a lot is brought to your attention. However, when an announcement is made over the public address system that states your name or your flight information, your RAS automatically alerts you so you can focus your attention on the important information.
You could also compare your RAS servomechanism to an internet search engine where you type a keyword and within seconds, millions of websites are searched to find relevant pictures, videos, or articles for your inspection. Similarly, your reticular formation scours your neural network in thousandths of a second for all the relevant data you have in your biochemical hard drive. When you plant an idea into your RAS, it will search your brain to find precisely what you want.
If you create a clear picture that has strong emotional appeal (Result), your reticular activating system moves into high gear (Action) and uses your sensory abilities to hone in on anything that is relevant to your goal (Self-correcting). Your intention focuses your attention for retention of anything that can help you successfully achieve your desired result. If you’re in a crowded, noisy room and two people twenty feet away are carrying on a conversation related to your goal, your RAS will focus on that conversation and alert your conscious brain to pay attention.
This marvelous ability of your brain can also work against you depending on what’s been programmed through your beliefs and self-image. For example, if you earn $30,000 and you believe that is all you are worth, then you create a comfort zone and act in ways to maintain that self-image. If you have a million-dollar idea, your RAS will filter it out so you won’t become aware of it or you won’t act on the idea. Research shows that a significant number of lottery winners lose their winnings within five years because their new wealth doesn’t fit their self-image. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards estimates that nearly one-third of lottery winners become bankrupt.
Another way your RAS can work against you is if you program it with what you don’t want. It will cause you to think about the negative thought until you get exactly what you don’t want. This is the reason why people who focus on not being broke, not getting divorced or breaking up, not getting fat, or not failing a class typically get the very thing they’re trying to avoid. The habit of thought around a negative idea produces negative results.
Here are five steps you can take to harness the power of you RAS to become more successful: First, clarity is power. Choose the exact message you send from your conscious to your nonconscious mind. Condition your brain to have clarity so that it knows precisely what you feel is important and what you’re going after.
Second, spend time thinking about your goal each day and imagining the results you want and how it will feel in full sensory detail. You may want to cut pictures out that represent the achievement of your goal and place them where you’ll see them often. Read books, watch movies and listen to music that inspire you and reinforce the image of the new person you want to become.
Third, focus on the positive aspect of your goal, and stop thinking about any negative thoughts about it. Avoid people that are negative and belittle your efforts to change. They act as an anchor to maintain your status quo. As you begin to progress, the negative influencers will have a tendency to pull you back down to a level where they feel most comfortable with you.
Forth, take action. Be aware of the thoughts that your RAS sends to your conscious mind to move you closer to your goal. As you act on the cues given to you through your RAS, you’ll develop greater awareness and you’ll also begin to reinforce your new self-image and provide greater proof why you are worthy of your goal. Keep a journal of your ideas and thoughts. As you create new neural pathways with your new thought patterns you may have bursts of inspiration.
Fifth, once you’ve achieved your goal, reinforce the idea that you deserve your success. If your new self-image is not firmly planted in our mind, you may find yourself slipping back into old habits and moving toward your old self-image.
A similar process can be used to overcome the negative patterns created by a group of people that have a common cause such as families, organizations and communities. The leader of the group must initiate the renewal process and act as the group’s RAS to help initiate change through positive transformation in the shared culture, values, and beliefs. It’s more difficult because there are always dissenters who want to rock the boat and maintain the current situation, but the journey can be worthwhile if the final outcome is consistently communicated and kept at the forefront of the group’s mind.
With a change in your life, family or business, you will have a change in the way you think and interpret the world around you. You will develop new neural pathways that override your negative programming and old habit patterns. It is possible to change and renew yourself. As Napoleon Hill said: “Whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.”
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Change Your Brain
Pentagon strategists have worried for over a decade that the development of a super missile would weaken America’s dominant influence in East Asian waters. The recent revelation of a new “smart missile” developed by China has caused great concern for the U.S. and its naval carrier fleet.
