Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny: Proven Strategies That Empower You to Achieve Anything You Want in Life

Adam Khoo & Stuart Tan

Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group (2004)

Tags: | Self Help, Motivation & Self-Improvement

Self Helpttt Motivation &amp; Self-Improvementttt

Do you truly desire to produce exceptional results in your life? To be a powerful communicator, charismatic leader, millionaire entrepreneur, straight 'A' student, creative genius or a record-breaking sales professional?

Well you can! You already possess all the mental resources you need to achieve any result that you want. Most people fail to live a life of excellence simply because they lack control over their immense potential.

In this book, you will learn how to take immediate control of your life and develop your personal roadmap to success. You will learn how to model and replicate the success blueprints of exceptional individuals and install these winning mindsets, patterns and strategies within yourself.

Here are some examples of what you'll master after going through this book:

The Proven Ultimate Success Formula to Achieve Anything You Want in Life

Proven Strategies to Identify & Eliminate Limiting Beliefs that Hold You Back

How to Re-Ignite Your Focus & Passion

The Formula to Design and Achieve Your Desired Destiny

How to Take Immediate Control Of Anything in Your Life

The SINGLE Technique to Breaking Bad Habits & Installing Winning Patterns

The Secrets to Taking Charge Of Your Emotional States for Peak Performance

How to Tap into Peak States Of Confidence & Motivation Instantly

How to Turn Failures & Setbacks into Million Dollar Opportunities

Powerful & Practical Techniques to Eliminate Fears & Phobias

How to Model & Replicate the Success Blueprints of Peak Performers

And much, much more!

These are the exact strategies Adam used to transform himself from a school reject to a millionaire entrepreneur by the age 26 and to empower thousands of students, professionals to achieve better relationships, excellent health and to unlock their immense personal growth... and now, here's your chance to do the same.

About The Authors

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, Adam owns four companies in the areas of advertising, event management, education and training. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group Pte Ltd that runs seminars and training programs for multi national corporations and individuals all over Asia. He is the bestselling author of three other books, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’, ‘How to Multiply your Child’s Intelligence’ and ‘Clueless in Starting a Business.’

At the age of 29, Adam has trained over 50,000 professionals, managers, executives, businessmen, educators and students in the accelerated learning, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) and peak performance strategies. He is the co-developer of the famous ‘Patterns of Excellence™’, ‘Superkids™’ & ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!™’ programs. His phenomenal achievements are regularly featured in leading print and broadcast media.

Stuart Tan, MBA (Western Michigan), BA (Hons), S.D.C.G., is the Executive Director of the Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group Pte Ltd. He has been a trainer since 1994 and has focused on the development of personal excellence, performance enhancement, leadership and communication development, with his background in Management, Psychology, Linguistics and Counseling. He was Asia’s youngest licensed trainer of NLP in 1997. Stuart received his trainer’s license in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) from the founder, Dr. Richard Bandler, in 1997.

As a celebrated Toastmaster in Singapore, Stuart has taken part in and won many national level (Area/Division) speech competitions. He also is the 1st runner-up of the Toastmasters International, District 51 (Pan South-East Asia) Impromptu Speech Contest, 2001, and Champion of the Toastmasters International District 51 (Pan South-East Asia) Evaluation Speech Contest, 2002. He is also a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), USA, the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS), and is Certified in Acute Traumatic Stress Management.

WARNING:

Reading this book and participating fully in all the activities could positively change your life forever

Published by Adam Khoo Learning
Technologies Group Pte Ltd
10 Hoe Chiang Road
#01-01 Keppel Towers
Singapore 089315

Copyright © 2004 by Adam Khoo & Stuart Tan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or
by any means, or stored in a database
or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.

First published 2004
Reprinted 2004, 2005

Cover, Design & Layout: Tan Mui Siang Illustrations: Robin Tan
Copy Editor: Betty Khoo Kingsley ISBN 981-05-0856-5

Printed in Singapore

ePub created by 'The R¿ddler' and Cadzbuddy

Printed on total chlorine free,
environmentally friendly paper

Dedication from the Author Adam Khoo

Dedicated to my parents, my wonderful wife Sally & my precious daughter, Kelly.

Acknowledgements

I truly wouldn’t be where I am today if not for the thousands of people who have been there to love, guide, teach, support, motivate and inspire me during this incredible journey I have been on.

To my parents Vince, Betty & Joanne who have given me unconditional love and support throughout the years. To my wife Sally who has been my pillar of inspiration and strength. To my partner, Patrick Cheo, who has been sharing my vision and continually pushing me to the next level. To my partner Stuart Tan for being the ultimate tag team partner and for joining me on this amazing mission of empowering lives. To my fellow trainers Gary Lee, Ramesh Muthusamy, Candice Koh and Carol Tham who keep bringing our programs to a higher level through their passion and dedication.

To the entire staff of Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group who have tirelessly spend all their weekends and late nights working to build the company at an incredible rate. Especially to Sant & Olivia Qiu, Max Tung, Cindy Lim, Jamie Liu, Serene Wan, CK Chan, Natalie Lim & Carol Lim. To Tan Mui Siang & Robin Tan for your passion & dedication in making this book look Great. To Pauline Chua for your invaluable marketing advice.

This book is also dedicated to the hundreds of coaches & Whoosh members who have volunteered their time to continuously come back and staff of the ‘Superkids™’, ‘I Am Gifted So Are You!™’ and ‘Patterns of Excellence™’ programs. Special thanks to committee members & senior coaches Andrew Wee, Mok Tuck Sung, AP Lim, Tiffany Page, Jeannie Lim, Shane Kwek, Mardiana, Shiau Huey, Pete Tan, Cecilia Chow, Adam Wong, Bernard Koh, Christine Kerk, Daniel Goh, Nance Peters, Rachel Ong, Yi Chen, Keng Loy, Kelvin Ho, Darren Toh, Chiong Kong, Yew Siang, Stella, Adwin, Charles Tng, Brenda Tung, Sherwin Tng, John Tan, Christine Tan, Petrina Wang, Tee Huat, Don Yap, Shi Ming, Terence Lou, Toh Yew Soon, Lim Xiang, Xiu Li, Joseph Sim, Peter Khoo, Shukor, Felix

Lim, James Leong CF, Alva, Tiong Boon, Shane Kwek, Alvin Wang, Stacey Thoi, Choon Fah, Shannaz, Chih Chien, Gerald Lee, Theeban, Patrick Goh, Jeff Tan, Rossana Chen, Alex Ang, Alex Chua, Lee Kin Mun, Chee Hoe, Shamsudin, Kalai, Irene Low, Wilson Foo, Andrew Chan, Charles Yuen, Ying Yan, Wai Keong… Couldn’t have done it without you guys!

To all my principals, teachers & lecturers from Ping Yi secondary school, Victoria Junior College and The National University of Singapore who have played a tremendous part in shaping the person I am today, especially to Prof. Wee Chow Hou, Mrs. Lee Phui Mun, Mrs. Ng Gek Tiang, Dr. Kulwant Singh & Dr. May Lwin. To my mentors and trainers who have helped me discover the true power within myself. To my first mentor, Ernest Wong who taught me who I am. To Dr. Tad James, Dr. Richard Bandler, John LaValle, Tony Buzan, Brad Sugars and Anthony Robbins who helped me master NLP & the science of accelerated personal change.

To all the members of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (Singapore Chapter) for tremendous fellowship and support. Especially to Elim Chew, Ricky Chew, Ong Tze Boon, Jeff Goh, Parvindar Singh, Jocelyn Chng, Goh Bock Seng, Douglas Foo, Michael Moey, Sam Chia, Seah LC, William Wong and Roger Khoo. To my old friends, Dr. Dennis Wee, Tommie Goh, Gay Chee Cheong, Dr. Tony Tan & Mrs. Mary Tan, Steve Boyley, Melvyn Koh, Dave Rogers, David Ong, Manoj Sharma, Morris Allen, Jim Atchinson, Kenneth Lyen, Gary Tan, Kenneth Wong, Aaron Ang & Clemen Chiang.

To the management and staff of AIA, John Hancock, Prudential, Great Eastern Life, Lux Asia, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, NUS, NTU, Youth Challenge, Marshall Cavendish, Pearsons & Dennis Wee Realty for your invaluable support. Specially to Goh Nai Kiat & David Lim for all your support & belief in the ‘Patterns of Excellence™’ program. Thanks to the staff of Event Gurus especially my partner Zachary Low, colleagues Philip Lim, Kevin Lim, Grace Neo & Veronica Tan for pulling off the greatest events, especially ‘Empower Your Life, Design Your Destiny 2003’. And to the staff of Adcom. Special thanks to Serene Quek, Cedric De Souza, Dolly Lee, Ivy Lim, Ivy Ang, Conor O’ Sullivan & Afdoli Rahmat.

Thanks From the Co-Author Stuart Tan

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a bestselling author. Very often, I think it’s no big deal. But in many cases, I feel that being a bestselling author is a tribute to the people who have contributed to my life, and is a testimony to their dedication and faith in me and my abilities.

In no particular order of merit, I’d like to acknowledge the following people who have contributed deeply to my life.

To those I have forgotten to mention, you are somewhere in my unconscious mind, not forgotten from my heart.

To my parents, who were the ones who continued to support my initiatives, no matter how maverick they appeared to be, and for your fantastic teaching and love, often at your expense, and for continuing to share your knowledge and experience with my course participants. To my brother, I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you either. I love you all.

To Adam, the person whom I have known the better half of my life, for having the inspiration to start this whole thing. We earned our success! To Patrick, whom I’ll always remember digging trenches with during Exercise Spade. Believe it or not, you make me feel less tired. We need to clone you for the next generation of AKLTG staff.

To Candice and Carol, thank you for growing and learning. Your journey doesn’t stop here! To Gary, for your innovation and dedication. To Ramesh, for your unending quest for learning and experimentation. You truly embody the Patterns of Excellence!

To the staff of AKLTG, thanks for your dedication and the long hours. I love the work we do together, and you have as much respect from me as I have for Patrick.

To my close friends, thanks for sharing the special connection, you are all fantastic: Melvyn Koh, Manoj Sharma, Dr. Beh Chee Yang, James Leong Chan Foo, Apelles Poh, Ian Poh, Yiow Chye Leong, Lillian Lim, Chris Ng Wai Chung, Luke Diep, Ronald Tan and Randy Tan, Jerry Low, Sng Yih and Lorraine Sim, Dr. Edgar Tham, Kae Fong, Willie Lian, Dr. Joel Lee, Julia Lim, Lydia Low, Rajesh Pillai, Adrian Sim, Samie Tan, Tracy Ong and Lynn Tan.

To the many Toastmasters who have contributed to my success in more ways than one. You’ve been there to banter with me and provide me with opportunities and insights to succeed in public speaking. Special thanks to Clifford and Frances Ess, Jovin Hurry, Jeremy Eng, Ng Seng Chuan, Dayal Khemlani, Michael Rodrigues, Dave Rogers, John Sih, Ler Wee Meng, Richard Sng, Irene Wong, Lillian Lau, Gea Ban Peng, Ng Kwan Kiat, members of the Brilliant Advanced Toastmasters Club, SRC Toastmasters Club, Queenstown Toastmasters Club, Tanglin Community Toastmasters Club, Fort Canning Toastmasters Club, NUS, NTU and NUS Alumni Toastmasters Clubs, Skymedia Toastmasters Club, SIA Toastmasters Club, and all those whom I have had the good fortune to compete against in speech competitions.

Finally, to those who started it all. My gratitude goes out to Dr. Richard Bandler, my teacher and a real kick-ass presenter. I promise I will be more competent! Also, John and Kathleen LaValle, for your dynamism and care for us during our training. To John Grinder and Robert Dilts for having the courage and capacity to start NLP with Richard.

Introduction

It is Imperative We Master Our Minds so We Can Design Our Destiny in these Turbulent and Evolutionary Times

There was once a professor who wanted to go down a river, so he approached a local boatman who agreed to row him downstream for a small sum of money.

As they wound their way down the river, the professor decides to show off his intelligence and high education so he started to test the simple boatman.

Taking up a stone he had picked up from the riverbank, the professor arrogantly asks the boatman, ‘Have you ever studied Geology?’ The boatman looks at him blankly and replies, ‘Eh..., no.’, hardly even understanding what the word meant.

‘Then, I am afraid 25 percent of your life is gone!’ the professor loftily says. The boatman feels really bad about his ignorance but continues to row on. As they move further downstream, the river currents begin to get stronger and stronger. The professor picks up a leaf floating on the river and asks condescendingly, ‘Boatman, have you ever studied Botany?’

Confused the poor boatman again says, ‘No.’

The professor shakes his head and says, ‘Tsk tsk, then 50 percent of your life is gone.’ He then signals him to carry on rowing. As they move further downstream, the currents get even stronger, the water is moving faster and the boat begins to sway violently.

Suddenly the professor sees a mountain range, points to it and asks, ‘Do you know anything about Geography?’ Feeling very inferior and humiliated, the boatman again says ‘No.’

The professor snaps back. ‘I thought so. Then 75 percent of your life is gone!’

At this point, the river has become a raging torrent. The water is moving so swiftly that the boatman loses control of the small boat. Suddenly, the fragile craft smashes against a huge boulder, springs a leak and begins to sink.

This time the boatman turns to the professor and asks, ‘Professor! Do you know how to swim?’ The professor fearfully replies, ‘No!’

‘Then, I am afraid 100 percent of your life is gone!’ says the boatman as he leaps off the boat and powers his way to safety on the shore.

Just like the river, we are living in times of rapid and evolutionary changes. Is the river of life going to get faster and more unpredictable? You bet! This is only just the beginning.

What took a decade to change now takes merely months. Think about this: it took 50 years for cassette tapes to replace records. It then took less than ten years for compact discs to replace cassette tapes. Soon after, it took less than five years for Mini-Discs to appear on the scene. Today, less than three years later, MP3s are looking to make everything else totally obsolete.

Mega million-dollar businesses can become bankrupt because of obsolescence overnight. At the same time, small companies can become worldwide market leaders in just a few years. Similarly, a professional with years of experience and a high market value can become economically unviable within a short period of time. Why?

The new economy is so dynamic that 80 percent of what you learn in school will become obsolete by the time you graduate. 30 percent of the jobs, companies, products and services that are commonplace now never existed a decade ago.

Who ever heard of a chief information officer, a website designer, technopreneurs, internet service providers (ISPs) or net nannies in the 1990s? Similarly, 50 percent of the jobs that exist today will no longer exist in their present form ten years from now.

In fact, the average person will probably go through four career changes (not job changes) in their entire lifetime. Why? Simply because the jobs they have and the companies they work for will not exist for very long.

‘The world must change and leaders are the ones who change it’

These seem like scary times, but they can also be awesome times with unrealised opportunities for those who not only embrace the change but lead the change! With change, comes incredible opportunity. Think about it!

There are now a hundred times more millionaires and many more billionaires as compared to decades past. And unlike the past when most of them were in their fifties, today’s billionaires are in their thirties! Today, with an innovative idea, you could become the owner of a billion dollar company in less than ten years. Think of Amazon.com, E-Bay, Oracle or Hotmail.

Do you have what it takes to swim in the dynamic and ever changing river of life? Will you crest the new age waves or get caught in the deadly undertow?

Will you be like the professor who thinks he knows everything but drowns in the river of the real world? You and I both know that academic success, knowledge and intelligence are no guarantees of success in the new economy. In fact, they could mean very little.

Some of the movers and shakers of the new economy are school dropouts who employ ‘professors’ to run their businesses. Bill Gates (Microsoft), Larry Ellison (Oracle) & Richard Branson (Virgin group) never finished school.

While education and academic qualifications are important, they are not enough if you want to make it in these turbulent evolutionary times. Those who are the most successful in the new economy are not necessarily the ones with the highest IQ or the most letters behind their name. It is those who exhibit certain patterns of excellence.

The patterns of excellence I refer to is the ability to take charge of your mental resources and unleash your personal power! It is a set of beliefs, attitudes and behaviors exhibited by individuals who consistently produce exceptional results.

It is the ability to take charge of your life, be in control of your emotional state and bring out the best of your personal potential. It is about having the flexibility to constantly grow by learning, unlearning and relearning. It is the ability to model and replicate excellence within a very short period of time. It is being able to constantly respond in an empowering way to the events swirling around you.

Those who lack ‘swimming’ skills (professors, professionals or just plain ordinary people) will continue to be controlled by their external environment and be ruled by the fear of change and unpredictability.

They will end up frustrated and powerless victims of this massive wave of globalization, restructuring and change. Those who can ‘swim’ and ride this wave will experience wealth, success and fulfillment beyond their wildest imagination.

In this book, you will learn how to equip yourself with the mindset, skills and behavioral patterns to do just this. You will be armed with the patterns of excellence so you can master your mind and design your destiny – whatever the external circumstances.

About the Authors

Adam Khoo

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, Adam owns four companies in the areas of advertising, event management, education and training. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group Pte Ltd that runs seminars and training programs for multi national corporations and individuals all over Asia. He is the best- selling author of three other books, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’, ‘How to Multiply your Child’s Intelligence’ and ‘Clueless in Starting a Business.’ At the age of 29, Adam has trained over 50,000 professionals, managers, executives, businessmen, educators and students in the accelerated learning, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) and peak performance strategies. He is the co-developer of the famous ‘Patterns of Excellence™’, ‘Superkids™’ & ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!™’ programs. His phenomenal achievements are regularly featured in leading print and broadcast media.

Stuart Tan

Mr. Stuart Tan, MBA (Western Michigan), BA (Hons), S.D.C.G., is the Executive Director of the Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group Pte Ltd. He has been a trainer since 1994 and has focused on the development of personal excellence, performance enhancement, leadership and communication development, with his background in Management, Psychology, Linguistics and Counseling. He was Asia’s youngest licensed trainer of NLP in 1997. Stuart received his trainer’s license in Neuro- Linguistic Programming (NLP) from the founder, Dr. Richard Bandler, in 1997.

As a celebrated Toastmaster in Singapore, Stuart has taken part in and won many national level (Area/Division) speech competitions. He also is the 1st runner-up of the Toastmasters International, District 51 (Pan South-East Asia) Impromptu Speech Contest, 2001, and Champion of the Toastmasters International District 51 (Pan South-East Asia) Evaluation Speech Contest, 2002. He is also a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), USA, the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS), and is Certified in Acute Traumatic Stress Management.

1
THE PATTERNS OF EXCELLENCE

First, I would like to thank and congratulate you for picking up this book. The fact that you are investing your time to read it only means that no matter where you are in your life you truly desire to achieve a lot more.

You have taken a most important first step: You have taken action and are putting that desire on the road to manifesting it.

So, what kind of significant change do you want to create in your life? Greatly increase your income? Be a much more effective communicator? Grow as a person? Be the best in your field? Create stronger relationships with the people you care about? Whatever it is, know this:

You Have All the Resources You Need to Succeed

Most people set limits on how much they can achieve simply because they believe they lack the resources needed for successful outcomes. They believe that they just don’t have the mental discipline, intelligence, luck, creativity, energy or talent to live at a level they can only dream of.

‘If only I was more creative or innovative, I would be able to take advantage of that opportunity.’ Heard that one before? Yes, so many people believe that they have to wait for resources to appear (a lottery win or share bonanza), in order for them to use it to get what they want.

‘When I have more money, then I can think of starting my own business.’ ‘When I am more mature, with a lot more experience behind me, then I can take on that challenge.’ ‘When I have more time, then I can start to plan my finances.’ ‘When I find a better partner, then I can enjoy a happier relationship.’ Heard all these before?

The truth is that you already possess all the resources you need to get anything you want and produce any result you desire in your life! That’s right! The resources I am referring to are your in-born, in-built resources of Brain and Body working together.

Our Brain and Body are the most powerful resources that each and every one of us were born with on this planet. If used and run effectively, your internal resources will enable you to get any physical-external resource you require to help you achieve any goal you desire.

Most people cite lack of MONEY as their number one excuse for not taking advantage of opportunities and taking action. Yet we all know that some of the most successful corporate-household names in the world started with little or no money. Take Honda and Sony Corporation’s founders, Soichiro Honda and Akio Morita or even Apple’s founder Steve Jobs.

They started with nothing but their own ingenuity and personal power to create winning, innovative products and wealth followed naturally, which then allowed them to create even greater wealth.

TIME is the next most common resource that people say they lack. Yet we all work by the same clocks. All of us have twenty-four hours a day within which we have to eat, sleep, relax, recharge and work, smart or otherwise.

It is surely therefore our ability to plan, manage and control how we use time that creates results, or lack of results. Again, it comes back to how we control our own internal resources. Use them effectively or squander them.

How about OTHER PEOPLE as a resource?

Here again, many people believe that they just don’t have the right partners, customers, colleagues, family or bosses to support their life or career goals. Again, if you have the internal resources of knowing how to build rapport, influence and direct the thoughts and behaviors of others positively, you WILL attract the kind of people you need to help you succeed. So it is truly how we manage our internal resources that make all the difference.

We All Have Basically the Same Hardware

But do all of us have the same internal resources available to us? Do we all have the same mental resources to be influential, confident, creative, intelligent and so on? The answer is YES!

At first this may seem a bit hard to believe but if you study the human brain and the science of neurology (and in recent decades we have made quantum leaps in our understanding of our Brain), you will learn that we all share the same basic neurology or nervous system.

In other words, we all have got basically the same hardware. If someone appears more superior to you in intellect or is a much more effective communicator, it is not because they have a better ‘bio-computer’. They just have better programs running in their ‘bio-computer’ than you have (currently). It is these programs or thought patterns that enable them to be more motivated, more focused, more analytical, more powerful or to be a better communicator.

When run in optimal mode your brain is truly capable of producing any kind of positive and empowering thought or behavioral pattern, and hence any result that you want.

Every one of us was born with almost the same basic neurological makeup. We have approximately 1000 billion neurons (nerve cells) in our brain, each capable of processing information at a speed greater than a Pentium four personal computer.

It has been calculated that if a super computer were to be built to have anywhere near the storage capacity and processing capability of the human brain, it would have to be the length of fifty football fields and the height of the Statue of Liberty. And yet, your mega brain is powered daily with less electricity than a ten watt light bulb! How awesome. Think about the miracle your brain is and what you can do with it.

Neuro-Connections: The Key to Our Thoughts & Behavioral Patterns

If all of us have such powerful internal resources, why do so few produce exceptional results? Why is it that only a handful in every society or country are able to generate brilliant ideas, stay focused and motivated, take consistent action and produce a level of success we can only admire? The difference lies again in the way we use our brain. Or waste it.

Your thoughts, behaviors, abilities and skills are determined not by the number of brain cells you have, but rather by how your neurons are connected together. All of us have different neuro-connections and that is why we think and behave differently.

If someone you know is extremely good in numbers, it is because he has a lot richer neuro-connections in the area of mathematical-logical thinking. At the same time this person may not be very confident in the way he communicates, because he may have poorer neural connections in this different area of intellect.

The same goes for our emotions and habits. If you are always lazy and unmotivated , it is because your brain cells are wired in such a way that you consistently fire off negative emotions like procrastination.

People who are constantly focused and motivated have a very different set of neural patterns wired up in their brain. The kind of neuro-connections you have now is determined by how your brain has been exposed and stimulated, even before you were born.

Your neural patterns began developing twenty weeks from the time of conception, in your mother’s womb. If you have a gift for mathematics, it could be because your brain had been exposed to a lot of mathematical stimuli by your mother or the people around you. Then, after birth, in your growing-up years, especially before the age of fourteen, behavioral traits like patience or determination, impatience or stubbornness were also installed in your brain through your exposure to role models around you. That is how you got programmed to become the person you are today.

The good news is that if you have insufficient or ineffective neural connections in any area, you can create more useful connections through stimulating your brain in the right way and creating the right kind of mental patterns. You can also re-program limiting patterns such as phobias and bad habits.

In my ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!™’ training programs, I teach students who have very bad memory to use an effective memory strategy and rehearse it until it becomes a new pattern in their brain. Within half an hour of stimulation, they find themselves able to memorize a list of 50 words in sequence in less than five minutes.

In our Patterns of Excellence™ program, we use a technique called the Swish Pattern to help people change their old neural patterns of constantly procrastinating into taking consistent action. Remember that every habitual pattern is the result of the way our neural connections are wired. When we learn how to re- program these neural patterns, we can change and create any result we want.

Research into the brain has shown that in a lifetime, the average person uses less than one percent of the total number of possible neural connections that can be formed in their brains. With 1000 billions neurons, each having the capability of making thousands of neural connections with one another, the total possible number of connections, if permutated, would be far in excess of the number of atoms in the universe. In other words, there is nothing the human brain cannot achieve, with the right strategy and stimulation.

If We Can Replicate A Winner’s Mental Blueprint, We Can Replicate their Success

If we can replicate the way a winner runs his brain, then we can replicate the way they think and behave, and hence the results they produce. If others can walk on stage and deliver a speech with confidence, so can you.

If others are able to constantly direct their emotions to feel motivated and confident, so can you! If others display highly creative skills, you can do so too. Remember, they are able to do so because they are running effective mental programs. With the same neurology, you just have to unlock their secrets and run your brain in exactly the same way.

Think about this for a while.

Are you afraid of public speaking? Some people get terrified just by looking at a large audience in front of them. Their hands turn cold, their legs shake uncontrollably, their face turns white and they start to stutter when they open their mouths. This is close to the psychiatric definition of a phobia and all of us have these intense and uncontrollable fears of one thing or another. Yet at the same time, why is it that another person, seeing exactly the same audience can feel comfortable, relaxed, confident – even eager to speak.

Such seemingly natural orators speak to an entire auditorium as easily as if there was only one person in front of them. They may even be able to entertain the audience, make people loosen up and laugh, and they feel great about being up there too.

Again, what is it that makes the confident speaker different from the fearful one? They have the same mental resources available to them. The difference lies in how they represent the experience of the audience and the stage in their brains. You see, the thought and behavioral patterns they run through their neuro-connections are completely different. The first person’s brain is wired up in such a way that seeing the audience immediately triggers off a ‘fear’ program that shuts their entire body down. This is expressed physically in sweaty palms and brow, butterflies in the stomach.

Quite the opposite occurs when the confident speaker sees the audience. His neural connections fires off a ‘relaxed and confident’ pattern that allows him to perform at his best!

Unfortunately, most people have never learned how to direct and re-program the limiting patterns they run. They are not in charge of their brains. Instead, their brains take charge of them. They let their brains go on ‘auto pilot’, running mediocre programs that keep limiting their performance. As a result, they will always feel that there are things they can never do, simply because they believe that it is not within their control. Or ability.

Once you learn how to change a program in your brain, in fact any program, it will ultimately change how your body reacts. And you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

You too can do what you thought was impossible before, like exercising consistently until you get to your ideal weight. Or give a powerful speech and inspire a two-thousand strong audience.

The science I have learned in order to do this, and which I will share with you in the chapters of this book, is the science of personal development known as Neuro-linguistic Programming or NLP.

It is the technology of the mind that teaches you to use the language of the mind (linguistic) in order to program and re- program your nervous system (neuro) to consistently achieve a particular desirable result. NLP was first developed by Dr. Richard Bandler & Dr. John Grinder in the 1970s.

How I Took Charge of My Life

I was 13 when I was first exposed to NLP’s mind-boggling ideas and strategies. I was with a bunch of students of assorted ages, boys and girls from various secondary schools, and we had been sent to a residential motivational camp for teens.

Looking back I can say I was at a very low point in my young life. I had just squeaked into one of the lower ranked secondary schools in the country.

Earlier on, at the age of eight, I had been expelled from a primary school for misbehavior: my poor academic results did not help. I did so poorly for the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), I was rejected by every one of the six secondary schools my parents had chosen.

So I ended up in a government school called Ping Yi. Initially, I was still academically very weak. I had passed only four subjects out of eight and was placed near the bottom of the school. Not only was I poor in my studies, but I was also physically weak and mentally lethargic. I had very poor social skills, I was bored, indifferent and soon became a ‘problem student’. I joined the Scouts movement only to be thrown out after six months for not being able to pass the ‘Scout standard’, the most basic test needed to qualify to be a scout. Did I try? Not at all.

Like all other troubled and troublesome teenagers, I was addicted to arcade games and moronic TV programs. You could say I stirred to some semblance of life (pushing levers/buttons) in front of those violent games and sank into a stupor in front of the goggle box.

So, it was that I, a bored, boring and thoroughly indifferent teenager, was first exposed to Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) ideas. So radical from anything I had ever been taught or shown.

Somehow, something stirred in that sluggish brain I had so underutilized for so long. The first and most fundamental principle I learnt in NLP was that our beliefs act as the ‘on’ and ‘off’ switch to our brain’s potential.

When we believe we can do something, we virtually tap into our brain’s resources. And we will summon all our internal resources to find a way to support that belief. If we believe that something is impossible, we don’t even try thinking of a way. We shut out the possibility altogether!

This whole new way of thinking began to excite me, to challenge me as nothing had ever done before.

Bing! Like a light bulb going off in my face, I realized that all my negative beliefs were the first (possibly the only) thing that was holding me back.

I used to believe that I was not as intelligent as other kids. Being in a close-knit extended family with cousins in gifted streams and in the best schools didn’t help! I used to believe that I was born lazy, slow, unmotivated, maybe even stupid. That no matter what I did, I would never excel in anything. I was not gifted musically nor did I show any sporting prowess. I was just so very average in those departments.

What I learnt from my many mentors inspired, stimulated and challenged me. I decided to adopt a new belief that ‘if it was possible for others, it would be possible for me. It was only a question of strategy.’

That if I could model someone’s strategy and adopt it, then I could achieve any goal. Suddenly, the 13 year-old that I was had kindled in myself a burning desire to see if it was truly possible. Wow, what could it do for me?

So I decided to test it out. I set three seemingly impossible goals at the time. My first goal was to top my school within a year. My second goal was to do well enough to qualify for the top junior college in Singapore (reserved for only the top 5% of students in the country). My third goal was to qualify for the National University of Singapore and rank among its top students. You can imagine that ambition, coming from someone who was probably near the bottom 20% of students in the country, seemed like a crazy fantasy.

Using the principle of modeling, I went out and started to study the strategies that top students were using to get such fantastic results. I operated from the framework that if I used my brain in the same way, I would be able to replicate their success. So, I modeled their patterns of excellence.

How did they take notes? How did they stay motivated? How did they concentrate? How did they memorize so easily? How did they grasp difficult concepts? How did they tackle tough examination questions? I started to compile all these mental success blueprints and then proceeded to install these strategies within myself.

From Below Average to Gifted Student

I started thinking and doing exactly what they did. I took notes the same way, asked the same kind of questions and approached questions in the same manner. By constantly stimulating my brain like they did theirs, I inevitably started creating the same excellent results they had.

Within a year, from passing just two subjects, I scored 7As and ranked among the top ten students in my school. In three years, I topped the school with the lowest scoring aggregate and I became the first and only student from my school to qualify for the number one junior college in Singapore that year, Victoria Junior College. I later went on to qualify for the National University of Singapore (open to only the top 10% of students in the country) and was ranked the top one percent of academic achievers there within a year. Within six short years, I found myself being ranked among the top one percent of students in the country.

I Am Gifted, So Are You!

The phenomenal results I managed to create reinforced my belief that with the right strategy (I call it the patterns of excellence), anybody can mentally orientate himself or herself to achieve success in any area.

I began teaching my ‘Genius strategy’ to other students, many of them below average in their academic studies, some of them even having learning disabilities. The results were amazing and most encouraging. Many of those who used my strategy experienced the same phenomenal improvements in their grades as well.

While still an undergraduate I decided to write a book compiling all these success blueprints for academic excellence. The book, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’ was launched in 1998 and became a national number one bestseller within 6 months.

If I Could Achieve this, then I Can Achieve Anything!

As you all know success in school has very little to do with a person’s ability to be successful in the real world of business.

So my next challenge was to be able to create success beyond the classroom. I knew that if I applied the very same principles of modeling and replicating patterns of excellence, then nothing was impossible. My major career goals were to make my first million by the age of 26, to start and build a million dollar business and to become one of the best speakers in Asia. So again I dedicated all my time and energy to study and model the best speakers and entrepreneurs in the world.

I read over four hundred books. (Quite a feat for someone who never read anything more challenging than Archie comics until ideas of personal development germinated in my brain). I read biographies of self-made millionaires and inventors, I read books on wealth creation, psychology, linguistics and personal development.

I then started putting into practice what I learnt by taking massive action. I started my first business (a mobile disco which grew into event management) at the age of 15, and a second business (training and consulting) at the age of 21 and started property and equity investing at 22.

While studying hard for my exams (O levels, A levels, University) I spent my free time making deals, running my businesses and taking on as many speaking engagements as I could find. Within two years after graduation from university, at age 26, I had created a net worth of over $1.2 million, was running two successful businesses and commanding up to $2,000 an hour in speaking fees.

I had spoken to over 50,000 teachers, students, professionals, managers and CEOs in the area of accelerated learning and personal excellence.

The Birth of Patterns of Excellence

As my business, wealth and reputation multiplied exponentially over the next three years, my personal vision began to take shape. I discovered what the true purpose of my life all was about.

I learned that what really drove me was not just the money but the intense fulfillment of being able to see the people around me realize and tap into their immense potential.

I realized that there were so many people out who, if exposed to this science of personal mastery, would also be able to create miracles in their own life.

It was at this time that my life path crossed with an ‘old’ (but young like myself!) friend, Stuart Tan. Stuart happened to be walking a very similar path to self-awareness… the rapport was instantaneous.

It was a meeting of like minds. Together we developed the Patterns of Excellence Program, an eight-day intensive personal development program that empowers people to develop Personal & People Mastery.

The program became an overnight sensation. Within 12 months of launching the first class, we trained over 500 people from the ages of 16 to 62. Results were extremely encouraging. We had people who made over a quarter million in six months, people who had lost over 18 pounds in three months, undergraduates and post-graduates who had scored straight As. Also people who had overcome lifelong phobias, people who had overcome ingrained bad habits and addictions and people who were able to re-ignite the passion and focus in their lives.

Stuart Tan – the Model of Excellent Communicators

Once an inept speaker and poor socializer who could not even establish rapport with his schoolmates, Stuart tells of how he discovered the strategies that changed his life and made him a champion speaker of the region.

Seeing me in action as a regional competitive speaker, personal development trainer and counselor, one would assume that I was a born communicator. I appear to be totally at ease whether I am on stage speaking to an audience of thousands or mingling socially with a group of high achievers.

But this was far from the case when I was much younger (I am 30). I was an extremely withdrawn person, so much so that I even found it tough to get along with the people around me.

As a teenager I was labeled a ‘nerd’ and felt alienated from most of my peers. But the worst experience came when I was chosen to lead a team of 40 student leaders in junior college. Because of my poor social skills I felt uncomfortable communicating with everyone in my team.

I lacked the ability to bond and to establish working rapport. It seemed that only a handful of students in the group really wished me to succeed. I encountered either resistance or apathy, and eventually even those students who supported me felt themselves drained by the experience.

The pain of being an outsider in my own territory became so intense that, on several occasions when I put down by some of those under my charge in hurtful ways, I considered quitting my position.

My self-esteem was at its lowest, and I remember that for a long time I had difficulty sleeping and found it really tough to concentrate.

I may have had all the book knowledge but when it came to communicating what I knew and had even prepared for, I was hopeless.

I still remember one particularly humiliating public speaking experience. I was addressing a group of about 70 teachers whose average ages was probably a gazillion years more than mine. That was daunting enough!

Although I had spent hours preparing and crafting every word and every joke, none of the teachers appeared entertained or even engaged. Some sniggered, more likely because I appeared to be the joke itself.

Soon, I saw some of them drift off to sleep while those still awake made funny frowning faces while pointing towards me. I nearly became homicidal. I finally left the stage after introducing the next speaker. I had such an empty feeling inside of me.

Because of all these cumulative ego-puncturing experiences, I started to believe that, for whatever reason, I just could not relate and communicate with others. Not even normally, much less effectively!

Why did I feel so nervous and anxious in front of people? Why didn’t people like me? Why was it so difficult to build rapport with them? Why was I not able to express myself effectively? And why was it that other people had so much more charisma and were able to build rapport and influence the people around them so easily?

I felt all this pain and helplessness but did not have either the knowledge or the skills to change myself. Never did I dream during those despondent days that I would ever be in control of my emotions or communicate as confidently and effectively as those people I admired.

I must add that my mum and dad were both educators (now retired) and while they were very supportive, they could not help me build rapport with my peers. That is not something any parent, however concerned or well intentioned, can do.

The dramatic turnaround came when I was exposed to the awesome power of NLP through a series of personal development programs and books.

My excitement and confidence grew as I learned that I had all the mental resources available to me to be a dynamic communicator. The only thing holding me back was that I did not know the right strategies I needed to harness to get myself into action.

It was heady empowering stuff – learning that if it was possible for others to become powerful communicators, then so could I. All I had to do was to model and install their patterns of excellence.

How do they carry themselves? What gives them ease and confidence? How do they use words and the right tone of voice to win over their audience?

From that point onward I started dedicating all my spare time to modeling the people around me who had exceptional interpersonal and speaking skills. With NLP I found myself being able to take immediate control of my emotional state. I was able to eliminate fear, anxiety and nervousness using the mind conditioning techniques you will learn in the coming chapters.

Finally, I learnt how to put myself into a state of confidence and enthusiasm… ready to take the stage again.

I started to put myself on the line by taking every possible opportunity to get on stage and deliver presentations. I put myself into situations where I was forced to communicate & lead others. The changes that I had to make (to my persona) were drastic and quantum… I really stretched myself.

But the results… the applause… made it all worthwhile. As a result of constantly installing and implementing all these strategies, I found myself getting more and more effective on and off stage.

Soon I was given the opportunity to deliver a full-day seminar on ‘memory skills’ to an audience of 115 students. I gave it everything I got. Putting myself into a totally powerful state of mind I delivered my material with pin-point accuracy and dynamism. The response was phenomenal. I got a standing ovation and even had students come up to ask me for autographs! I felt like a star and knew then what it was like to have charisma!

As these positive experiences started building up, so did my confidence and faith in my ability to achieve anything, given the right strategies.

I earned my degree in psychology and linguistics and an MBA (Western Michigan) while my NLP training culminated in my receiving my NLP trainer’s license by Dr. Richard Bandler (Co-founder of NLP) in America in 1997.

At 23, I had become the youngest Singaporean NLP trainer. When I returned, I felt invincible and began to set a quantum goal of becoming the public speaking champion of the Toastmasters movement, not just nationally but in the region.

The first thing I did was to begin to model the most outstanding public speakers. In my very first competition, I made it to third place. Then I made it to second place in an evaluation speech contest at the national level. The following year, I found myself wanting to win so badly. Again, I found myself taking second place in an impromptu speech competition.

After becoming number two twice in a row, I was very determined to win the next time round. It was an absolute must! So, taking all the lessons I had learnt as feedback, I channeled them towards crafting my peak winning performance.

I vividly remember deliberately taking charge of my emotional state (so cool and calm), and in my mind’s eye I saw myself performing at peak. I finally blazed my way home with the Championship trophy.

After five years of competitions, I had clinched the champion speaker award for Toastmasters International District 51 (Pan South-East Asia) Evaluation Speech Competition Year 2002.

It was exhilarating because, for the very first time, I was publicly acclaimed as a top speaker, and in front of a huge audience too. It fortified my belief in my speaking abilities.

And winning the top prize was not only personally so satisfying. Over the past 10 years, as part of my natural progress in public speaking, I had multiplied my income by over 1000%.

It is also immensely satisfying for me now to be in a position to help so many people make positive changes in their lives. After receiving a specialist diploma in counseling, I had spent my free time counseling all kinds of people, from troubled teenagers to schizophrenics. Now, I add to these lost souls, people of all ages, from all walks of life.

My early painful experiences and later enriching experiences combine to reinforce my belief that if a someone like myself can reach such an exceptional level of communication, then anybody can. If he or she is given the right tools and strategies.