What makes the missile so lethal is its accurate guidance system. It’s reported that the Dong Feng 21D (DF-21D) missile can be launched from the land and hit a moving aircraft carrier 900 miles away. The Chinese have had missile technology, but their accuracy was ineffective until President Clinton sold them three Cray supercomputers as part of a trade deal, which the Chinese used immediately to develop their missile capability.
The news of the power of a self-correcting guidance mechanism awakens the half-century old knowledge of the power of our own internal guidance system. When Dr. Maxell Maltz published his ground-breaking book Psycho-Cybernetics in 1960, he provided further evidence of the mind-body connection to attain one’s goals. As a cosmetic surgeon, Maltz was confused by the reaction of his patients after surgery. Even though he transformed their external looks to make them more beautiful, he found that their inner self-image was more powerful when it came to seeing the results of his work. In fact, many of his patients reported that they did not see any changes when they looked at themselves in the mirror. His research brought him to the realization that our limiting beliefs determine our actions and results; therefore, in order to change our lives, we must change our brain – or how we see ourselves in our mind’s eye.
The term “cybernetic” comes from a Greek word which means literally, “the steersman.” Like a missile guidance system, our bio-mechanical brain acts as a servo-mechanism to “steer” us toward the results we expect, and those results are determined by our strongly-held beliefs and values.
A cybernetic refers to a control-and-response mechanism to keep things in their comfort zone or on target. Using a missile as a metaphor, let’s look at three aspects to our own servo-mechanism. This can be summarized by the acronym: RAS, for Result, Action, and Self-correcting. First, the Result must be known. You must identify the target or goal that you want to reach. For the DF-21D, the result would be to intercept and sink an aircraft carrier. For you, it might be to lose weight, make more money, or find romance. To lock onto your target and get the result you want, you must be clear about your objective, or you must know what exact result you expect.
The next step is to take Action. A missile must have some type of propulsion system to move it in the general direction of the target. If your result is to reach a certain weight, then you must take some action such as eating better or exercising regularly. To make more money, you must take action by offering greater value to your employer or customers, and to find romance, you need to take action by meeting more people and socializing.
The third thing that must happen is to have an accurate guidance system that is Self-correcting. A guided missile requires ongoing feedback using a global positioning system, radar, sonar, or heat preceptors to relay its relationship to the target and determine any course correction. Individuals trying to lose weight use their sensory organs and external measures, such as a weight scale, measuring tape, or comments from others, to provide valuable feedback so they can stay on the correct course.
So if it is as easy as knowing your result, taking action, and self-correcting, why do so many people not achieve their goals? The reason is because you must have a self-image that sustains your efforts. Your brain must change how you see yourself in your mind’s eye so that you establish a new comfort zone, or set point.
A simple cybernetic example is a thermostat that is used to maintain room temperature. If it is too hot the air conditioner kicks on and when the temperature drops below a certain standard, the heater turns on. Our psycho-cybernetic mechanism is a self-correcting autopilot that will always kick in to steer us back to the internal image and beliefs we have of ourselves. In other words, if you want to change on the outside, you must first change on the inside.
If your self-image sees yourself as fat, poor, or romantically challenged, then your behavior will align with your beliefs to ensure that you maintain that self-image. The reality is that you are none of these as long as you believe in yourself. So what if you’re overweight now or you struggle financially? Your current reality does not have to be your future fate. You are a human being who is fully capable of changing your situation – if you believe you can.
For effective change to occur you must have a vision of what you want to become, and reinforce the beliefs that will turn your vision into reality. You must create a new comfort zone and new patterns of behavior in order to take sustained action towards your new self. You have the power to “reprogram” yourself for greater success and realize more empowering results.
A new discovery has revealed that neurogenesis, the process of making new brain cells, does not stop with adolescence, but continues throughout your life span. No matter what your age, you can change your brain by creating new neural pathways. Next week, I’ll discuss how a small part of your brain, about the size of your little finger, is your key to open the doorway of your mind and truly change your brain.
What makes the missile so lethal is its accurate guidance system. It’s reported that the Dong Feng 21D (DF-21D) missile can be launched from the land and hit a moving aircraft carrier 900 miles away. The Chinese have had missile technology, but their accuracy was ineffective until President Clinton sold them three Cray supercomputers as part of a trade deal, which the Chinese used immediately to develop their missile capability.
The news of the power of a self-correcting guidance mechanism awakens the half-century old knowledge of the power of our own internal guidance system. When Dr. Maxell Maltz published his ground-breaking book Psycho-Cybernetics in 1960, he provided further evidence of the mind-body connection to attain one’s goals. As a cosmetic surgeon, Maltz was confused by the reaction of his patients after surgery. Even though he transformed their external looks to make them more beautiful, he found that their inner self-image was more powerful when it came to seeing the results of his work. In fact, many of his patients reported that they did not see any changes when they looked at themselves in the mirror. His research brought him to the realization that our limiting beliefs determine our actions and results; therefore, in order to change our lives, we must change our brain – or how we see ourselves in our mind’s eye.
The term “cybernetic” comes from a Greek word which means literally, “the steersman.” Like a missile guidance system, our bio-mechanical brain acts as a servo-mechanism to “steer” us toward the results we expect, and those results are determined by our strongly-held beliefs and values.
A cybernetic refers to a control-and-response mechanism to keep things in their comfort zone or on target. Using a missile as a metaphor, let’s look at three aspects to our own servo-mechanism. This can be summarized by the acronym: RAS, for Result, Action, and Self-correcting. First, the Result must be known. You must identify the target or goal that you want to reach. For the DF-21D, the result would be to intercept and sink an aircraft carrier. For you, it might be to lose weight, make more money, or find romance. To lock onto your target and get the result you want, you must be clear about your objective, or you must know what exact result you expect.
The next step is to take Action. A missile must have some type of propulsion system to move it in the general direction of the target. If your result is to reach a certain weight, then you must take some action such as eating better or exercising regularly. To make more money, you must take action by offering greater value to your employer or customers, and to find romance, you need to take action by meeting more people and socializing.
The third thing that must happen is to have an accurate guidance system that is Self-correcting. A guided missile requires ongoing feedback using a global positioning system, radar, sonar, or heat preceptors to relay its relationship to the target and determine any course correction. Individuals trying to lose weight use their sensory organs and external measures, such as a weight scale, measuring tape, or comments from others, to provide valuable feedback so they can stay on the correct course.
So if it is as easy as knowing your result, taking action, and self-correcting, why do so many people not achieve their goals? The reason is because you must have a self-image that sustains your efforts. Your brain must change how you see yourself in your mind’s eye so that you establish a new comfort zone, or set point.
A simple cybernetic example is a thermostat that is used to maintain room temperature. If it is too hot the air conditioner kicks on and when the temperature drops below a certain standard, the heater turns on. Our psycho-cybernetic mechanism is a self-correcting autopilot that will always kick in to steer us back to the internal image and beliefs we have of ourselves. In other words, if you want to change on the outside, you must first change on the inside.
If your self-image sees yourself as fat, poor, or romantically challenged, then your behavior will align with your beliefs to ensure that you maintain that self-image. The reality is that you are none of these as long as you believe in yourself. So what if you’re overweight now or you struggle financially? Your current reality does not have to be your future fate. You are a human being who is fully capable of changing your situation – if you believe you can.
For effective change to occur you must have a vision of what you want to become, and reinforce the beliefs that will turn your vision into reality. You must create a new comfort zone and new patterns of behavior in order to take sustained action towards your new self. You have the power to “reprogram” yourself for greater success and realize more empowering results.
A new discovery has revealed that neurogenesis, the process of making new brain cells, does not stop with adolescence, but continues throughout your life span. No matter what your age, you can change your brain by creating new neural pathways. Next week, I’ll discuss how a small part of your brain, about the size of your little finger, is your key to open the doorway of your mind and truly change your brain.