Stuart and I Share with You How We ‘Live Our Lives of Possibilities’… so You Can Begin to Unlock the ‘Genius’ in Each One of You

We begin this book by narrating our personal experiences not to impress you but to impress upon you that we started off just like most other people.

We were not blessed with exceptional natural talents in any particular area, be it the ability to learn, speak or lead others. We were responsible for creating our own genius and success.

Everything you read here is not the result of us just cobbling together a bundle of theories and principles that we had studied. The life-changing Patterns of Excellence methodology we present to you in the pages to come have been very much a part of the way we live our lives of possibility. And the way the thousands of people who have trained with us, and under us, have experienced it.

It is this same soft technology that is now available to you. Your key to unlock the talent and energy you already possess… to create the life you want!

This book is designed for only one purpose, to act as an instruction manual to your greatest resource and asset, your brain and nervous system.

Give Your Best, And You Will Get the Best

My ability to discover and model some of the best strategies available came from the many books I read, seminars I attended and mentors that I have been fortunate enough to train under. And yet, I know of so many people who read the same books, attended the same seminars but who never went on to make a single notable improvement in the quality of their lives.

I learned then that neither books nor seminars can make us achieve our goals, not unless WE make it work. I believe that we get as much out of anything as we put into it.

Most people wait for something external to change them, but what they must realize is that they change themselves with what they learn.

I remember watching the comedy ‘Bruce Almighty’ starring Jim Carrey where God played by Morgan Freeman tells Bruce (someone who feels victimized by God and prays for help), ‘If you want to see a miracle in your life, then be that miracle.’

Because you have taken the step to read this book, I feel a personal responsibility for your success. I encourage you not to read this book like any other book you may have read. Rather, take these words you read as a personal conversation between us. This book and the ideas that follow cannot change your life.

You are the only one who CAN, by using the ideas I share in these pages. I encourage you to fully participate in all the activities and exercises that follow. This book has been written in such a way that it places as much emphasis on the experiential as on the intellect.

THERE ARE FOUR BASIC MINDSETS OF PEOPLE IN THE WAY THEY READ BOOKS

The first category of people have this resistant attitude that ‘It Won’t Work’.
‘I have read other self improvement books before and it hasn’t worked on me’.

Then you have a second category of people who start reading with the attitude of ‘let’s just see’.
These are the people who will read the book passively, skipping all the exercises and adopting a ‘let’s see if there are any interesting ideas’ stance. Unfortunately, while these readers may be entertained while reading or even become aware of some good ideas, they will not do anything about it.

Then you have a third category who read with the attitude ‘let’s give it a try’.
These people will read the book and try out some of the exercises that interest them. But that is just about all they do. Do they get anything out of the book? Hardly.

Then you have the last and final category. The people who read with the attitude of ‘I’m giving this book my one hundred percent’.
They read the book, underline the key concepts and constantly refer to what they have learnt. They do the exercises diligently, and take each idea into their lives and work on it. These are the people who create a significant change in the results they produce in their lives. So, before moving on to the next chapter, I sincerely hope that you will commit yourself to not just learning but mastering these patterns of excellence.

For the upcoming chapters, I would like you to commit the time to reflect and work on the exercises given. These exercises are aimed at helping you put these principles into immediate action and reap the results you deserve. So for your first exercise, I want you to grab your pen and work on the questions below. When you are done, I will see you in Chapter 2.

Chapter Assignment

What are five (or more) specific outcomes you want to achieve from reading this book?

What are three major goals (be specific) you want to achieve in the next two years?

What limiting beliefs, capabilities or habits are currently preventing you from achieving your goals?

Summary: The Patterns of Excellence

We all have the mental resources we need to succeed. We merely lack the abilities to control and direct these resources.

With the necessary mental resources, you will attract the necessary physical resources.

We all have basically the same neurology – 1000 billion neurons (hardware). What sets people apart in terms of intelligence, thought and behavioural patterns are the neuro-connections that have been conditioned from our environment.

If we can replicate a Winner’s mental blueprint, we can duplicate his/her success.

2
THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS FORMULA

‘Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose’

– Bill Gates

Okay, so we now know that we all have the same bio- hardware, the same mental resources and it’s just a question of our installing the right programs…

Let’s start by walking in the footsteps of the winners, the people who produce exceptional results… the people who have learned to direct their resources in an optimal way. If we can model the patterns of excellence they exhibit, then surely we can duplicate the same outstanding results they have! Is it that easy?

Well, one question I have always asked myself is this: Is there a formula for success? Do all successful individuals follow a pattern that enables them to get what they want?’

After studying hundreds of role models from books, seminars and interviews, I discovered that although many successful individuals, in all fields of endeavors, appear to make very different decisions given similar situations and they also use very different approaches and strategies, yet all of them have something in common. And it is this. All of them take a series of distinctive steps to get to what they want.

I call these series of steps the Ultimate Success Formula.

Again, it does not matter if you want to be a whiz inventor, successful salesperson, inspiring teacher, pioneering entrepreneur, topnotch lawyer or astronaut. The universal steps remain the same. There are six major steps. Follow this success formula, and you will be able to achieve anything you want. Miss any of these steps, and your dreams will never become the reality that you deserve.

Step 1. Be Very Specific about Your Goal

The first step to getting what you want is to know exactly what it is that you want. This sounds simple and obvious enough. Yet, sadly, most people never seem to get what they want, simply because they are not clear about what it is they want in the first place!

Most people say that they want to be successful in life, yet ask them what they want to achieve and most would say, ‘I am not really sure’ or they will give vague answers such as, ‘I want to be happy’, ‘I want to have more money’, ‘I want a better job’, ‘I want to have less worries’.

Well, know this: unless you have a specific goal, there is nothing tangible you can focus your time and energy on. This is why most people find themselves going in all other directions, ending up nowhere.

Unless you have a specific target, you cannot develop an effective strategy to get there. The strategy required to make $200,000 is completely different from the strategy needed to make $20 million. The moment you clarify your goals, see them in your mind-eye (it’s called creative visualization) you will start to have focus in your life. It will then become crystal clear to you what it is you must do to get there.

Biographies of the most successful and legendary people, again in all pursuits, show time and again that their outstanding achievements are rarely outcomes of chance. They did not have success thrust onto them. Their phenomenal successes are the results of clearly defined outcomes that they had predetermined, and worked towards unwaveringly, often at a very early stage of their life.

At the age of eight, Tiger Woods set his goal of breaking every record set in golf and to become the world’s number one golfer. He accomplished this feat 13 years later at the age of 21. How? He spent those thirteen years focusing on his game in order to take it to the level he needed in order to be the best.

At the age of 12, Steven Spielberg knew that what he wanted to do was to tell stories to the world by making movies. It was this specific goal that directed him to spend his time making home videos at the age of 12 and exposing himself to movie sets at universal studios at the age of 18. It was these years of focused effort that allowed him to build the level of experience and skill he needed to make some of the best movies around.

Did Bill Clinton happen to be at the right place and at the right time when the Democrats nominated him to run for the Presidency? No way! It took years of focus and planning in one upward direction that won him the most powerful position in the world.

Born the son of a poor widow in America’s poorest state, Bill Clinton seemed to have had every handicap… yet young Bill had a clear vision that it would be his mission in life to improve the lives of millions, by leading his country one day. It was this clear vision that motivated him to run for elections on student committees in every school he attended. In fact, at one time, he was barred from running for any more college committee positions because he was already heading far too many! In Hillary Clinton’s best-selling book, ‘Living History’, she recounts how he went around telling everyone that one day he would be the President of the United States, when they were both still studying in Yale university!

Very few successful experiences happen by chance… whether it is winning a race or a position. Almost all happen by design. Yet, the sad fact is that most people do not have a plan for their lives, and end up falling into somebody else’s plan. It’s only when we know what we want very specifically that we are then able to focus all our talents and energy. Like a laser beam honing in on its target. And in moving unwaveringly towards it, we develop the resources necessary to make it happen. Wherever you are in your life right now, you must begin to set specific goals on what you want to achieve in the different areas of your life. In chapter 11 we will focus on how you can design the ultimate destiny for yourself!

Step 2. Develop a Strategy

Everything is possible. It is only a question of the strategy used.

Goal

Strategy

The second step in the Ultimate Success Formula is to develop a strategy that will move you towards your outcome. Again, the more specific your goal is, the easier it is to develop an appropriate strategy. You can have all the drive and energy, but without the right strategy, you will never get what you want. By the same token, every outcome is possible, given an effective strategy.

For example, imagine yourself as the small business owner of a fruit shop that makes $10,000 in profits a month. Let’s say that you decided to set a goal of increasing profits to $15,000 a month. Would that be possible? Probably. You could work a lot harder, raise prices, increase trading hours, sell on-line or create a loyalty program.

What if you set a goal of making $3 million a month from your fruit business? Would it be achievable? Most people would say, ‘Of course not, there is no way you can make that kind of money from a fruit business like that!’ True enough. Making $3 million a month from that fruit business is impossible, if the owner continues to use the same business strategy. Yet, if he were to completely change the way he now does his small localized fruit business, would it be possible?

For instance, the strategy he could use would start by his studying how to greatly expand his market: he would write a dynamic business plan, raise capital through investments, invest in R & D to develop a superior brand of fruit (for example, Organic Certified food products are seeing phenomenal growth everywhere as people become health conscious) and widen his range of fruit (e.g. offer sun dried fruit without sulfur, candied fruit using organic sugar, pureed fruit rolls for kids), support reliable new suppliers, build a franchise system and then license thousands of business owners around the world to sell his fruit. Would it then be possible for him to earn $3 million a month? Of course it would! With enough flexibility in our strategy, we can achieve just about anything.

You still wonder how a local fruit shop can possibly expand and go global? Impossible?

Well, how did a British housewife create some skin and hair care products in her kitchen using fruits and vegetables and then pit herself against billion-dollar, heavily advertised international cosmetic brands succeed nationally and then globally? She developed the right strategy, which included the right unique products. This person I am referring to is Anita Roddick who founded the multi-million dollar chain of Body Shops.

Unique Strategies, Unique Products and Services

What I have found time and again is that people who are able to produce exceptional results (a rare breed admittedly, but together we’ll change that!) use different strategies from the majority.

When I had the opportunity to work with the top 1% of insurance agents (average yearly income of over $500,000), I found that they did not just work harder than the 99% who earned less than $50,000 a year. They used a completely different approach in managing their time, generating leads, converting sales and creating repeat businesses.

So, taking your cue from the winners, study their strategies. If you want to be a millionaire, study the strategies of millionaires. If you want to be a great leader, model the patterns of great leaders.

Chapter 12 teaches you to craft a winning strategy by modeling people who have already achieved what you want, or where you want to get to.

Step 3. Take Consistent Action

Goal

Strategy

Action

The third step is to get yourself to take consistent action, using the strategy you have crafted. This will move you, step by step, towards your goal. Consistent action is what separates the thinkers or dreamers from the doers.

Many highly educated people know what to do, they think they know how to do it, but they never do anything about it. That is why many of them end up as professionals and consultants, working for successful entrepreneurs who had mediocre grades in school. Fine, if that’s what they want in life, there is nothing wrong as long as they are fulfilled.

But if you are not satisfied with your status quo, then DO something about it.

Do you know someone who may be less talented and intelligent than you are but is a lot more successful? Have you ever asked yourself, ‘I know I am better than they are, but why are they so much more successful?’ Well, you may be smarter, but they take a lot more action and that is why they get a lot more results! And one of the actions they take may well mean their learning rapport/social building skills and teamwork skills, all necessary tools for any kind of success.

So why do so many intelligent people fail to take consistent action towards their goals?

Well, first understand that what drives our actions are the emotional states that we experience. Emotions like fear, inertia, anxiety and uncertainty paralyze us from taking action. On the other hand emotions like enthusiasm, motivation and confidence excite us and get us to make things happen.

The ability to direct and manage your states for peak performance is what is called Personal Mastery.

Many people I know seem to brim over with great ideas and they have the intelligence to be successful, but they lack the personal mastery to direct their emotions into getting themselves to take action.

They may have a great business idea, but their fear holds them back. They may set inspiring new goals, but they lack the motivation to do what it takes. They may even get themselves to take action initially, but stop once they experience frustration or anxiety.

In Chapters 6, 7 & 8, you will learn how to take charge of your emotional states in order to consistently perform at your peak.

Step 4. Turn Failure into Feedback

When you follow your strategy and take consistent action, there are only two possible things that can happen. The first possible outcome is that you experience success by moving towards or achieving your goal.

However, we know that we do not always achieve our goals. We can take action and get what we don’t want. Many of us call this failure! Does failure happen to everybody? Of course it does. All of us will fail at one point of time or another. In fact, the more action you take in life, the more likely you are to experience failure. That is why people who experience a lot of success also experience a lot more failure than everybody else around them.

Three Ways People Deal with Failure

What separates people who enjoy success from the majority who end up never getting what they want is how they respond to failure. It is what they do about failure that makes a big difference. There are three ways in which people respond to failure.

Pattern 1: Give Excuses, Lay Blame & Give Up

What do some people do when they don’t get what they want? They will start giving themselves lots of excuses and blame everything and everyone around them. They say things like, ‘It’s not fair’, ‘I’m just not smart enough’, ‘It’s just too difficult’, ‘I’m too young’ or ‘I’m too old’, ‘I just didn’t have the luck’, ‘the depressed economy affected me’.

Feeling helpless and frustrated, this first group will stop taking action and give up! They will resign themselves to their goal being out of reach and live a life of mediocrity.

These are the people who will often say, ‘I’ve tried that before and it didn’t work!’ Know anyone who consistently exhibits this pattern? Have there been times when you have done this as well?

Think and write down all the instances when you gave yourself excuses, blamed others and gave up on your goal?

Pattern 2: Keep Trying the Same Thing Over and Over Again

These are the people who have a lot more determination than the first. When they don’t get their outcome, they will not quit. They will get themselves to take action again. The motto of this group is, ‘I failed because I did not try hard enough’ or ‘If I keep trying, I will eventually succeed’. So they keep taking action, putting in more time, energy and effort. No matter how many times they fail, they just keep trying harder and harder.

Will they eventually achieve their goals? It depends. If they set small, incremental goals, they may, with enough time and effort eventually succeed. However, if they set big and exceptional goals, like becoming the top in their field, they will never be successful by just trying again and again. They may experience a better result, but they won’t reach the goals they desire. Why?

Because, although they keep taking action, they do not change their strategy. If you keep using the same approach to doing something, you are going to keep getting the same result. I have seen so many professionals and businessmen repeat this limiting pattern.

I know many businessmen who fail in their business only to start again and do the same thing. They keep putting in ads that don’t work, they hire ineffective people or they use the same business model.

I have worked with salespeople who put in more time and energy every month, without significantly increasing their sales. Why? Again, they keep targeting the wrong customers, selling the same products and making ineffective presentations. Pretty soon, they start to get frustrated and disillusioned. Eventually, they too will resign themselves to believing that they do not have what it takes, and stop taking action.

I once worked with a real estate agent who had been in the business for eight years. He worked hard, but he lacked the spirit to aim for the top producer award (you had to close $900,000 in sales a month to have a chance). When I asked him why he didn’t aim for the top spot, he said that he had tried many times in the past but the best he could achieve was only $500,000 a month. He then said that he didn’t have the luck and capability that agents who have won it had. I then asked him what strategy he had used. He responded saying, ‘I’ve tried everything’, ‘I have got eight years experience in this business, don’t tell me what to do.’ I later found out that he kept going about his sales the same way, thinking he had really tried everything.

To me, he actually had ‘one year’ of experience, but it was eight years old!

Now, do you know of people who have fallen into such repetitive patterns in their life? Have there been times when you have fallen into this category?

Think and write down all the times when you kept trying something again and again, but failed to change your strategy. Did you get frustrated over your lack of progress and eventually quit?

Pattern 3: Get Feedback, Change Strategy and Take Action

So what is the pattern that all successful individuals exhibit? When they don’t achieve their goals, they don’t think of it as failure. Instead, they perceive it as feedback. Either feedback that the strategy they used was ineffective or that they did not take enough action. They then use this feedback to immediately change their strategy and take action again.

If they still don’t succeed, they will get more feedback, change their strategy and take action again. They keep repeating this process until they get what they want. They do whatever it takes. So, remember, every time you don’t get what you want, it is life giving you feedback. It is this continuous feedback you need to help you adjust your approach until you hit your target.

It is said that Thomas Edison took almost 10,000 attempts before inventing the light bulb. When asked how he did it, he said that he had to first find 9,999 strategies of how not to invent the light bulb. He then used this feedback to change his strategy until he got what he wanted.

Bill Clinton has not been called the Comeback Kid for nothing. He had many monumental knock downs on the rocky road to his two-term Presidency, but each time he learned, he re- strategized and went back fighting. His campaign staff and wife narrate how, even late into the night, if there was one person still awake and out there in the street, Clinton would zoom in on this ‘potential voter’ and keep on talking. And now, finally, he is being recognized as being one of the most brilliant and most genuinely compassionate Presidents America has ever had… just as he knew he would be.

There you have it! This is the formula for ultimate success! These are four steps to get anything that you want in your life. Just know what you want specifically, develop a strategy, take action, get feedback and change your strategy until you succeed.

But wait! If achieving success is so easy, why doesn’t everybody do this? I could teach this formula to a hundred people, but not everyone will end up putting it into practice. Why? I have found that there are two more major elements that affect whether or not people will follow this formula. These are our Beliefs and our Values.

Step 5. An Empowering Belief System

Our beliefs act as the ‘on’ and ‘off’ switch to our brain and our inner resources. Without the right beliefs in place, none of the other steps in the success formula matter.

Our beliefs determine what we want and what we do when we don’t get what we want. If you have limiting beliefs like, ‘It’s too difficult’, ‘I’m too young’, ‘It’s not possible’ or ‘I am not a good speaker’, it is highly unlikely that you will set inspiring goals in the first place. If you don’t have empowering beliefs, you will not set goals for yourself. And nobody can set goals for you either.

Similarly, limiting beliefs about yourself and the situation will make you ‘give up’ rather than change your strategy and take action until you succeed.

If you believe that you don’t have what it takes to learn, the capability or that ‘it is too difficult’, then you are more likely to quit than change your strategy and take action until you succeed. So an empowering set of beliefs is truly one of the keys you need to seal in, to set the rest of the formula in motion.

Chapter 5 teaches you how to analyze your current set of beliefs and discover if they have been empowering you or limiting you. You will also learn how to develop a powerful belief system that will drive you forward.

Step 6. Values: Our Driving Force

The second key that drives the Ultimate Success Formula is our values or what we hold dear to us, and live by. Values are like emotional hot buttons that drive our behavior. They are what we value as important in our lives.

All of us regard values like ‘success’, ‘freedom’, ‘security’, ‘love’ and ‘happiness’ very differently. And it is the way we internally rank these values that determine the kinds of choices we make, and the actions we take.

Some people are driven towards reaching their goals because of their need to feel secure. Others may be driven by a different value, like freedom. ‘I want to earn enough to be free’ (free from want, free to walk out of a boring job) is an often-heard goal.

The important thing is that whatever our values are, they must be aligned with our goals. The main reason why most people never feel driven towards their goals is because their values are not aligned and their values may even be in conflict with their goals.

I once had a student (a young mother) who could never feel consistently motivated towards her goals of achieving her sales targets. It was later that it dawned on her that her goals and values were in direct conflict. She valued ‘family’ but as a professional, she also valued ‘success’. This internal conflict drained a lot of her energy, and held her back. She wanted to achieve her career goals but she felt guilty whenever the pursuit of her goal prevented her from spending time with her family.

We will focus on the power of values in chapter 10 and how to align them for maximum impact.

The Ultimate Success Formula… in Action

The Ultimate Success Formula is the most powerful series of steps you can ever use to achieve whatever you want. Individuals and corporations who follow this formula create consistent success. Those that fail continuously are those that fail to follow any one of the six major steps.

How Singapore’s ‘Bill Gates’
Used the Ultimate Success Formula

Have you heard of Creative Technologies? It is a billion dollar company and the first Singapore company to be listed on NASDAQ.

The founder, Sim Wong Hoo, is one of the wealthiest men in this country and is often referred to as Singapore’s ‘Bill Gates’. Did he use the Ultimate Success Formula to create his success and wealth? You bet he did.

Like many successful entrepreneurs, Sim Wong Hoo comes from a very poor family with many of life’s odds stacked against him. He was an average student and graduated from a local polytechnic at the age of 19. For most people with a Polytechnic diploma, making a living on $1500 a month would have made them pretty satisfied. Not Sim. What made Sim different was that he had a different set of beliefs and values.

He believed that he was not just one of the crowd, he fervently believed that he was capable of a whole lot more. Coupled with his strong internal values of family, success and contribution, he set himself a specific outcome to build the world’s first computer that could talk, sing and play music (besides just crunching numbers). He set this goal at the age of 17, while still a student! In fact, a few years before (at the age of about 15), he already set a goal of selling 100 million units of a ‘new technology’ that would revolutionize the world.

It was this pre-determined goal that got him to start developing all kinds of strategies that no one else ever thought of. In 1981, he took massive action and founded Creative Technologies with $6,000. A few years later, he launched his brainchild, the Cubic CT, which was the world’s first multimedia PC. Did he succeed? No! It was a complete failure and as a result, the company lost a lot of money. Instead of seeing it as ‘failure’, he took it as feedback that the market was just not ready for his product. It was just too complex and costly. He had the technological flexibility to develop another strategy, a new innovation. Again, he didn’t get the result he wanted.

Once again, Sim used the feedback to change his strategy and take action again. He kept changing his strategy over and over again until he came out with the idea of a developing a low cost music card he called the ‘Sound Blaster’. When the Sound Blaster was launched, it became an overnight success. It became a best-selling PC card and the worldwide industry’s standard for multimedia PCs. Today, more than 60% of all multimedia PCs are based on Creative’s Sound Blaster Technology. In 1992, Creative Technologies became the first Singapore company to be listed on NASDAQ, boosting Sim’s net worth to the billion-dollar league. Today, Creative Technologies is a multimedia giant with 5,000 employees, over 20,000 outlets in the United States and boasts an annual revenue of $1.3 billion.

We tend to focus on how smart and fortunate winners are to be in the right place and at the right time. We often admire them like super human beings when they are really ordinary people. What made them different was how they stuck tenaciously, like superglue, to the Ultimate Success Formula.

Patterns of Excellence Program… From Flop to Success

Our company (AKLTG)’s Patterns of Excellence program came about as a result of following the Ultimate Success Formula. When Stuart and I first came up with the idea of creating the program, we did it because we had strong beliefs and values that supported it. We set a specific outcome and that was, we would run our first program with fifty people in November 2002. We then developed an entire strategy of how we would market and run the program.

The idea was to use newspaper advertisements to draw people to a series of free previews. We would then give an introductory presentation which would convince people to sign up for this irresistible eight-day program – for $2,000.

Once the strategy was laid out, we went ahead and took massive action. We placed the ad, booked the seminar room and waited for the response. Over a hundred people turned up for the first free preview. Stuart and I got up on stage and gave the best, the most dynamic presentation of our lives.

When the show was over, we expected at least fifteen to twenty people to sign up. Guess what happened? Almost everybody got off their chairs and walked straight out the room. Only one person signed up! We were far from our outcome of fifty people! Talk about not achieving your goal.

At this point, most people would probably just resign themselves to believing that it was a lousy idea, and quit. (Remember pattern 1?) Or they may try it out one or two more times, get the same lousy results, and decide to cut their losses and quit (pattern 2).

What happened was this: several of my staff and friends who had seen the flop came up and offered all kind of reasons for it not working.

One said that it was the bad economy and that nobody would pay $2000 for a training program at this time. Another staff suggested that it was because I looked too young to be a credible trainer. Yet another person blamed it on the room being too cramped and hot.

Notice the common pattern of excuses and laying blame on something or other that most people fall into?

I could have chosen to accept all these as valid reasons for not getting our outcome, but I realized that as long as I kept looking and making excuses I had no control over, it would not be useful.

So using the third pattern in the Ultimate Success Formula, Stuart and I went back and reflected on what went wrong with our strategy.

Why didn’t people sign up? We started getting more feedback by asking people who attended why they did not sign up. The feedback was that ‘They did not feel any urgency to sign up’, ‘They feared the program may not work for them, after a $2,000 commitment’ and some ‘Felt that they did not have the time to devote eight weekends in a row.’

Based on the feedback, we used our flexibility to make some major changes to our sequence of presentation, the structure of the program, the way we handled objections and the way we made the closing pitch.

We structured the 8-day program into three separate modules, offered a 100% money-back guarantee and offered a ‘tonight only’ discount. The following week, we held another preview for another 100 people. Guess what? Over 13 people signed up! It was good but still not good enough.

Back we went again, got more feedback and improved our strategy. We asked, ‘What could we do differently so more people would sign up?’, ‘How could we make attending the program a necessity for people who wanted to achieve greater success?’

The following week, we held another preview and 16 people signed up on the spot. After refining our strategy yet again, we had a record 22 people sign up on the spot after the preview. Within three weeks, all 50 places were taken up for the first Patterns of Excellence training. We had achieved our goal.

We then set a higher goal of hitting 80 per session within a year. By the 7th batch of the program (eight months later), we had an average of almost 80 people per session, growing to 100! Again, I hear people say that I am really talented and fortunate to keep developing such popular programs. They think of me as some kind of a ‘genius’ who turns everything I touch into gold. What they constantly fail to realize is that it all began with a clear outcome and the constant use of the Ultimate Success Formula to achieve it. Anybody who follows this recipe consistently can achieve the same results – in their field.

Be Flexible – and You Will Control the Environment You Are In

Does this formula apply in the area of personal relationships and even parenting? You bet! Remember that one of the keys to the Ultimate Success Formula is ‘flexibility’. Flexibility is the ability to constantly change our strategy and do whatever it takes (within ethical bounds, of course), to get the result we want. Unfortunately, most people try two or three things and give up, saying that ‘They have tried everything!’

When mum threw a bigger tantrum than her daughter!

There was once a parent who told me that she did not know how to control her daughter’s tantrums. (Yes, in the early 1990s I was student, trainer and counselor, among other things) Every time the child didn’t get what she wanted, like a new toy, she would scream and yell until mum gave in and let her have her way.

‘I have tried everything, but nothing seems to work. I don’t know what to do anymore’ I responded, ‘you have tried everything?’ ‘Yes! Everything! Nothing can get her to stop her tantrums.’ ‘Well, how many things have you tried exactly?’

After thinking for a long time, the mother said she had used only two approaches. She was either very firm with her daughter or talked to her very nicely, neither of which seemed to work.

Often people like this parent, lack flexibility of approach which is why they end up stuck and helpless. I told her that she had to change her communication strategy until she got her outcome, which was getting her child to stop the tantrum pattern.

‘Well, what else can I do?’ She asked.

‘Next time she demands a new toy, throw a bigger tantrum before she throws one!’ I said.

‘Are you serious?’ she asked wide-eyed.

‘Yes! Be flexible! Use this approach and see what happens!’

So, the very next time her daughter started to nag for a toy, her mum suddenly burst into a rage – she screamed, cried out, banged her legs and hands on the floor in the middle of the shop, in front of the customers, (exactly the way her daughter behaved).

‘Stop asking me to buy you toys!’ ‘Why must you always get new toys?’ Guess what? The little girl was shocked into silence.

The mother repeated this strategy each time her little girl started her whining until the daughter, fearful of her mum going berserk again, simply stopped making any more demands.

So, you see, with the right amount of flexibility, you can accomplish just about anything.

In fact, in any situation it is often the person with the most flexibility of behaviour who will end up in control. This is why kids tend to end up controlling their parents instead of the other way around. As adults, we tend to be a lot less flexible and a lot more predictable. Children, on the other hand, tend to be flexible in their approaches and will do whatever it takes to get what they want. The moment we become even more flexible than our children, we start taking back control over the situation and hence the outcome.

So, how can you use the Ultimate Success Formula to achieve all that you desire in the different areas of your life? In your career? In your relationships? In your finances? In your health? We will show you how in each subsequent chapter as we focus on each component of the formula.

Chapter Assignment

Were there instances when you achieved your outcome by getting feedback and changing your strategy? Write down at least three of these instances.

1.

2.

3.

In what specific areas of your life can you begin putting into practice the Ultimate Success Formula to help you get what you want?

Summary: The Ultimate Success Formula

The Ultimate Success Formula

There are three ways people deal with failure

Give excuses, blame others and give up

Keep trying the same thing over and over again. Get frustrated and eventually quit.

Get feedback, use it to change their strategy and take action again. Repeat this process until they get what they want.

Flexibility is the ability to constantly change our strategies and do whatever it takes to get the results we want.

3
HOW TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU WANT

‘No man will change for the better until he sees the need for it’

– Socrates

Now, we have said that people who succeed are those who perceive failure as feedback. They then use this feedback to change their strategy and take action once again. They keep repeating this process over and over again until they get what they want.

So, why is it that so few people are willing to keep changing and taking action until they get what they want? Why do so many people quit along the way? Worse still, why do some people even procrastinate in initiating action? The reason is that while everybody desires to succeed, only a few are truly COMMITTED to their goals.

For most people, having more money, more freedom, more security and more success is a desire. They think it would really be great to have it. But they can live without it, if they had to. As a result, they never take action as something more important always comes up to fill up their time.

When a goal is nothing more than a feeble desire or a wish, you will find yourself being held back by setbacks, frustration and failures. People whose goals are nothing more than desires will only do whatever is within their comfort zone to achieve it. Beyond that, they will give themselves all kinds of excuses for not doing it. As a result, they will never do whatever it takes to get what they want.

5% of people are COMMITTED to succeed | 95% of people WISH, WANT, HOPE, LIKE to succeed
They make it a MUST | Act within their comfort zone
Do whatever it takes | Give lots of excuses

There was once a financial advisor who approached me for advice. He had been in the business for five years and had attended many seminars and read many books on sales and success. Right from the start, he had set goals to achieve the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), which represents the top 6% of advisors in the world. However, he couldn’t understand why he could never get close to the mark, despite working ‘so hard’. He asked me what he needed to do to get there. I sat him down and gave him a whole list of action steps and strategies he had to put in place to increase his sales.

I told him that he needed to make 20 cold calls a day, attend two networking functions a week, invest in impressive looking brochures, spend his nights targeting night shift workers (who are a big untapped segment), spend his weekends presenting seminars and organizing road-shows with side walk surveys. He was also told to upgrade his product knowledge skills every month.

As I went along, I could tell that doing all these things were going to stretch him well beyond his comfort zone. He was not prepared to give up his weekends; he was not prepared to spend some late nights prospecting nor was he willing to invest money in brochures and upgrade his skills.

He started coming out with excuses like ‘I don’t have the time’, ‘I don’t have the money’, ‘ I don’t like reading’, ‘I’ve never done it before’, ‘It’s too much work’ and so on.

As we parted, I doubted that he would use even one of the techniques I suggested, even though he knew that it was a proven formula with many others I had worked with. This man is typical of those who set goals but are not prepared to do whatever it takes.

When a Goal Becomes a MUST… We Operate from a Different Mind-Set

People who achieve their goals are those who are truly committed to get what they want. To them, their goals are not a mere wish or a weak desire. They are an absolute must.

When a goal becomes a must, we operate from a very different frame of mind. When something becomes an absolute must, we will do whatever it takes to get it (within ethical, legal and moral boundaries, of course).

When something becomes a must, we will stretch well beyond our comfort zone and keep changing our strategy as many times as it takes to succeed.

Time and again, you will notice that people who succeed are those who show this level of commitment. In fact, I believe that failure, setbacks and frustrations are life’s ways of testing our level of commitment. Most people fail this test by quitting when they hit major obstacles. The few who succeed do so because they do whatever it takes to overcome obstacles. I truly believe that when something becomes a must for you, and you are willing to do whatever it takes, you will always find a way!

‘You will never achieve anything in your life… unless you make it a Must’

– Adam Khoo

When We Give Ourselves No Option
but to Succeed, We Will Always Find a Way!

It is truly amazing what we are capable of achieving if our life depended upon it. Have you ever set a goal to lose weight through constant exercise and dieting? Most people get excited and motivated for a couple of days or even a couple of weeks but pretty soon they give up and fail to get any results. ‘I just don’t have the discipline!’ many people would say.

Let me ask you. If someone were to put a gun to the head of a loved one and threatened to kill that person unless you lost 10kg in a reasonable period of time, do you think you will be able to achieve it? I am sure you will.

We all have the resources and capabilities to achieve any goal, it is just that we lack a compelling reason… a MUST to do it. When something becomes a MUST, it taps into our unlimited personal resources and this enables us to achieve virtually anything!

Take Your Cue from a Chinese General

There is a famous Chinese military story about a general who led an army of his men into enemy territory with the mission to kill the invading army.

Unfortunately, his army was outnumbered four to one. On reaching the shores of the enemy, the general ordered his men to burn all the boats they arrived in. When asked why, he replied, ‘So the only way we will ever leave this island is in victory’. By cutting off all possibilities of retreat, he put his men in a situation where they had to do whatever it took to battle the enemy. Retreat was not an option. His men fought as if their lives depended upon it and won!

Serene Khoo – Cancer Terminator!

Serene Khoo, a Singapore wife and mother faced a personal battle no less tougher than what the Chinese soldiers faced. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2000. At about the same time, her husband was told that he had to have a heart operation to save his life. “I knew that we both couldn’t go to hospital at the same time because of our two young children.” So she made the decision that her husband would have his operation while she would research natural healing for her cure. In her mind, there was no other option.

Serene remembered a booklet she had been given back in 1998. The title: ‘Cancer Is Not A Terminal Disease’. Taking her life literally into her own hands, Serene’s first big ‘change’ was to ‘totally revamp my diet. Next came a daily routine of exercising on the beach, coupled with a healthy dose of sunlight, meditating and early to bed every night.’

Then, inspired by a meeting with a Mdm Chan who had been cured of her cancer after participating in American healer Ray Kent’s fasting camp in Malaysia, Serene decided that her next step would be to join Kent’s 5-day fasting camp… to ‘detoxify my contaminated body’.

Her husband’s operation was a success… and so was her own quest for self-healing. Today a vibrant Serene calls herself Cancer Terminator on her calling card and imports, sells and promotes organic whole and fresh foods (her own new cancer-fighting diet) And because Serene did not undergo invasive surgery or toxic, debilitating chemo-radiation, she never lost her breasts or her hair. Instead she’s brimming with energy for her whole new way of life. Besides being active in her local Toast Masters’ club, Serene performs in amateur local opera. And of course she’s whole again for her family.

‘Dopey’ Sylvester Stallone
– Made his Dream of Stardom a Must

Surely one of the best examples of the power of commitment and how ‘doing whatever it takes will get you what you want’ is the story of Sylvester Stallone.

At his peak, Stallone was one of the most popular and highly paid stars in Hollywood, commanding a fee of US$20 million per movie. Was he just born under a lucky star? Was he a naturally talented actor? Was he at the right place at the right time? Hardly. He was someone who seemed to have all the odds stacked up against him.

His family was so poor that his mother had to give birth to him on the doorsteps of a school. A blotched delivery by students caused a facial nerve to be severed, leaving him paralyzed on the right side of his face. As a result, Stallone had to live the rest of his life with slurred speech. He even had to deal with having a drooping lower lip and being made fun of because of his name ‘Sylvester’ (associated with the Looney Tunes cat). Despite all these limitations, young Stallone dreamed of becoming an actor and inspiring millions of people through his movies.

As you know many young people go through a phase of wanting to be an actor, a star… the difference between Stallone and the rest of youthful dreamers was that his dream was not a merely wishful thinking. To Stallone, it was an absolute must. He was truly committed to doing whatever it took to make it happen.

First he enrolled in acting school and then started going for auditions. Predictably, with his wooden acting, his dopey looks and his slurred speech, Stallone was rejected for every part he applied for. But he never gave up. Doggedly he just kept changing his strategy and taking action.

The way he landed his first part is a fine example of how he was willing to do whatever it took. When he was rejected after yet another audition, he pulled up a chair in front of the manager’s office and sat down, refusing to leave unless they gave him a chance. After sitting there for hours, they were so moved by how much he wanted a chance that they relented and gave him a part. Although he appeared for a couple of minutes (as an extra), it gave him that first breakthrough he was after.

Unfortunately, that experience was followed by yet another string of unsuccessful attempts at getting another acting job. At that point, his wife told him to give up his ‘stupid dream’ and get a real job. His reply was, ‘If I get another job, I would lose the only thing I have got going for me… my hunger.’ ‘By quitting (my quest) and getting a job, I would be selling out on my dream’.

Stallone eventually wound up so broke and desperate that he was forced to sell his dog for $50 in order to survive. It was the saddest moment in his life because his dog was the one friend he had got left.

At the lowest point in his life, he watched a boxing match between then world heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali and Chuck Wepner, an underdog that everyone thought would be defeated within three rounds. What no one expected was Wepners’ determination and tenacity. He lasted the total of fifteen rounds with Ali, just refusing to go down.

Sly was so inspired by what he saw that he had visions in his head about a movie that he was going to write. He started writing profusely for 84 hours non-stop until he finished the manuscript for ‘Rocky’. He was so excited by the script because in his mind he knew that this was going to be the movie that would change his life and his fortune.

But when he went round attempting to sell his script, everyone felt that it was too predictable and that nobody would be interested in watching a movie about boxing. But he didn’t give up. He kept on going and going until one company made him an offer of US$75,000 for the script and the rights to make the movie. This should have made Sly overjoyed but his dream was to be an actor and not a writer.

So, he told them that the condition of sale was that he be cast as the lead actor. They objected saying, ‘You’re a writer!you’re not an actor!’. ‘There is no way we will let you act!’ But Sly stood his ground and refused to sell the script if he wasn’t the lead actor. They then increased their offer to US$255,000 up to US$1 million, but Sly kept insisting that he fitted the role of ‘Rocky’, and no one else. Although he was broke and hungry, he refused to sell out his dream for a six-figure pay check. That was his level of commitment!

Eventually, they reluctantly agreed, on the condition that the movie be made on a shoe string budget of less than a million dollars and Stallone would get only US$35,000 for the writing, and acting. Sly would however, get a percentage of the profits, if the movie made money. He agreed immediately.

The first thing Sly did when he got his money was to go in search of the man who bought his dog to buy it back. When he finally tracked down the man, he offered to buy his dog back for US$100. The man declined his offer saying that he was not interested. Sly upped his offer to US$500. Still the man refused. Sly again upped his offer, this time to US$1000. The man still would not budge saying, ‘No amount of money will ever convince me to sell this dog.’

While most of us would give up at this point, Sly knew that if he was committed to do whatever it takes, he would find a way. Eventually, he did get his dog back. He paid the man a whopping US$15,000 and also gave him a part in the movie as part of the deal.

When Rocky was launched at the box office, it grossed over US$171 million and was nominated for ten academy awards (including best actor), eventually winning an Oscar for Best Picture & Best Director. Sylvester instantly shot to fame as an action star and lucrative offers came in for future blockbusters, which were to eventuate in First Blood, Rambo and the Rocky sequels. His eventual success came from the fact that to him, becoming an actor was truly a must. He believed that when you are committed enough, there is always a way!

Is Your Wish a ‘Must’ or a ‘Should’?

For most people, achieving success in anything is rarely a must. They would like to lose weight, but it is not a must. They would love to make more money, but they won’t die without it. They wish they could take charge of their lives, but they could live without it.

The moment something becomes a ‘should’ instead of a ‘must’, you will rarely achieve it. You will always find a way to put it off or to quit the moment you meet resistance.

People like Sylvester Stallone, Steven Spielberg or Donald Trump who achieve success are not born more focused, more disciplined or more lucky than the average person. What makes them different is that they make their goals a must for themselves. They are not willing to accept anything less than the best.

So let me ask you a question.

Are your dreams and goals an absolute must or are they just weak desires that you can live without? Have you been truly committed to do whatever it takes in the past or have you quit and given yourself excuses along the way?

Anything You Ever Achieved in the Past, Was a Must.

If you have achieved nothing of ‘worth’ up till now, then nothing has ever been a ‘must’ in your life.

Have you ever put off doing certain important things in your life? I’m sure you have. However, have there been things you have put off that you eventually got round to doing? Like writing a report, filing your tax returns or signing up for an exercise program. But one day, you finally finished that report, filed your tax returns, and began that exercise program.

I want you to write down four goals or tasks that you kept putting off, but eventually achieved.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Well, what made you get them done eventually? Was it because things got to the stage where it became a ‘must’ for you? You had to get that report done or risk losing a contract and being fired, you had to file your tax returns or risk being fined and sent to jail. You had to lose weight or risk a heart attack.

Think about it, all the times in your past when you finally managed to do something really tough that you were proud of, was it a must for you at the time? I’m sure it was.

Unfortunately, we end up doing only what is necessary to survive and live a mundane life. Since living an exceptional life is not a must, we never take enough action to do it.

Now, think of all the things you always wanted to do and achieve but never managed to. Think of all the desires and dreams that you’ve put off to a point that you have given up on them.

Be honest with yourself. Was it a must for you to have achieved, or something that would have been ‘nice’ to have? Was it achieving an ideal weight? Starting your own business? Achieving a career performance target? Learning a foreign language? Working in a foreign country? Aiming for an MBA?

Write down four goals or tasks you have consistently put off until now.

1.

2.

3.

4.

It should be very obvious that the reason you have not taken action and done whatever it took was because these goals never became a must for you. They were never a necessity that moved all the way up your list of priorities to kick you into action.

The only way we will ever achieve our dreams and live an exceptional quality of life is when we raise our ‘level of acceptance’.

It is Not What We Expect, But What We
are Willing to Accept in Life That Matters

All of us have got dreams we aspire to attain in our lives. These dreams come from people who inspire us. We may dream of making $20,000 a month, owning a luxury car and living in a million dollar mansion. At the same time, based on our beliefs, we also have what I call a ‘Level of Acceptance’.

This ‘Level of Acceptance’ means that though you may aspire to earn $20,000 a month, you are willing to accept earning $3000 a month. Although you would love to live in a million dollar house, you are quite willing to settle for a small apartment. Although you would love to be at an ideal weight of 65kg, you are willing to live life at 75kg.

Our self-image is what determines our level of expectation and level of acceptance in life.

Would you like to make a guess which level we would tend most to gravitate towards? That’s right. We always get what we are willing to accept.

You may set a goal to earn $20,000 but if you are willing to accept earning $3000, then $3000 is what you are going to end up getting. Why? Because the $3000 level of acceptance is what we make a ‘must’ for ourselves.

We will not allow ourselves to earn below that level of what we believe is our minimum. This is our tolerance level. The moment we think we are going to go below our acceptance level, our mind hits panic mode and we will do whatever it takes to get above that. Again, when we are committed to do whatever it takes, we will get it.

People who make $20,000 a month do so because to them, that is their level of acceptance. That is what they believe they are worth. They will not accept anything less. They will never accept $5000 or even $10,000 a month. They will do whatever it takes to get the level they believe they deserve.

Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, cannot accept being second to anyone. It is this ‘I must be number one’ that drives him to be the best, or at least the flashiest, the best- known in his field.

Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric (GE) would not accept any of the companies under his charge to be less than number one in their markets. This is why all three hundred companies under GE have been market leaders for years.

Tiger Woods has very often been heard to say, ‘Why go in to play a tournament unless you are going to win?’ This is why he has achieved the most number of wins in a season and is ranked the world number one.

You Must Raise Your Acceptance Levels

Unless we raise our acceptance levels, we will never do what is necessary to achieve our goals. So, for example if you want to make more money, you have to raise your standards of what you are willing to accept.

Now, consider what influences our level of acceptance? Why is one person willing to accept a lifestyle based on $3000 a month while another has set an acceptance level triple that amount?

Well, the standards we have come generally from our family, friends and our environment. The people whom we spend most of our time with define the standards we measure ourselves against.

In fact, research has shown that people normally earn 10% more or less of the 10 people they mix around most with.

I decided very early in life to be an exception… because I wanted an exceptional life!

While most of my peers in the national university set their minimum standards at $2,000 a month (that is what most fresh graduates earn), I saw it as a must for myself to earn at least $10,000. To me, it was a ‘must’ because, based on my material aspirations at the time, $10,000 a month was what I believed to be the minimum I needed to afford a sports car and an apartment, with enough left over to invest for the future.

My high standards drove me to think and operate out of ‘the box’. I knew I could not, on graduation, go the conventional route of sending out resumes and applying for a job like everybody else.

Why? Because who the hell will pay a kid fresh out of college $10,000 a month! All through my junior college and undergrad years I kept upgrading my skills through seminars, local and overseas (which I funded myself), and books. I started several businesses while still studying full-time to create the level of value necessary for me to command that level of income. Pretty soon, I was making the money which I demanded from myself!

I should add that by the time I was halfway through university, I no longer needed my parents to finance my studies.

Are You Stuck in ‘No Man’s Land’?

I had a friend J who worked for an MNC and who earned a pretty decent wage in a job most would envy. But, whenever we met, he would always grumble about how fed up he was working for someone else and how much he wanted to get out and live his dreams.

‘I wish I had your freedom’ ‘I wish I could earn the money you earn’. ‘Then do it! Take action!’ I encouraged him. His usual response would be, ‘yeah, soon’ ‘when my kids get older’. But he would do absolutely nothing about it and, whenever we met, he would start grumbling again.

J is so typical of many people. They are not happy where they are because they are performing way below their expectations and their potential. And yet, it is not painful enough for them to must do something about it. They are stuck between their level of expectation and acceptance. As a result, they stay there for the rest of their lives, feeling miserable.

Get ‘Dissatisfied’ and ‘Inspired’

In order for you to increase the quality of your results, setting goals is not enough. Goals give us a direction to aim for but in themselves they are not enough of a ‘must’ for us to reach the finish line.

You have to raise your standards of what you are willing to accept. And the way to raise your standards is to get ‘dissatisfied’ and ‘inspired’. I have found that the best way to get dissatisfied is to read about or mix around with people who are a lot better than you. People who have a lot higher standards than yourself. When I made my first million at 26 (four years ago) and continued to make $500,000 annually, I started becoming satisfied. This was because I was comparing myself to my peers, who were years behind me.

What I did not realize was that I had started to become complacent and stopped growing. I didn’t feel challenged anymore, I felt like I had lost my drive.

To challenge myself, I started setting higher goals. I felt motivated to take action initially, but pretty soon I did not have the drive to achieve these higher goals I set. I set goals to write new books, create new businesses but found myself procrastinating and eventually giving up. That’s when I realized that I was willing to accept where I was. I could live with what I had because I was way ahead of everyone else my age. I felt satisfied and that was what was keeping me from achieving more.

Suddenly, I Felt Like a Small Fry on the Floor…!

Then I was invited to join the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO). It is a global organization that extends membership to business owners who make over a million dollars in business annually and are below 40.

Although I was the youngest YEO member and most others members were nearly 10 years my senior, I suddenly did not feel so satisfied anymore.

I had thought I was successful and wealthy… until I met many members who had businesses 10 times the size of mine and who had achieved so much more. They were making $10-20 million dollars through selling shares in their publicly listed companies.

Suddenly, I felt like a small fry on the floor compared to these people. And while I was inspired by them, being with these top still-young entrepreneurs made me totally dissatisfied. That was a defining moment. In that instant of discontent, I raised my standards. I raised what I was willing to accept to new heights.

Overnight I made it a must for me to expand my business and increase my profits significantly; to put plans in place to go global and to take my company public. After all, if these YEOs had done it, then so could I.

As soon as I raised my acceptance level, my drive kicked in and so did my personal sales and profits.

What is Your Level of Expectation and Acceptance?

Be very honest with yourself, what is your current level of expectation and level of acceptance in the different areas of your life? Invest the time to reflect and to write down your thoughts. The exercises that follow are designed to help you raise your personal standards so that your success becomes your absolute priority.

1 Level of Expectation (Your Dreams & Goals)

Income level: What is your desired income?

Lifestyle: What lifestyle would you love to have? Describe it.

Health: What level of health do you want to be at? What is your ideal weight?

Career: What do you wish to achieve in your career & business?

Relationships: What kind of relationship do you want to have with friends & family?

2 Level of Acceptance: (What are you honestly willing to settle for?)

Income level: How much money have you been willing to settle for?

Lifestyle: What kind of lifestyle have you been comfortable with?

Health & Wellbeing: What level of fitness, weight and general health have you been willing to live with?

Career: What have you been willing to settle for in your career & business?

Relationships: What kind & quality of relationships have you been willing to accept?

REFLECTION: Is there a big difference between what you expect in your life and what you are willing to truly accept? As you think about it, do you begin to realize that the level at which you are living your life is the result of the level of acceptance you have been setting for yourself?

Our Social Environment Defines Our Standards

In a previous section, we said that the beliefs we have about what is acceptable for us come from the people we mix around with. They tend to define our standards. Let’s see how true this is. I want you to list the five people you spend most of your time with. Next, list their estimated level of income.

Person | Estimated Income
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |

Do their income levels correspond closely to yours? The same probably holds true for some of the other areas of your life; like your career, lifestyle, health, relationships and so on.

Now, I am not suggesting you dump the friends who have been there for you and whom you treasure. What I am suggesting is that if we are to break out of our comfort zones and raise our acceptance levels, we need to invest time with people who will push us up and forward. Friends who will raise our standards, people who will inspire us and get us dissatisfied with mediocrity.

THINK ABOUT THIS: If you are a tennis player and keep playing with people who are no better than you, would you improve? Hardly. What if you started playing with people who are top at the game? Sure, you may get yourself whipped many times, but it will change your standard of play altogether. In just a few months of constant play with the best players around and you will be playing at a whole new level. The same holds true for every other area of your life. You need to start investing time and playing with the best on the field. That is how you will grow.

Raise Your Standards & Acceptance Levels

Are you ready to finally raise your standards? I want you to take the time and write down the new standards you are going to set for yourself.

What are you going to make a must?

Who are three people you are committed to spend time with who will inspire you and make you dissatisfied with where you are now?

Income level: How much money are you willing to settle for? Name 3 people you will invest time with.

Lifestyle: What kind of lifestyle are you going to aim for?
(It does not necessarily have to be a flashy lifestyle. There are people who actually aim for a simple, yet financially independant one). Name 3 people you will invest time with.

Health: What is your desired weight? What level of health must you be at?

Career: What must you achieve in your career & business?

Relationships: What kind and quality of relationships must you have?

Put Yourself On the Line!

Now that you have listed down your new standards, here is a strategy to use to ensure you will achieve it. The secret is to put yourself on the line! In other words, put yourself in a situation where you have absolutely no choice but to achieve it.

When our brain is given a choice to do something or to put it off, we will always gravitate towards the easier path. But when we have no choice but to do something, we will always find a way!

Many successful individuals created the results they did because they simply had no choice. They put everything they had on the line.

At age 44, Leo Burnett started one of today’s largest advertising companies in the world. He started his business in the middle of the 1935 depression. He borrowed against his life insurance policy, mortgaged his home and threw in every last dollar he had. Talk about putting yourself on the line. He knew that he had no choice but to make it work. This ‘must’ drove him to build his tiny advertising agency into a worldwide business, grossing hundreds of millions in sales each year.

When Richard Branson (in pre Virgin Airlines days) was caught selling records meant for export in London, he was arrested and charged with fraud. He was given a few months to pay a fine or risk being thrown in jail. Being almost broke, he knew that the only way he could make enough money to stay out of jail was to rapidly expand his business; which he did by opening more record stores. It turned out that the need to keep himself out of jail was the urgent motivating force he needed to build the Virgin business at lightning speed! It was this commitment that led him to go on to build the Virgin empire, which includes an airline company, and become one of Britain’s wealthiest businessmen.

Start Putting Yourself On the Line Right Now!

So, how do you put yourself on the line? One way is to make a public declaration of your goals. Better still, get other people involved in the process of attaining your goals. Or make a small financial commitment so that it will hurt not to do it, and your brain will start taking you seriously.

When I tell people to do this, many chicken out and just do not dare make this level of commitment. It is clear that if you dare not commit yourself to it, then you were never serious about your success in the first place. So, if you are really committed to achieve something significant, put yourself on the line!

I Put Myself On the Line, Again and Again!

One of the reasons why I have the drive and motivation to achieve so much is because I commit myself to people and put myself on the line, constantly.

When I decided to write my first book (‘I Am Gifted, So Are You’), I knew that there was a good chance I would procrastinate and give up halfway. So, even before I started writing, I went to meet all the top publishers in town and told them that I would deliver a manuscript to them in 6 months.

I went round telling all my friends to look out for my books in the bookstores in the coming months. The minute I committed myself publicly, there was no way I could back out. My reputation was on the line. It was an absolute must for me to deliver! It was this must that drove me to complete my very first book while still an undergraduate.

By the way, the only reason this book ever got written was because I put myself on the line and made it an absolute must. About a year ago, I set a goal to write a book on Mastering Your Mind and Designing Your Destiny. I told myself that I would finish writing the book within a year. As my schedule was already very hectic, I told myself that whenever I had the time, I would use it to write a chapter. Sure enough, I started putting off writing as something more urgent always came up.

After a year, I had only completed one chapter out of twelve! Then, one of my partners came to me and told me, ‘Adam the reason you have not achieved this goal is because it is not a must for you!’ Unless you make it a Must, you will never achieve it! I knew he was right and that I had to put myself on the line. I had to use this formula.

So I got my staff to print on all our program brochures that this new book would be launched in the next 12 months. Sure enough, I started to find the time to start writing and that is how this book eventually came out.

So what can you do to put yourself on the line? For example, if you wanted to lose weight but always made excuses for yourself and put it off, what could you do to make it an absolute must? You could give away all your dresses except one, and buy an entire wardrobe three sizes smaller. You could make an announcement to all your family members and friends.

You could go out and immediately pay a 6-month advance for a gym membership. The idea is to put yourself in a situation where it would be more painful to quit than to stay the course and finally achieve your goal.

So are you ready to start making some commitments? Are you ready to get serious and start putting some power behind your dreams?

If so, I want you to write down five goals or tasks that you have been constantly putting off. Next to each goal, write down at least 2 ways you are going to put yourself on the line so that you must achieve it. Do it now!

Goals I Must Have | I will Make it a Must by…
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |

Use ‘Must’ Language

Just by listening to the words people use, you can tell how truly committed they are to achieve a certain result. You can tell if there is any power and conviction behind what they say. And you can tell straight away the people who will eventually succeed and those who won’t.

For example, if someone says, ‘I would like to finish this project by today’ and someone else says, ‘I must finish this project by today.’ Who would you bet your money on?

The words we use represent the way we frame the thoughts in our mind. If you observe and pay attention to the most charismatic and influential leaders like (the late) Martin Luther King, Lee Kuan Yew, Bill Clinton, they consistently use the word ‘must’ in their speeches rather than ‘should’ or ‘could’.

Similarly, the words we use on ourselves will impact how we represent something in our minds. When we use certain words like ‘should’, ‘would like’ or ‘wish’, we hardly get a sense of conviction or urgency. These words do not compel us to take immediate action. The next time you are putting off doing something or feel like giving up halfway, pay attention to the words that are firing off in your mind. I bet you it would be a ‘I could…’ or a ‘I wish…’

I want you to begin noticing that every time you take action, it is because the word ‘must’ is firing off in your mind. Like when your assignment, report or quote is due tomorrow morning and you have not done a thing and it’s already midnight. I bet the word ‘Oh Sh…t!…I must do it now!’ is firing off in your mind. Or when you oversleep and say ‘Oh dear! I’m late! I must get up!’ You see, words evoke different emotions within us. Instead of allowing the ‘must’ to come when it is too late, you can consciously begin controlling the words you use on yourself and others to invoke a powerful response in their actions. So start using ‘must’ and it will get you what you want.

One of the things that you must do in order to be ahead of your game is to keep growing as a person. How do you achieve massive growth in a short period of time… let’s find out in the next chapter!

Summary: How to Achieve Anything You Want

Most people’s goals are nothing but weak desires. As a result, they will always find excuses to stay within their comfort zone and put it off.

The only way we will achieve anything is if we are committed to making it a must.

When we are committed to do whatever it takes, we will always find a way.

We all have a level of expectation & a level of acceptance. We tend to gravitate towards our level of acceptance.

We must raise our level of acceptance by mixing around with people who are better than us, be it at tennis, at parenting or in their career. They inspire us and make us dissatisfied.

You must put yourself on the line if you want to achieve anything. Make a public declaration or put yourself in a position where you have no choice but to succeed.

The words you use affect your frame of mind and the emotional states you experience. Using the word “must” fires off a greater sense of urgency & motivation.

4
THE KEY TO ABSOLUTE POWER

‘Everybody here has the ability to do absolutely anything I do and much more beyond. Some of you will and some of you won’t. For the ones who won’t, it will be because you get in your own way, not because the world doesn’t allow you’

– Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway

How would you like to be in control of your life and the results you create? To be in a position of power: to change whatever is not working in your life? To be able to change the people around you, the results you produce and even how you feel?

Sounds too good to be true? Not at all. Yet most people believe that power and control are limited to a fortunate few who are either born into power, or acquire power through exceptional talent, business acumen or lady luck. They believe (and we’ll prove them wrong) that the rest of us are destined to be buffeted by whatever winds of change swirl around us. Economic slowdown, recession, company takeovers are the common winds of change.

So, the masses find themselves helpless and dependent on outside circumstances in their life.

They think, ‘It is only the boss who is in a position to decide if my salary gets an increase this coming year’. ‘It is the policy of the government on interest rates that will determine my business’ sales’. Even those who own their business (who should be in control) may actually believe their success is dependent largely on the kind of staff they can get nowadays.

Heard this one before? ‘Sigh, if only I can get good and loyal staff, my business will boom’.

Taking Absolute Responsibility Gives YOU Absolute Power

The truth is that you do not have to have money or be in a top position to take control over what happens. In fact, people at the helm can also lose control… with much bigger consequences. Look at the CEOs who watch helplessly as their company profits nose-dive in a bear market. Or the US Army Generals when they invaded Iraq and found that instead of being welcomed as liberators (as they had been led to believe), they were regarded as invaders. Were they, the high and mighty in control? Not at all!

So, big fish or small fry, everyone has the power to take charge of, and change anything in their life, right now.

The secret is to take absolute responsibility for whatever happens. That’s right! When you take full responsibility for whatever happens, it means you acknowledge the fact that you have created whatever happens.

If you created it, then you have the power to change it. So, taking absolute responsibility for something puts you in a position of absolute power.

Motto: The extent to which you take responsibility over something is the extent to which you have control over it.

For example, if you take responsibility for your low pay, it means you acknowledge the fact that it is your actions and decisions that have resulted in your low pay. It could be that you are not creating enough value to be paid more, or you have not demonstrated your true value to your boss, or that you chose to work in a company which does not recognize your true value.

Whatever issues you face you must take responsibility, you have to put yourself on the road to doing something about it.

You can either find ways to create more value by going beyond what is expected, make yourself more valuable by upgrading your skills, ask for a pay raise or find another job that will pay you what you are worth.

When you start taking any of these actions, your situation will change… you will get paid more!

Giving Excuses and Blaming Others Takes Power Away from You

However, the reality is that most people act in a way that puts others in charge of their life.

When something doesn’t work in their life, they choose to give excuses, blame others and complain. The problem with this is that by doing so, you are putting others in control of your life. You put yourself in the role of a victim.

If you blame the economy or your stupid boss for your low pay or dead-end job, then you are allowing both factors to control your life. As (you think) it is not your fault, you are powerless to do anything about it. You can only hope that either the economy improves or your boss changes.

This is the key reason why most people feel totally helpless, with no control over what is happening to them.

They keep telling themselves, ‘The recession is to blame for my financial problems’. ‘Because of my stupid company and colleagues, I feel miserable everyday’. ‘My children are so lazy, they drive me up the wall.’

‘I have no time to for myself, everyone keeps on hounding me.’ ‘The customers give me such a hard time, they are so unreasonable’. ‘My husband makes me mad…’ And so on, and so on.

‘Others must change or circumstances must change… before things get better for me’… Now, is this really so?

People who believe themselves to be Victims say that the only way for their life to change for the better is if other people get better, and if the business or social environment improves.

‘If only I had more time’. ‘If only my husband could be more understanding.’ ‘If only my boss would die!’ ‘If only my son could be more motivated.’ ‘If only I could get better customers’ is the litany of common excuses.

As long as you keep thinking that it is not your fault, and that something else might change, you will continue to feel helpless and powerless. By continuing to play the Victim, you will be totally at the mercy of your environment. And, guess what?

Most of the time the outside world will not change… not until you change first!

Yes, and when you start to change, it’s like taking blinkers off.

Why Do So Many People Choose to be Victims?

So why do so many people choose to play the role of Victim?

You read and hear about these people everyday. You read about the poor guy who got retrenched after giving his best years to his company. The wife who gets abused continuously by her drunken husband, the poor businessman whose business became a casualty of the recession. The poor couple who were swindled out of their money.

I don’t mean to be cold and heartless but as long as these people convince themselves that they are the victims of circumstance, then they will never be able to take charge, learn from their experience, move on and change their lives for the better.

Many of our friends fall into victim mode from time to time, and I know that I have been guilty too. Yes, it’s so easy to lapse into victim mode.

Do you have friends who keep on bitching about their employer or colleague, spouse, society at large, or the government? How about you?

Have you ever felt conned or taken advantage of? What did you do? Most of the time, we keep complaining to our friends and saying, ‘It’s not my fault!’ ‘That person was to blame!’

Why do we do this? Well, because it makes us feel good! By playing the victim, we get lots of sympathy, don’t we? At the same time, we want to feel assured that we were in the right and justify our own actions.

Sometimes, complaining becomes therapeutic. After all the complaining, we actually feel less emotional burden as we get it off our chest.

Remember that while playing victim appears to have lots of payoffs, the cost of doing so is high because as long as we blame something or someone else, we rob ourselves of the power to take charge, and change the situation.

When I talk about taking absolute responsibility for what happens, I am not suggesting that you blame yourself. Taking responsibility and blaming yourself is totally different. Some people blame themselves for everything – and that is not a useful pattern.

When you blame yourself, you beat yourself up and feel helpless and depressed once again. ‘It’s my fault that I’m so stupid’, ‘I really screwed up again.’

This is not what taking responsibility is all about. Taking responsibility means that you acknowledge the fact that the choices you made in the past have contributed to your present situation. So, instead of feeling bad, you put yourself in a state of possibility as you put the choice back in your own hands.

So start taking responsibility for the results you have, for how you feel and for the way you communicate.

If your children are lazy and rebellious, take responsibility for the way you have been communicating with them. If your staff are lazy and uncommitted, take responsibility for the fact that you have not tapped into their passion.

If you have no time, take responsibility for the fact that you have not managed it effectively. If you were retrenched, take responsibility for the fact that you did not make yourself more valuable. If you get angry and frustrated, take responsibility for how you feel.

If your customers are unreasonable and your colleagues are not cooperative, take responsibility for how you are communicating with them. Then ask yourself, ‘What can I do differently to turn things around?’

Take Absolute Responsibility for Your Results

‘Don’t wish that things were better, wish you were better’ - Jim Rohn

When I wrote my first book, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’ I was really excited that a reputable company with a prestigious name had agreed to publish it.

I believed that with their track record and experience, the marketing and distribution of my book would be in good hands. I believed that with the right marketing efforts, it would become a best-seller within a few months.

What followed however was one disappointment after another.

There was very little effort made by the publisher to market the book. They did not arrange for any book reviews, book launches, talks or any form of publicity. Not only were my books distributed behind schedule to the bookshops, they were only in a selected few outlets. They were given inconspicuous shelf space and there were no posters or standees to support the sale. There was also no effort made to sell the book on-line through Amazon or any of the other internet bookstores. Sure enough, the books hardly left the shelf.

I was utterly disappointed and furious. I believed that I had written a great book but was totally shortchanged by my publisher. I kept going round blaming the stupid company for the lousy sales of my book.

Whenever friends asked about my book, I would reply, ‘It’s all their fault! If they had done their job, the book would be a best seller by now.’

The worst of it was that when I complained to the company, they said that they could not do anything because they had no marketing budget and were only used to publishing dictionaries and school assessment books.

Being a first-time author with no experience or power to negotiate, I felt totally helpless. There was nothing I could do. Or so I thought.

Then, I realized that I was well and truly playing the role of victim here. (Yes, how easy it is for us to fall into this trap). As long as I complained and blamed my publisher, I was not in a position of power. And I was expending energy wastefully.

‘I realized that I too had fallen into the trap of playing Victim…’

As long as I continued on this blame-others path, my book would never sell. So I decided to take ownership and responsibility for the success of the book. I knew that for things to change, I had to change first.

With this fresh mindset, I asked myself, ‘What can I do to take charge of the situation?’ How can I turn this around?’ I decided that I would market and promote the book myself.

I decided to take out newspaper advertisements, arrange for book talks all over the country and send press releases to journalists to review the book.

Many authors who knew me said that I was crazy to do that as it was not my job and responsibility.

What’s more, the newspaper ads would cost me about $10,000. If the book does sell, it would be the publisher who would stand to benefit the most. As the author I am only entitled to royalties of 12% of nett receipts, just under $1.50 a book. It would take forever for me to breakeven.

Despite this, I went ahead, placed the ads and started to go round all the schools and bookshops to give talks to promote the book. I did an average of five talks a week.

Within six months, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’ was ranked the number one best selling humanities book at the largest chain of bookstores. It sold out.

The second edition of ‘I Am Gifted…’ with a brand new cover, massive re-write and new publisher, was launched and over the next four years it went through fifteen re-prints, becoming one of the most consistent best-sellers in the country. Not only did I eventually make back my $10,000 through book royalties, but I made millions of dollars through my businesses, as the book boosted the popularity of the seminars I was running!

This is the supreme power of taking ownership and responsibility!

So, think what areas of your life are not working right now? What results do you want to change? Stop waiting for the environment to change. Instead ask yourself, ‘If I am responsible for this, what can I do to change it?’

Take Responsibility for How YOU Feel

One of the key elements that drive our actions and results are the emotional states we experience. When we feel excited and motivated, we are more likely to take action that will lead to great results. But when we are upset and depressed, we rarely make good decisions or do anything productive.

Unfortunately, these are the common scenarios. ‘He made me angry’ ‘My divorce is really depressing me’ ‘My kids are driving me crazy’ ‘My work load and unappreciative boss is driving me to a nervous breakdown’.

As long as we cast blame outside ourselves, our states will be out of our control. This is why most people allow their emotions to run their lives, with the result that they end up feeling helpless and powerless.

Start Taking Responsibility for How You Feel! You will then Have the Power to Put Yourself in the Most Empowering Emotional States.

If you are upset, you are choosing to be upset. If you are excited, you are choosing to be excited. Remember, no one can affect how you feel unless you allow them to. The moment you realize this, you can choose to feel differently.

Successful individuals choose to feel empowered and positive even in the most dire of circumstances. That is how they feel constantly motivated to improve their situation.

For example, if you get fired unfairly, you can choose to feel depressed and wallow in self-pity. You can also choose to feel all fired up to go out and make a success of yourself, to make your ex-company regret their decision! In fact, some of the greatest companies in the world were built by men who were motivated to get back at their ex-companies for firing them.

The most famous example is what Lee Iacocca did when Henry Ford II fired him (a personality clash). He simply went and joined a rival motor company (Chrysler), turned that ailing company around, and built it up to rival Ford.

Or look what Ivana Trump did when real estate magnet Donald Trump dumped her for a younger woman. Instead of drowning her ‘loss’ with alcohol, anti depressants and wrecking her health, she made herself even more glamorous and publicly announced to other wronged wives, “Don’t get mad, get even!” and proceeded to wrest a mega settlement from him.

In Chapter 6 (The Secret of Peak Performance) and chapter 9 (The Transformation of Meaning), we will explore in greater depth how to take total control of our thoughts and our emotional states.

How to Become a Master Communicator!

The power to communicate is one of the most important tools we have as human beings. In fact, your ability to achieve your goals almost always depends on your ability to communicate and influence other people. As a salesperson, your ability to communicate your product benefits will determine whether you get that sale.

As a business owner, your ability to motivate your staff, attract new clients and investors is determined by your power as a communicator.

To be an effective teacher or a parent, you must be able to motivate, inspire, convince, build rapport and sell ideas to your children or students.

So, do you want to become a master communicator, someone who is always able to influence others in a powerful way? Again, the key is to take responsibility for the way you communicate, and the results you are getting from it. This way, we attain absolute power over the effect of our communication.

Whenever we communicate with someone, do we always get the response that we want?

When we attempt to motivate our staff, do they always respond by getting motivated?

When we sell an idea to someone, do they always buy what we say?

Does the meaning of our communication always get across the way we want it too? You know that the answer to all of the above is a flat No!

So what happens when we do not get the response that we want?

Again, we have two choices!

We can choose to blame the other person for not being receptive, for being unreasonable, close minded, stupid, etc. But you know what? By doing this, there is nothing more we can do about it! We have shut the door on them.

Let’s hear what traditional communication theory says about successful communication. It theorizes that when two people communicate, both have an equal, i.e. 50% each way responsibility, for the success of the communication.

In other words, say A is talking to B and attempting to sell B an idea. A can do his best to communicate, but 50% of the success of his communication lies with B.

If B has a closed mind and does not want to listen, the communication can never be successful. So B is to be blamed for the unsuccessful communication. Unfortunately, people who buy this theory never become effective communicators. Why? Because by accepting this theory, we will always be limited as communicators. We will not always get the result we want! In fact we will seldom get the results we want.

Does this happen to you? You motivate your staff to work harder, but they don’t respond positively, so you give up! You try to motivate your children to study harder, but it doesn’t work, so you say, ‘What’s the point? They are just lazy.’ You do your best to sell a product to a group of prospects, but they don’t buy, so you say, ‘I guess they are just not interested in this product.’

Such great communicators hold the belief that the meaning of their communication was the response they got, regardless of their intention.

For example, if they attempted to communicate their sincerity, but the other person felt that they were insincere, they would take responsibility that the meaning of their communication was ‘insincerity’, even though they intended to be sincere. It could be their tone of voice or body language that made them seem ‘insincere’. They would then change their communication strategy until they got the response they desired, i.e. being sincere.

The Meaning of Your Communication is the Response you Get!
Keep Changing your Communication until you get the Desired Response!

We must understand that different people perceive the world differently. Everybody has different internal filters. When you tell a joke, a group of people may laugh while another group does not think it is funny at all. It is not that the second group does not have a sense of humour. It is just that they perceive humour differently. As a great communicator, we must take responsibility for it and change our communication (joke) until we get them to laugh. So, taking responsibility and having extreme flexibility is the key to being a master of influence.

Words, Tonality & Body Language

The other thing you must understand is that our communication consists of three major elements. The words we use, our tone of voice and our body language.

According to research, the total impact of our communication consists of words (7%), tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%). Body language is made up of our facial expression, gestures, posture, breathing pattern, eye movement and muscle tension.

Although what we say is extremely important, it is the least impactful when compared to how we say it (tone of voice and our body language).

Test this out (not for real, but in front of a mirror). You can tell a client how great and exciting your company is but if your tone of voice is dull, your face expressionless and your body is sagging with fatigue, they won’t buy what you are saying.

I once had a teacher ask me in the most boring tone of voice and with a deadpan face, ‘I wonder why I can never motivate my students no matter what I say?’ ‘I felt like telling him to listen to his own voice and go look at his face in the mirror. But I just couldn’t be so direct as to be rude.

The point is that when we communicate, we must pay attention to not only our words, but more importantly to our tone of voice and our body language. Very often when our children don’t get motivated despite what we say, or when our clients don’t buy what we sell, it could be because our non-verbal communication is sabotaging us.

There are No Resistant Students,
Only Inflexible Teachers

In my training seminars, I get a good number of teachers and lecturers who come wanting to learn to become more powerful communicators.

I usually tell them to adopt this belief: ‘There are no resistant students, only inflexible teachers.’ Initially, a few will get offended. But they eventually realize that by following this principle, it puts the responsibility back on them and gets results. Why? Because with responsibility comes the power to do whatever it takes to build rapport with the students, until they listen.

Once there was a teacher who asked me what to do with all the attention deficit children in her class. I replied saying, ‘Attention deficit is an excuse given by boring teachers.’

I almost got thrown out of the room for that one! But the point I later made was that in the classes that I conduct in schools, every student, even those that had been labeled attention deficit were extremely focused, attentive and participative. The reason? Because I conducted my lessons with lots of fun and excitement! I kept modifying my teaching style until I got the response I wanted, attentive learning! When we label people ‘attention deficit’ or ‘stupid’, it gives us an easy way out.

Remember how I used the Ultimate Success Formula to turn the Patterns of Excellence program from its initial flop to filling up every seat? Yes, it was all about taking responsibility for my communication. When I first conducted the preview, I did my very best to convince the audience that the program would be a great investment and that it could change their life.

As you know, only one person signed up. There and then I had a choice. I could have chosen to blame all of them for being stupid people who did not care about their future. Instead I chose to accept that my communication was not effective.

It could have been my choice of words, the tone of my voice (like too slick?), or my body language was not right.

By taking responsibility, I had the power to change my communication until I got the response I wanted: that it was for them to realize how great the program was, and to sign up. I then restructured my presentation to sell to them in a way that they wanted to be sold!

You Always Have a Choice!

Some people always ask, ‘But what If it is really not my fault? What if the situation is totally out of my hands?’ Well, I believe that we always play a role in creating whatever is happening to us, whether consciously or subconsciously.

We create our experiences either through our thoughts or our actions. You can say something emphatically, but if you are thinking something else, people can pick up the vibes that show up in your body language.

People who are in control of their lives believe that they create their world. If everything is going great, then they created it, not anybody else. If things are not going well, then they created it as well.

Some people tell me that they never get a good break. They never get lucky enough to land a great opportunity. They are never at the right place at the right time. Again, I believe that you create your own luck. Or I prefer the word opportunity or break.

If you never find any good opportunities, it could be because of your limiting beliefs and thoughts. If you keep believing that there are no opportunities around, your mind will tend to delete all the great opportunities, even if they are there right before you. You see what you want to see. At the same time, if you keep thinking negative thoughts, you will, like a magnet, keep attracting everything that is negative to you!

So choose to create positive thoughts and empowering beliefs, and the world around you will change!

Once at a seminar, a woman who had an ongoing abusive relationship with her husband asked, ‘Are you saying that I asked to be beaten up?’

I replied, ‘No. I am not saying that. I am saying that you have a choice to stay or to go. To put up with the abuse or to stand up for yourself. You have to take responsibility for the fact that you are choosing to stay on and allow the abuse to continue.’

So stop blaming and playing the role of victim. You can choose to stand up for yourself, choose to leave or choose to stay. You can choose to feel bad about yourself or choose to learn a lesson from this and feel empowered.

The moment she believed that she had all these choices, she started to feel a sense of confidence and power she had never felt before.

In the end, she chose to give him an ultimatum, and then she left him. Five years on, she is happy in a new marriage, with three wonderful children. And she is also the owner of a successful business. ‘If not for that experience, I never would have discovered the courage and power within myself to achieve all that I have now’, she says.

Margaret, a professional make up artist in her thirties had a history of bad relationships. Every time she met a new guy, things would be great for the first few months or so. Then, they would start to borrow money from her, play around and finally break her heart.

For some reason, Margaret attracted these types of men, over and over again. She really envied her friends who had decent boyfriends, and enjoyed stable relationships. She, like most people, attributed it to her bad luck of falling for the wrong guy.

When she was asked how she could have chosen to create and repeat this problem, she realized that she has been subconsciously attracting these types of men. Through a number of therapy sessions, she found out that she was unconsciously modeling herself after her long-suffering mum and attracting men just like her dad, who was just like the men in her life.

She also discovered that the way she dressed and acted and the places she hung around in, attracted the ‘irresponsible guy’. The moment she took responsibility for creating the problem, she had the power to choose to decide and behave differently. Within a few months, she found a wonderful guy who eventually settled down with her.

For Things to Change, I Must Change First

If there is one single most important message I want to give you in this chapter, it is this: ‘For things to change, we must first change ourselves.’ When we take responsibility for what we get and change ourselves, everything and everybody else will change with us!

One time the managing director and owner of a chain of boutiques attended my training program. He complained that all his staff were unmotivated, uncommitted and incompetent. He also complained that he kept getting clients who were prone to bargaining and had little purchasing power. ‘For some reason, the staff that we get are always lazy and useless, we never get the hardworking, ambitious type’.

I sat down with the man and asked him to list down the attributes of his ideal staff. He took about five minutes and came up with an incredible list of the perfect staff.

The person had to be highly motivated, responsible, have good work experience, strong track record, passionate… the list went on. I took a look at the list and a look at the MD and asked, ‘Would this ideal employee want to work for you?’

Initially he was taken aback by my comment, but pretty soon, he was getting my point. I went on to say, ‘If you want to attract the best employees, you have to be the best company (in your field).’ ‘If you want to attract the perfect staff, you have to be the perfect boss.’ For things to change, he had to change first. He caught on. Over the next six months, he asked himself, ‘How do I make this company the best place to work for, such that the best and brightest will want to join me?’

He started to put in a rigorous recruitment selection scheme, an exciting profit sharing plan, new classy uniforms, a re- branding campaign for the company and created an honest and open communication culture. And he also started giving more autonomy to staff in decision making.

Sure enough, many of the old, unmotivated staff started leaving because they could not take the pressure of the new weekly feedback sessions and the performance-based pay scheme. But then young, energetic and motivated people started coming in and the whole business turned around. At the same time the new image created by the company’s re-branding campaign, its new culture and bright new and knowledgeable staff started attracting higher spending customers who didn’t haggle.

Does this only apply to business? Of course not! This applies to virtually anything in your life.

I once met a woman who could not find the right partner and she had been looking for the last 20 years. She was in her late 30s and getting concerned she would never find her ideal guy. When I asked her what she was looking for, she started describing this perfect man who had to be rich, handsome, humorous, sensitive and charming. Again I asked her very bluntly, ‘Would this man with all these traits want to marry you?’ ‘Would this ideal guy be attracted to someone like you?’ If you want to attract the perfect man, you must first be that perfect woman to attract him!

There was a mother who complained to me that her son was not motivated at all to learn Mandarin. He kept giving the excuse that Mandarin was really difficult and that he did not need to learn it. She kept trying to convince him that if he put his mind to it, he could do it. She also kept trying to make him see that Mandarin was an important language to learn.

‘I’ve tried everything. He just won’t listen and change his mindset about learning Mandarin.’

I asked the mum, ‘Do you speak Mandarin at home?’ ‘No, my husband and I can’t speak the language as we were both from English speaking backgrounds,’ was her slightly surprised reply.

I then asked, ‘Have you thought of learning the language yourself and speaking at home so your child will have more exposure?’ ‘Oh, it’s just too difficult to learn. Anyway, we don’t have to use it’, was her reply.

She had given the reason why her son was so resistant to learning Mandarin. I explained to her that although she was verbally telling her son that Mandarin was easy and important, her actions communicated the total opposite, and she was responsible for him not being motivated at all.

Fortunately, I convinced her. When she decided to put in the effort to learn together with her son and use the language at home, her son started to get motivated as well.

So…

If you want to attract the best staff, be the best boss If you want to have the best kids, be the best parent

If you want the perfect wife, then be that perfect husband If you want the highest income, add the greatest value

If you want to attract the best customers, become the best company

Use ‘I Choose’ Often
The words we use daily are a reflection of how we
frame experiences in our mind. When you start to
use the word ‘I choose’ often, you start to perceive
your experiences with more control than you ever
thought possible.