Catching Flies
I’d like to share some lessons about marketing from my recent encounter with flies. The first half of the article talks about how I helped rid our area of the pesky critters, and then I’ll relate it to marketing as you keep reading.
Lately, we couldn’t walk out of our house without flies swarming around the porch. It’s difficult to capture them, so I thought of my options. First, I could use some sticky fly paper that has had limited success in the past, but it is unsightly and tends to lose its effectiveness after dust and debris gets stuck to it.
Second, I could give my young children fly swatters and give them a penny for every fly they kill. I’ve employed this tactic with success in the past. After a quick training session on the art of sneaking up to a fly and the proper fly swatting technique, they enthusiastically jumped into their new job. However, their enthusiasm typically lasts for a couple of hours before something else grabs their attention and they are no longer my willing accomplices.
My third option is to use some type of a fly trap that causes the flies to enter a container and stay trapped until they expire. I’ve bought commercial traps before at a hardware store, but decided to go to the Internet to find a solution. I picked the simplest design which consists of taking a plastic bottle – a two liter soda bottle works well – and cutting the top portion where the bottle curves into the straight cylinder.
Take the cap off, invert the top portion, and tape it to the bottom of the bottle so it creates a funnel into the lower half. To make the hole smaller and more difficult for the fly to get out, I take a 5-inch, round section of screen that is cut to the middle, folded into a funnel-shape, and secure it to the bottle top with a rubber band. If the hole is not large enough, push a pencil into the bottom of the funnel or just cut a larger hole with scissors.
Now it’s time to put some bait to attract the flies. You can use anything that attracts flies, but if you want to get fancy, you can put some brown sugar in hot water and after it cools, add a pinch of yeast. If it’s a liquid mess, it will also drown the flies when they land on it to feed. I have three containers silently working their magic on the back porch. The traps are simple, inexpensive, effective, and work continuously with no effort.
Okay, now time to segue to your marketing efforts. There are three elements to capture flies and customers: 1) The target – who you are after, 2) the temptation – how you will attract the target, and 3) the technique – what method you will use to capture the target.
Your customers aren’t pesky critters – although they might feel they’re treated that way. They are valuable individuals who allow your business to exist and continue operating. As a business, you should focus on how to capture more of the right customers and then contain them for ongoing revenue. Your target should be your ideal customer.
The temptation is your offer and the value it has to the customer. This includes your goods and services, as well as anything that adds value to your customer such as packaging, after-purchase service, or delivery. The greater the temptation, the less resistance you’ll encounter and the more customers you’ll attract.
Next, you should consider your technique. If your marketing efforts take a lot of time or money and yield little for the effort, it could be like chasing flies with a swatter – you sometimes get lucky and get a customer, but it takes a lot of effort. The sticky fly paper can be compared to marketing that attracts a few customers, but quickly loses its effectiveness.
You must use a technique to both attract customers and keep them coming back continuously. It should be simple, inexpensive, and effective to be a winner. Colonial Penn was an insurance company that wanted to target older people. They tried to work with groups that had affiliations with their target market, but had difficulty so their technique was to start their own organization. They started the American Association of Retired People or AARP and the recommended insurance provider for the members was …you guessed it, Colonial Penn.
An amusement park analyzed their average purchase amount of their customers and discovered it was $25. Their technique was to contact all the non-amusement vendors on the park premises, like the balloon vendor and the hot dog stand, and offer them tokens they could give to their customers that were good for amusement rides. For example, if someone bought a hotdog and drink for $3, the customer would receive $3 in tokens from the vendor that could be redeemed at the park, knowing that the customer would end up spending $22 more.
There are also techniques on the Internet that can be used to capture customers and keep them coming back. Lead capture pages typically offer a free report or some type of incentive to get the customer to share their email. Through ongoing, value-laden emails, the customer is primed to make a purchase or join a membership program
What techniques do you use to attract more target customers, get them to make a purchase and keep them coming back? Like the simple fly catcher, you should have a product or service that tempts customers and utilize a technique that is simple, inexpensive, and works continuously.