Instead of saying… | Say…
I am depressed | I choose to feel depressed
They don’t understand me | I choose to communicate in way that makes them not understand me
Company sales are down | I choose to allow company sales to be down
The staff are not motivated | I choose to allow the staff to be unmotivated
I keep getting lousy results | I choose to get lousy results
They take advantage of me | I choose to allow them to take advantage
I have poor health | I choose to have poor health

Although it may seem difficult at times to say that you choose to create something, especially when it is negative, you immediately put yourself in the position of being the cause. And therefore the agent of change.

Yes, by exercising the choice of creating something, you have the power to choose to change it. When you say ‘I am depressed’, it implies that you are depressed by something and there is nothing you can do about it. When you say ‘I choose to feel depressed’, you acknowledge that you are creating your state of depression. You are allowing something or someone to cause you to create that state. See the difference?

Now, just by changing your physiology and your internal representation, you can change how you feel in a moment! That’s awesome power within your grasp.

I realize that by saying ‘I choose to allow the staff to be unmotivated’ or ‘I choose to allow the company sales to be down’, it may sound as though you do not care and are happy it is happening. Remember that this not at all the intention. So you may not want to communicate ‘I choose’ statements to others. It may make you seem like a real a**h***. ‘I choose’ statements are purely how you would communicate to yourself internally.

We explore the power of our beliefs in the next chapter.

Summary: The key to Absolute Power

Taking absolute responsibility gives us the power to change our circumstances.

When we give excuses, blame others or complain, we take the power out of our own hands. We play the role of the victim.

Many people play the victim game because o the perceived payoffs. In the long term , it costs us a lot more.

We must take responsibility for our results, how we feel and the way we communicate.

The meaning of your communication is the response you get, regardless of your intention. Keep changing your communication until you get the desired responses.

We communicate through our words (7%), tone of voice (38%) and our body language (55%).

For things to change, we must change first.

Use the word “I choose” in your everyday communication

5
THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF BELIEFS

Beliefs can make ordinary people do awesome, extraordinary things but holding on to limiting Beliefs can also cripple the most talented

Why is it that some people are able to achieve so much more out of their lives than others? Why are some people able to produce such outstanding, even extraordinary results… far exceeding what is commonly expected?

Is it because they have a lot more talent, acumen, capability? Do they have superior resources that other people lack? You and I both know by now that this is not true at all.

Did the Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane, have more aerodynamic and engineering expertise than all the engineers and inventors of their time? No. They were simple bicycle repairmen.

Did Mahatma Gandhi come from a powerful family that enabled him to establish a power base to liberate India from the British? No. He was just an ordinary man, a lawyer. And using the law taught to him by his colonial masters certainly wouldn’t have freed India. Instead, gentle Gandhi used the power of peaceful assemblies, bringing tens of thousands to sit in peaceful civil disobedience…until the British caved in.

Was Ho Chi Min a mighty general who trained the Viet Cong to first drive out the French and then the Americans? No, he was an intellectual and a journalist who didn’t even have the heart to kill the pests who shared the many jails he was thrown into as he fought for independence for his beloved Vietnam. Ho made friends with the insects!

Neither Gandhi or Ho Chi Min had any measurable resources to do what they did… and history is peppered with many such outstanding individuals.

What set these men apart were the incredible beliefs they had about the moral rightness of their cause. That gave them extraordinary strength to fight on, against all odds, and win. David against mighty Goliath.

Beliefs are what empower seemingly ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. At the same time, limiting beliefs are what keep most people, despite all their resources, from achieving what they really can.

Our beliefs are like the operating system to our brain. They determine what we expect from ourselves and how much we get out of ourselves. First of all, your beliefs define your expectations.

If you believe that you can become a millionaire, a CEO or a President, then that is what you will expect from yourself. If you believe that you will never have the capability to earn more than $40,000 a year, then that is what you will expect from yourself.

If you believe that you can lead others, then you will expect to attain nothing less than a management position. If you believe that you are nothing more than a follower, then you will not expect anything more than being just a front line employee. At the same time, your beliefs will drive the actions you take, and how much of your personal potential you will tap. When you believe that something is possible, you will go all out to make it happen. You will take massive action and have the commitment to keep doing whatever it takes to achieve it. As a result, you will tap a lot of your personal potential.

What kind of results do you think you will produce? Great results! When you get great results, it will reinforce your empowering beliefs even more! For example, if you have an empowering belief that you can build a highly successful business that will positively impact millions of lives, this belief will drive you to take massive action.

You will start innovating new product lines, probably invest in R & D to create entirely new products or processes. You will develop a business plan, attract investors and launch your marketing campaign. Sure you will have lots of obstacles along the way, but your beliefs will drive you to turn any failure into feedback and to change your strategy until you get the result you want. Even if you don’t achieve the exact targets you set for yourself, you are going to produce some great result.

However, if you believe that something is impossible, that it cannot be done, will you take action? Not likely. Even if you did, you would probably stop the moment you hit a problem. As a result, you may have all the potential in the world, but you will not tap into it. And sure enough, you will not get the results. When this happens, it will further reinforce the belief that it just can’t be done.

For example, if you don’t believe that you can ever build a successful company, you won’t even attempt it. Even if you did go into business, you will quit the moment something goes wrong because you had limiting beliefs that ‘It is just too difficult’ or ‘I don’t have what it takes’.

Beliefs: The Tap to Our Personal Potential

So you see, when we believe that something is possible, we will inevitably summon all the resources we have to support that belief. We will open the tap to our creativity, energy and resources. Does this mean we will be able to produce the exact result that we envisioned? Not all the time. But having a belief of possibility will allow us to produce results far beyond what we would have done if we had no belief to begin with.

At the same time, if you believe that something is beyond your reach, you shut out the possibility of ever achieving it. You shut the tap to your own personal potential.

Now, whether this or any other personal development book you have read will change your life, depends on the beliefs you finally choose to have, and act upon.

If, after reading this book, you choose to believe that you can achieve any goal by applying all the strategies, I bet you are going to set some pretty high goals for yourself. At the same time, you will take massive action by applying all the ideas you have gained. You will use the ultimate success formula, start taking responsibility and do whatever it takes! As a result, you are going to tap a whole lot more of your potential.

And, even if all your goals are not met immediately, you are inevitably going to experience a major increase in your quality of life. If you believe it will work for you, then it will! Believe me! At the same time, if you choose to be a skeptic and say, ‘All this seems pretty interesting, but I don’t think it will work for me’, then chances are you will not have any expectations at all. You will settle back into taking the same old actions. As a result, you are going to tap no more of your potential that you have before. Will you experience any results? Of course not! Again, your belief that this stuff doesn’t work becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The fundamental reason I have been able to create so much more results in my life as compared to so many of my peers, some of whom are probably a lot smarter and more hardworking than I, is simply because of the powerful beliefs I started to build about myself when I was in my impressionable teenage years.

At that time I was exposed to many empowering role models and it is from these super charged people that I learned that age is no barrier to creating wealth and success.

I read about Anthony Robbins who became a motivational trainer and millionaire by the age of 25. I read about Richard Branson, the boss of Virgin, who started his first business at the age of 15 and became a millionaire at the age of 23. I read about Steve Jobs who started Apple Computers at 18.

At the same time, my journalist mum started getting interested in the fledging ‘Human Potential Movement’. As a result, she brought me to seminars by motivational speakers like Dennis Waitley. I was probably the only schoolboy in that seminar!

My grandfather also bought me books by Dale Carnegie who had inspired millions to become effective public speakers and communicators in generations past. As a result of all this exposure, I developed an unshakeable belief that I could start a business, become a best-selling author and trainer before age 24!

Most of my peers were not fortunate enough to be exposed to such empowering role models. So they had the usual limiting beliefs such as; starting a business is difficult and risky, you need to be at least 40 years old with lots of money and relevant work experience and contacts to even consider starting a company.

As for writing a book, when I started writing the manuscript to my first book I was 16 and my friends laughed saying, ‘Who will ever read a book written by someone so young?’ In their minds – and this goes for most other adults too – only very smart, very experienced and highly qualified people write books. Many of my peers continued to hold on to these limiting beliefs as they embarked on their careers and in so doing, they held themselves back from what they potentially could achieve.

Consequently they made average decisions that led to average results.

The Pygmalion Effect

Not only do our beliefs affect our performance and results, but they also affect the people we interact with as well. As a teacher, parent or boss, the beliefs you have about your students, children and employees will affect how you treat them, how they respond, and ultimately how they perform.

Have you ever heard of the Pygmalion effect? This psychological phenomenon was first presented by Robert Merton, a professor of Sociology at Columbia University in 1957. It is about how our expectations of other people can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The study involved a teacher who was instructed to teach a new class of gifted students for the next school year. What she did not know was that these students had been tested and found to be of low IQ. Moreover, they had behavioral problems.

Sure enough, when she started teaching, the students started misbehaving and did not learn or respond. But because she believed they were high IQ students, she figured that they were not the ones who had the problem, but she.

She started to take responsibility for their misbehavior and disinterest in learning. Maybe her teaching style was too boring and not stimulating enough to capture the attention of these gifted, demanding children.

So she started to experiment and change the way she taught. She started to encourage them, arouse their curiosity, challenge them with games and activities and really nurtured them. The more she treated them like gifted students, the more they responded.

At the end of the school year, the academic grades of the students jumped tremendously. And when retested, their IQs measured a 20-30 point increase on average. She literally created gifted students! (Think how many supposed slow learners or ‘normal’ stream children are languishing simply because of uninspiring teachers?)

In his work called ‘Social Theory and Social Structure’, Merton said the phenomenon occurs when “a false definition of the situation evokes a new behavior which makes the original false conception come true.”

In other words, once an expectation is set, even if it isn't accurate, we tend to act in ways that are consistent with that expectation. Surprisingly often, the result is that the expectation, as if by magic, comes true.

Your Beliefs Can Even Affect Your Bio Chemistry

So far we have talked about how our beliefs affect our perceptions, decisions and hence our actions. However, your beliefs are so powerful that they can literally affect your biochemistry.

Yes, your beliefs can affect the state of your energy levels and your physical well-being. Have you heard of the placebo effect?

In the 1950s, doctors wanted to investigate if a patient’s belief in a drug actually made a difference to whether or not the drug was effective in bringing about a cure.

In one experiment, they gave patients pills which were nothing more than sugar in capsules. They then told the patients that the medicine would be effective in curing their flu and headaches. To their surprise, the sugar pills brought about almost the same level of relief as compared to the actual drugs! The placebo studies showed that our beliefs can literally activate the chemicals in our body to bring about a cure.

A later study showed that beliefs can even override the effects of chemicals present in your body. In this experiment, 100 medical students were divided into two groups. The first group was given a red pill and told that it was a stimulant. In actual fact, the pill contained a barbiturate (a depressant).

The second group was given a blue pill and told that it was a depressant. It actually contained a strong stimulant. The results were startling.

In 50% of the students who took the pills, their bodies reacted according to their beliefs about what the drugs would do. Students who took the red pill reported that they felt extremely alert and energetic, despite having actual depressive drugs in their body. Students who took the blue pill reported feeling drowsy even though they had actually taken a stimulant.

Why was this possible? A new branch of cognitive neuro- psychology called expectancy theory has found that every thought, belief and desire can act as an agent of change in our cells, tissues and organs.

In fact, do you know that every drug that is developed today has to go through a double-blind placebo test before it is approved by the American FDA (Federal drug Administration)? The reason for this is that if even fake drugs can bring about a cure (dependent on the patient’s belief), the only way to be sure that a drug is medically effective is that it can produce a better recovery rate than a placebo.

What is amazing is that in order for a drug to be proven medically effective, it has to beat a placebo by just a few percentage points.

Mr. Wright – the Man Who Should Have Died… But for his Belief

In his book, ‘The Psychobiology of Mind Body Healing’, Dr. Ernest Rossi reports on a ground breaking case which showed the effects of beliefs in a drug and how that belief can positively or negatively affect a person’s immune system. It was the case of Mr. Wright who suffered from advanced cancer of the lymph nodes, called Lymphosarcoma. He was at such an advanced stage of the cancer that he developed resistance to all known treatments. He had huge tumor masses the size of oranges in the neck, groin, chest and abdomen. His thoracic duct was obstructed and between 1-2 liters of milky fluid had to be drawn out of his chest every other day.

He was taking oxygen through a mask at regular intervals and was in a terminal stage. In spite of all this, Mr. Wright had not given up hope, although all his doctors had. The reason? A new drug that he had expected to come along and cure him was finally ready for trial use. The drug was called Krebiozen.

Initially, Mr. Wright was not able to qualify for the drug trials as patients had to have a life expectancy of at least three to six months. Mr. Wright, at that point of time, was given less than two weeks to live. However, Mr. Wright believed so much that this drug would cure him that he kept begging for the opportunity. Eventually, his physician, Dr. Philip West, decided to go against the rules and give him the drug.

Injections were to be given three times weekly and Mr. Wright had received his first dose on a Friday. When the doctor came back on Monday, he expected to see the patient in his bed. Instead, the doctor found him walking around the ward and chatting to everyone around him.

Immediately, the doctor checked on the other cancer patients who had been given the drug. He saw no change or changes for the worse in some.

Strangely, only Mr. Wright had shown brilliant improvement. On further testing, the doctor found that his tumor masses had melted to half their original size within a few days. The doctor continued giving him the medication. Within ten days, Mr. Wright was discharged from hospital, breathing normally and fully active.

This unbelievable situation began just at the beginning of the Krebiozen drug trials. However, within 2 months, reports came out saying that all of the testing clinics reported no results, that Krebiozen was probably ineffective as a drug for cancer.

When Mr. Wright heard about these reports, he started to lose faith. After two months of practically perfect health, he relapsed into his original condition, and became very miserable. His cancer came back and he was re-admitted into the hospital.

His doctor wanted to investigate if his initial cure was the result of the ‘placebo effect’. So, the doctor lied to him and said that he had now heard that a new super refined, double strength formula was about to arrive the next day. Immediately, upon hearing the news, Mr. Wright regained his optimism and belief in a cure.

The next day, the doctor injected him with the new ‘double strengthened formula’. In actual fact, he injected nothing but fresh water into him.

This time, the cure was even more dramatic than the first. The tumor masses melted, the chest fluid vanished and he recovered fully and was discharged again. He then remained symptom free for two whole months.

At about this time, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced in the press that ‘nationwide tests show that Krebiozen is a worthless drug in the treatment of cancer.’ Within a few days of this report,

Mr. Wright was readmitted into the hospital. This time his belief and faith were totally gone. In less than two days, he passed away. A sad ending but one with a very powerful lesson.

When Belief Alone Can Cure Cancer

Doctors now know that the growth of some cancers can be controlled by a person’s immune system. If you can improve the immune system, you can cure the cancer. (Again it goes back to taking responsibility, taking charge: because no doctor can strengthen your immune system, only YOU can – with the right thoughts, right foods, right moves).

So, starting with the belief in a cure, the cancer patient can activate his/her immune system to mobilize the blood system with such efficiency that toxic fluids and waste products, that keep feeding the cancer, are flushed out.

Many similar cases have been reported in the area of spontaneous recovery because of an empowering belief system.

Miracle Men

In 1981, Insurance boss Morris Goodman was piloting a plane when it crashed. His injuries were extremely severe: his neck was broken in two places (the first and second vertebrae), the nerves to his diaphragm had been severed and his diaphragm itself was crushed so badly that he lost his ability to swallow, to speak or to breathe without a respirator. The rest of his nerves were damaged so badly that he suffered a disfunctioning of the kidney and liver and was paralyzed from the neck down.

His doctors gave him a 1 in 1000 chance of surviving. Even if he did survive, they were convinced that he would never regain control over his bodily functions and would have to remain in a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

What saved Morris’s life was his belief and faith that he would find a way to cure himself and walk out of the hospital with no mechanical aid. His doctors and nurses tried to convince him that it was impossible and that he was not being realistic about his injuries.

‘I didn’t care what medical science expected. I cared what I expected. And that was to beat the odds and walk out of the hospital a normal man.’ Morris said.

Through the use of creative visualization and intense physiotherapy, Morris’s recovery baffled his doctors as he started gaining control over his breathing & swallowing reflexes. He then started to gain control over his limbs and the rest of his body. Within six months, he had attained near full recovery and was able to walk out of the hospital without the use of any mechanical aid.

To this day, Morris Goodman still goes around the life insurance industry, giving inspirational talks about the power of beliefs on performance. Many books and audio programs have been authored on this person they term the ‘miracle man’.

Another Miracle Man, so dubbed by Newsweek International (Australian Edition) in their cover story in 2003, is Australian vet Dr Ian Gawler. Gawler, who cured himself of final stage cancer (he had one leg amputated below the kneecap), went on to help others with a 10-day Cancer retreat program where ‘creative visualisation’ is one of the techniques he teaches his cancer clients (many of whom cancer specialists had given up on), with incredible success. Now in his fifties, Gawler also recently climbed Mt Everest with his one good leg.

In Gawler’s retreat, the holistic and natural approach to cancer also utilizes yoga and/or qi gong, both of which use breath control and meditation (mind control) to heal and boost the immune system.

And last but not least, an organic vegetarian diet.

The Human Mind Cannot Tell the Difference
Between a Real and a Vividly Imagined Experience

One of the techniques that Morris Goodman and Dr. Ian Gawler used to crystallize their beliefs and aid their spontaneous recovery was through the use of creative visualization. Goodman, for example, kept visualizing himself in the future, fully recovered and walking around with no mechanical aid. He kept visualizing himself having total control over his reflexes and bodily movements.

But can seeing pictures in our mind actually affect our physiological responses? Absolutely!

In fact, medical science has now shown that the human mind cannot tell the difference between actual experience and what is vividly imagined. Whether you physically see, hear, touch or taste something or you vividly imagine it, the same neurological impulses are activated within our nervous system.

Where is the Lemon?

Would you like to do an experiment? First I would you to read the following passage, then follow the instructions and create the visual images in your mind. Alternatively, you could get someone to read it for you as you go through this visualization exercise. Are you ready?

I want to you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in your kitchen in front of your refrigerator. In your mind’s eye, see yourself opening the door of the refrigerator. Inside you see a big, yellow sour lemon.

Imagine yourself reaching out and holding the lemon in your hand. Notice the weight, coldness and texture of the lemon. Now, bring the lemon to your kitchen table and with a sharp knife slice off a piece. See the lemon juice oozing out all over. Now, take the piece of sour lemon and pop it into your mouth and chew on it, feel the sour sensation on your tongue and around your mouth, and your nostrils puckering as the tangy scent is released. Now open your eyes.

Let me ask you this question. Do you have more saliva in your mouth? Did you actually feel that sour sensation? If you visualized vividly enough, I bet you even cringed your facial muscles as you ‘chewed the lemon.’ The interesting thing is that the lemon was merely in your own imagination. When you visualized the sour fruit, your brain sent the same neurological impulses to your salivary glands as if you had physically eaten it, which produced more saliva to begin the digestive process.

This is Exactly How Some People Frighten Themselves to Death

When they start to imagine that they are being attacked or are in grave danger, their brains fire off so much fear that their heart beats faster, their blood pressure increases and they eventually die of a heart attack.

In certain ancient cultures like the aboriginals of Australia and the Haitians in the Caribbean, there is a strong belief in black magic and Voodoo. Their witchdoctors can point an ‘evil bone’ at a person, for some tribal misdemeanor and, within a few weeks, that healthy person will actually start to sicken and die from the ‘curse’.

Why? Because they convince themselves so utterly, just through of their imagination, that they will die, their brains actually send signals to their bodies to shut down their immune system. Eventually, they succumb and die.

In Australia such ‘cursed’ aboriginals have been brought to the hospitals but baffled doctors can’t find anything physically wrong, yet the victim of the curse will wither away and die. Such is the power of our beliefs.

Mental Rehearsal for Excellence…
the Russian Athletes ’Secret Weapon’

Many people have made use of the power of visualization to help them to perform at their peak. This is especially so in the area of competitive sports where this technique is known as ‘mental rehearsal’.

For many years, the Russians had always won and dominated the gymnastics event in the Olympic games. The Americans trained just as hard and could not understand how the Russians were always able to perform at near perfection. It was much later that the Americans found out that the Russians had used sports psychologists to teach their athletes to train mentally as well as physically.

Besides physically practicing, the Russians’ secret was in spending a few hours a day to visualize themselves doing the perfect jumps, twists and landings. It was this that allowed them to tune their performances to near perfection! Today, all top athletes use the power of visualization to perform at their peak. In his book, Tiger Woods talks about how he visualizes himself hitting the perfect ball and watching it land, even before he actually swings his club.

Mental Versus Physical Training

There was an experiment done on how mental training compares with actual physical training. A group of men were divided randomly into three basketball teams. They were asked to shoot from the free throw line and their scores were recorded. For the next three weeks, each team went through a different training routine.

The first team physically trained for four hours. The second team did not physically shoot any hoops but imagined themselves shooting perfect shots for two hours a day. The third team was the control group so they were asked not to train at all. After three weeks, they were retested and their scores recorded. The first team that trained physically scored an average improvement of 30%. The second team that trained mentally also scored an average improvement of 30%. The third team showed no signs of improvement at all. The experiment showed that mental training is amazingly as effective as actual physical practice. If you were to combine both, your performance would truly be astounding.

So how can you use the power of visualization to program your mind to perform at its peak? You can use it in virtually any area of your life. I have personally used this technique before I give a lecture.

I have used visualization for speech-making, for play (golf) and even to pass my driving test! – and believe me, it works every time.

Before I go on stage, I would visualize myself going up, seeing the audience in front of me and seeing myself delivering a power packed talk. I would then see the audience responding and giving me resounding applause. I keep playing these images in my head over and over again. Eventually, by the time I actually step up on stage, I feel totally relaxed and confident… because it is as if I had done it so many times before.

I Used Visualization to Score ‘A’
for my Driving Test

I even used visualization to score an ‘A’ for my driving test, which I passed on my first attempt. My success astounded everyone, except me. The reason is this: because I happened to be sitting for my driving test during the time I was in the Army, I hardly had time to go for actual driving lessons.

My instructor expected me to fail as I had not been able to clock sufficient hours on the road to be skillful enough to pass the test.

What he didn’t realize was that I spent half an hour each night visualizing myself in the car (while I was in camp, lying on my bunk!), manipulating the gearshifts, and driving along the test routes. I did this again and again until it became second nature to my reflexes. Eventually I went for the test and scored near perfect on my first attempt.

The Pilot Who Played Golf in His Jail Cell

Let me share with you another amazing story about the power of visualization. There was an American pilot who had been shot down and imprisoned for many years in North Korea during the Korean war of the 1950s.

This man was a keen golfer and, during the long hours of imprisonment, the only thing that kept him sane was visualizing himself playing golf… and winning of course. He had all the time to ‘play’ 18 holes over and over again. Well, when he was finally released and returned home to America, one of the first things he did was to enter a golf tournament.

Guess what? He won easily, to the absolute amazement of everyone except himself. They thought his win had to be a fluke? Surely he was a rusty player… but no, he told everyone that he knew he would win because he had been mentally playing, practicing the winning shots, all those long years behind bars.

Before Reaching Your Outcome,
First See the Reaching in Your Mind.

Do want to experience another demonstration of how you can visualize yourself to break through supposed physical limitations? What I want you to do is to stand up and place your feet shoulder-width apart. Throughout this experiment, you must keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Now, I want you to warm up by stretching and loosening up your waist muscles. Swing your body gently from side to side.

Great! Are you ready?

Now, point your finger forward and turn your body clockwise as far as your body will allow you to turn. Once you reach the maximum point, remember the spot you have reached and turn back to neutral position.

Next, I want you to close your eyes and visualize yourself turning your body clockwise and seeing in your mind’s eye that your finger is able to move past the maximum point and go another three feet further.

Once you have visualized this, open your eyes and physically turn your finger and your body again. Did you go further this time?

Most people go a lot further and are amazed at how this short visualization exercise got them to go beyond their ‘mental limits’. Think of what other supposed limits you can move beyond with enough belief and mental rehearsals.

Breaking the Beliefs of the World

In 1954, one such person broke such a mental barrier that was set in long distance running. For hundreds of years, runners had never been able to run one mile in less than four minutes. Many had attempted this feat but had fallen short. As a result, it was generally believed, and supposedly backed up as fact by the medical community, that it was not possible for a human being to run that fast!

Roger Bannister, a postgraduate student from Oxford University set a goal to be the first to break this ‘impossible record’. The fact was that he was nowhere near being the best runner of his time. There were many other runners better than he. But this didn’t deter Roger. Besides physical training, he engaged in a lot of mental training. He kept visualizing himself breaking the four-minute time barrier.

Then, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister stunned the world by running the mile in three minutes and 54 seconds. That was not the most amazing thing. What was truly amazing was that, within a year, 37 other runners had broken his record. Within the next three years, over 300 runners had repeated the same feat.

But why was it that for so long, nobody had even come close to achieving it? The minute an ‘ordinary’ runner did it, then so many others could. This surely proves that what holds many people back in achieving their goals and fullest potential are not their lack of capability, but their beliefs.

Your Beliefs Are Never Absolutely True!

If our beliefs have such a great impact on the quality of our lives and even our physical well being, then we must begin to examine if the beliefs we have are empowering us or limiting us. And if our beliefs are limiting us, we must begin to change them!

At this time, many people would argue, ‘But what if the beliefs I have are really true? What if I am really not good at selling? What if it the economy is really down and going to stay down? What if there are really no opportunities around? What if it cannot be done? What if I don’t have what it takes?

What you must understand is that the beliefs you have are never absolutely true. Beliefs are not proven facts. They are nothing but perceptions, opinions, generalizations we make about the world around us.

For every belief you hold, no matter how much you think it is true, there is always somebody out there with a totally opposite belief. And to them, their belief is as valid as yours is to you.

If you believe that math is tough, there is someone out there who believes it is easy. If you believe that it is easy to make a million dollars, there is someone out there who believes it is impossible. If you believe that times are tough, there is always somebody out there who believes it is a great time to make money!

So the question is not whether a belief is true or not. What is more important is to ask yourself:

‘Does this belief empower me or does this belief limit me?’ ‘Will this belief help me to get the best out of myself to achieve my goals?’ Or, ‘Will this belief hold me back?’

For example, in chapter one we said that ‘All of us have the same neurology. If it is possible for others (the winners), it is possible for me’. This is an example of an empowering belief.

Is it absolutely true? I don’t know. What I do know is that because I have chosen to believe this, it has empowered me to achieve so much more than many of my peers who chose to believe that ‘yes, it is possible for others, but it may NOT be possible for me… because others have more skill, more money, more experience, more talent or whatever excuse they can think of.

It is because of my powerful belief in myself that I had dared to set seemingly impossible goals and achieve them – such as topping my schools, writing books, starting companies, speaking to thousands of people or turning around companies.

I have discovered that all successful individuals share the belief that ‘everything happens for a reason’ and that ‘behind every adversity lies is a blessing in disguise.’

Again, can we say for sure that this belief is absolutely true? Of course not. But I have found that having this belief empowers me to get up from every failure and overcome any adversity, and gives me the strength to carry on.

As a result, I eventually reach my outcome and it proves my belief to be true. At the same time if you choose to believe that every adversity is just your bad luck, bad fate or a punishment from god, then you will probably get depressed, quit and stop taking action. As a result, the adversity really becomes punishment, since you will never get what you want.

Whatever You Believe Becomes True for You!

Although beliefs are never absolutely true, it becomes totally true for the person who believes in it! This is simply because whatever you belief becomes your reality.

If you believe that you are stupid, then you will become stupid. If you believe that you are intelligent, then that is what you will experience. If you believe you are unlucky, then you will be unlucky. If you believe that great opportunities come your way, it will become true for you.

‘Whether or not you believe you can or you believe you can’t, either way you are right!’

– Henry Ford

Why is this so? Because our beliefs are one of the key filters that determine how we perceive the world around us. At any point of time you do not experience reality, but you experience your own perception of reality.

Our brains are always deleting and distorting what we see, hear and feel. This is why two people can experience the same event, yet both perceive it very differently. For example, if two people had an argument, both parties will have very different accounts of what had happened.

It is not so much that one or the other is lying, but both parties delete and distort what they experienced, depending on their personal beliefs.

Have you ever experienced a time when your parents believed you were irresponsible. You could do a hundred things responsibly, but they only remember the couple of times when you were irresponsible. ‘Aha you’re doing it again!’ they say.

We do the same things to our friends, family members and our colleagues. Once we make up our minds that a particular person is mean, we will tend to focus on all the times our beliefs are supported, and fail to notice all the occasions when that person acted generous. Even if we do notice it, we will distort it by saying that he must be up to something by being so nice! Heard that one?

So, whatever we believe, becomes real for us. It becomes ‘our truth’.

If you (as a woman) believe that all men are unfaithful, you will only remember and focus on all the times you saw and heard about men being unfaithful. You will tend to mentally delete all the instances when it did not support your belief. You will also tend to distort what you see and hear to support your belief. If your husband calls to say he suddenly has to work late, what thoughts will fire off in your mind? You may start having suspicions about him fooling around, since you believe all men are unfaithful.

What is your likely reaction? You will probably question him, check on his every move and start getting paranoid, insecure and upset. As a result, the relationship may break down, driving him to do what you feared the most… because a nagging, suspicious wife is impossible to live with.

I have seen so many instances when a person’s belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever you believe strongly about becomes a reality. This is because you take all the actions that support that belief, thus encouraging the result.

Some people I know have a belief that there are no opportunities to make money. They believe that going into business would be a disastrous mistake. As a result, they focus on all the news they read in the papers as well as what their friends tell them about ‘So and so who lost money, went bankrupt and failed in such and such venture’. This keeps reinforcing their belief and will prevent them from taking up any opportunities that come along.

At the same time, I also know many people who believe that opportunities abound out there. Such optimists believe that it is easy to make money. And you know what? They do make plenty of money and find lots of great opportunities everywhere. Even when all around them are problems, such people would be able to see the silver lining in the dark clouds, and turn things around to become an opportunity for them.

HOW SOME TURN DISASTER TO OPPORTUNITY – For Themselves

Here’s a good example. When the SARS epidemic hit badly, many people started to believe that business would be bad and they would have to struggle to survive. I have a friend whose pet business suffered. But, instead of believing that the outbreak was a big problem, he focused on how it could be an opportunity for him. He quickly used his strong network of suppliers and sales agents to get into the mask and air purifier business and he made a big fortune.

A Perceptual Blind Spot…
Has This Happened to You?

Have you ever experienced this? You are sitting in the living room watching television when your spouse shouts, ‘Can you go into the kitchen and get me the salt?’ ‘I don’t know where it is!’ you reply. She shouts back, ‘Go look for it! It is around somewhere!’

Reluctantly you get up and walk into the kitchen mumbling to yourself, I don’t know where the salt is.’ ‘How can I find it?’ Sure enough, you go in look around and you don’t see the salt. So you shout back, ‘I can’t find the salt’.

She says: ‘Look carefully, it is somewhere around’. You look high and low and still don’t see the salt. Finally, your wife walks into the kitchen and grabs the salt from right under your nose and says, ‘What is this? Are you blind?’

Why does this happen? In psychology, it is called a schetoma or a perceptual blind spot. It is one of the most common examples of how a belief will delete what you perceive. If you keep convincing yourself that you will not be able to find the salt, your brain will internally delete the image of the salt even though your eyes may physically pick it up.

Similarly, if you believe that there are no opportunities around and that times are bad, then you will delete everything that does not support your belief, and you will experience all the lack.

What Some Famous & Intelligent People Believed in So Strongly…
We Now Know is Not True!

The tendency for most people is to fight hard to hold on to their old, limiting beliefs because they believe it must be true! ‘But I am sure that my beliefs are true! How can they be otherwise?’ they insist.

Let me ask you this question. Have you ever believed so much in something in the past, which you now know to be the exact opposite? I am sure you have. Even some of the most intelligent people on this planet have held on strongly to beliefs which have been conclusively proven to be false. Here are just a few examples.

There is no need for any computer to have more than 250k of RAM
-Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, early 1980s

Heavier than air flying machines are impossible
-Lord Kelvin, President of Royal Society, 1895

The mile record of 4 minutes 12.75 seconds will never be broken
-Harry Andrews, British Olympic Coach, 1903

Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances
-Dr. Lee De Forest, Inventor of the Audion tube & the Father of Radio

The Earth is the centre of the universe
-Ptolemy, Great Egyptian Astronomer, 2nd Century

Television won’t be able to hold on to any captive audience after 6 months.People will soon get tired staring at a plywood box every night
-Darryl F. Zanuck, Head of 20th Century Fox Movies, 1946

There is no likelihood that man will tap the power of the atom
-Robert Milliken, Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, 1923

Nobody wants to hear actors talk
-Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros Pictures, 1927, when silent movies were the norm

The Creation of Your Beliefs

But how did we form the beliefs that we have today?

Most of them come from modeling the significant people around us – like our parents, teachers and friends. We tend to take on beliefs similar to those people who were most influential in our lives. If our parents believe that they can never be rich, you are likely to take on those beliefs yourself.

If you grow up in a family where nobody finished school, then you would likely have a belief that education is difficult or not important. Many of our beliefs also come from our past experiences.

Remember, that the beliefs you have are nothing but perceptions and interpretations you make about these past experiences. However, after a while, we forget they are merely perceptions and begin to accept them as absolute truths. That is when they become commands embedded in our brain, and begin to determine how we live our life.

While some of the beliefs actually empower us, many of them limit us at the same time. For example, beliefs like ‘I am bad at Math’, ‘I am a slow learner’, ‘I cannot relate well with others’, ‘I am lazy’ or ‘I am too young or too old’.

Well, how did we form our beliefs in the first place? Beliefs always begin as an idea that someone gives us or we give ourselves. As we begin to experience more and more supporting evidences of that idea, the idea solidifies to become a belief. And once it becomes a belief, we no longer question it. It becomes part of our internal operating system and drives our every decision and behavior.

In his book Unlimited Power, Anthony Robbins uses a table as a metaphor for our beliefs. When we first have an idea of something (for example, I am a slow learner), it is like having a table top with no legs to support it. At this stage, the idea is merely an opinion. It has not much power over us. Over time, if we start to experience evidences that support this idea, it is like adding legs to this tabletop. Soon, when enough of these legs (evidences) are added, we will have a solid table (a strong belief).

‘I Am Lousy At Math’…
How I Formed that Idea at Age 5

For many years, I used to believe that ‘I was lousy at math’. That limiting belief prevented me from giving my very best in that subject. Like all beliefs, mine began as a simple idea when I struggled to understand multiplication tables as a young kid.

At the age of five, many of my cousins could easily rattle off the multiplication tables up to twelve times table. For some reason, I just could not understand what ‘multiply’ meant and so found it really tough to memorize the tables. Every time I got it wrong, my parents would get really disappointed and start drilling me. As both were working weekdays, weekend outings became multiplication table drills.

As a result, I started hating math and found it really painful. I couldn’t understand why is it that other kids can multiply and I can’t? From that day on, I began to form the idea that ‘I am lousy at Math’.

Then one day in class, my teacher decided to test us all on our multiplication tables. Naturally most of my friends could rattle them off easily. When it came to my turn, I was asked to give the answer to ‘5x3’. I just stared and yelled out ‘7’! The whole class burst out laughing and called me ‘stupid’. This one experience gave me my first supporting evidence that ‘I was lousy at math’ and started to reinforce this idea into a belief.

Sure enough I became withdrawn in all future math classes. I would daydream and not bother understanding what was going on. I would not bother doing my homework. What was the point? It was a ‘stupid subject’ and ‘I wouldn’t do well anyway.’ As a result, I got further and further behind the whole class. Naturally, I kept failing my monthly math tests, further reinforcing the belief that ‘I was lousy at math’. Once again, this added another leg to my table.

What further reinforced my belief was what my mum said when I kept failing math. She told me not to worry as she herself failed math when she was a student. There was nothing I could do as I probably inherited her genes. That solidified my belief and stopped me from even trying to work out any problems, or studying for Math. Once again, my brain started adding another leg of evidence to my belief!

The minute I was confronted with a tough problem, I would just quit. Whenever the teacher taught a concept that was confusing, I wouldn’t bother to figure it out. I had math tuition alright – but daydreamed through all the tuition sessions.

Sure enough, after sometime that belief that I was lousy at math became absolutely real for me. I was firmly convinced that there was no way I would ever understand maths, much less ever do well in it.

How I Started Collapsing this Limiting Belief

So, if we know that beliefs are nothing but limiting generalizations that hold us back, then how do we collapse them? How do we collapse the belief tables that have formed within our minds? The answer is to remove the legs that hold the table up! In other words, we must challenge the evidences that support the limiting belief. Once you remove the legs, the belief will collapse!

So how do we go about challenging the evidences that hold our beliefs together? This was exactly what I did…

My life changed the moment I realized that being lousy in math was nothing but a limiting belief. It was only ‘a fact’ to me because I chose to believe it! I chose to generalize every experience into supporting this belief! I began to go back and challenge all the ‘supporting evidence’ that kept reinforcing my belief.

I realized that many of the evidence that support our beliefs are nothing but our own interpretations of past experiences. They could mean a million other things! Many of the supporting evidence given by the people around us may also not even be credible.

The fact that I could not understand multiplication did not mean that I was lousy in math. It could simply mean that it was never taught to me in a way that I could understand. It could mean that I was not paying attention. The fact that I failed all my math tests may just mean that I did not bother to study, or that I used the wrong strategy.

I also started to find counter examples to the evidence that I had lousy math genes. How? Well, I began to realize that many of my school friends who were good in math had parents who had little education and were hawkers and bus drivers. Once I started questioning all these evidences, the legs of my table started being removed and this limiting belief fell apart!

I then began to ask, ‘What would be a more empowering belief to have?’ ‘What would be a powerful belief that would drive me to do my best?’ I then came up with one ‘I am a math genius!’.

From Math Dunce to Math Genius
– Starting with Just a New ‘Belief’

That new belief excited me. The trouble was that I had no evidences or examples to support this new belief. So what did I do? I began to create new evidences for myself.

In secondary one, I began to go back and start working on math problems that I could handle at primary four (four grades below). When I started to get the hang of it, I would then proceed to primary five, slowly building up my foundation and my confidence. When I started to solve problems, I began to reinforce this new belief. Of course, I was still far behind many of my classmates, but I was determined to catch up.

Pretty soon, after lots of extra hours of drilling during my school holidays, I was able to handle all the math problems that most of my friends were studying. As I started to understand the concepts and was able to solve more and more problems, I had more and more references to support my new belief.

What gave my new belief a super reinforcement was an experience I had when I got into secondary three.

At that time, we were going to take a new subject that was feared by everyone, Additional Math (A math). We were all told that it was an extremely difficult math course and that many people would fail it each year.

When my friends went into the new class, they were already sabotaging their minds by buying this idea implanted by our seniors. Now, for some reason, I was the only one who decided to read up on the first chapter of this ‘super difficult subject’ the night before.

Naturally, I didn’t understand everything I read, so I began asking my seniors and got a pretty clear idea about what this chapter on ‘linear functions’ was all about. The next day, as the new math teacher started lecturing, the whole class got lost somewhere in the middle of the abstract math. Because I had read it up the night before, I was the only one who seemed to know what the teacher was talking about.

Then the teacher asked for a volunteer to solve one of the problems on the board. Everyone looked at each other and started shaking their heads. I got up, went to the board and wrote out the workings to the problem. Everyone, including the teacher, was astonished. From all his past classes, no one could ever solve the abstract math problem on the first day.

Because it was a brand new class and none of my new classmates knew of my background, everyone looked at me like I was some kind of genius. It felt really great and I started enjoying this new identity of being a ‘math whiz’.

I started making a habit of reading ahead of the class, putting in extra effort in all my assignments and tests. Pretty soon, with all that hard work, I topped the whole class and went on to score an A1 at the National O-level examinations.

That one major experience finally shattered all my old limiting beliefs and solidified my new belief that ‘Maths is easy’, and that ‘I am a math genius’. It was this belief that made me opt to major in Math at Junior college. I diligently kept up with my math studies and I scored straight As in Further Math and College Math, two math courses that every student feared and dubbed ‘really tough’. That is the awesome power of a belief change!

What Limiting Beliefs Do You Have?

So, think for a moment of all the beliefs that could have been limiting your life all these years. What beliefs do you have that could be preventing you from taking action and realizing your full potential?

What are the beliefs you have about learning? About relationships? About money? About your own identity and capabilities? About your career or your business?

I want you to take all the time you need and list down all the limiting beliefs that you have in the different areas of your life.

a. Limiting Beliefs about My Identity & Capability

Do you believe in one or more of these?
I am too young? Too old? Not a good speaker? Lazy? Not smart enough? Lack experience? Not qualified enough? Unlucky? Not cut out for business? Lack the drive? What do you believe that you can never achieve?

b. Limiting Beliefs about Money

Do you believe that:
Money is the root of all evil? Money is difficult to earn?
To become rich you must be greedy? Money will give you more problems?

c. Limiting Beliefs about Relationships & People

Do you believe in one or more of these?
Marriages rarely have happy endings? All men are unfaithful?
All women are unreasonable? People generally cannot be trusted?

d. Limiting Beliefs about My Career or Business

Do you believe that:
The market is too saturated? Business is tough? It’s hard to make money in a recession? There are no opportunities out there? Something or someone stops me from getting promoted? I cannot increase my profits? I cannot expand my business?

Have you listed down all your limiting beliefs? I want you to know that in order for you to change the quality of your life, you must first change these limiting beliefs. The difference between the exceptional, the average and the below average lie in the beliefs they have about themselves, and the people around them. Are you ready to begin eliminating these limiting beliefs and install empowering ones instead? Great! There are five major steps to changing your limiting beliefs.

How to Change Any Belief‌

As you read through the following five steps, I want you to participate actively in using the exercises to create the beliefs changes that you desire. Out of the list of limiting beliefs you have made, choose three major beliefs to work on first. Let’s get started…

1 Find Enough Reason to Change the Belief

The first step to changing a belief is to first find a strong enough reason to change. Many of us do not change because we are in a situation where although we are not satisfied with the results we are getting, yet it is not painful enough for us to want to change. So we have to create enough reasons for ourselves to change.

What is extremely powerful is to think of what this limiting belief has cost us in our life and will continue to cost us in the future. Remember that we are all driven by emotions and not by logic. You can have all the logical reasons why you must change, but you never will until you create the images in your mind and feel strong enough emotions to want to change.

So, next to each of your limiting beliefs, I want you to think and write down the price you have paid for holding on to these beliefs.

How have these beliefs cost you in the past? For example, if you have a belief that you ‘don’t have enough experience’, it may have prevented you from taking on a challenging and rewarding project, earning a promotion, taking advantage of a business opportunity etc.

How will these beliefs continue to limit you in the future?

I also want you to think, ‘If I continue to hold on to these beliefs, how would they limit me in the future? What would they prevent me from achieving?’ Keep writing down all the reasons why you must change each of these beliefs until you reach an internal breaking point where you feel emotionally strong enough to want to make that change.

So grab a pen, and start working on ONE of your major limiting beliefs now!

1.1 Limiting Belief

1.2 How this belief has cost me in the past?
What price have you paid for holding on to this limiting belief?

1.3 How could this belief cost you in the future?
What would it prevent you from achieving?

2 Challenge the ‘Evidences’ that Support the Belief

The next step is to begin analyzing each of your limiting beliefs and begin challenging all the so-called evidences that support it. Remember, we need to remove the legs that hold your belief up. You will find eventually that these evidences are nothing but generalizations and misinterpretations you have made about past experiences.

First, you must find the evidences that shore up your belief.

You can do so by asking the followings set of questions.

How did I first create this belief?

What makes me believe that this true?

Next, challenge the evidences by asking

‘What else can this mean?’

‘Is there a counter example?’

‘How credible is this person giving me the belief?’

For example, I found out that my belief that ‘I was lousy in math’ came from three evidences: my not be able to understand multiplication sums, failing my math tests and my mum telling me that it was in the genes. By analyzing these ‘evidences’, I begin to change the meanings of these experiences.

My not understanding multiplication could simply mean that I was not taught in a way which I could understand, instead of meaning that I was slow. My failing my math test could mean that I did not pay attention in class and did not study for it, and not because I am inherently lousy at math.

And my mum was certainly not a credible source to affirm that I have no aptitude for math just because she hated the subject. I then found many counter examples where I had friends whose parents were not at all academically bright, but they were brilliant.

So, let’s start doing the same thing for your limiting belief.

Do the next part of this exercise now!

2.1 How did I first create this belief?

2.2 What are the evidences that support this limiting belief?

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

2.3 How can I challenge and break these evidences?
What else could it mean? Is there a counter example?
How credible is this source?

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

3 Create a New Empowering Belief

Once you have shaken the foundations of the limiting belief, you must then create a new empowering belief to replace the old limiting one. What belief would be useful in empowering you to take action?

For example, if the old belief was, ‘I am too young to start a business’, the new belief can be ‘Youth means sharpness and energy in business’ or ‘young people make better business people because they are more flexible, more open to new ideas’.

If your limiting belief is, ‘I’m too old to start…’ look for all the examples of those who changed careers at 40 or even 50 plus and went onto become roaring successes. Or took up a daredevil sport that even people half their age dare not attempt. And install the new belief that ‘Maturity means sounder judgement, more understanding, more wisdom.’ Write down your new empowering belief now.

4 Create New Evidences to Support this Belief

Once you have created a new belief, find new evidence to support this new belief. ‘Were there times in the past when this belief would have been true?’ For example, if you want to adopt the belief that ‘I am a fast learner’, was there a time in the past when you were very fast at learning a new skill?

‘Are there any examples you can see in other people?’ For every belief you have, you can definitely find evidences to support it. Look in books, go on the internet.

For example, when I wanted to install the belief that ‘very young people can start a business and become successful’, I did considerable research and found that quite a number of highly successful entrepreneurs started out, with no money, at a very young age.

If you cannot find any evidences at all, make it up! That’s right. The mind cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is clearly imagined. This was exactly what Roger Banister did when he set out to break the world’s record in distance running. Find and write down all the evidences you can find that will support this new belief.

4.1 New EVIDENCES TO SUPPORT My New Belief

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

5 Future Pace and Associate All the Benefits of Having this New Belief

Finally, I want you to take some time and use the power of visualization to install this new empowering belief. I want you to close your eyes and bring yourself into the future.

How would you behave differently with this new empowering belief? What would you go for that you didn’t in the past? What new decisions would you make differently? How would you benefit from this new belief? Think about it a year from now. Two years from now. Five years from now. Ten years from now. Write down all the ways you will benefit from having this new empowering belief.

5.1 By Adopting this New Belief, I will make the following new decisions and take the following actions

5.2 By Adopting this New Belief, I would Benefit in the following ways

So, anytime you want to change a limiting belief or assist someone else in breaking free from their mental mindsets, refer to these five major steps. Let’s move on to the secret of peak performance…

Summary: The Incredible Power of Beliefs

Beliefs are what empower ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.

As the same time, limiting beliefs are what keep most people, despite all their resources, from achieving what they really can.

Our beliefs determine what we expect from ourselves and how much we get out of ourselves.

Our beliefs affect our biochemistry and physical well-being.

The human mind cannot tell the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined one.

We can achieve peak performance through creative visualization.

Beliefs are never absolutely true. They are opinions and generalizations we form about ourselves, and the world around us.

Whatever we choose to believe becomes true for us.

We must adopt empowering beliefs and change those beliefs that limit us.

Beliefs are first created from an idea that in reinforced by evidences.

There are 5 steps to changing any beliefs:

Find enough evidence to change the belief

Challenge the evidences that support it

Create a new empowering belief

Find new evidences to support this new belief

Future pace and associate all the benefits of having this new belief

6
THE SECRET TO PEAK PERFORMANCE

Action is the Driving Force that Produces Results

Are the most successful people the ones with the most knowledge, the most intelligence or the most academically brilliant? Of course not. If this were true, then everyone with a PhD or from MENSA would be a multimillionaire. The irony is that many people who do extremely well academically usually end up working for those who were average performers in school.

Think about this. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Larry Ellison, Soichiro Honda and Richard Branson all do not have a college degree. Yet they have built billion dollar empires run by extremely well qualified managers and professionals, many with Harvard MBAs. Why? Simply because they were individuals who took massive action.

Action is the driving force that makes things happen. When you take consistent action towards a specific outcome, you definitely produce results. You either get the results you want (success), or you get the results you don’t want (feedback).

By changing your strategy and consistently taking even more action, you will eventually get the results that you want.

You see, knowledge, intelligence and capability are not ‘power’. They are only potential forms power. It is only when you take action that these resources become powerful.

Success is defined by how much action you take and not just by how much knowledge and capability you have. Knowledge can be learnt and capability can be acquired. But action is the one resource that you have to unleash within yourself.

‘Ignorant’ Henry Ford was Smart Enough to Hire People Smarter than He!

Henry Ford, the inventor of the automobile, was very often labeled an ‘ignorant man’ as he did not have much formal schooling. He did not know much about accounting, engineering or literature. Despite this, Ford founded the Ford Motor Company, which today is a billion dollar global business.

In actual fact, he did not have the necessary skills or talent to invent anything. He was just a man who kept taking massive action backed by an unshakeable belief that ‘nothing was impossible.’ His secret was this. ‘Hire people who are smarter than you and put them to work.’

That’s exactly what Ford did. He went out and hired the best brains to work for him. He then tasked them to invent the Ford-T, the first automobile. When these scientists and engineers said it was impossible, he said, ‘Do whatever it takes, and you will find a way’, ‘Don’t give me a problem, find a solution.’ Eventually, with all his pushing, the first model T was introduced to the world in 1908.

The same thing still holds true today. Many intelligent, well- educated people I know with MBAs and PhDs never accomplish much because, although they may have the intelligence and knowledge, they don’t take sufficient consistent action.

On the other hand, there are many millionaires and business owners I know who never went to university or dropped out of college, and yet they have created phenomenal results, simply because they kept taking action. Very often, it is because they have nothing to lose… so they take lots of action to make up for it. Yes, unfortunately, while book knowledge and tertiary education can be extremely valuable assets, too much of it can become a liability. I have found that when people have excess knowledge, they spend all their time over analyzing and thinking of WHY ‘it cannot be done’, so much so that it paralyses them and they end up never taking action.

When you are highly academically qualified, you tend to be more risk averse. So you tend to take less action. I am not saying that knowledge and education are not important. They are extremely powerful resources. But taking massive action is the key to unleashing your personal power.

People who combine knowledge with massive action become unstoppable in achieving any goal.

Emotion Drives Action

The most common reasons I hear are: ‘I lack motivation’, ‘I’m too lazy’, ‘I don’t feel confident’ or ‘I am afraid that…’. Is this true for you as well? If you are like most people, you would probably be nodding your head.

If you think about it, ‘motivation’, ‘fear’, ‘confidence’, ‘inertia – expressed as procrastination’, are nothing but emotional states we experience.

You see, it is not primarily logic that drives our actions. It is our emotions. Very often, we know that logically we should do something, but we don’t do it because we don’t feel like doing it. For example, you know that you should start exercising three times a week, but you put it off because you feel lazy. As a salesperson, you know you should make ten cold calls a day, but you don’t do it because you don’t feel like being rejected. You know that public speaking will help your career, but you don’t get on stage and face the audience because you feel the fear.

At the same time, there are many things we do, knowing full well that we shouldn’t! But we still do it. Why? Because we feel like doing it. For example, you know that eating that extra piece of delicious chocolate cake is bad for your weight/health but you still do it because you feel greedy. You know that you shouldn’t go back to sleep when the alarm rings, but you still lie in because it feels so good.

It is truly our emotional ‘states’ that drive our actions and behaviors all the time. How we feel truly determines what we do and how we do it.

Emotional ‘states’ like ‘excitement’, ‘passion’, ‘confidence’, ‘happiness’, ‘exhilaration’ get us to take action and perform at our peak.

At the same time, states like ‘fear’, ‘anxiety’, ‘stress’, ‘inertia’, ‘depression’, ‘tiredness’ hold us back.

Have you ever experienced a day when you managed to get a lot of things done? When your ideas flowed, when you made the best decisions and you were absolutely on form? I am sure you have. Well on those ‘top of form’ days, you were in a series of resourceful states.

Then again, have you had days when you couldn’t get anything done? When you couldn’t do anything right? You said and did the most stupid things? How could this happen? You were the same person and had exactly the same resources available to you. The difference was that you were not in a resourceful state.

People who take consistent action and produce great results do so because they experience many more resourceful states on a daily basis. It is these empowering states that allow them to get the best out of themselves. So what states do you experience on a daily basis?

Do you find yourself in empowering states frequently or are you usually in an un-resourceful state? I want to you grab a pen and take the time to do this next exercise.

A Checklist of Your States

In the space below, I want you to list the 10 most common emotional states you experience on a daily basis. Think about it. From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you sleep, what are the states you experience most frequently? Be completely honest with yourself and do it now.

Top 10 Emotional States Experienced Daily

Example: How do you feel when you wake up? When you walk into the office? When you meet your clients? In the middle of the day? When you arrive home? When You are faced with a challenge? When you are faced with tough deadlines? When things do not go your way?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Have you done the exercise? If you haven’t, please go back and do it! It is extremely important. Now, assuming you have a list of your top ten states, I want you to put a tick next to those states which you find are extremely resourceful. What are the states that get you to take action and perform at your peak? Do this now.

Next, I want you to put a cross next to those states which hold you back and stop you from taking action. Cross those states that are un-resourceful for you. Do this now.

Look at your list again. Do you experience more empowering states or more lousy states on a daily basis? This list is normally an accurate reflection of how successful you are at producing the results you want.

I have found that people who are extremely productive and successful have a lot more empowering states than lousy states. Below is a typical list from a high achieving individual. This is not to say that they do not experience ‘inertia’, ‘fear’, or ‘depression’. It’s just that they experience it far less frequently and when they do, they are able to get out of these lousy states much more quickly. They don’t wallow in their unproductive ‘state’.

On the other hand, take a look at the list of a typical individual who is not as successful as he could be.

Does this make sense? You may be the smartest and most intelligent person in the world. But if you constantly experience un-resourceful states like ‘fear’, ‘frustration, ‘inertia’ and ‘lethargy’, you simply cannot perform at your peak. This is what happens to most people I see.

Are You in Control Over Your States?

Let me ask you another important question. Are you in absolute control over the states that you experience from moment to moment? When you got depressed, did you tell yourself, ‘I think I will feel depressed now!’ and get into that state?

When you are in a state of confidence, did you direct yourself to get into a confident state? Most people don’t consciously direct their own states. Very often, they find themselves just moving in and out of different states, and their emotions affect how they feel and how they perform, without them realising it.

For example, have you ever been in a positive state and then suddenly, during the day you feel lousy for no apparent reason?

Or you feel extremely motivated at first but after a while, you lose your motivation and fail to follow through?

You see, if we don’t consciously manage our states, our brain will run on auto-pilot and shift us into different states. Worse still, after a while many of these states become habitual patterns, which we keep experiencing over and over again. Like every time we get out of bed, even after seven hours of sleep, we feel sleepy and lethargic.

Or the minute we step into the office and look at the work piled up, we feel frustrated and overwhelmed. All these limiting patterns have been programmed into our subconscious and formed through our neuro-connections. That is why many people feel that they are not in control over their emotions, and their lives.

At the same time, many people allow their states to be controlled by external events. For example, when they close a sale, they feel motivated and confident to do more. When they experience failure, they get so frustrated and depressed that they quit.

When someone encourages them or when they attend a motivational seminar, they get excited and motivated and take action. When someone passes a negative comment, they get upset. These people tend to operate from the ‘blame frame’ we talked about in an earlier chapter. That is, when they feel lousy, they blame something or someone else for getting them into that lousy state. ‘He makes me so upset, I can’t get anything done’ or ‘Because of what happened, I don’t feel confident anymore’ or ‘My boss does not motivate me enough.’

Does this mean that successful individuals who experience more empowering states do so because they experience more positive events?

Do they have less problems? Do they have people who encourage them all the time? Do they achieve their goals often and never fail? We know that is not true! They may experience the same lousy events in their environments, but they are able to remain in powerful states like motivation and confidence that continue to drive them to take more action until they get the desired result!

How? They are able to take charge and consciously direct their states from moment to moment. Unsuccessful people, on the other hand, find themselves constantly at the mercy of their (bad) habits and their environment.

So, you must start taking charge of your states and learn how to get yourself constantly into resourceful states that allow you to perform at your peak. The first thing you must understand is that…

We Create Our Own Emotional States

At any point of time, you create your own states! If you are feeling confident, then you are creating that confidence within yourself. If you are feeling depressed, you are creating your own depression. When you are motivated, you are creating that state of empowerment. No one or nothing can affect or change your state unless you choose to allow yourself to get into that state.

Is this really true? Well, think about this. Why is it that two people can encounter the exact same event, but feel totally different about it? One person may feel fear at having to speak in front of a large audience, while the other feels totally relaxed. One person may feel totally motivated coming into the office, while the other feels bored and tired. One person may feel inspired and challenged when faced with an obstacle while another person feels demoralized. So, you see, it is not what happens on the outside that affects a person’s state, but what happens on the inside.

So how do we create our states? During the times when we feel totally motivated, how do create that? When we are depressed, how do we create that depressed feeling? How you feel at any moment in time is determined by two things,

your Physiology and

your Internal Representation.

Your Physiology Affects Your State

The first thing that determines the state you are in is your physiology. I define broadly physiology as the condition and use of our physical body.

The condition of your body has a direct impact on how you feel. Do you feel differently when your body is well rested and physically vibrant? Of course.

When your muscles are relaxed and your cells are bursting with energy, you are most likely in a peak state.

But if you have to get out of bed after a night of tossing and turning with worry, or insufficient sleep, won’t you feel your muscles aching and your joints stiff? And I bet you won’t be in a very resourceful state at all. You will easily get into states like tiredness, frustration and depression. This is why it is so important your body is maintained in peak condition through both proper diet and exercise.

Highly successful individuals from Presidents to pop stars are consistently able to be in peak states because they keep themselves in peak physical condition through a comprehensive exercise regime.

US President George W. Bush runs an average of three miles (within 8 minutes), four times a week, and also routinely cross- trains with swimming, free weights and an elliptical trainer. As a result, his resting heart rate is 43 beats per minute, equivalent to that of a professional athlete. In order to maintain her level of energy both on and off stage, pop queen Madonna runs daily, follows a strict routine of yoga and avoids all junk food.

When you engage in daily aerobic activities like swimming, running, cycling or even jumping on the trampoline, you oxygenate your body more readily. Oxygen and nutrients will be carried to and nourish your cells more effectively, giving you a lot more energy! With your physical body in a peak condition, you will find yourself being in peak emotional states as well.

Know too that the way you use your physiology (Body) equally affects your state. What do I mean by this?

Well, if you were to be in a depressed state, what would your physiology be like? Your posture would probably be slouched. Your eyes would be downward looking. Your breathing would be slow and shallow. Your facial muscles would be drooping and your tone of voice low and soft, even barely audible.

Now, what if you were in a state of total excitement? Your physiology would be completely different, wouldn’t it? Your posture and shoulders would be upright, your eyes would be wide open and more focused, your breathing would be faster and deeper, your facial muscles would be firm and your voice would be much louder and you would speak in a higher pitch!

You see, every state we experience has a specific physiology associated with it. In other words, in order for us to create depression, we must shift our physiology into a depressed one. When we feel excited, we automatically have to shift our physiology into an excited format. It is just that we are so used to doing it, we don’t realize that we can actually control it.

Can you feel depressed if you were to stay in an excited physiology? Of course not! It is impossible because your brain and body are neurologically linked. When you shift your physiology, you automatically shift your mind and your state!

In the next section, we will explore how you can take immediate control over your states through consciously directing your physiology.

Your Internal Representation Affects Your State

The second thing that affects the state you are in is your internal representation. Our internal representation is a fancy term meaning How and What we think about.

It is how we internally represent what is going on around us inside our mind. We may all experience the same external event, but we represent it very differently in our minds.

Now, we all experience the external world through our five senses. Right? We cannot consciously be aware of everything that is happening around us because every second there are two million bits of stimuli hitting our brain. In order for our brain to cope, our minds filter all this information by deleting, distorting and generalizing all this stimuli into an internal representation of what is happening around us.

In other words, what we perceive is not reality but an internal re-presentation of reality. This is why two people can encounter the same event, but represent it and feel very differently about it in their minds.

For example: Couple A on a European tour LOVED the ambience of the old hotels, the high ceilings, the soft double beds, even the rickety lift they thought charming.

Couple B, who COMPLAINED about everything, hated the ‘faded appearance’ of old hotels, they would have far preferred the compactness and modernity of motel rooms with their twin beds. See the same hotels and the difference in representations or perceptions?

Some of the key filters that determine what we delete, distort and generalize are our Beliefs, Values and Attitudes. Because different people have different beliefs, values and attitudes, they delete, distort and generalize things very differently. As a result, all of us experience a very different representation of the world.

Some people have powerful beliefs, values and attitudes that allow them to constantly represent things in a way that puts them in an empowering state while others constantly represent things in a way that puts them in a lousy, ineffective state.

So What is Our Internal Representation Made Up Of?

How do we re-present things in our mind? We do so primarily by seeing pictures (visual) and playing sounds (auditory). We also tend to talk to ourselves through an internal voice (auditory digital).

What we picture in our minds, the sounds we play and what we say to ourselves ALL affect the states we get (ourselves) into. Some people have a pattern of constantly representing things in such a way that makes them feel depressed. Others do the opposite.

For example, what happens when the alarm clock rings in the morning? For some it automatically fires off an internal voice that goes, ‘What time is it? Why must I wake up so early? How much longer can I sleep? Give me five more minutes.’ They then picture in their minds all the people and things they dislike but will have to face during the day. What state do you think this will trigger them into? Most probably a state of lethargy that will get them to turn over and go back to sleep. And then be really late for work… which will put them into a frantic state for the entire day !

Have you ever wondered how some people can jump out of bed feeling excited and energized every morning?

Well, for one thing, they run a very different program in their minds. Their internal representation is completely different. The moment the alarm rings, they start playing a voice that goes ‘Wow! It’s morning. Time to get up! There are so many things to do!’ And this internal voice is probably in a loud, enthusiastic tone. They then create pictures of all the exciting things they will be doing that day and how good they would feel getting it done. This gets them to instantly jump out of bed, all energized.

Does Everybody Experience Failure, Rejection and Obstacles?‌

Of course we all do… from Royalty to the trash collector. Just think of the many knocks the British royal family have had from the ridicule Prince Charles has had to endure and overcome, the loneliness Princess Diana felt so acutely, to the pain and rejection Queen Elizabeth experienced when Diana died and the public criticized what they perceived to be her ‘coldness’.

Again, how you represent happenings, incidents, other people’s behavior in your mind will affect the state that you create for yourself.

For some people, the moment they experience a setback, they will create all the worst pictures & sounds in their mind! They will keep re-playing the internal movie of themselves failing and even picture themselves screwing up all future attempts.

They will have an internal voice that goes, ‘Why does this happen to me?’ ‘I always screw up!’ By representing the experience this way, you put yourself in the worst possible state! You will probably feel so frustrated, overwhelmed and scared that you will stop taking action.

Most successful people I know choose to represent their setbacks in a way that keeps them in an empowering state. When they experience a set-back, instead of painting a gloom and doom scenario, they picture all the possibilities of turning the situation around.

They picture their final, successful outcome and also say to themselves, ‘What can I learn from this set-back? How can I turn this around?’ So they constantly find themselves confident and motivated to keep taking action until they succeed.

So which ‘mental program’ do you play daily? How do you habitually re-present things in your mind? If you have been playing a destructive program, then you must begin to change it immediately.

The moment you start consciously directing the pictures and words in your head, you start getting control over your emotions and actions!

You will learn exactly how to do this in the next chapter on ‘Directing your Brain for Optimum Results!’

How We Create Procrastination & Motivation

Have you ever experienced the state of procrastination? Stupid question? All of us have, at one time or another! Procrastination is the number one killer of success. It is the single most common state that keeps people from taking action. It’s when you know that you should do something, but keep putting it off.

Have you ever had to start on a project but kept doing everything else that would delay you getting started? You cleaned your desk, got a drink of water, checked your emails, walked around and finally said, ‘I think I will do it tomorrow!’

Has there also been another time when you felt totally motivated in getting started on a project? A time when you just sat down and got it done immediately? Of course, the trouble is that this situation rarely happens, and never when we need to get something done.

Again, I want you to understand how you create these two states using your physiology and your internal representation. When you understand this, you will find yourself being able to change, interrupt and change states when you need to.

When you were procrastinating, you were using your physiology in a particular way. Your breathing was probably slow and shallow. Your muscles were droopy, your eyes were looking down and your facial muscles were probably flaccid.

How do you think you were creating your internal representation? You were probably seeing pictures of yourself having a tough time, being overwhelmed and getting frustrated. You were probably saying to yourself, ‘Must I do this now? Can I do it later?’ In the most bored and weary tone of voice. And that is why you don’t feel like starting on it at all.

On the other hand, when you were in a motivated state and just got things done, how did you create that?

Well, your physiology was probably completely different. You were sitting differently, breathing differently and moving differently. You were probably representing the task very differently in your mind. You were seeing yourself getting results, having fun and doing things effortlessly. You probably said to yourself, ‘Do it now!’ ‘Let’s get it done!’ in a more excited, higher pitched tone of voice.

Again, remember, we hardly manage our states consciously. We never consciously decide to shift our physiology and control our internal representations to control our states. Instead, we let our minds run on autopilot and in so doing sit back and lose control of our own states and consequently results. Let’s now begin to learn…

How to Take Charge of Your Physiology

Directing your physiology is one of the most powerful ways of managing your states.

In those times when you felt powerful, motivated and confident, it was because the elements of your physiology were in the right place.

When you were feeling off-color and unenthusiastic, your physiology was not in an optimum mode.

In the last section, we said that every state has a specific physiology associated to it. For you to get depressed, your physical body must be configured in a certain way.

If we didn’t shift the elements of our body into a slack state, our brain will not be able to access the state of depression. We do it so often and subconsciously that many of us have become experts at feeling down. Or even becoming really depressed, haven’t we?

Now, it is very important for you to not just understand this intellectually, but to fully participate in the activities so you can experience first-hand how directing and shifting your physiology can make such a great impact on your state of mind.

EXERCISE 1 Get into a State of Feeling Really Bored and Tired

What I want you to do is to get into a state of feeling really bored and tired. Sit the way you would be sitting if you felt totally bored and tired. Now, I know this may sound a little strange, but I want you to really give it your best. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being extremely bored, I want you to imagine that you are at a 10!

Breathe the way you would if you felt totally bored. How would you look? What would your facial expression be like? Now, say to yourself what you would normally say if you were totally bored and tired (say it in the exact same way!). Go ahead and do this now.

How do you feel? Now, if you had really participated, you would have felt a state change. You would have felt yourself getting bored and tired. Now, what happened to your physiology? What was your posture like? Where were your shoulders? Where was your head position? What did you say to yourself? How did you say it? How did you breathe? Now, typically for most people, their physiology for bored and tired would be what you see below.

This is your physiological recipe for getting bored and tired! As you can see, it takes a lot of effort to get into a certain state. It’s just that you have been doing it for so many years you have become quite an expert at slipping into this state.

Now, Snap Out of Boredom
by Changing Your Physiology

Well, what will happen if you were to take someone who is in a lousy state like this and totally change his physiology? Not changing just one or two elements, but changing everything!

If you were to massively change someone’s physiology, they would immediately experience a change in state! You would immediately feel more energized and expectant! I know this sounds very simplistic, but this is how your body controls your state of mind.

How People Usually Manage their States

The notion of changing your physical body to change your states is nothing new. All the gurus who teach yoga, meditation, qi gong and tai chi are masters at changing the physical body to effect a complete change of state… from a stressed, tense state to one of complete relaxation and ‘stillness’. All this is of course taught consciously and the health benefits are enormous.

But many people, unfortunately, use external stimuli to change their physical bodies and their states, which is generally not at all good for them in the long term. For example, people use junk food, coffee, drugs, alcohol or cigarettes, all of which alter their biochemistry and change how they feel temporarily. (Unfortunately the negative effects of such addictive foods and drugs on their physical body is long term.)

Some people I know smoke to change their states, especially to calm their nerves from stress and anxiety. Well, why does smoking change your state? It is not so much the chemicals that do the job. Rather, it is the fact that by inhaling, you are taking deep slow breaths. And that is why you feel calmer and more relaxed. Next time, save money, just puff deeply on a pen. I bet you will get the same effects.

A strategy some people use to change their states, which is rather useful and beneficial, is to exercise. I am sure you have experienced a time when you felt frustrated, depressed or stressed. When you went out for a run or a game of tennis, what happened? You immediately forgot you were depressed! That is because exercising massively changes your entire physiology: the brain cannot access the depressed state any more.

But what happened when you stopped exercising? You gradually got depressed again, didn’t you? However, this means that you do have the ability to shift completely out of negative states in an instant, you just need to take control over it. And you don’t need external devices to change your states, you can do it by consciously taking charge of your physiology.

EXERCISE 2 Experiencing a Change in State

Now, I want you to experience how powerful a state change can be. Get back into your bored and tired state by putting yourself in a bored and tired physiology. The moment you feel that you’re in this lousy state, I want you to clap your hands and change your entire physiology! Get into the new physiology of energy and excitement!

Test this out now!

Did you feel the state change? I am sure you did. This means that anytime you need to get into a more resourceful state, you can consciously change your physiology and your state will change. The more you do this, the more natural it will become.

Now, unless you totally change your physiology, it is impossible for you to change your state, In other words, if you remain in a physiology of procrastination, it is not possible for you to feel motivated! That is why I find it ironic when people tell me that no matter what they do, they cannot seem to get motivated. It is because they say it (unconsciously) with the most bored physiology and tonality possible. First thing I say is, ‘Change your physiology! Move faster! Breathe faster! Speak louder, faster and with more enthusiasm!’

EXERCISE 3 Get into the State of Being Totally Depressed

Let’s do this really simple experiment. I want you to get into the physiology of being totally depressed. How would you sit if you were totally depressed? Breathe the way you would breathe. Have a look of total depression on your face.

Now, without changing any part of your physiology, I want you to try to feel happy. Remaining in a totally depressed physiology, try to get into a happy state. Can you? No. It’s impossible. This is so obvious that it sounds ridiculous. But in reality, we complain of not being able to get motivated, confident and relaxed when we keep putting our physiology in a totally collapsed posture.

Please bear in mind that once you know how to manage your states, it doesn’t mean that external events can never affect you. It doesn’t mean that you will never get upset or lazy anymore! I still have my fair share of lazy states that I get into. The only difference is that now you can choose to be in control and begin to shift yourself into a more resourceful state, as and when you need to bring out the best out in yourself.

Direct Yourself into Peak States for Peak Performance

One of the most powerful ways I have used this is in the area of public speaking. As a motivational speaker, I am expected to be in a peak state every time I step on stage. It is only when I am in a peak state of confidence and power that I can get my seminars across in the most dynamic way. And it is the only way I can elicit those same powerful states from the participants.

The challenge is that I am on stage virtually every single day. Many people have often asked me, ‘Where do you get your energy? How do you get so confident and motivated all the time?’

The only reason I am able to constantly get myself into state on stage is because I totally take charge of my entire physiology. I can assure you that there have been many times when I was in a totally different state just before I got on stage.

There have been many times when I felt nervous, worried and even upset because of external events. But just before I get on stage, I would get myself into a physiology of total confidence and motivation! I would remember how I would stand, how I would move, the tone of voice I would use, the expression on my face and the tension in my muscles. I would then adopt that very same physiology and wham! I would stride up there and perform at my peak!

Multi-Tasking and Peak Physiology

The only way I managed to write all my five books, juggling writing with a hectic work schedule, was through using this technique as well. The biggest challenge about writing a book is that after the first chapter, you inevitably lose the initial excitement, get stuck with ideas and feel overwhelmed.

This is what causes most authors to procrastinate and eventually give up. Either that or they take years to write a book. It’s not that they lack the ideas or the time, they just have to wait to get into a motivated and creative state before they can write easily.

As for me, I couldn’t give myself the luxury of waiting for the creative juices to start flowing naturally. If I did, this book would never have been completed and published. I would never have met my target of writing two books in one year, while running three companies and being on stage speaking nearly everyday.

Whenever I scheduled the time to write a chapter, I would put myself into a state of total motivation and creativity. I would get into this state by mimicking the physiology I was in, in the recent past, when I was in a peak state. The minute I got into state, I would write non-stop for hours, and the words would just flow. This was especially useful when I had to begin writing at 1 am after finishing a hectic training and work schedule during the day.

Fake it Till You Make it!

Have you ever wanted to be absolutely confident in certain situations when you were feeling unsure? Would it be empowering for you to get into a state of being totally motivated instead of feeling the usual lethargy?

Or how about changing your fear of going on stage to feeling enthusiastic and relaxed when you have to face an audience?

How much would it change the results you are able to produce in life? Well you can! All you have to do is to put yourself in that physiology of excellence!

If you want to feel confident, all you have to do is to adopt the total physiology of confidence. If you want to feel motivated, adopt the physiology of motivation.

This is called the ‘Act as if…’ principle. If you want to feel a certain state, act as if you were already in that state.

Remember that confidence, motivation and excitement are nothing but emotional states that you have experienced in the past. If you could access these states in a past situation, those same resources are available to you now! All you have to do is to model the exact same physiology you were in when you experienced it previously.

Getting Yourself into a State of Confidence

Imagine that you are going to make a presentation, which you have prepared for but, as usual, you don’t feel confident at all. And it has been this lack of confidence that has affected your performance in the past. How do you get yourself into a confident state?

If you think about it, I am sure there has been a time in the past when you felt totally confident. There was definitely a time you were able to access a state of total confidence.

Think of the last time when you felt really confident doing something you were good at.

Go back to that time and adopt the same physiology you were in. Stand the way you were standing. Breathe the way you were breathing. Have the same tension in your face, arms and hands. Have the same focus in your eyes. Now, say to yourself what you would normally say when you are feeling totally confident. Use the exact same tone and volume!

If you had followed this exercise conscientiously, do you now feel that confident state? I bet you do! As long as you have accessed a particular state in the past, your mind and body can re-create it by accessing the past resources. This is what is known as modeling the physiology of excellence!

Steps to Modeling Your Physiology of Excellence

Whenever you need to feel particularly motivated, confident and even happy, you don’t have to depend on something external to put you in that state. As long as you have experienced this resourceful state in the past, you can tap into it now by modeling the physiology you were in then!

There are six steps you must take to access any resourceful state. Let’s say you have to take on a challenge and you want to put yourself into an absolutely confident state in order to perform at your peak.

By modeling the exact same physiology your body was in previously, you will be able to feel the CONFIDENCE surging through your Body, readying you to take on any Challenge!

How Sports People Use the Physiology of Confidence to Win

This technique is especially powerful in the area of competitive sports. At the highest level of competition, where sports people beat each other by mere milliseconds, points or strokes, it is not the level of capability that gives them the edge.

At that standard of competition, all of them have the potential and capability of winning. What sets them apart on competition day is the state in which their mind and body is in. Aren’t there days when you can hit perfect golf shots or connect with the tennis ball each time? On those days, you happened to be in that peak state. But on some days, despite having the same mental and physical capabilities, you kept missing the ball or tripping over yourself.

How Agassi Regained His Confidence

At one time, Andre Agassi was invincible on the tennis courts. The world’s number one tennis player would be in a state of total focus and confidence each time he faced his opponent. As a result, he performed at a standard that gave him the winning edge. Then he started to go into a slump. For some reason, he lost his focus and couldn’t get into the right state. He kept missing the ball and making the wrong moves. He consulted peak performance coach Anthony Robbins who explained to Agassi that the reason he was not winning his games was because he was not in the same resourceful states he was in, in the past.

Robbins got Agassi to watch videotapes of the matches in which he won and Agassi started noticing that in those instances, his physiology was different compared to the way he presently carried himself on the courts. In the past, his posture was different, the focus in his eyes was different, his breathing pattern was different and he moved differently.

So Robbins instructed him to watch and model the physiology he had in the past. In the next few matches, Agassi would go in and consciously adopt the exact same physiology he had in the past. He started getting into his peak state and played the winning way he used to. As a result, he won the US Open within six months & regained his ranking as the world number one.

The Mind-Body Connection

What psychologists and medical practitioners now know is that the mind and body are more neurologically linked than we ever thought before. As a result, your internal representation and physiology are in a cybernetic loop.

What this means is that when you change one, the other would change as well. If you had an internal representation of depression (you thought of something totally depressive), your body would shift into a depressive physiology. This is pretty obvious. At the same time, changing your physiology affects the way your mind represents things internally.

For example, if you put yourself into a depressed physiology, then I guarantee that you will start perceiving things in a ‘can’t be done, too hard’ fashion. You may look at a particular challenge, and feel totally overwhelmed by it.

But when you are in a physiology of power, you start to perceive similar events very differently. Looking at the same challenge, you will start to see it in a much more positive light. You will start focusing on what is possible and start thinking about solutions instead of putting obstacles in front of you.

EXERCISE 4 Think of a Challenge You are Faced With

I want you to think of a particular challenge or task that you are faced with in your life, right now. A challenge which you feel overwhelmed by, like you are not sure whether you can tackle it or not. As you think about this challenge, notice the physiology your body is in. Notice the state that you are experiencing at this very moment.

Now, I want you to stand up and put yourself into a physiology of Absolute Confidence.

How would your physiology be if you felt unstoppable?

Stand the way you would stand if you felt totally confident.

Breathe the way you would breathe and put an expression of confidence on your face.

Put a look of focus, intensity, alertness into your eyes.

Now, while remaining in this physiology, I want you to think of that same challenge or task, but this time staying in this physiology of power.

As you think of the challenge now, do you perceive it differently? Does it feel like you could take it on a lot more easily? For most people, the answer would be yes! In a powerful physiology, your brain starts to re-present the issue in a much more empowering way, thus getting you into a more resourceful state to take action.

Replicating Another Person’s Winning Physiology

Have you have ever been in a situation where you felt overwhelmed? The challenge or task seemed so daunting? And that feeling of being swamped, of being overcome by fear (of failure) made you keep putting it off? I am sure you have encountered such situations. But didn’t you eventually manage to get the task completed?

Now, what was the difference? You were the same person, with the same resources available to you. The difference was that in one situation, you happened to be in a resourceful state because of your physiology, and when you represented the task, you felt more empowered to do it.

What do you think would happen if you were to model another person’s physiology exactly? You will experience the same state that person is experiencing. Why? Because when you replicate another person’s exact body language, you are sending the same neurological signals to your nervous system (as had happened to him). And this would fire off the same neuro-physiological state in you.

What is truly amazing is that if you were to replicate that person’s physiology exactly, you could even fire off the same internal representation of that person in your brain. In other words, if that person was thinking a particular thought, you could experience those same thoughts as well! That is how connected your brain and body truly is.

I know this is hard to believe, but I have seen this result many times in the ‘Patterns of Excellence’ seminars that we conduct. In these seminars, we get the participants to break up into groups of three. One person A would think of something (let’s say his child) and get into the state and physiology associated with it.

Another person B would observe and copy person A’s exact physiology. The third person C coaches B to make sure that he is almost exact in replicating A’s body language. When they are done, C then asks B what state he is in. In 100% of the time, B would experience the same state that A was experiencing (for example, a feeling of love).