Lately, we couldn’t walk out of our house without flies swarming around the porch. It’s difficult to capture them, so I thought of my options. First, I could use some sticky fly paper that has had limited success in the past, but it is unsightly and tends to lose its effectiveness after dust and debris gets stuck to it.
Second, I could give my young children fly swatters and give them a penny for every fly they kill. I’ve employed this tactic with success in the past. After a quick training session on the art of sneaking up to a fly and the proper fly swatting technique, they enthusiastically jumped into their new job. However, their enthusiasm typically lasts for a couple of hours before something else grabs their attention and they are no longer my willing accomplices.
My third option is to use some type of a fly trap that causes the flies to enter a container and stay trapped until they expire. I’ve bought commercial traps before at a hardware store, but decided to go to the Internet to find a solution. I picked the simplest design which consists of taking a plastic bottle – a two liter soda bottle works well – and cutting the top portion where the bottle curves into the straight cylinder.
Take the cap off, invert the top portion, and tape it to the bottom of the bottle so it creates a funnel into the lower half. To make the hole smaller and more difficult for the fly to get out, I take a 5-inch, round section of screen that is cut to the middle, folded into a funnel-shape, and secure it to the bottle top with a rubber band. If the hole is not large enough, push a pencil into the bottom of the funnel or just cut a larger hole with scissors.
Now it’s time to put some bait to attract the flies. You can use anything that attracts flies, but if you want to get fancy, you can put some brown sugar in hot water and after it cools, add a pinch of yeast. If it’s a liquid mess, it will also drown the flies when they land on it to feed. I have three containers silently working their magic on the back porch. The traps are simple, inexpensive, effective, and work continuously with no effort.
Okay, now time to segue to your marketing efforts. There are three elements to capture flies and customers: 1) The target – who you are after, 2) the temptation – how you will attract the target, and 3) the technique – what method you will use to capture the target.
Your customers aren’t pesky critters – although they might feel they’re treated that way. They are valuable individuals who allow your business to exist and continue operating. As a business, you should focus on how to capture more of the right customers and then contain them for ongoing revenue. Your target should be your ideal customer.
The temptation is your offer and the value it has to the customer. This includes your goods and services, as well as anything that adds value to your customer such as packaging, after-purchase service, or delivery. The greater the temptation, the less resistance you’ll encounter and the more customers you’ll attract.
Next, you should consider your technique. If your marketing efforts take a lot of time or money and yield little for the effort, it could be like chasing flies with a swatter – you sometimes get lucky and get a customer, but it takes a lot of effort. The sticky fly paper can be compared to marketing that attracts a few customers, but quickly loses its effectiveness.
You must use a technique to both attract customers and keep them coming back continuously. It should be simple, inexpensive, and effective to be a winner. Colonial Penn was an insurance company that wanted to target older people. They tried to work with groups that had affiliations with their target market, but had difficulty so their technique was to start their own organization. They started the American Association of Retired People or AARP and the recommended insurance provider for the members was …you guessed it, Colonial Penn.
An amusement park analyzed their average purchase amount of their customers and discovered it was $25. Their technique was to contact all the non-amusement vendors on the park premises, like the balloon vendor and the hot dog stand, and offer them tokens they could give to their customers that were good for amusement rides. For example, if someone bought a hotdog and drink for $3, the customer would receive $3 in tokens from the vendor that could be redeemed at the park, knowing that the customer would end up spending $22 more.
There are also techniques on the Internet that can be used to capture customers and keep them coming back. Lead capture pages typically offer a free report or some type of incentive to get the customer to share their email. Through ongoing, value-laden emails, the customer is primed to make a purchase or join a membership program
What techniques do you use to attract more target customers, get them to make a purchase and keep them coming back? Like the simple fly catcher, you should have a product or service that tempts customers and utilize a technique that is simple, inexpensive, and works continuously.
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