In about 20% of the time, they even see the same pictures that A sees, in their minds! I had a woman A imagine herself on the beach feeling extremely relaxed. When her partner B modeled her physiology, she (B) said that images of the sea and sand kept firing off in her mind (B was not told what A was thinking at all).

In other words, by modeling someone’s physiology exactly, you not only tap into their states, you can even tap into the way they are representing their experiences in their minds.

From a neuro-physical standpoint, the motor cortex that is functionally similar in all our brains fires in the same manner. What could result is our being able to fire off similar neurological patterns, thereby resulting in such a phenomenon.

I encourage you to test this out with two of your friends. You will be truly amazed at the results you experience.

How can you use this knowledge to help yourself to produce exceptional results? Let’s find out…

Model Successful People’s Physiology of Excellence

In the first chapter, we said that the fundamental principle is that we all have the same neurology. That, if it is possible for others, it is possible for you! It is only a question of strategy. In other words, by modeling someone’s strategy, you can replicate the results they produce.

Well, what do we model about a person specifically? Remember that one of the key things that drive a person’s behavior is the states that they experience.

People are successful primarily because they are in resourceful states. People perform the way they do because of the states they experience.

For example, if you want to model a powerful public speaker, it would be best to model that person’s state. So you too will feel the same level of confidence and power and will be able to express yourself in an equally dynamic way.

If you want to model a very effective salesperson you know, you have to model that person’s state of confidence and charisma – both these winning states that enable him to wow and persuade his clients.

The way to do this is to model their physiology! In other words, if you model the physiology of a person who is excellent in something, you would immediately tap into that person’s powerful state. Not only that, but done effectively, you could even tap into that person’s internal representation!

So how do you do this?

Well, first identify a person who is excellent in a particular skill or behavior that you want to exhibit. For example, this person could be a dynamic public speaker, salesperson, decision maker or communicator.

Next, observe keenly, how this person speaks (their tone of voice), how this person moves, their facial expression, the way this person breathes, the focus of their eyes and their gestures.

What you then do is to imagine that you step into the body of this person. Yes! You imagine that you become this person! So the next time you have to go on stage to deliver a speech, you model that person’s physiology exactly! You speak the way they speak, move the way they move, adopt the same body postures and gestures. If you do this you would access the same powerful states that person experiences as well as produce the same behavioral results!

Play Acting that Kids Do is Early Modeling

In fact, we used to do this when we were kids. We called this play-acting. And this is how children learn to form their personal behaviors, (for good or bad) by observing and unconsciously modeling the adults around them.

When you were a kid, didn’t you pretend to be an action star or a movie star? Did you ever imagine yourself to be Superman, Wonder Woman, Rambo or James Bond?

You imagined that you were one or more of them and started acting like them, using their ‘props’ (imaginary weapons), even going so far as to dress like them?

What we don’t realize is that we were modeling patterns of excellence (or otherwise!) in people whom we admired. Unfortunately, we were told that it was childish and that we were being silly. Hence one of the most natural powerful skills of our early learning never continue to be developed and utilized in adult life.

But today, using this technique allows me to hone and accelerate my skills in virtually every area of my personal and professional life.

The Three Speakers I Modeled Myself After…
Until I Became Them

I used to have a fear of public speaking and was below average in my ability to build rapport with and communicate my ideas to an audience.

Then I started to look out for and observe the most dynamic speakers around. Out of the hundreds of speakers I watched, I was most impressed by the charisma, dynamism and power that speakers like Anthony Robbins, Richard Bandler (the co- developer of NLP) and Brad Sugars (a young, millionaire entrepreneur from Australia) exhibited when they were on stage.

I watched their videos intently and attended their live seminars. I spent hours observing the way they spoke, the way they moved and how they carried themselves. Then, I decided to test it out.

The next time I had the opportunity to give a speech, I would imagine that I became these three great speakers and started to model their exact physiology. I went on stage and moved, gestured and spoke like them (interchanging styles, depending on what I was saying).

You know what? I felt totally powerful, charismatic and dynamic on stage! I totally tapped into their states of excellence. In a very short period of time, I started to produce fantastic results in the way I connected and communicated with the audience.

This is how, by the age of 28, I became one of the most sought after and highly paid speakers in the country.

Modeling Others’ Excellence
in Decision-Making and Rapport Building

I also modeled other people’s patterns of excellence in the area of decision-making, sales and even personal relationships.

I have a friend whom I truly admire for his ability to build instant rapport with people. He is very charismatic and influential. And women just melt before his charm. The fact is, he is not even particularly good looking but how he charms everyone to like him instantly.

Being a basically shy person who is not very good at mixing around and breaking the ice with people I meet for the first time, I thought that what this friend had would be a very powerful skill to possess in the area of business networking.

So here again, I started modeling the way he spoke, the way he gestured, his mannerisms and the facial expressions he used. Within a very short period of time, I started to feel an ease and confidence networking with people I had met for the first time. I started to experience my effectiveness as a person who can easily build rapport with and create instant relationships with new acquaintances.

Now, do bear in mind that there are certain skills and competencies that may not be that easily replicated by just modeling a person’s physiology and states.

In modeling someone else’s strategy, the modeling of physiology and states is one of the most powerful in modeling his/her performance and results. However, there are other elements to be modeled, like that person’s beliefs and values structure. At the same time, there is sometimes a need to model that person’s core competencies, which go way beyond just surface modeling of behavior.

For example, if you were to observe and model Tiger Woods exact physiology and tap into his resourceful states, would it mean that you would be able to play golf as good as the world’s number one in a short period of time? Most probably not, because being in the right state may not be enough to generate the same level of performance that Woods has developed through years of rigorous physical training.

You may be able to replicate his state of focus and confidence, but replicating his precise golf skills will take many more hours of intensive training. This is not to say that with enough desire, focus and training hours, it is not possible to acquire the appropriate skills.

However, by modeling Tiger Woods’ physiology and hence states, do you think your level of playing will improve? Yes! Why? Because if you play golf or any other sport, you will realize that a big part of your performance depends on the state of mind you are in.

You may have the capability to hit that ball straight or to shoot that ball into the hole, but when you are not in the right state, you will not be able to do it.

I figured that if I could consciously direct myself into a super resourceful state, I would definitely begin to play better and get a better score. I decided to test this out personally.

I used to manage an average score of 100, which is pretty average for a non-regular golfer. Then I started to model Tiger Woods’ physiology. I modeled the way he walked, the way he addressed the ball, his gestures, his mannerisms and his swing (to the best of my ability). As I got into his physiology, I could feel myself being in a totally focused and confident state. Within three months, I managed to reduce my golf score to 86!

Consciously Model Patterns of Excellence
Rather than Patterns of Mediocrity

Some people I train acknowledge that the power of modeling is impressive. Yet, they feel uncomfortable about ‘copying’ someone else’s style. They say, ‘I am not comfortable with this as I feel like I am not being myself. I am trying to be someone else instead’. As a result, they deprive themselves of the power of modeling excellence and producing exceptional results in a short time.

Well, let me ask you a question.

Think about the behaviors and physiology that you exhibit right now. Where did they come from? Were you born with your gestures, mannerisms, tone of voice and behaviors? No. You behave the way you do now because ever since you were a kid, you had been unconsciously modeling the behaviors and physiologies of the people around you.

Do you realize that the way you speak or react to things may sometimes be similar to your parents or your close friends?

And, the mannerism or gestures you exhibit could have come from people whom you admired (for whatever reason), and unconsciously adopted as your own. So, you have already been modeling your whole life, this is nothing new.

The problem is that in the past, you did not consciously model people of excellence. As a result, you may have unconsciously modeled a lot of ineffective behaviors and negative states of the people around you. For example, if you are a poor mixer or ineffective communicator, it is because you (unconsciously) modeled poor speakers and communicators when you were young.

If you are a poor decision maker and constantly find yourself feeling anxious and lacking in confidence, it is because you have unknowingly adopted the patterns from your friends or family.

Haven’t you ever behaved in a certain way and suddenly realized, ‘Oh my gosh! I’ve become my mother or father!’

So, isn’t it time you start to consciously delete ineffective models of the past and start modeling and adopting patterns of people who exhibit excellence instead?

Another point to understand is that modeling is not just about copying. It is about replicating and then improving on what you have modeled, or modifying it to suit your personal style.

For example, if you were a woman and you were to model the physiology of a male speaker exactly, it may not turn out that well. You may have to modify elements of that person’s physiology to suit your personality. Again, by modeling the best patterns of those three great speakers I spoke about earlier, I now exhibit patterns of all three in the way I speak. I have taken the best patterns, combined them and adapted them to make them my own. That is what modeling physiology is all about.

The science of modeling extends to other areas that we will explore in future chapters.

EXERCISE 5 Think! Who Can You Model?

So, I want you to think. Who can you model in the different areas of your life? Who are some effective role models that you can begin to observe and model their physiology?

1 Communication
Who do know who is an excellent communicator? Someone who builds rapport with people easily and is very charismatic and persuasive?

2 Decision Making
Think of someone who makes decisions confidently and effectively.

3 Your Career
Who is a person you can model who is excellent in your chosen profession or business? An excellent teacher? An excellent salesperson? A great deal maker? A terrific speaker?

4 Confidence
Who do you know exudes a lot of confidence and power and commands a lot of respect?

5 Motivation
Who can you model in the area of motivation? Who is always bubbling with enthusiasm, always energized, no matter how negative everyone else around is?

6 Attractiveness
Who do you find is able to exude lots of genuine charm and attracts both sexes?

Once you have identified these models of excellence, test the effectiveness of this technique by going through the following steps:

STEP 1

Observe how this person moves, breathes, gestures, behaves. Observe this person’s facial expressions, postures & tone of voice.

STEP 2

Rehearse mentally. Imagine in your mind what it would be like to be this person. How would you react to the things around you? How would you move, breathe, act and behave?

STEP 3

Physically do it. Imagine yourself being this model of excellence and take on the physiology as you perform the task or interact with other people.

While directing our physiology is a great leverage for shifting our states, let’s now shift our attention to learning how to direct the other factor that affects our states, our internal representation!

Summary: The Secret of Peak Performance

The emotional states we experience drive our behavior and actions. Our actions in turn affect the results we produce.

Successful individuals experience more resourceful states on a day to day basis.

We create our own emotional states through our physiology & our internal representation.

All of us re-present things very differently in our mind. We need to consciously direct the pictures and sounds we play in our minds in order to take charge of our states.

Taking charge of our physiology is a key way to managing our states.

We can tap into resourceful states at any time by modeling our past physiologies or modeling people who exhibit excellence in a particular area.

7
DIRECTING YOUR BRAIN FOR OPTIMUM RESULTS

You now know that the ‘state’ in which you are in at any moment in time is determined by your physiology, and your internal representation. You have also been taken through a slew of strategies, each one designed to manage your physiology in order to optimize your ‘state’.

Now we will focus on the other half of the equation, i.e. on how you can take charge of your internal representation.

Remember that our internal representation is the way in which we represent what is going on around us. It is a fancy term meaning what we think about and how we think about our ‘environment’.

All of us represent our external experiences very differently. This is why two people may encounter the same experience, like a tough challenge, but perceive it very differently in their respective minds.

One person may represent it in a way that makes him feel totally challenged and empowered. The other person may represent it in a way that completely demoralizes him. When we learn exactly how we represent things in our mind, we can then start to direct it in a way that puts us in the most resourceful and empowering states.

Recall that we represent our thoughts constantly through pictures (visual), sounds (auditory) and feelings (kinesthetic), all of which we generate internally in our minds. We also tend to talk to ourselves through an internal voice (auditory digital). There are two major elements that we must learn to direct,

WHAT we focus on and HOW we focus on it.

What We Focus On Affects Our State

At any given second, there are two million bits of information bombarding us. While it is impossible to consciously be aware of everything, our mind tends to filter all this stimuli and focus on a few chunks of information at a time. Similarly, when we think of something in the past or something in the future, we tend to focus on certain aspects of the experience. And to us what we choose to focus on becomes most real in our minds.

I remember going to a stage play some time ago which, because of a technical failure, started an hour late. However, when the curtain finally went up, it turned out to be one of the most entertaining and inspiring performances I had ever experienced. Most people in the audience loved the show & raved about it when the curtain fell.

However, my friend, sitting right next to me, felt that he had had a horrible experience. I couldn’t understand why? He said, ‘Well, it started so late that it spoilt the entire show! And to make things worse, the people around us were laughing so loudly, it was so annoying!’ I had hardly noticed the laughter, in fact to me it was part of the atmosphere. But my friend chose to focus on everything about the show that was not working and to him the experience was most disappointing.

Some people have a pattern of focusing on pictures, sounds and feelings that put them into un-resourceful states while others generate pictures, sounds and feelings them put them into resourceful states.

How about you? What do you do when you meet with failure? Some people keep playing mind pictures of themselves screwing up. Some people even play it like a bad movie, over and over again in their heads.

They keep seeing themselves making the bad decisions, experiencing the consequences and they re-play all the negative voices around them. They may play the sound of their boss shouting at them. Then they run an internal dialogue that goes like this: ‘How could I have been so stupid!’ ‘Why do I always screw things up?’ or ‘Oh, sh…t! I’m dead.’

What kind of state do you think they will be generating? Not a very resourceful one, I bet!

So, what kind of pictures and sounds should one play to produce a resourceful state?

Well, this is what positive people do when they encounter failure. They choose to represent the failure as feedback that will lead them into finding a solution. Instead of re-playing scenes of the event or project that flopped, they focus on what they can learn from it, and how they will do it the next time… to get good results.

They may even imagine themselves succeeding, using what they have learnt from the past experience, and their success would be accompanied by the sounds of people cheering or the boss congratulating them.

They may play an internal dialogue that goes something like this: ‘I’ll make it the next time for sure’, ‘I’ll prove that I can turn things around’. Or they’ll say reflectively: ‘Now, what can I learn from this experience’.

Obviously, such people will find themselves in more resourceful states.

Our minds are never still or idle, throughout our waking hours we play mental programs continuously. Now, start becoming aware of the kind of mental program you usually run when you are about to take on a challenging task.

For example, just before making an important presentation, or writing a difficult report, what goes on in your mind?

Are you one of those who habitually focus on how difficult it is going to be? Do you see yourself being overwhelmed and stressed out. Do you mutter under your breath, ‘Oh no! How am I ever going to do this?’ ‘What if I screw up?’ ‘It’s just too difficult!’ You may even picture yourself screwing up or giving up. As a result you get into a state of nervous anxiety.

But can you choose to represent the challenge very differently in your mind? Of course! You could choose to focus on how easy, fun and rewarding the challenge will be. Confident people will picture themselves dealing with the task or project effortlessly. They may even have an internal voice saying, ‘I am finally getting this done! This is so rewarding!’ ‘I knew I could do it.’

Now, given the same challenge, why do some people rise to it while others feel apprehension? The interesting fact is that most of us do not consciously decide what pictures, sounds and feelings we are going to generate in our mind.

Our mind seems to be on auto-pilot and, within seconds of being faced with a challenge, it will subconsciously, create re- presentations. And the kinds of representations created are dependent on past conditioning. vIsn’t this scary? It appears that we do not have much control over our mind! This is why most people feel that their emotions control them.

If you want to have mastery over your mind and emotions, then you must begin right away to control what you focus on!

Begin by paying full attention to the ‘program’ that is running in your brain-mind. If you find that what you are thinking of is not putting you in a resourceful state, then change it! In short, consciously change WHAT you focus on! You may keep slipping back, and each time you do, pull yourself up and re-focus.

Of course, when you begin to consciously direct your mind, ensure that you do not have a lot of external distractions. Find a quiet corner, go for a walk by yourself. If you are sitting in the middle of the lounge while the television is on full blast and family members or friends are chattering away, you can’t even begin to think straight – much less direct your mind to focus on something specific.

Direct What You Focus On!

There are three major situations that all of us face every day. It is during these times that we must begin to control what we focus on. Again what we focus on means what we picture in our minds, what sounds we play, what we say to ourselves and what feelings we generate internally.

SITUATION #1

When you encounter something difficult that stands in your way of success.
For example, you get retrenched, your client cancels a contract, your best employee quits, or your product fails and you get a complaint.

What You Must Focus On…

Focus on solutions, what you can do to overcome it

Focus on possibilities or new opportunities

When you encounter challenges that get in your way of success, picture yourself using all the different strategies to overcome it. You can also picture yourself with new opportunities that come with the challenge. Some of the most empowering things you can say to yourself (internal dialogue) are…

‘How can I find a solution?’ or ‘How can I turn this around?’ or

‘How could I use this as an opportunity?’

Avoid Focusing On…

The problem or the difficulty it is causing you

Many people get stuck and paralyzed by problems because they keep picturing how difficult the problem is and how it is going to affect them. As the limiting pictures and sounds spin round and round in their head, they get more and more depressed and frustrated.

They tend to say to themselves…

‘Why am I so unlucky?’

‘Why does this always happen to me?’ ‘This is so unfair?’

‘Why must this happen?’

Remember that what we focus on determines what states we experience and ultimately what actions we take.

If Your Flight Gets Cancelled, Start an Airline

Have you heard of Virgin Atlantic? It took on the likes of airline giant British Airways and won. Today Virgin Atlantic Airlines is one of the most profitable airline companies in the world.

And do you know the airline only got started because its founder, Richard Branson, got stranded when he was on holiday and instead of kicking his heels in helpless frustration like all the other holiday makers, he lost no time in finding a solution that resulted in his creating a billion dollar new business.

It all began when Richard and his wife were on Beef Island, one of the islands in the Virgin Islands (no, that’s not how the airline got its name). The couple were supposed to fly back to Puerto Rico but their flight was cancelled, leaving the Bransons and several hundred other holiday makers stranded.

Instead of getting all frustrated and angry by focusing on the problem, Branson started picturing solutions and possibilities. He asked himself a very powerful question, ‘How can I find a solution, and even make money out of this? Aha! Charter a plane to fly himself and his wife and all the stranded passengers out. Branson lost no time in finding out that it would cost him just $2000 to charter a plane. Picture the mental images that must have raced through his head as he quickly divided the $2,000 price by the number of seats in the aircraft.

Next, he got hold of black board and wrote ‘Virgin Airways: $39 Single flight to Puerto Rico’. He walked around the airport and within minutes, he had sold all the seats on board. Not only did Branson find a way to get himself and his wife back to the capital city but he had found a way to get other people to pay for their trip!

When they arrived at their destination, one passenger remarked, ‘Virgin Airways isn’t too bad – smarten up the service a little and you will be in business.’ It was in that moment that Virgin Atlantic Airlines was born… the rest is aviation history!

SITUATION #2

When you don’t achieve your outcome.
For example, failing to close a sale, missing a profit target, losing a competition, or not getting a promotion.

What You Must Focus On…

Focus on what you can learn from it

Focus on how you will be successful the next time

By doing this, you will continue to feel motivated and excited – and will keep taking action until you succeed!

Avoid Focusing On…

The experience of failure and how bad you feel about it

Internal dialogues like these are most

unproductive ‘Oh no!’

‘How can I let this happen?’

‘Oh sh…t! I’m dead.’

‘Why do I always fail?’

The danger in focusing on the negative is that you will get yourself into such a miserable and self-pitying state that you give up trying.

The final major situation that you must learn to take control of is…

SITUATION #3

When you are faced with a challenging task or project.
For example, writing a difficult report, giving a speech, starting a company, going for an interview or selling a product. All of us face daunting tasks everyday. It is when we tackle them head-on that we grow and start producing results. And as we take on each successive challenge successfully, we will start realizing our potential.

Again, how should you direct your mind to focus on such situations?

What You Must Focus On…

Focus on what it will be like to achieve it effortlessly

Focus on yourself having fun and getting the results

If you need to go up and give a speech, picture yourself doing a great job and having fun doing it. See yourself getting the response you want.

What would it be like to hear the applause of the audience? Feel the excitement and motivation in doing it. Say to yourself or ask empowering questions like…

‘I can’t wait to do this! This is exciting!’

‘How can I be effective?

‘How can I have fun doing this?’

When you represent challenges to yourself this way, you put yourself into the best state to accomplish it!

Avoid Focusing On…

How tough and painful it can be

How you may do something wrong or fail altogether

The danger in focusing on the negative is that you will get yourself into such a miserable and self-pitying state that you give up trying.

‘Must I do this now?’

‘How can I ever get this done?’

‘Why must it be so difficult?’

‘What if I screw up?’ What if it does not work out?’

Directing How We Focus

It is not just WHAT we think about that determines how we feel, but also HOW we think about it. Has there been a time when you thought about something you were really motivated to do, like going shopping? Yet, on another occasion, you thought about the same thing and were less motivated to go. Why? Well, we said that the pictures, sounds and feelings that we generate in our mind determines the state that we are in. However, the intensity of our state is determined by HOW we generate the pictures, sounds and feelings. What do I mean? Well, think about something which you are motivated to do, say going shopping or maybe eating your favourite ice cream.

As you think about it, I want you to close your eyes and make a picture of it. See yourself enjoying that tasty ice cream cone. Notice what else you see around you in this experience. What sounds do you hear that is associated with this picture? You could perhaps hear the slurping sounds you make when you are eating the ice cream. What would you normally say to yourself as you think of this? For example, you may say to yourself, ‘Mmmm, yummy’. I want you to notice how motivated you are about doing this right now.

Next, I want you to make some changes to the picture you are making of this experience. Take the picture in your mind and make it twice as big. What happens to the intensity of the state? Does the feeling of motivation increase? Now, make the picture brighter and bring it closer to you. What happens to the intensity of the motivation? If it is a still picture, make it into a movie, where everything is moving.

Now, make whatever sounds you hear around you much louder. Make the sounds close and stereo, so you hear it in both ears. Do you feel a lot more motivated to eat that ice cream cone? For most people, making these changes to the picture (visual) and sound (auditory) elements of the experience will significantly increase the intensity of their state.

At times when you felt extremely motivated or excited to do something, it was because the pictures tended to be bigger, closer, brighter and more dynamic. The sounds and internal dialogue you generated were also probably louder and closer to you. Now, the reason why you didn’t feel so motivated at another time was because the pictures and sounds you made were smaller and further away.

We normally do not consciously direct the way we make up the pictures, sounds and feelings in our mind. This is why we have little control over how we feel. By shifting these elements, we can immediately shift the intensity of any state we experience.

These elements that we can shift are called our Submodalities. Submodalities is a powerful concept that was developed by Dr. Richard Bandler, the co-developer of NLP.

If you have ever watched a great movie, you will know that what makes a movie truly outstanding is the director’s ability to bring the audience through a series of intense emotional states like excitement, fear, anticipation or romance. How does he achieve this? He does it through manipulating the images and sounds on the screen. The angles, speed, colour, focus, brightness, volume, size and distance all affect the intensity of the state that we experience.

In order to get us intensely excited, the director will make the images move fast and increase the volume and tempo of the music. To capture the intensity of the emotions, he will zoom up close to the faces of the characters and may even place the audience in a first person perspective (we call this an associated experience).

Well, we do the same thing in our minds! For example, in order to get highly motivated, our brain must generate the pictures and sounds inside in a certain way. The trouble is that most people have never learnt to consciously be the director of their own mental movie. They allow their minds to run on autopilot! As a result, they are not in control of what they feel and how they feel it! Let’s see how you can become the director of your own emotions by mastering…

Submodalities: The Keyboard to Your Brain

If you think of your brain as the most powerful computer on earth, then your submodalities are like the keyboard to your computer. Through making changes on this keyboard, you can shift yourself into any state and at whatever intensity. There are three major categories of submodalities; we call these your visual, auditory and kinesthetic submodalities.

Let’s look at each of them now.

YOUR SUBMODALITIES

VISUAL

Disassociated or Associated?

Small Large

Defocused Focused?

Dim Bright?

Black & white or Color?

Far away Closeup?

Framed or Panoramic?

Location of the Image?

AUDITORY

What sounds do you hear?

Direction of Sound?

Mono or Stereo

Soft Loud?

Low pitch High pitch?

Slow Fast?

AUDITORY DIGITAL

What do you say to yourself?

Direction of Sound?

Mono or Stereo

Soft Loud?

Low pitch High pitch?

Slow Fast?

KINESTHETIC

Where is the Location?

What is the Shape?

What is the Size? Small Large

Still or Moving?

Direction of Movement?

Light Heavy?

Every time we think of something (internal representation), the pictures, sounds and feelings that we experience internally are always coded in a certain way. The way in which they are coded are known as submodalities.

Visual Submodalities is how our brain codes pictures

Auditory Submodalities is the way we code sounds and

Kinesthetic Submodalities is the way we code internal feelings

The way we code any experience affects the state and intensity of that experience

For example, when we think of something that motivates us, our visual submodalities are likely to be close, large, moving and in color. Now, when we think of something we are not motivated by, the pictures may be further away, smaller, in black and white, and still.

This internal coding is not the same for everybody. So you must discover what your brain does to create a particular state in you.

Disassociation & Association

One of the ways we code pictures is either in an associated or disassociated manner. I want you to close your eyes for a moment and think of a happy occasion in the past. It could be when you were with a loved one on the beach, a celebration, or the time you won an award etc.

As you think of that experience, observe if the experience is one where you are looking at yourself from a distance (disassociated) or one where you are inside your own body looking through your own eyes (associated).

I have noticed that about half the audience in my seminars generate an associated experience while the other half have a disassociated experience. Now, you know what kind of experience YOU have depends on the way your brain has been programmed.

So is it better to code our experiences in an associated or disassociated way? What difference does it make to our state? Let’s experiment and find out. Think back to that happy occasion for a moment.

If you were associated in that experience, I want you to disassociate from it. Imagine yourself stepping out of your body and pushing the image away so you see yourself and the people around you from a distance. Notice how differently it makes you feel.

Now, if you were disassociated in that experience, I want you to now get associated into it. Imagine yourself stepping into your body and into the experience. So, you see the people and things around you through your own eyes, and experience the sounds all around you. Notice how different it makes you feel?

Well, what was the difference? If you are like most people, you would have noticed that when you experience events associated, the state is more intense! When you are disassociated, the intensity of the state is much lower! The way you code your experiences (associated or disassociated) can make a difference to the states you are in and the results you produce.

Do you know someone who is always depressed? They may have had bad experiences a long time ago, but they still get upset by these long past incidents?

I had a female client who told me that her life was full of misery. When she talked about her bad experiences, she started crying and got very upset. I found out that she had a pattern of associating into all her painful memories. So, even though these incidents took place about five years ago, she still felt extremely miserable whenever she thought about them.

When I asked her to relate happy experiences in her life, she thought for a while but couldn’t feel anything. She said, ‘I don’t feel for those (happy) experiences anymore.’ Guess why? She had a pattern of disassociating from all her happy experiences, and associating into her negative ones!

No wonder she felt depressed constantly. When I taught her that she could consciously direct her mind to disassociate from all her bad experiences and associate into all her happy experiences, she began to take control over her emotions. The change was quite rapid.

When she thought of her bad experiences and disassociated, she started to feel the emotional intensity of the pain drop. Then I got her to start thinking of all her happy experiences and associating into them! Her face started glowing and she said she felt a lot better about herself. Since then, she has consciously been taking charge of the way her brain codes her experiences. Do you know people who are the complete opposite? We call them the happy-go-lucky ones. Such people could have had some horrific experiences but they get over the bad patches very fast. Soon they are into a positive state and have moved on in life. At the same time these cheery people can think back to the good things that happened to them, say five years ago, and feel happy and excited, all over again.

Why do they feel so differently about their good and bad experiences from the negative bunch? Again, it is because of the way the cheery people’s brains have coded their memories. They tend to immediately disassociate from negative events they experience. Although they learn from their mistakes, they don’t feel emotionally drained thinking about it.

At the same time, they tend to associate or plug into all their happy positive experiences. So they keep feeling the positive vibes of happy events, even after years have passed.

This is one of the most important qualities to have in order to be a successful entrepreneur, chief executive, politician, investor or salesperson. Why? Because in order to succeed and create great wealth or success, you are bound to make lots of mistakes and fail a couple of times. And you must be able to quickly learn the lessons, let go of the bad feelings and get excited to make the next move!

Now, just think: if by merely knowing how to shift one’s submodality (association/disassociation) we can have such a positive impact on our state, what if we begin to take control and shift all the submodalities that make up our experiences? Wow! Do you see the boundless possibilities of directing our own minds?

How to Intensify Any State

Wouldn’t it be useful and empowering to be able to intensify resourceful states like motivation, happiness, excitement, confidence and power? Let’s find out just how you can do this by simply shifting your submodalities.

First, I want you to think of a goal which you would like to achieve, but are not yet highly motivated to attain. For example, it could be starting your own company.

Next, I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in the future, having achieved this goal. For example, you could see yourself addressing your staff in your conference room, with you at the head of the table.

As you hold this image in your mind, make a quick checklist of the visual, auditory and kinesthetic submodalities of this mental experience.

Is it associated or disassociated? Is it a still picture or a movie? Is the picture large or small? Are there any sounds you hear? Are they loud or soft? Is it mono or stereo? What would you say to yourself if you have achieved your goal? Is it loud or soft?

Take note of where this feeling of motivation is coming from (location of feeling). Do you feel it in the chest, head or in the stomach?

What is the shape of the feeling? (all of us code feelings as shapes)? Is this feeling light or heavy? Is there any movement? Quickly, list down the submodalities of this goal in the checklist below. Very importantly, ask yourself, on a scale of 1 to 10, how intense is the motivation you felt as you stood at the head of table? For example, it could be a 5 out of a 10 initially.

LIST DOWN THE SUBMODALITIES OF YOUR GOAL

VISUAL

Disassociated or Associated?  

Still picture or a Movie?

Small Large?

Defocused Focused?

Dim Bright?

Black & white or Color?

Far away Closeup?

Framed or Panoramic?

Location of the Image?

AUDITORY

What sounds do you hear?

Direction of Sound?

Mono or Stereo?

Soft Loud?

Low pitch High pitch?

Slow Fast?

AUDITORY DIGITAL

What do you say to yourself?

Direction of Sound?

Mono or Stereo?

Soft Loud?

Low pitch High pitch?

Slow Fast?

KINESTHETIC

Where is the Location?

What is the Shape?

What is the Size? Small Large?

Still or Moving?

Direction of Movement?

Light Heavy?

Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10

As an example, your submodalities could be coded in the following way
SUBMODALITIES FOR YOUR GOAL (Sample)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Disassociated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large | Medium
Defocused Focused? | Defocused
Dim Bright? | Dim
Black & white or Color? | Color
Far away Closeup? | Closeup
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed
Location of the Image? | Slightly off centre
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Roar of car engine
Direction of Sound? | In front
Mono or Stereo | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Average
Slow Fast? | Medium
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘I’m the boss!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch
Slow Fast? | Medium
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the chest
What is the Shape? | Round
What is the Size? Small Large | Size of a lemon
Still or Moving? | Still
Direction of Movement? | Nil
Light Heavy? | Light
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 5

Isn’t it interesting to begin to discover how your brain is coding the goals that you have in your mind? Now, I want you to experiment with your mind by shifting the submodalities, one at a time and notice how it changes the intensity of the motivation.

The objective of this exercise is to increase your level of motivation to a 10! Why? So that thinking of this goal will drive you to take action right now!

In general, shifting the submodalities from the left to the right of the checklist, will increase the intensity of the state. For example, shifting from ‘black and white’ to ‘color’ or ‘dim’ to ‘bright’ generally increases the state. (There are exceptions, however. For example, to get into a state of relaxation, shifting from dim to bright may make you less relaxed. In this case, it would be taking the opposite action.)

The other important thing to know is that for certain submodalities, you can only switch it from one type to another. For example, ‘disassociated’ OR ‘associated’ or ‘black and white OR color’. These are called digital submodalities and are indicated by the word ‘OR’.

The other submodalities are analog. In other words, they can be increased or decreased along a range. Like ‘dim bright’. Even if the picture is already bright, you can make the feeling more intense by making it brighter! Also, ‘close far’. Even if the image is close, you can still make it closer! These submodalities are indicated by the ‘ ’ notation.

So, close your eyes, think of your goal, and change the submodalities one by one. As you do it, notice how much it increases the level of motivation. Start with the visual submodalities, the auditory (including digital) and the kinesthetic. For example, you can shift it as indicated below.

SHIFTING SUBMODALITIES TO INCREASE THE LEVEL OF MOTIVATION

VISUAL |  |  |
Disassociated or Associated? | Disassociated |  | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie |  | (remains the same)
Small Large? | Medium |  | Double the size
Defocused Focused? | Defocused |  | More Focused
Dim Bright? | Dim | ➨ | Brighter
Black & white or Color? | Black & white |  | Color
Far away Closeup? | Close |  | Bring it closer
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed |  | Panoramic
Location of the Image? | Off centre |  | Centralize it
AUDITORY |  |  |
What sounds do you hear? | Roar of car engine |  |
Direction of Sound? | In front |  | All around
Mono or Stereo? |  |  | Mono Stereo
Soft Loud? | Medium | ➨ | Increase louder
Low pitch High pitch? | Average |  |
Slow Fast? | Medium |  | Make it faster
AUDITORY DIGITAL |  |  |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘I’m the boss!’ |  | ‘I’m the boss!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear |  | All around
Mono or Stereo? | Mono |  | Stereo
Soft Loud? | Medium |  | Louder
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch | ➨ | (remains the same)
Slow Fast? | Medium |  | Faster
( ***Actually say it out loud to yourself!) |  |  |
KINESTHETIC |  |  |
Where is the Location? | In the chest |  | (remains the same)
What is the Shape? | Round |  | (remains the same)
What is the Size?Small Large? | Size of a lemon |  | Size of a basketball
Still or Moving? | Still |  | Create movement
Direction of Movement? | Nil | ➨ | Outwards
Light Heavy? | Light |  | Increase weight
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 5 |  | 9-10

Did the level of your motivation increase? How much did it increase by? Most people who do this exercise will find themselves feeling more and more motivated (up to a 10!) to take action on this goal.

Have you ever wondered why most people set goals, get excited for awhile but never get motivated enough to take consistent action to achieve it? It is because every time they think about the goal, their submodalities are coded in such a way that they are not motivated enough to take action.

The mental image they create may be ‘far away’, ‘disassociated’, ‘still picture’ etc. As a result, they never create the level of emotional intensity they need.

Why are there some people who get and stay motivated to achieve their goals? We often think that they are just more focused and disciplined. The real reason is that when they think of their goal, their minds code it in such a way that their motivation is highly intense. It is these strong emotions that drives them every day and night.

If you are like most people, and this includes myself, who do not get highly motivated naturally, then you must learn to re- direct your submodalities to create the internal motivation that you need!

What other states would be useful for you to be able to intensify?

Confidence towards achieving a challenge.

Happy experiences

Successful experiences

Motivation towards achieving a goal

What you will begin to notice is that changing submodalities is not something new. Like changing physiology, all of us already do it although we are not aware of it. Again, the trouble is that many of us do it unconsciously and in ways that may not be at all useful.

For example, some people have a pattern of unconsciously getting themselves very motivated to overeat by shifting their submodalities.

Have you been guilty of this too? Have you ever thought of eating ice cream when you know you should keep off the calories?

At first, the motivation to eat is controllable. Then, slowly as you think more and more about it, you start imagining yourself eating it (associated and movie), then you make the picture closer and bigger. Then you imagine the sweet, cool feeling in your mouth (kinesthetic), you hear the stirring music (sound) and say to yourself really loudly, ‘Mmmmm Yummy!’ You do this until the motivation of eating is so intense that you cannot stand it anymore. You jump up and rush out to get the ice-cream!

It is this same level of motivation and compulsion that highly successful people create towards achieving their personal goals! Can you imagine if you could replicate this same technique and use it on a goal you have, perhaps to start your own business or get started on a challenging project?

Wouldn’t that be really powerful? Well, top achievers do this naturally with their minds. Now, you too can learn to consciously intensify your motivation to achieve a goal, any goal!

De-intensifying a Negative Experience

At the same time, you may also want to shift your submodalities of a bad experience so that it reduces the intensity of a negative state.

For example, you may want to de-intensify the fear or anxiety of meeting people, or going on stage. You can also reduce the intensity of being depressed over a negative event. When you feel tempted to over-eat or eat something that you know is bad for you, you can do the opposite and shift the picture away, thereby disassociating from it.

Let’s do an experiment together.

Do you have an experience of failing or being depressed? Is there an experience that still bothers you? What do some people do to keep themselves locked into a negative state?

Well, they unknowingly use their submodalities to play the negative experience over and over again in their heads, blowing it all out of proportion (increasing the size of the picture or the volume of the sounds), hearing the same nagging voice and reinforcing the bad feelings associated with the experience.

Now, let’s find out how successful people deal with bad experiences. Well, they consciously shift their submodalities to reduce the intensity of the bad experience.

Now, as you think of a negative experience, take note of the current submodalities you are going through, and the level of intensity of your depression on a scale of 1 to 10.

SUBMODALITIES OF THE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE (Sample)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Large
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Bright
Black & white or Color? | Color
Far away Closeup? | Closeup
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed
Location of the Image? | Slightly off center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Person reprimanding you
Direction of Sound? | In front
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | Average
Slow Fast? | Medium
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Oh no!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch
Slow Fast? | Medium
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the chest
What is the Shape? | Square
What is the Size? Small Large? | Very big
Still or Moving? | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Downwards
Light Heavy? | Heavy
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 8

Now, I want you to shift the submodalities one at a time and notice how it decreases the level of intensity of your state. In general, shift the submodalities from the right to the left of the checklist. For example, for the visual submodalities, shift it from associated to disassociated, freeze the movie into a still picture, make the image half the size, defocus it and change it from ‘color’ to ‘black and white’.

Does the lousy feeling reduce significantly? It should. However, some people could be wired differently, so it pays to test it out.

Next, work on the auditory submodalities. Take the sounds, reduce the volume (loud to very soft), shift the direction of sound from in front of you to the right of you. You could make it extremely high pitched so it sounds squeaky and inaudible.

What is happening to your state right now?

Finally, shift the location of the feeling from the chest downwards to the stomach. Make the shape from a ‘square’ to a ‘triangle’, reduce the size to a peanut etc. What happens now? This process is illustrated below.

SHIFTING SUBMODALITIES TO DECREASE THE INTENSITY OF THE BAD EXPERIENCE

VISUAL |  |  |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated |  | Disassociated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie |  | Still picture
Small Large? | Large |  | Small
Defocused Focused? | Focused |  | Defocused
Dim Bright? | Bright | ➨ | Dim
Black & white or Color? | Colour |  | Black & white
Far away Closeup? | Close |  | Far away
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed |  | (remains the same)
Location of the Image? | Centre |  | Bottom rightcorner
AUDITORY |  |  |
What sounds do you hear? | Person reprimanding you |  |
Direction of Sound? | In front |  | From the right
Mono or Stereo? | Mono |  | (remains the same)
Soft Loud? | Loud | ➨ | Soft
Low pitch High pitch? | Average |  | Very high pitch
Slow Fast? | Medium |  | Very slow
AUDITORY DIGITAL |  |  |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Oh no!’ |  |
Direction of Sound? | Right ear |  | Left ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono |  | (remains the same)
Soft Loud? | Medium |  | Very soft
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch | ➨ | Very high pitch
Slow Fast? | Medium |  | Very slow
KINESTHETIC |  |  |
Where is the Location? | In the chest |  | Shift to stomach
What is the Shape? | Square |  | Triangle
What is the Size?Small Large? | Very big |  | Very small (peanut)
Still or Moving? | Moving |  | Still
Direction of Movement? | Downwards | ➨ | (remains the same)
Light Heavy? | Heavy |  | Light
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 8 |  | 2

* Notice that there are certain submodalities that we did not shift (i.e. it remains the same). For example, since the visual image is already ‘Framed’, it is already in a less intense mode. There is no point shifting it to become ‘Panoramic’ where it will make the depression more intense.

Identifying Your Drivers!

As you go through the experience of being able to take control of your mind and shift the intensity of your state, you will notice that shifting some of the submodalities had no effect. Shifting some had little effect and shifting some others made a huge difference!

For some people, shifting the visual submodalities had the biggest effect on the intensity. For others, shifting the visual submodalities may have had no effect but shifting just the kinesthetic submodalities made a huge impact!

Those submodalities which, when shifted, create the biggest effect on your state are called your Drivers! For example, if by changing from disassociated to associated caused your motivation to jump from 2 to 8, then associated/disassociated is definitely a driver for you! If changing the auditory submodality from soft to loud, changed the intensity from 2 to 3, then it is not a good driver for you!

I want you to go back and take note of which drivers worked best for you! Drivers are extremely important. Once you know what your drivers are, you can just shift those few drivers and dramatically change the intensity of your state.

In short, in order to increase or reduce the intensity of any state, you just have to shift two or three of your main drivers!

Let me tell you how powerful this has been for me. I noticed that my drivers are associated/disassociated, near/far, volume of my internal voice and size of the feeling. So when I am not that motivated to do something, let’s say, write chapters of my new book, what do I do? I just shift my driver submodalities until my motivation reaches a 10!

I think of myself writing my book and may notice that my level of motivation is just a 4. Then I make the image associated, I bring the image very close, I say to myself, ‘Go for it!’ and I double the size of the feeling in my chest.

In a few seconds, I feel really motivated to write and I start writing non-stop for several hours.

Mapping Across:
Transferring Our Mental Blueprints

In the chapter on physiology, we said that every state we experience has a specific physiology associated to it. Similarly, our brain tends to code every state differently in our minds.

When we feel motivated about something, it is because our submodalities are arranged in a certain way. When we think of the opposite state, like procrastination, the submodalities will be arranged very differently.

What happens if we take an event that we are procrastinating about and change the submodalities into the submodalities of motivation? We will immediately feel more motivated to do the very thing we were procrastinating about.

This process is called mapping across. We are basically finding the recipe or mental blueprint of our minds to feel motivated. When we take our ‘motivation recipe’ and put it into another experience, we will start feeling motivated about doing it.

There are five major steps to this process:

STEP 1

Elicit the submodalities of Procrastination.

STEP 2

Elicit the submodalities of Motivation.

STEP 3

Notice the differences. These are called the Drivers.

STEP 4

Take the submodalities of Motivation and put it into the Procrastination experience.

STEP 5

Test it out.

Step 1. Elicit the Submodalities of Procrastination

First, think of something which you need to do, but are not motivated to begin doing. For example, it could be cleaning the house.

Close your eyes and make an image of what it would be like to clean your house or finish a project. As you think of this procrastination experience, make a checklist of the submodalities. For example, your ‘mental recipe’ for procrastination could look something like the sample checklist below. On the scale of 1 to 10, how motivated are you to clean your house? It could be a 2 out of a 10.

SUBMODALITIES OF PROCRASTINATION (e.g. Finishing a Project)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Disassociated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Small
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Dim
Black & white or Color? | Black & white
Far away Closeup? | Closeup
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed
Location of the Image? | Slightly off center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | 'Must I do this now?’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch (very bored tone)
Slow Fast? | Medium
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the limbs
What is the Shape? | Square
What is the Size? Small Large? | Big
Still or Moving? | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Downwards
Light Heavy? | Heavy
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 2

Step 2. Elicit the Submodalities of Motivation
(e.g. Water Skiing)

Now, break your state and think of something you are highly motivated to do. For example, it could be water skiing or shopping for a new dress! Close your eyes and think of the experience you are very motivated to do! On a scale of 1 to 10, you are at a 9 or even 10! Make a checklist of the submodalities of this motivated experience. An example is shown in the checklist below.

SUBMODALITIES OF MOTIVATION

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Larger
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Brighter
Black & white or Color? | Color
Far away Closeup? | Closeup
Framed or Panoramic? | Panoramic
Location of the Image? | Center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Go for it!!!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | High pitch (very excited tone)
Slow Fast? | Fast
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the Chest
What is the Shape? | Round
What is the Size? Small Large? | Very Big
Still or Moving? | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Upwards
Light Heavy? | Light
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 9

Step 3. Notice the Differences.

Now, take a look at the submodalities of the ‘procrastination experience’ and compare it to the ‘motivation experience’. Notice where the submodalities are different. In your mind, they are what makes the difference in the way you code these two experiences. Now, it is important to know that the coding process is not the same for everybody. It is how your mind distinguishes between something that motivates you and something that does not. Please note that if you encounter similar definitions e.g. both are described as ‘dim’, you should check which of the two is brighter by comparison.

SUBMODALITIES OF PROCRASTINATION (e.g. Finishing a Project)

| PROCRASTINATION (Finish Project) | MOTIVATION (Water Skiing)
VISUAL |  |
Disassociated or Associated? | Disassociated | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie | Movie
Small Large? | Small | Larger
Defocused Focused? | Focused | Focused
Dim Bright? | Dim | Brighter
Black & white or Color? | Black & white | Color
Far away Closeup? | Closeup | Even closer
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed | Panoramic
Location of the Image? | Slightly off center | Center
AUDITORY |  |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |  |
What do you say to yourself? | 'Must I do this now?’ | ‘Go for it!!!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch (very bored tone) | High pitch (excited tone)
Slow Fast? | Slow | Faster
KINESTHETIC |  |
Where is the Location? | In the limbs | In the chest
What is the Shape? | Square | Round
What is the Size? Small Large? | Big | Very Big
Still or Moving? | Moving | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Downwards | Upwards
Light Heavy? | Heavy | Light

Step 4. Take the Submodalities of Motivation and Put it into the Procrastination Experience

Now, here is where it gets really interesting. I want you to go back and think of that experience you were not motivated to do (i.e. cleaning your house). Now as you think about finishing your project, I want you to shift the submodalities of this boring experience to the submodalities of motivation!

As you think about finishing your project, change the experience from ‘disassociated’ to ‘associated.’ Do you feel more motivated to finish your project? Does the level of intensity increase from 2? Now, make the movie larger and brighter like in the motivated experience. Now, change it from ‘black and white’ to color, shift the image to the center and make it panoramic, like in the motivated experience. How motivated do you feel now?

Now, as you think about finishing your project, say to yourself loudly, in a fast, very excited tone, ‘Go for it!’, the exact same way as in the motivated experience. How motivated do you feel now?

Finally, shift the kinesthetic submodalities. Take the feeling in your limbs and shift it to your chest. Make the sensation round, larger and lighter like the size of the motivation experience. Then create the upwards movement in the same way! How motivated do you feel now? For most people, their motivation to finish their project should have jumped from a 2 all the way to a 9 or a 10 by now.

| PROCRASTINATION (Finish Project)
VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Larger
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Brighter
Black & white or Color? | Color
Far away Closeup? | Even closer
Framed or Panoramic? | Panoramic
Location of the Image? | Center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Go for It!!!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | High pitch (Excited tone)
Slow Fast? | Faster
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the Chest
What is the Shape? | Round
What is the Size? Small Large? | Very Big
Still or Moving? | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Upwards
Light Heavy? | Light

Step 5. Test it Out

Notice how motivated you become as you think of the experience of finishing your project with your ‘motivation blueprint’.

Mapping Across Love to Disgust

Anytime you want to feel differently about a particular experience, just shift the submodalities of that experience into the submodality structure of what you want to feel instead. Can you do the opposite; i.e. shift being motivated to do something into being not motivated to do it? Of course. This will be useful if you are always motivated to spend money or to overeat. So you can think of spending money and shift the submodalities into that of procrastination. So when you think of spending money, you will procrastinate instead.

Another powerful application is to change how you feel about foods which you love to eat, but are not particularly good for you. Let’s see how this can work. Again, let’s go through the five steps.

STEP 1

Elicit the submodalities of a food you Love.

STEP 2

Elicit the submodalities of a food you Hate.

STEP 3

Notice the differences. These are called the Drivers.

STEP 4

Take the submodalities of ‘Hate’ and put it into the ‘Love’ experience.

STEP 5

Test it out.

Step 1. Elicit the Submodalities of a Food You Love

I want you to think of something which you love to eat (or drink), but is bad for you. Something that sends you drooling immediately! For example, grilled beef steak. Now, close your eyes and imagine that you are enjoying a piece of beef steak. Make a checklist of the submodalities of this food that you absolutely love! An example is shown below. Note that for this case, there is a lot more focus on the kinesthetic submodality since it involves food. We also focus on different aspects such as the taste, texture and smell. Take note of how much you feel like eating it right now, on a scale of 1 to 10. It should be at a 9 or a 10.

SUBMODALITIES OF PROCRASTINATION (e.g. Finishing a Project)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Disassociated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Small
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Dim
Black & white or Color? | Black & white
Far away Closeup? | Closeup
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed
Location of the Image? | Slightly off center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | 'Must I do this now?’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Mono
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch (very bored tone)
Slow Fast? | Medium
KINESTHETIC |
Where is the Location? | In the limbs
What is the Shape? | Square
What is the Size? Small Large? | Big
Still or Moving? | Moving
Direction of Movement? | Downwards
Light Heavy? | Heavy
Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 | 2

Step 2. Elicit the Submodalities of Motivation
(e.g. Water Skiing)

Now, break your state and think of something you are highly motivated to do. For example, it could be water skiing or shopping for a new dress! Close your eyes and think of the experience you are very motivated to do! On a scale of 1 to 10, you are at a 9 or even 10! Make a checklist of the submodalities of this motivated experience. An example is shown in the checklist below.

SUBMODALITIES OF FOOD YOU HATE (e.g. Liver)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Large
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Bright
Black & white or Color? | Black & white
Far away Closeup? | Further Away
Framed or Panoramic? | Framed
Location of the Image? | Center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Yuck!!!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Stereo
Soft Loud? | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | High pitch
Slow Fast? | Fast
KINESTHETIC |
What does it Taste like? | Raw & salty
What is the Texture? | Slimy, gooey
What is the Smell like? | Pungent
What is the Temperature? | Cold & clammy
Location of the Feeling? | On the tongue (feel like throwing up)

Step 2. Elicit the Submodalities of a Food You Hate

Now, think of a food which you absolutely hate. In fact, the more disgusting it is to you, the better. Some people think of liver, pig’s brains or kidney. I had one participant who loved all kinds of food so I got him to think of eating fermented, decomposing garbage. Just thinking about it made him feel like throwing up.

Now, imagine that in front of you is this food that you absolutely hate. Then, imagine that you are eating it and notice the smell and taste of it. I know this is really tough, but do whatever it takes to get the result. Now, make a checklist of the submodalities. An example is shown below.

SUBMOALITIES OF FOOD YOU LOVE (e.g. Beef Steak)

VISUAL |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie
Small Large? | Larger
Defocused Focused? | Focused
Dim Bright? | Bright
Black & white or Color? | Color (steak is juicy and dark)
Far away Closeup? | Close
Framed or Panoramic? | Panoramic
Location of the Image? | Center
AUDITORY |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Yummy!!!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Stereo
Soft Loud? | Medium
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch
Slow Fast? | Slow
KINESTHETIC |
What does it Taste like? | Delicious & salty
What is the Texture? | Tender, thick & juicy
What is the Smell like? | Like Roast. Aromatic
What is the Temperature? | Warm
Location of the Feeling? | In the mouth

Step 3. Notice the Differences. These are Called ‘Drivers’

| LOVE (STEAK) | HATE (LIVER)
VISUAL |  |
Disassociated or Associated? | Associated | Associated
Still picture or a Movie? | Movie | Movie
Small Large? | Large | Large
Defocused Focused? | Focused | Focused
Dim Bright? | Bright | Bright
Black & white or Color? | Color | Black & white
Far away Closeup? | Close | Further Away
Framed or Panoramic? | Panoramic | Framed
Location of the Image? | Center | Center
AUDITORY |  |
What sounds do you hear? | Nil | Nil
Direction of Sound? | Nil | Nil
Mono or Stereo? | Nil | Nil
Soft Loud? | Nil | Nil
Low pitch High pitch? | Nil | Nil
Slow Fast? | Nil | Nil
AUDITORY DIGITAL |  |
What do you say to yourself? | ‘Yummy!!!’ | ‘Yuck!’
Direction of Sound? | Right ear | Right ear
Mono or Stereo? | Stereo | Stereo
Soft Loud? | Medium | Loud
Low pitch High pitch? | Low pitch | High pitch
Slow Fast? | Slow | Fast
KINESTHETIC |  |
What does it Taste like? | Delicious & salty | Raw & salty
What is the Texture? | Tender, thick & juicy | Slimy & gooey
What is the Smell like? | Like Roast. Aromatic | Pungent
What is the Temperature? | Warm | Cold & clammy
Location of the Feeling? | In the mouth | On the tongue (feel like throwing up)

Step 4. Take the Submodalities of ‘Hate’ and Put it into the ‘Love’ Experience

Think of the food you love again and imagine eating it. Except, use the ‘hate’ submodalities to structure the experience.

First, imagine yourself getting ready to eat the juicy piece of steak. Take the image and change it to black and white. Now, put a frame around the image and push it further away. Does the intensity of the state decrease?

Now, imagine looking at the steak, and see it as the same colour as the raw liver (brownish red). Smell it and notice that it has a pungent smell. Now, put it in your mouth and chew it, noticing that it is raw and salty; the texture is slimy and gooey; and it tastes and feels exactly like liver. Then, say to yourself, ‘Yuck!’ in a loud, high pitched flat tone. Feel the sensation of throwing up on your tongue as the raw steak-liver slides down your throat.

At this point, just thinking of the steak should give you the same disgusting state as the liver gave you. How do you now feel about eating the steak?

Step 5. Test it Out

The purpose of this exercise is not to turn you off steak permanently. It is to decrease and neutralize the craving sensation for steak. So the next time you look at it, you will be able to say no when you need to.

This technique has been extremely useful in helping many of my participants gain control over their bad eating habits. In the past, they had to discipline themselves not to eat, even as they craved for high calorie foods. They felt so miserable that pretty soon, they would quit the diet. However, by using this technique, they changed the neurological associations that their brains linked to these foods. So when they thought of the nice juicy burger, they felt neutral or even put off. At the same time, they conditioned their minds to love healthy foods. Many of them have lost over 30lbs in six months without much effort at all.

Now, let’s explore more powerful strategies using submodalities.

The Distortion Technique:
How to Remove an Intense Negative Experience

Sometimes, when a negative experience is too intense and upsetting, just reducing the submodalities may not be enough to neutralize the experience. In these cases, you must use the ‘Distortion technique’.

This is one of the most powerful techniques used to neutralize an intense negative experience. I want you to think of a bad experience in the recent past. One which still makes you upset when you think about it. For example, it could be a boss or a client treating you in an unreasonable way. Can you think of one? Great!

Now, I want you to close your eyes and play this lousy experience as a movie in your mind. Play the movie until you come to the end of the experience. Then, imagine pausing the movie at the end. Notice, the intensity of the negative state you may have at this time.

Now, I want you to play the movie in reverse, at three times the normal speed. So, imagine you see everything moving in reverse. You see people walking backwards, their words going back into their mouths, sounds are also going in reverse.

When you reach the beginning of the movie, play it forward at three times the normal speed so the pictures and sounds are going super fast, and everything becomes really comical. Keep playing the movie backwards and forwards at this fast speed.

As you do this, I want you to change your internal representation of this memory by distorting the visual and auditory submodalities. Imagine that the people in the experience are growing Mickey Mouse’s ears and their noses are growing longer and longer like Pinocchio.

You can also imagine your boss with a bra on his head and his paunchy torso wrapped in a pink ballerina dress. Now, play some funny music in the background so the people’s voices are squeaky like the way a cartoon chipmunk speaks. Again, as you do this, play the movie backwards and forwards rapidly, at least five to eight times.

When you are finished, think of the lousy experience again. How do you feel about it now? At this point, most people would find it extremely difficult to access those miserable feelings.

In fact, most people would start laughing when they think about it. What has happened? Well, by changing the way our mind has represented that past experience, we have changed the state you have associated with it. The same experience now triggers off a neutral or humorous state instead.

So, here is a summary of the steps to the Distortion technique

Think of a bad experience that is bothering you.

Play it as a movie until you come to the end of the experience.

Play the movie backwards and forwards at three times the normal speed. Distort the submodalities (sounds and pictures) so it looks and sounds funny, even ridiculous.

Repeat this process 5-8 times.

Test. Think of that bad experience again. How does it feel it now?

The purpose of the distortion technique is not to deny that you have a problem or mentally run away from one. The purpose is to get yourself out of a lousy state and into a neutral one where you can feel more empowered to make better decisions. And then you will take action to deal with the problem, thereby reaching your outcome.

An analogy I can give you is that of a jukebox. Our memories are stored like compact discs (CDs) in our mind, some of our CDs are of happy memories, while others are of sad ones. Whenever someone hits a particular button, we start playing that CD in our mind and get into a certain state.

For example, the moment you see your boss’s face, it triggers your mind to play your mental CD of that bad memory. So, you keep feeling more and more frustrated. What the distortion technique does is this: by playing the movie fast backwards and forwards and distorting the submodalities, you are in effect taking the CD and scratching it over and over again.

If you do it enough times, the CD will never play the same way again. That bad memory will never bother you again! You can use this anytime a past event holds you back emotionally!

The Swish Pattern:
How to Change a Lifelong Habit Now

Do you have a limiting habit that you would like to change? It is generally believed that changing a bad habit takes months or even years. This is an extremely limiting belief. In fact, if you think about it, change almost always happens in an instant.

When someone stops smoking, that change of behavior happens in an instant. When someone stops biting their fingernails that change also happens in an instant. What takes an eternity is preparing for that change. Like some people may take five years trying all kinds of ways to quit smoking until one day they just stop, never to take it up again.

Why does it take so long? And what eventually led to the change? There are three keys that must be present for someone to make any kind of change…

1. This MUST change

All of us know logically that we should change our bad habits. But we never do because it never became a MUST in our minds. Only when changing becomes an absolute MUST, does the change occur.

It must come to a point when it becomes extremely painful for us not to change, in that moment our mind shifts changing (the habit) into the number one priority.

I have a friend (many years older than I), who couldn’t quit the habit of smoking for twenty years. Then one day his beloved 10-year-old daughter came home from school crying hysterically. Her tears were too much for him to bear and he asked her what had happened?

‘Dad, I don’t want you to die! Please don’t leave me! ‘Darling, don’t be silly, who says I’m going to die?’ She cried, I learned in school that smokers die because of cancer! I don’t want you to die!’. At that moment, the pain of seeing his beloved daughter’s anguish and fear was so great that he stopped smoking and never took it up again.

Or it could be rising to a challenge that causes the change.

Here is another true story.

Percy said he quit smoking about 20+ plus ago when his very young daughter threw him this challenge. He had been trying, to no avail, to get her to stop sucking her thumb.

When he, once again, prevailed on her to stop, she turned round and said: “Dad, I’ll stop sucking my thumb if you stop smoking.” It was a challenge he could not turn down! He stopped smoking there and then!

The first thing you have to do in order to change any habit, it to find a compelling reason to stop now! I want you to think of a limiting habit you would like to change such as biting your nails or watching too much TV. And I want you to write down, in the space below, all the reasons why you MUST change!

I Must Change Because

2. Create an Alternative

If you think of all the times you changed a habit, it is always because there was an alternative behavior that replaced the habit. Stopping a behavior leaves a vacuum in our minds. Unless we replace it with something else, the old habit will return. For example, people who stop smoking will always find themselves doing something else that meets the need that the smoking provided. So they start eating or exercising or playing with kids in order to relax and kill their boredom.

3. A New Pattern is Re-conditioned

Not only must the old bad habit be replaced with a new positive behavior, the new behavior must be conditioned until it becomes a new habit. It is generally believed that you must perform a behavior consistently for 28 days until it becomes a new pattern.

In other words, if you can get up early and go for a jog for 28 straight days, you will definitely create a new pattern. Why? Because we need to create a new set of neuro-connections that control that new pattern in our minds!

The good news is that with the Swish pattern you are going to learn, you can create a new neurological pathway and install any behavior within twenty minutes!

The Swish Pattern of Rapid Change

Are you ready to make some fast and lasting changes to your habits? There are six major steps in the Swish pattern.

Step 1. Elicit the Negative Habit to be Changed

First, identify the bad habit which you would like to change. For example, it could be feeling sleepy whenever you need to do some homework, chewing fingernails, over eating, over sleeping, binge drinking, smoking etc.

Write down your bad habits now.

For the purpose of this example, let’s say we work on over sleeping in the morning.

Step 2. Identify the TRIGGER that led to the Negative Pattern

Every behavior is triggered off by something we see, hear or feel (or a combination). This is called the TRIGGER IMAGE. For example, how does your brain know when to smoke? Normally, it is because you feel stressed or bored (kinesthetic) or you see others smoke (visual).

You must identify what is the TRIGGER that sets off this limiting behavior. In our example, the TRIGGER might be hearing and seeing the alarm clock that fires off the old behavior of going back to sleep! Once you know what this TRIGGER is, create a PICTURE in your mind that is associated with this trigger. We will call this the TRIGGER IMAGE.

Step 3. Elicit the DESIRED STATE/BEHAVIOR that You Want Instead. Create a DESIRED IMAGE.

The next step is to train your brain to move towards a new positive state and behavior. This means that the same TRIGGER will fire off a new pattern to replace the old habit. For example, hearing the alarm clock go off (TRIGGER) will get you feeling energized, and jumping out of bed (DESIRED STATE/ BEHAVIOR)!

Now, create an image in your mind that is associated with the new desired state/behaviour. For example, you can see yourself in a totally energized state, jumping out of bed and saying, ‘Get up Now, great day ahead!’. This is called the DESIRED IMAGE. Note that the DESIRED IMAGE must be one where you are ASSOCIATED into the experience.

In order to install this new TRIGGER ➤ BEHAVIOR, we need to literally condition this pattern in our brain so as to form a new set of neuro-connections. This is done in step 4.

Step 4. Swish the TRIGGER IMAGE Away, and Swish the DESIRED IMAGE Towards You at a HIGH SPEED with a ‘Whoosh’ Sound.

This is best done standing up. I want you to close your eyes and see the TRIGGER IMAGE as a picture in front of you. Now, imagine grabbing the image with both hands and throwing it forcefully away from you! Make the sound ‘Whoosh’

Imagine the TRIGGER IMAGE moving away at HIGH SPEED and getting smaller and smaller until it becomes a tiny dot. Then, see it become the DESIRED IMAGE coming back at HIGH SPEED towards you. It gets larger and larger until it reaches you, then you grab it with both hands! Keep on making the sound ‘whoosh!’

At this time, you must be ASSOCIATED with the DESIRED IMAGE. So, get yourself into an energized state by adopting the physiology and see yourself jumping out of bed! Say to yourself what you would say if you felt totally energized (in a very energized tone), ‘Get up Now, great day ahead!’

Step 5. Repeat this 10-15 times

Keep repeating this process with as much energy and speed as you can muster. It gets easier with repetition. You will know it’s habituated when you feel that this new pattern is a ‘normal’ feeling.

Step 6. Test by Future Pacing

The next thing is to test if it works. One way is by using a future pace. See yourself going out into the future where you will be in the trigger situation. For example, see yourself in bed and hear the alarm ring. Then see yourself with the new state and behavior.

Again, the ultimate test is what happens the next day! When done effectively, it will be the best model of change you will ever experience.

After you do this, you might realize that this is not the only thing you need to do to succeed in waking up effectively. Everything you can sense in your working environment must be used as triggers to get you to wake up, including your bed, blanket and the presence of your body on the bed. Flexible people have multiple triggers to get them into states of absolute resourcefulness.

Let’s discover even more strategies about how to condition your brain for success in the next chapter.

Summary: Directing your Brains For Optimum Results

Our internal representation is the way in which we represent what is going on around us. It is what we think about and how we think about our “environment”.

We must control WHAT we think about focusing on the mental images and sounds that empowers us towards solutions and possibilities.

We can direct HOW we think about experiences using submodalities.

Submodalities are like the keyboard to our brain. Every state has got a specific submodality structure attached to it.

We can use Submodalities to:

Intensify a positive experience

Disintensify a negative experience

Change how we feel about an experience by “mapping across”

The Distortion technique is used to neutralize a negative experience.

Think of a bad experience that is bothering you

Play it as a movie until you come to the end of the experience.

Play the movie backwards and forwards at three times the normal speed. Distort the submodalities (sound and pictures) so that it looks and sounds funny, even ridiculous

Repeat this process 5-8 times.

Test. Think of that bad experience again. How does it feel now?

The Swish Pattern is used to change limiting habits and install useful ones

Elicit the Negative Habit to be Changed.

Identify the TRIGGER that led to the Negative Pattern

Elicit the DESIRED STATE/BEHAVIOUR that you want instead create a DESIRED IMAGE

Swish the TRIGGER IMAGE away, and swish the DESIRED IMAGE towards you at a HIGH SPEED with a “whoosh” sound.

Repeat this 10-15 times

Test by Future Pacing

8
ANCHORING: THE KEYBOARD TO YOUR EMOTIONS

Anchoring one’s mind to positive states is powerful stuff. It has made fighting couples fall in love again… and cured phobias like fear of snakes. Here’s what it can do for you.

You now know that you create your own states and you have the ability to access any of these states at will. But do you have to go through the process of shifting your physiology and your submodalities every time you need to get into a particular state?

Is there a way you can fire off any state in an instant? The answer is yes, and the process is called anchoring. An anchor is a stimulus that immediately fires off a state in you. A stimulus is anything you see, hear or feel.

Whenever you are in an intense associated state and an anchor is applied repeatedly, the state will be neurologically linked to the anchor. When this happens, all you have to do is to apply the same anchor and you will immediately experience the same state.

Anchoring was first discovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian psychologist who called it ‘classical conditioning’. In his experiment, Pavlov got a bunch of dogs into an intense state of hunger by putting food in front of them. The dogs would salivate ferociously. At this time, he would ring a bell, over and over again. After a while the sound of the bell (the anchor) became neurologically linked to the state of hunger. Then Pavlov decided to ring the bell but didn’t put any food out. The moment the bell rang, the dogs showed hunger pangs and began salivating!

Well, the process of anchoring doesn’t just happen to animals. As human beings, we get anchored to different states all the time. Some of these anchors put us into resourceful states. Unfortunately most of them limit us by putting us into lousy states! What are some of the states that your brain is anchored to right now? There are basically three kinds of anchors: visual anchors, auditory anchors and kinesthetic anchors.

Visual Anchors

What are some of the visual anchors that people have? Is there a person’s face you see that immediately makes you feel lousy? Like a nasty boss or an ex-girlfriend? Is there someone else who, the minute you see him or her, puts you in a great state? You feel uplifted.

We also tend to anchor intense emotional past experiences to things that currently happen around us. For example, have you ever sped along the expressway and suddenly a white car on the road catches your attention. If you are a speed maniac, I bet that ‘white car’ would have fired off a state of fear, causing you to quickly put on the brake.

Then there are some people who start feeling sleepy the moment they flip open the pages of a thick book. It’s the sight of the thick, heavy tome which they associate with boredom and sleepiness.

And are you one of those who instantly feel butterflies in your stomach when you step in front of an audience? Or get a panic attack when you approach the examination hall as a student?

Some people I know get it so bad they have to run to the washroom when it happens.

Then there are others who are affected by particular times of the day or night. Certain times, associated with bedtime or naps, have become anchors for such people. Catching a glimpse of the clock, seeing that it’s already 11pm or 12 midnight (their usual bedtime) can put them into a sleepy state. We have to become aware of which stimuli or anchors fire off lousy states in us and as a consequence make us perform poorly.

Auditory Anchors

Another form of anchor/stimuli we experience are auditory anchors. Auditory anchors are sounds that are neurologically linked to a particular state. A good example is the sound of a siren. Hearing it fires off a state of ‘fear’ in some people.

How about people’s voices? Are there some voices that make you feel irritated instantly? I’ll bet you these are whining or grating, abrasive and loud voices.

Is there a person’s voice that immediately makes you feel loved and happy? All these are auditory anchors that have been conditioned from past emotional experiences, good and bad. One of the most powerful forms of auditory anchors is music. And movies have done a great job of installing all kinds of music anchors that put us in a whole range of states immediately enhancing the pictures we are seeing.

Can you imagine floating in the middle of the ocean in the pitch black of night? As you feel your body moving to the waves, I want you to imagine playing the theme from Jaws. Does the music fire off a state of fear? Does it trigger off images of a menacing shark? The Great White.

I know a lot of people who, after watching Jaws, had phobias of swimming in the ocean. They could not get the Jaws theme and horrible pictures out of their head when they were in the water?

Were you one of those people? What the movie did was put its audience into an intense state of horror and fear as they saw people being ripped apart. In the background, they constantly played the Jaws theme. After the movie, the music got linked to the state of fear!

Now, have there been movies that have installed resourceful anchors in us? Of course! To many people, the theme from ‘Chariots of fire’ still fires off a state of inspiration and motivation. If you are a Rocky fan, I bet that the Rocky Theme makes you similarly inspired and motivated!

Now, what I do and what you can do is to use these auditory anchors to get into these powerful positive states when you need it. Do you have a problem waking up in the morning? Does the shrill ring of the alarm clock set off a lousy state that makes you switch it off, and go back to sleep? For me the alarm going off was the trigger to bury my head in the pillow. What I did to reverse this negative state was to program my compact disc player to play the Rocky theme, at full volume, at a time I needed to get out of bed.

Guess what happened? Rocky instantly propelled me into an inspired state! I flew out of bed and felt totally resourceful as I got ready and went out to work. (To this day I still use the Rocky theme as my ‘alarm clock’.)

When I was in the army, I used to get lousy timings for the 2.4 kilometer running test. A few minutes into the run and I would feel really exhausted, out of breath and I would hear this voice in my head saying ‘I’m tired, I’m really tired’.

In this poor performing state I would slow right down to a walk. I knew then that the only way for me to get a second wind to run would be to use the power of anchoring. What I used to do the moment I felt tired was to play the rousing ‘Chariots of fire’ music in my mind. This immediately fired off inspiring images of long distance athletes and put me in a powerful state that allowed me to run my best timings.

Did you watch Titanic the movie? I have friends who watched it several times and still cried. It was interesting to see the many people who got anchored to the Titanic theme. The moment they hear it, they would get into this romantic state! Some of my friends even shamelessly used that music to get their girlfriends into a mushy state!

Kinesthetic Anchors

The third kind of anchors we have are kinesthetic anchors. It is when someone touches you in a certain way or you move in a certain way that fires off a particular state! Is there a way someone touches you, or holds you that makes you feel really loved?

Top sports athletes always have some kind of power move or consistent ritual they do in order to get themselves into a peak state. Michael Jordan sticks out his tongue, Tiger Woods pumps his fist and other athletes slap their hands together. In the past, every time they were in a power state, they kept making that move until the action became anchored to that state.

The late legendary Elvis Presley sent millions of his fans – especially females – into screams and shrieks as soon as he swiveled his hips to his rock and roll music.

You don’t have to be a sports or movie star to have power moves. You can install kinesthetic anchors that you can fire off anytime you need to get into a powerful state – like before you make a presentation, make a sales pitch, stand in front of an audience, make a cold call or get started on a tough project.

Do you know someone who is in the uniformed services and is really proud of it? Like the army, navy, air force or the police force? Notice how putting on that uniform literally changes the way the person feels.

I have noticed that when people put on their uniform, especially if they are of a commander rank, their physiology changes. They stand straighter, breathe differently and change their facial muscles.

All this happens at a subconscious level. It instantly makes that person feel more confident and more authoritative! If you think about it, it is just a piece of clothing. But through associating that uniform and its rank with power, that piece of clothing has become a powerful anchor!

When I first started motivational speaking, I used a particular blue suit and a red tie to get myself into a powerful and confident state! And most women executives and professionals know the power of ‘the power suit’ in giving them confidence and poise, and triggering off respect in those they meet.

How Anchoring Affects Our Lives

Have you ever wondered why Nike pays sports stars millions of dollars just to wear clothes with that famous swish logo? They do it because they understand the power of anchoring. Last year, Nike signed a US$100 million 5-year endorsement deal for Tiger Woods to wear that Nike cap and apparel. Were they crazy? No! They knew that when people saw Tiger Woods and felt that intense state of motivation and inspiration, they would see the Nike swish. When people watched Jordan and felt incredible, they would see that Nike Swish. Sure enough, seeing the swish gave people all the great feelings. The states of power, motivation and confidence were anchored to the visual swish logo.

That anchor gets people to pay hundreds of dollars for those Jordan shoes and Nike golf cap and T-shirts. Why? Somehow when they wear it, they feel great!

By using the power of anchoring their logo and products to the great feelings generated by sports stars, Nike has become the largest and most successful sports apparel company in the world. When Nike first started paying millions of dollars to sports stars, many of their competitors thought they were mad to waste so much money but at the end of the day it is Nike who is laughing all the way to the bank.

Don’t get manipulated… create your own powerful anchors!

If advertisers spend millions of dollars to constantly anchor powerful states in you to their brands, isn’t it time you took control and started creating powerful anchors for yourself? In a short while, you are going to do just that.

By the way, do you know how people fall deeply in love with someone? They get fantastic feelings of love anchored to that person’s face and voice. As they go out with that person and have a good time, they feel all these great feelings when they see that person’s face and hear that person’s voice until eventually it all gets anchored! So, every time you think of that person, you feel wonderful!

Do you know why people often fall out of love after a while? It is because the positive anchors eventually collapse and get replaced with negative anchors.

When you are in a relationship, you are bound to have misunderstandings and unhappy moments. The danger comes when you see your partner’s face while you are feeling these negative emotions. Or when your partner feels lousy and you hug them in a certain way. After some time, those negative feelings of hurt and anger get linked to that person’s face, voice and touch.

Over time, just thinking of that person brings up all those negative feelings. This is why many people, once so in love, reach a stage when they cannot see each other without getting upset and fighting. As a result, they eventually fall out of love and break up!

So you must understand the power of anchoring for two reasons. The first is to install powerful anchors so that you can access resourceful states any time you need to perform at your peak. The second is to understand how negative anchors can limit you. This way, you can collapse them and stop them from controlling you.

Four Steps to Creating a Powerful Anchor

You can create an anchor for virtually any resourceful state that you want. You can create anchors for confidence, relaxation, motivation and love. Once you decide on the state you want to anchor, there are four major steps to follow.

Step 1. Get into an Intense, Fully Associated State

The first step is to get yourself into an intense, fully associated state. How? By accessing a time in the past when you felt this state. Adopt the same physiology you were in and use your submodalities to intensify the state.

Let’s say you wanted to anchor the state of confidence. Well, think of the last time when you felt totally confident.

Adopt the same physiology you were in at the time. Stand the way you were standing, breathe the way you were breathing and have the same facial expression you wore when you felt totally confident.

See what you see, hear what you hear and feel what you feel. Now, from a scale of 1 to 10, intensify your state to a 10 by making the pictures bigger, brighter and associated. Make the sounds louder and closer and say to yourself what you would say if you felt totally confident.

Step 2. At the Peak of the State, Apply the Anchor

Once you sense that you are at the peak of the state (scale of 10), apply your anchor! The best kind of anchor to use would be a combination of an auditory and kinesthetic anchor. For example, you could clench your fists and shout, ‘Yes!’ Alternatively, you could clap your hands or snap your fingers.

Step 3. Break the State. Then, Repeat Steps 1 & 2 At Least Five to Ten Times

Next, break your state by thinking of something else. Then, repeat the process of getting into the supremely confident state, intensifying it and, at the peak, apply the anchor again. Keep doing this over and over again until the anchor is installed. Normally, five to ten times should be sufficient.

Step 4. Test the Anchor

Finally, test the anchor. Again, get into a neutral state. This time, apply the anchor by clenching your fist and shouting, ‘Yes!’ Do the emotions of confidence come back? If they do, that means the anchor has been effectively installed.

The best way to test the anchor is in a real situation when you are not feeling confident. Whenever you are in a situation like this, fire off your anchor to get back into a resourceful state.

If you think about it, every time you got anchored to a particular state, you went through these four steps.

Why did you get emotions of love anchored to the Titanic Theme? When you watched the movie, its pictures and sound put you in an intense state of romance. Then, at the climax of the movie, they kept playing that same song (apply the anchor at the peak). They did this throughout the whole movie until the anchor was installed.

The test of how effectively the ‘romance’ anchor was installed would come later, when you were in a neutral state. And then, suddenly, you heard the song being played, and this triggered off the same powerful feelings of love. So, the test worked.

You may have also heard the expression, ‘They are playing our song’, taken from a stage play. Couples in love, from all eras, often say this with some excitement when they hear a particular song being played. What these couples refer to is a song that was playing (usually the current romantic hit song) when they were falling in love. And hearing it played again brings back to the couple, the same rush of romantic love. I am sure many of you can relate to this.

Warning: Do not use this technique for intense fears and phobias. A phobia is, of itself, a very powerful anchor and it will override the resource anchor. The technique of using anchors to get rid of phobias requires a different sequence of steps and we will come to that later.

The Keys to Anchoring

Many people attempt to follow the four steps described above but are still unsuccessful in installing an anchor. If this happens to you, know that it is because you did not pay sufficient attention to the four crucial keys to ensuring that the anchor is effective. They are:

Key 1: Intensity

The first key is Intensity. Anchors can only be installed when the state you experience is extremely intense. In fact, when a state is intense enough, an anchor can be installed instantly after one attempt. Being in a slightly motivated state, for example, will not work.

Key 2: Timing

The second key is Timing. The anchor must be applied near the peak of the intense state on the upward buildup so that when you test the anchor, you will get a state that is on the uptrend. If it is at the peak, it is possible that your anchor lasts into the state’s downtrend, thereby reducing the anchor’s effectiveness. You should hold on to the anchor for a second or two before letting go.

Key 3: Uniqueness

The third key is Uniqueness. The anchor you choose must be unique. Remember, it can be a visual anchor, auditory anchor or a kinesthetic anchor. It can also be a combination of all three! For example, your anchor could be seeing a particular picture, saying something to yourself and snapping your fingers! But all three must be applied simultaneously!

Key 4: Replication

The fourth key is Replication. You must apply the anchor a few times in exactly the same way. For example, if your kinesthetic anchor was touching a part of your shoulder, you must touch the exact same part, with the same pressure. If the anchor was something you said to yourself, you must repeat what you said in exactly the same way.

Anchor Yourself for a Successful Outcome

Are you ready? I want you to choose five resourceful states that you would like to access in different situations. For example, if you often give public presentations and always feel nervous at the thought of facing an audience, you may want to create an anchor that fires off a confident state or, depending on your audience, you may want to create a calm anchor so you can deliver a smooth speech with quiet confidence. Or, when you are feeling stressed, you may want to be able to trigger off a state of relaxation.

Write down the FIVE resourceful states you want to anchor and access when needed in the space below. Next to your states, think and write down what anchors you want to use to fire off these states. Remember that you can use visual anchors, auditory anchors, kinesthetic anchors or a combination!

If you already have a state anchored to a particular kind of music, such as Motivation state to Rocky movie, then you could just utilize that anchor! Grab your pen and do it now.

Resourceful State | Anchor
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |

Once you know the resourceful states you want, use the four steps to anchor yourself to each one of them. Choose a different anchor for each of the different states you want to fire off.

Create New Powerful Anchors in Other People

Can you use the same technique to create anchors of Love, Confidence, Motivation and Enthusiasm in other people? Of course you can!

In my seminars, participants must walk over a 5-inch plank about one and a half stories high. I had a student who lost his confidence when he reached the top and saw the narrow plank. So I got him to come back down in order to break the negative state.

I then got him to go back to a time in the past when he felt totally relaxed and confident. As he accessed this resourceful state, I got him to intensify the feelings. At the peak of the state, I kept touching his shoulder in a certain way and saying, ‘Yes!’ I kept repeating the process over and over again. After this, when he again climbed all the way to the top, I was there to touch his shoulder and say ‘yes!’ Immediately, his posture and facial expression changed! He felt instantly calm and powerful and could walk the plank confidently.

Anchoring… To Fall In Love Again!

Remember I told you about how couples fall out of love after a few years? Well, Virginia Satir, a world-renowned family therapist was able to get couples to fall deeply in love again after short sessions of therapy with her.

What she simply did was to create new powerful anchors for the couples. She would get the man and the woman to imagine going back to the first time they fell in love. She would get them to imagine all the wonderful times they had together.

As they felt all these great feelings of love, she got them to intensify the experience and, at the peak, would get them to look at each other’s face. She did this process over and over again. Pretty soon those great feelings would come flooding back and the couples would fall deeply in love again.

How to Collapse a Negative Anchor & Install an Empowering One

Now that you have learnt how to install anchors for various kinds of states, you must also learn how to collapse them. Obviously, we would only want to collapse anchors that fire off lousy states and limit us.

What limiting anchors do you have that hold you back? For example, when you get into your office and the first thing you see is an overflowing in-tray or a desk piled high with files, do you immediately feel you want to do something to avoid attending to all that paperwork?

Or perhaps you feel nervous when you have to pick up the phone to make a cold call? Or apprehension when you see your boss’s face, or when you have to walk into a crowded room and you don’t know anybody?

Perhaps you get butterflies in your stomach just before you make a presentation to a client?

All these are subconscious anchors that fire off lousy states that prevent us from performing at our peak. I want you to take a few minutes to write down whatever limiting anchors you have. Also, write down at least 3 new powerful states you would want to replace the collapsed anchor with.

My Limiting Anchors

Anchor | Limiting State | NewState
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |
5. |  |

Once you have identified these limiting anchors, you can use the 7-step process of collapsing anchors.

Steps to Collapsing An Anchor

Step 1. Decide on the negative state to be collapsed

The first step is to decide on the negative state you want to get rid off. For example, whenever you look at the phone in the office, you feel nervous. If you are a salesperson this would be extremely counter-productive.

Step 2. Decide on the Positive States Needed

The next step is to decide on all the powerful states needed to collapse the negative state. You could use ‘confidence’, ‘fun’ and ‘motivation’ for example.

Step 3. Elicit the Different Positive States and Anchor Them

Next, put yourself into each of the positive states using your physiology and submodalities. At the peak of each positive state, anchor them one by one. By using one anchor for all the positive states, you are literally stacking all the positive states so they become very powerful.

For example, think of a time when you felt totally confident. Put yourself in the same physiology and intensify the state by changing your driver submodalities. At the peak of the state, you could snap your fingers and say ‘Yes!’ (notice that this a kinesthetic and auditory anchor). Repeat the same thing for ‘fun’ and ‘motivation’. So by snapping your fingers and saying, ‘Yes!’, you fire off all three positive states of ‘confidence’, ‘fun’ and ‘motivation’.

Step 4. Fire Off Both Positive & Negative Anchors Simultaneously Until They Peak, and the Integration is Complete

To collapse the anchor, we need to fire off both the positive and negative anchors simultaneously. For example, we look at the phone and snap our fingers. When both positive and negative states are fired off together, the more powerful positive state will collapse the negative one.

Step 5. Release the Negative Anchor

We then release the negative anchor by looking away from the phone.

Step 6. Continue to Hold the Positive Anchor for 5 Seconds and then Release

We continue to fire off the positive states by snapping our fingers and saying ‘Yes!’ for 5 seconds.

Step 7. Test it Out

Finally, we can test it out. Now look at the phone afresh, this time the old state of nervousness should no longer be felt. In fact, by looking at the phone, the new resourceful states of ‘fun’, ‘motivation’ and ‘confidence’ should be fired off automatically.

Perhaps you don’t realize this but what Virginia Satir did to help fighting couples fall in love again was a ‘collapse anchor’ process. Before the therapy, each time an estranged husband and wife saw each other’s face (old anchor), feelings of anger and disappointment would surface. Virginia, by using positive states of ‘love’, ‘joy’, ‘happiness’ and ‘excitement’ as anchors, helped the couples collapse the negative feelings they had of each other. With the new anchors successfully installed, every time her clients saw each other, the great feelings of love would come rushing back!

Dealing with Phobias: The Ultimate Anchors

In traditional psychotherapy, it is believed that a phobia takes years to cure. This is especially so with deep rooted phobias that the person has suffered with for years. However, with the right strategies, you can eliminate a lifelong phobia within 30 minutes.

In our training programs, we have helped eliminate people’s phobia of snakes, mice, heights, water and public speaking. You see, a phobia is nothing more than a very big negative anchor. Normally, a phobia is an intense fear linked to a particular stimulus, like heights. A true phobia is one where the person starts getting into an intense and uncontrollable state of fear and they exhibit this fear by sweating and shaking and sometimes bursting into tears.

As we mentioned before, it is difficult to eliminate a phobia just by using the ‘collapsing anchors’ technique on its own. Why? Because with a phobia, the negative anchor is so strong that it will collapse the positive anchor.

For example, if you had a phobia of the stage and starting to snap your fingers to fire off ‘confidence’, the state of fear will get linked to your original positive anchor of snapping the fingers.

To eliminate phobias, you must use a combination of techniques that incorporate submodalities, anchoring and the distortion method. This is known as the Fast Phobia Cure, and it has five major steps.

Step 1. Test the Phobia

First, put the person in contact with whatever is creating the phobia in order to measure the strength of the phobia. For example, if it is a fear of snakes, bring the snake to the person and see how the person reacts. The reason for doing this is so that when the person has been ‘cured’ of his/her phobia, you can see the dramatic change that has taken place.

Now, take the stimulus away (i.e. the snake) so that the person is far from it.

Step 2. Create a Series of Resourceful Anchors

In order to collapse the phobia, you need to create in that person, a series of very powerful anchors. These resourceful states could be ‘confidence’, ‘complete relaxation’ or ‘humour’. Now, get that person into each of these states and, at the peak, anchor the person by saying something positive and touching them on the shoulders. For example, get the person into a very confident state, and anchor it. Next, get the person into an intense humorous state and anchor that as well. Use the same anchor (touch on the shoulders), to stack all the three resourceful states.

Step 3. Do a Double Disassociation

Now, because a phobia is usually very intense, just thinking of it will trigger fear. It order to avoid this, we need to get the person to do a double disassociation. In other words, he is disassociated twice from the experience. This is how we do it.

‘Imagine that you are in a movie theatre, sitting right in front of the big screen and you are watching a movie of yourself in the past. Now, from your seat, imagine yourself stepping out of your body and floating all the way up into the projection room.

‘From the projection room, I want you to feel that you are safe from the fear. Now, on the screen, I want you to see a movie of the time when you first had this fear (of snakes or whatever phobia you have). Maybe it was the time when you first encountered a snake.’

As the person is seeing these past experiences, we keep firing off the resourceful anchor (i.e. touching him on the shoulder) in order to put that person in a powerful state.

Step 4. Change the Internal Representation of the Past Experience

Remember that what causes the state of fear is the way the person has represented the experience of the past. We need to scramble the past experience by changing the submodalities of the pictures, sounds and feelings. We need to represent it in a way where it becomes fun and even humorous. This is where we can use lots of reframing as well. We could say:

‘As you see the snake in front of you, imagine that the snake is smiling at you. See the snake sticking out its tongue, this means it wants to greet you and make friends. Imagine the snake saying, ‘I’m scared. Please hold me. The reason I move around so much is because I want to get to know you’. Imagine the snake having the voice of a cute character.

As you see yourself holding the snake, imagine that it is a warm- blooded creature with texture you like to stroke, such as soft silk. As you see yourself holding the snake, see and feel yourself having lots of fun! What would you say or do in order to make this really fun?’

As you do this, keep firing off the anchor of ‘confidence’, ‘humor’ and ‘relaxation.

Step 5. Re-associate Back into the Experience

When you see the person feeling very good, very comfortable as they use their imagination to change their internal representations, get him or her to slowly associate back into their body. You tell the person:

‘Imagine yourself drifting down from the projector booth into your body in the cinema seat. How does that feel? Now, imagine yourself being associated into the movie that you see on the screen. Become fully associated into the experience as you play with the snake. Feel the confidence and the fun.’

Once the person is able to stay in a positive state while imagining the experience in a disassociated way, you know that the phobia has been neutralized. You can then go on to test it for real.

Step 6. Test it!

Ask the person to come back from the experience. Now, take the snake to the person slowly and, as you do this, keep firing off the resourceful anchors as you had done earlier. If you have gone through the process successfully, the person will find that the phobia has been neutralized.

Remember anchoring is a process that all of us are subjected to all the time. If we take conscious control of what we are neurologically linked to, then we can be constantly anchored to positive states. And it’s only in these positive states that we are driven to reach our goals!

Do note that some steps will vary if you have a phobia that is more specific, i.e. you have been bitten by a snake before. In this instance, you will have to use a distortion technique.

Summary: Anchoring: The keyboard to Your Emotions

Whenever you are in an intense associated state and an anchor is applied repeatedly, the state will be neurologically linked to the anchor.

There are visual anchors, auditory anchors and kinesthetic anchors.

We can install an anchor by

Getting into an intense, associated state

Applying the anchor at the peak

Repeating this consistently

Testing to see if it works

In order for an anchor to be successful, there are 4 keys to observe

Intensity

Timing

Replication

Uniqueness

We can collapse negative anchors that limit us and install empowering alternatives. There are seven steps.

Decide on the negative state to be collapsed.

Decide on the positive states needed.

Elicit the different positive states and anchor them

Fire off both positive and negative anchors simultaneously until they peak, then release the negative anchor.

Continue to hold the positive anchor for 5 seconds and then release.

Test it out.

Phobias are nothing but strong anchors to fear. We can eliminate them with 6 steps.

Test the phobia

Create a series of resourceful anchors

Do a double disassociation

Change the internal representation of the past experience

Re-associate back into the experience

Test it

9
THE TRANSFORMATION OF MEANING

‘The meaning I choose to give is the meaning I create’

– Adam Khoo

Imagine that the company you have worked so hard for in the last 20 years decided that it was time to retrench you because they can replace you with someone at half your salary. How would you feel?

What meaning would you give to this experience?

Most people would feel angry, bitter and rejected. Because it means that their source of income and security is gone, cut off. They would feel betrayed. They would feel that they have just wasted 20 years of their life. They would feel that they are too old and no longer of value! The meaning they attach to this experience would put them in a totally un-resourceful state.

So, what do you think will happen when they go for a new job interview? Would they impress their prospective new employer with their enthusiasm, passion, energy and drive? Not likely. Chances are, they will unconsciously exhibit their low self-esteem, even bitterness and jadedness. As a result, it will take them a long time to find someone who wants to hire them. And even if they eventually find another job, it may be a part- time job, or one of much lower status and pay.

Now, in this new job do you think they will give their all? Most likely they would be thinking to themselves, ‘What’s the point? I gave my best years to my former company and look where it has gotten me?’ As a result, this person will reinforce the meaning he has attached to the retrenchment; that it was the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

Retrenchment: Dejection to One, Joy to Another!

At the same time, I have also seen many other people attach a totally different meaning to the same experience of retrenchment. To these people, retrenchment means that it is the company’s great loss.

It means that they have the opportunity to start a new career or business in a field they have a whole lot more passion for. It means that they will finally be paid what they are worth! And the ‘bonus’ is that they are getting a great pay-out which will be the seed money to get them started in a business they always wanted to be in, but never had a good reason to start. Not until the ‘Retrenchment’ package was given to them.

Getting retrenched also means that they have much more freedom and flexibility to plan ahead.

For those looking for a new employer, retrenchment means that they can be glad they are leaving an ungrateful company to move to one where they would be more appreciated, and whose corporate culture would be more in sync with theirs.

By framing retrenchment in this way, these people attach a whole different meaning to the same experience. They put themselves into a totally resourceful state of possibility, enthusiasm, motivation, passion and excitement.

They will be driven to go out and upgrade their skills, hunt for new career opportunities, or even start their own business. As a result of taking all these actions, do you think they will end up in a situation that is better than where they were previously? Of course! I have so many (older) friends who were forced to start their own business after the 1987 recession and, because of this, many of them are a lot wealthier, happier and have a greater sense of freedom and purpose.

‘Getting laid off was the best thing that happened to me.’

– Shipping Tycoon

One of these enterprising people I know has just listed his shipping company and is personally worth $28 million. He keeps saying that the layoff was the best thing that ever happened to him. Again, the meaning these people choose to give to their experience was the meaning they created.

Why is it that the same experience can destroy one person and empower another to a new level of success?

In the previous chapter ‘Directing Your Brain’, we said that we represent (frame) things very differently in our minds. Some people have a pattern of constantly framing experiences in such a way that it dis-empowers them and puts them in un- resourceful states. Others constantly frame things in a way that gets them empowered and extremely resourceful.

So which representation of The Experience is true? Is it a blessing or a curse? Is it an opportunity or a problem? How you choose to represent the experience becomes true for you.

Yes, we all have the free will to create our own model of the world, whatever the external circumstances.

There is No Meaning in Life,
Except the Meaning We Choose to Give It.

What we must understand is that all meaning is context dependant. In other words, there is no meaning in life except the meaning we choose to give it.

When we look at things (an experience, an incident, an event) from one perspective, it may seem totally bad. However, when we change the way we look at the same thing (i.e. from a different perspective), the meaning completely changes. It could become totally powerful… for you.

You can also see that any experience in life carries with it multiple meanings. Anything in life has the potential to be either good/positive or bad/negative. It depends on your perspective, the frame in which you are seeing it from.

The Rainbow in Every Dark Cloud

This is known as the law of polarity. For every north, there is a south. For every outside, there is an inside, for every crisis, there is an opportunity and for every heads, there is a tails.

For every concave, there is a convex. For everything that comes to an end, something new begins.

The meaning we choose to attach to an experience is the meaning we create. When we interpret an experience as negative or bad, we will get into a miserable state, take lousy actions (even inaction is a form of lousy action) and produce negative results. At the same time, when we interpret an experience as positive, we get into resourceful states, take positive action, and eventually create positive results.

This can be summarized in a formula that goes Event+Response=Outcome. I first came across this wonderful formula in a seminar given by Jack Canfield (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul). Many people believe that it is the events around us that shape our outcomes. They believe that people who are happier and more successful just happen to experience better events in their lives.

E + R = O
(EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME)

You and I both know that this is totally untrue. It is not the things that happen to us, but rather, how we choose to respond to happenings and external circumstances that ultimately shape our outcomes.

Retrenchment is one of the most commonplace experiences faced by people, in the ups and downs of life. As we saw in the true-life experiences narrated earlier, how a person chooses to responds can either put him in an un-resourceful state, and ultimately create a lousy outcome for him, or he can respond in an empowering way and come out with a positive outcome.

‘The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or a curse.’

– Don Juan in ‘Tales of Power’

As you well know, we cannot control every single thing that happens to us, but we can control how we choose to respond to it.

For example, if you go sailing, you cannot control where the wind is going to blow. You can complain and blame the wind all you want but it is not going to be of any use. However, you can control how you maneuver the sails, and that will control the outcome of your boat’s direction.

People who succeed and live fulfilling and enriching lives don’t experience better events, they just represent things and respond in a much more powerful way.

We have heard so many stories of people who were born with all kinds of handicaps and despite all the odds stacked against them, they managed to create a life most others can only dream about.

Oprah Winfrey – from Street Urchin to Talkshow Host Extraordinaire

What would you say of a child who was born to a single 13-year-old mother who was struggling to survive on the streets? What would you say if I told you that this child became the victim of multiple physical and sexual abuse before the age of thirteen herself? She later became pregnant and gave birth to a still-born baby.

She often got into trouble with the law before the age of fifteen. You wouldn’t bet too much hope on her future, would you? What if I told you that this person was Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest and most successful women in the United States? And she is a Black American as well.

Despite all the handicaps and tragic abuses, Oprah chose to keep responding in an empowering way that led to the outcomes that she is experiencing today.

At the same time we know people who, despite being born with all the money, advantages, resources and opportunities chose to make nothing of themselves. In fact, many of them end up destroying their lives.

Andrew Luster – from Cosmetics Heir to Rapist-on-the-run

A recent example is Andrew Luster, 39-year-old heir to the Max Factor cosmetics empire who became a convicted rapist on-the-run in mid 2003.

Luster is the great-grandson of legendary Hollywood make-up mogul Max Factor who established his empire in Hollywood in the 1920s. As a result, he lived off a trust fund and real estate investments believed to be worth about US$31 million. He grew up on exclusive Malibu Beach in LA and never had to work. Instead of taking care of his investments, he chose to spend most of his time as a ‘beach bum’ – surfing, fishing and partying.

Luster did go to college but dropped out. He then bought a beach house near Santa Barbara and continued his life of travel and pleasure. Warped Luster had videotaped himself having sex with women who appeared to be either asleep or drugged. This led to his conviction as a rapist of not one but several women whom he had drugged.

He is presumably languishing in jail, a tragic end to a life that began with so much promise.

Andrew Luster – from Cosmetics Heir to Rapist-on-the-run

Heard of Terry Fox, Canadian marathon runner? Well, at 18, Terry was diagnosed with cancer and had to have his right leg amputated.

Most people would see this as a tragedy and never, in their wildest dreams, would they see themselves running. Not Terry Fox. This courageous man decided that he would use this experience to raise money for cancer research and make a difference to all cancer sufferers. So, despite having only one leg, Terry started to run across Canada to raise a million dollars.

Sadly, half way through his journey, Terry contracted another cancer, this time in his lungs. He was forced to stop his run and died on June 28, 1981. However, because of the inspiration that his courage had created, he raised over US$24 million for his cause. Today, over $330 million has been raised around the world through the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope.

From Superman to Paraplegic… and now an Inspiration to all

Now, think of Christopher Reeves. Many of us remember Reeves as invincible Superman. He not only had super strength but super powers, he could literally fly. More than that, Christopher Reeves had the fantastic physique to make the role he played to super stardom, magical and believable.

Then, in 1994, a tragic horse riding accident left Reeves paralyzed from the neck down for life! Initially, the meaning he attached to the accident was that his life was over and that he would be a burden to everyone.

Utterly depressed Reeves wanted his doctors to take him off life support and allow him to die. It was his wife who asked him to give himself (and his family) two years. At the end of the two years, if he still felt the same way, they would find a way to let him go.

But as Reeves’ rehabilitation began, surrounded by his very loving and supportive family and friends, he started to attach a totally different meaning to his disability. He began to see that he (because of his fame) could become an inspiration and symbol to all those who are suffering from various disabilities, and who have lost hope.

The meaning he gave to his experience put him in a resourceful state.

As he continued to bear his massive disability stoically and improve, bit by bit, he started to write what went to become a best-selling book called ‘Nothing is Impossible’.

Though imprisoned in his body, Reeves gave hundreds of moving speeches and inspiring seminars; he even directed a movie and won an academy award. He is now living a life that is more fulfilling than ever before. His schedule of appearances, speaking engagements, and meetings are no less demanding than that of a CEO’s.

Millions around the world have been inspired by Reeves indomitable spirit and he has raised millions through the Christopher Reeve foundation. And because of his motivated lovable state, his family continue to be there for him.

The Law of Polarity:
Anything that seems to be extremely Negative, when framed from a different perspective, becomes extremely Positive.

I can tell you from my own life experiences that the most positive outcomes, which I am enjoying today, were the result of the ‘worst’ experiences that happened to me in the past. What made the difference was that I chose to respond in a way that continued to empower me.

As a result of performing poorly for my Primary School Examinations in 1986, I was rejected from all six secondary schools that my parents had applied for. While many of my friends were accepted into the top prestigious schools, I was sent to a government school that nobody had heard of and, being very new, it was ranked below most schools in the country.

At that time, it seemed like an extremely negative thing. However, at hindsight, I would say that it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It is one of the major contributions to my success today! Why?

Well, if I had gone to a top school, then I may not have ranked anywhere among the top students. As a result, I may never have built up the powerful beliefs and self-esteem I have today.

At the same time, if I had always been a good student, I wouldn’t have had such a remarkable story to tell in my first book, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’ In the book, I narrated how I rose from being close to the bottom of the country’s schools to rank among its top students!

In fact, the reason I became well-known and popular as a trainer was because of the remarkable turnaround I had made from an under-achiever to gifted student. (I had a true-life ‘sexy’ story to tell which is also the main reason the media chose to profile me, boosting my standing).

I can also tell you that the only reason that I am the owner and CEO of the largest and most successful public training company in Singapore is the direct result of another ‘bad experience’ a couple of years ago.

How I Turned ‘Rejection’ into New Beginnings… and Birthed a New Company

I had been working for another motivational training company ever since I was 15. Over time I had developed a close relationship with the owner. Because of my loyalty and the value I added as a trainer, he often promised that in time I would get the chance to become a shareholder of his business.

However, 13 years later, when I mapped out big plans to expand his education business and asked to purchase a stake in it, I was turned down.

Initially, I was most disappointed and could have felt ‘used’ but soon I started telling myself that this (rejection) meant that I could start to build my own company with a culture and programs that I believed would be even better. That was how Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group (AKLTG) was created.

Within two months, AKLTG had broken even and, within 12 months, the company had made over half a million dollars net profit. Not only am I the CEO of a multi-million-dollar training company, but I am now working with a group of dynamic partners who are also my closest friends.

I am also making more money and happier than I would have been if I had become a partner in a company someone else had started, with his vision. (I can now also see how he would have had to try and accommodate my ideas and vision which would have meant a lot of compromises from both sides – not the most ideal way to drive a company).

In all of our lives, there will always come a time when things seem unfair, that no matter how hard we work for something, we did not get what we believed we deserved. It may even be a terrible tragedy.

Many people allow events such as these to destroy their self- esteem, their faith and belief about themselves and the essential goodness of others.

They allow these events to cripple them forever from taking action. But there are always others who use what appeared to be negative events/happenings to grow stronger, wiser and more powerful.

Donald Trump Triumphed Over Business Tragedies that Caused Others to Commit Suicide

Donald Trump is one person who constantly frames things as tests of his resilience and as lessons that make him smarter. Flamboyant Donald Trump is probably one of America’s best known billionaires. In the 1980s and early 1990s Trump made a fortune in real estate, being heralded as one of the top real estate moguls, his personal wealth was estimated at US$1 billion. At the height of his career, he wrote two best-selling books ‘The Art of the Deal’ and ‘Surviving at the Top’.

Then, in the late 1990s, a worldwide depression set in and property prices started falling like a pack of cards. Overnight, billionaires whose fortunes were tied to real estate and the stock market found their fortunes wiped out. Donald Trump was not spared.

Within days, Trump’s personal fortune was gone and he was US$900 million in debt. The banks moved in to make him a bankrupt.

Some of his friends who suffered the same tragedy convinced themselves that they were financially finished and took their own lives.

When his ex-wife rang, he thought that she was calling to express her sympathy. Instead, she gave him another blow by demanding that he pay her whatever money he had left as a divorce settlement.

People whom he thought were his closest friends brushed him off in his hour of need. Indomitable Trump didn’t regard this as being the end, it only meant that he had the opportunity to get back to work and turn things around. Although he had lost everything financially, he still retained his billion-dollars experience, and business know-how.

Over the next six month, Trump negotiated one of the biggest deals in business history and within three years, he made over US$3 billion. In his latest book, ‘The Art of the Comeback’, Trump talks about how his near brush with bankruptcy has made him wiser, stronger and more focused than ever before. That, if not for that financial catastrophe, he never would have found out who his true friends are, and would never have gotten the focus to make US$3 billion in three years.

While most businessmen allowed the recession of 1990s to totally destroy their personal fortunes and lives, Donald Trump used that set-back to make him stronger and richer than ever before. Again, it is not what happens to us, but the meaning we choose to give to it that determines what we do and ultimately the outcome we produce.

Business Icon Lee Iacocca’s Success Began with Getting Fired!

Another great example is Lee Iacocca, the former CEO of Chrysler. After graduating with a Masters Degree in Engineering from Princeton University, Lee was hired as an engineer at Ford Motor Company. For the next 21 years, Lee’s superior management skills allowed him to continuously introduce breakthrough programs and products at Ford, helping the company to massively increase its sales & profits. Then, because of a personality clash with Henry Ford II, Lee was fired from his position.

How did Lee choose to respond? Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he chose to respond in a way that empowered him. He told Ford,

‘I am going to build a company that will one day dwarf yours!’ It was this conviction that drove Lee to take massive action.

Lee joined Chrysler which at that time was facing bankruptcy. With his passion, energy and savvy managerial skills, Lee built Chrysler up to become a highly profitable company that rivaled Ford as market leader.

Lee Iacocca became a national celebrity and hailed as one of the greatest CEOs of all time.

Reframing: The Art of Changing Meaning

So, how we represent (frame) our experiences determines how we respond and the outcomes we achieve. Therefore we must learn to constantly frame experiences ways that empower us, and empower the people around us.

When you change the way you represent (frame) something, you totally change the meaning and the emotions associated with that experience. As a result, you change the decisions you make and the actions you take.

You must learn how to create resourceful meanings out of every experience. Successful leaders and entrepreneurs do this to empower themselves and others to reach their goals.

The process of turning a negative experience into a positive one is called reframing.

There are two ways you can do this, Content Reframing and Context Reframing.

Content Reframing…

Content reframing is the process of changing a negative experience into a positive one by changing the meaning of the experience. Remember, every event has multiple meanings. The meaning we choose to focus on is what becomes real for us.

The best way to do a content reframe is to ask the question, ‘What else can this mean?’ ‘How can this benefit or empower me instead of depressing me?’

For example, if the recession hit when you were about to start your business, you could content reframe it by saying, ‘Good! This means that business costs, like rental and salaries, will be lower and allow us to break even faster’.

Or you could say, ‘Good! This means prospective clients will be more open to listening to suppliers who offer better value for money.’ There are multiple reasons why starting a business in a recession will be a positive experience!

What if someone told you, ‘My son does not stop talking’ You could reframe this negative comment by saying ‘Good. That means he must be full of ideas’. Or ‘This means he must be very intelligent.’

If the person you love leaves you for someone else, reframe the loss by saying, ‘Good. This means that I can find someone who truly loves me’ or ‘This means I can find someone who is more caring, beautiful and loyal.’

Context Reframing…

Another way to reframe an experience is to do a context reframe. A context reframe is the process of changing a negative experience into a positive one by changing the context from which it is perceived.

Have you ever had a negative experience only to look back at it five years later and say, ‘That was a blessing in disguise?’ In a different context (i.e. the future), the meaning of that experience changed from bad to good.

In doing a context reframe, you must ask the question, ‘In a different time or place, how would the meaning be beneficial?’

You see, everything that seems bad now, when put into a different time or place, could appear beneficial.

Going back to the first example of starting a business in a recession, you could use a context reframe by saying, ‘When the economy picks up, the company will be positioned to do very well as it has been tested and strengthened by the recession’.

You could do a context reframe on the boy who talks all the time by saying, ‘When he grows up, he will make a good public speaker’ (context of time). Or you could also say, ‘The fact that he talks all the time will certainly earn him a place on the school debating team’ (context of place). Are you getting the hang of it? Now, imagine that you, or someone you know, are experiencing the following scenarios. How would you reframe each negative experience to empower that person or yourself?

Take some time and think of as many ways as you can to reframe each experience. Grab your pen and do this now.

Reframe the following experiences

1. I come from a poor family

Reframe:

2. I have lost $50,000 in a bad business decision

Reframe:

3. I got the worst cohort of students

Reframe:

4. I do not have much education

Reframe:

5. The person I love has left me

Reframe:

6. I was (recently) retrenched after 20 years in the company

Reframe:

7. The local market for my products is getting unprofitable

Reframe:

8. I find this new subject very confusing

Reframe:

9. My boss keeps reprimanding me

Reframe:

10. After the pay cut, some staff decided to leave

Reframe:

Have you done the exercise? Great.

Let’s look at some possible ways you could have used reframing.

| EVENTS | POSSIBLE REFRAMES
1 | I come from a poor family | This means that you will have the hunger to succeed and become wealthy.
2 | I have lost $50,000 in a bad business decision | This means that when you make even more money to invest, you will make the right decisions.
3 | I got the worst cohort of students | This means that you can create the greatest level of value and improvement This means that you will be able to put your motivation skills to the test This means that your true qualities of a teacher will shine
4 | I do not have much education | This means that your creativity will not be constrained by preconceived ideas.
5 | The person I love has left me | This means that you can find someone who is much better.
6 | I was recently retrenched after 20 years | This means that you can use your retrenchment benefits to start your own business. Or, you can venture into a new exciting career you have more passion for.
7 | The local market for my products is getting unprofitable | This means that you can explore new untapped markets to sell your products.
8 | I find this new subject very confusing | This means that your mind is being stretched and challenged to a new level.
9 | My boss keeps reprimanding me | This means that he has high expectations of you He cares and bothers to communicate with you
10 | After the pay cut, some staff decided to leave | This means that we will have only the most dedicated and loyal staff.

Reframe Your Life Experiences

I want you to begin to think and reflect on some of the ‘worst’ experiences of your life and start to reframe each of these events. Are you ready? In the space below, write down the 10 ‘worst’ experiences in your life and use either a Content or a Context reframe.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

How I Used Reframing to Turn Problems into Opportunities

Some people misunderstand, thinking that reframing is a way of making excuses for yourself or denying that you have a problem. Like anything else, reframing is a skill that can be useful or limiting.

I choose to use reframing not to deny a problem. I use it to constantly put myself and others into a resourceful state of possibility so we will keep taking action until it leads to great results!

Let me share with you how I have used this tool to empower myself in business and to turn problems into opportunities. When I first started my training seminars, I had to spend about $3000 in advertisements in order to attract 100 people to attend my preview talks. Of the 100+ who came, about 25 would sign up. That meant that my direct acquisition cost per customer was $120 (i.e. $3000÷25).

When the recession got worse, only about 12 people on average signed up. That meant that my acquisition cost rose to $250 (i.e. $3000÷12). Instead of blaming the recession, I reframed the experience by saying to my staff, ‘Good. This means that we can begin to explore alternative marketing strategies to increase sales’. So we began following up on those who did not sign up. We made telephone calls, something we had not done before.

The results were amazing, of the 88 people who did not sign up at the preview, we found that at least 10 more would sign up when we followed up with a phone call.

When the economy picked up, we found ourselves getting back to 25 people signing up after the preview, plus another 10 more signing up through follow-ups, bringing our total sign-ups to 35! We would never have increased our sign-up figures so dramatically if we were not forced to explore the power of follow-up marketing because of the recession.

Reframing Other People’s Experiences… a Truly Powerful Tool

The ability to reframe the experiences of others is one of the most powerful tools of influence I have come across. Remember, at any point of time different people have different representations of the events that are happening around them. This is why different people respond in different ways and go on to make very different decisions.

Some people may reject your ideas while some others may accept them. Some of your staff may get motivated by the recession while others may feel demoralized. Wouldn’t it be powerful if you could alter the representations of the people around you? You will then be able to align everybody’s frame of mind to yours!

Powerful communicators know how to reframe any experience into any meaning which they want to communicate.

The leader is always the one who sets the frame and defines the meaning for others to follow. Exceptional politicians, CEOs, brilliant salespeople and inspiring educators use this technique unconsciously every day in order to shift people into different frames of mind.

I have used reframing extensively in dealing with numerous business and sales situations, especially when I encounter resistance or rejections.

Reframing in Sales and Business

As someone who started running businesses and giving motivational seminars at 16, you can bet that one of the biggest challenges I faced was being so young.

People keep asking me how I overcame that limitation. My answer is that I constantly reframed my youth and turned it into an advantage!

Example: when schools had to choose between myself and the usual experienced 30 to 40 year-old trainer, I would secure the deal by telling the principal that because of my young age I would be able relate better to the students and I had fresh new ideas to motivate them to study! I would then add that being so young I could become an inspirational role model for students.

At 21, I was also the youngest motivational trainer ever to be hired by some of the world’s leading insurance corporations to train their staff in seminars in Singapore, Hong Kong and China. How did I persuade these companies that I could train and motivate agents who were 10 to 30 years my senior? How did I convince them that a kid with no corporate training or insurance sales experience could motivate and train their mature agents to increase their productivity?

Again, what set me apart was that I was a master reframer. I kept reframing my young age until I had an unbeatable advantage. I told them that because I was so young, the agents would be even more inspired and pressured to become successful. I said that because I had little corporate training experience, I would deliver ‘out of the box’ ideas that they had never used before.

The other major challenge I faced in my businesses initially was that I was constantly up against multinationals in tendering and pitching for new accounts.

My competitors were much more established and had five times more staff than I had. Yet, despite this, I (and my equally youthful team), managed to beat them and secured some of the biggest advertising and event management contracts.

How? Again, I reframed the fact that my company was small and less established into a powerful advantage. I said that by going with a smaller company, they will be much more valued as a client. Their $3m budget would be nothing for a multi- national agency or company. But to us, they will be our biggest and must valued customer. We will give them top priority and service.

Reframing to Motivate Employees

Clients are not the only ones you have to reframe to win and keep. As a boss or a manager, you must constantly reframe the experiences of your employees in order to motivate them to become more productive.

At the height of the economic slowdown, when many of our clients’ advertising budgets were slashed, many of my sales executives were demoralized as they believed that it would be much more difficult to secure new business.

I reframed the situation by saying, ‘It is actually easier for us to secure new business when times are bad. This is when companies would be more open to listen to ways we can use to help stretch their dollar, and offer them better value for their advertising dollar.’

What’s more, I tell my staff, during boom times, companies will not entertain the idea of switching advertising agencies as they have plenty of money to spend and will generally be happy with their sales performance. It’s during lean times that companies will start looking around for a new ad agency that will help them stretch their reduced advertising budgets. This is where we come in.

Why Being Rejected Motivates His Team Even More!

I have a friend who leads a team of highly motivated property agents. ‘What’s your secret?’ I asked one day. He told me that most sales people procrastinate taking action and getting sales because they fear rejection.

‘And your salespeople don’t?’ I asked. ‘Not at all! In fact, being rejected motivates them even more.’ he replied.

‘How did you do it?’ His sage reply: ‘By reframing the meaning of rejection!’ On average, they will be rejected 20 times before they get that first sale. Each sale they make averages them about $4,000 in commissions.

Therefore, as it takes 20 rejections to earn $4000, each rejection is worth $200! So I tell them: every time a client rejects you, it means they are putting $200 into your pocket.’ What a great reframe!

What I love about advertising is that it is basically reframing on a large scale. You are basically altering the perception and changing the meaning that people attach to your company and your product.

Have you heard of Hertz, the car rental company? They are the market leader in car rentals in the US. Close behind is Avis car rentals. When Avis wanted to create a powerful advertising campaign, they asked the question, ‘How can we reframe the fact that we are number two into a power benefit to our customers?

So they created a campaign with the theme, ‘Avis – – – – because we are Number 2, we try harder for you’. They reframed their second place to mean that they would go the extra mile for customers. It meant that they would make the extra effort to please their customers and exceed expectations? The result? Their sales and market share rose dramatically.

Another great example is what Pepsi did in their advertising campaign against market leader Coke. Pepsi knew that they were less established so they decided to reframe the fact that they were new to an advantage. At the same time, they wanted to reframe coke’s position as the original, older cola into a disadvantage. That is how they came up with the line ‘Pepsi –

The choice of a new generation’. They then used hip music artistes like Britney Spears and Robbie Williams to convey this frame of mind.

How to Overcome Resistance and Counter Objections

Reframing is also an extremely useful technique to use in dealing with objections from people. I have used this most often in the training I provide for thousands of professional salespeople each year.

Before reframing an objection, it is important to know that you should never resist or defend an objection. You must first show that you acknowledge that person’s opinion before using any kind of reframe.

First, acknowledge the Person’s Resistance or Objection by saying:

Yes, I agree that…or

Yes, I can understand that… or

Yes, I appreciate that…

Then, use the word ‘and’ or ‘at the same time’ to lead to your reframe.

Be careful not to use the word ‘but’. The word ‘but’ tends to fire off immediate resistance from people, whereas ‘and’ is more effective in moving people towards a new direction. So, deal with an objection by saying, ‘Yes I agree that… (objection), at the same time… (reframe)…

Two examples of Reframing when encountering objections

The client says, ‘I don’t need insurance now.’ You can respond by saying, ‘Yes. I understand that you don’t need insurance now. And that is why you need to buy it now because when you do need the benefits of a policy, you may no longer be able to buy it.’

The client says, your product is very expensive. You can respond by saying, ‘Yes. I agree that my product is very expensive. And it is because it is of the highest quality and that will save you money in the long term.’

How would you reframe the following objections? Take the time to do this next exercise.

1. The product is very expensive

Reframe:

2. Your company has no track record

Reframe:

3. Our budget has been cut this year

Reframe:

4. I am too busy

Reframe:

5. I have no money to invest

Reframe:

6. I have no money to invest

Reframe:

7. Your seminar class sizes are very small

Reframe:

8. Your seminar class sizes are very large

Reframe:

9. You have no experience

Reframe:

As you can see, the art of reframing is one of the most powerful language tools you can master. Use it to consciously direct your internal representations and that of other people’s to create resourceful states that will drive you to your outcome.

Let’s now turn the page and explore…

Summary: Anchoring: The Transformation of Meaning

Every event has multiple meanings depending on your frame of reference.

The meaning you choose to give is the meaning you create.

The Law of Polarity :Anything that seems extremely negative, when framed from another perspective, can become extremely positive.

Reframing is changing a negative experience into a positive one by changing the frame of reference used to perceive it.

Content Reframing asking “What else could this mean?” “How would this be beneficial?”

Context reframing asks, “In a different time or place, how would this be beneficial?”

10
VALUES: YOUR DRIVING FORCE

Have you ever wondered what really drives you in your life? Why do you do what you do? What drives your decisions and the choices you make constantly?

We said in chapter 6 (The Secret to Peak Performance) that your behavior is driven more by emotions than by logic. What you do is based more on what you feel like doing rather than what you think you should do. Logically, you know that you should take action and follow through on your goals but emotionally, you may be held back by feelings of lethargy or even fear.

For example, logically, you know you should not smoke because it is a waste of money and could kill you and your loved ones who inhale your secondary smoke. Emotionally, you still continue because of the emotions of relaxation or sense of control it gives you.

More specifically, there are two kinds of emotions that drive us constantly. They are positive emotions and negative emotions.

Whatever you are driven to do, you do because you want to move towards positive emotions like happiness, security, power, success and freedom. At the same time, you are moving away from negative emotions like fear, depression, physical pain, loss or insecurity.

Why We Behave Like Amoebas!

I remember studying about amoebas, those single-celled organisms in science class. When you put food in front of the amoeba, it starts moving towards it. When you place a hot object next to it, it moves away from the heat source.

If you were to put food on one side and heat on the other, it would drive the organism to move even faster in the direction of the food and away from the heat. This sounds really obvious but what you must realize is that you behave exactly the way the amoeba behaves. You must know what is the ‘food’ and the ‘heat’ that drives you constantly.

Think about all decisions that people make constantly. Are they really logically driven or emotionally driven? Why do people get married? On the one hand people get married because they think marriage would move them towards positive emotions like lasting love and happiness, companionship and comfort.

At the same time, couples decide to marry because they think it will move them away from negative emotions such as loneliness, depression, and insecurity.

If this is the case, why are there people who swear never to get married? It’s because they have attached very different emotions to what getting married means. They stay single because they think getting married will bring them loss of freedom and happiness.

They avoid marriage because they may have seen some really unhappy marriages (perhaps their own parents’ unhappy union), and they believe that by remaining single they are moving away from loss of freedom, boredom and from ugly quarrels and unhappiness.

Do all of us want the same kinds of positive emotions and also want to avoid the same painful emotions? Yes! All of us desire recognition, success, happiness, comfort, security and freedom.

At the same time, all of us will do what we can to avoid embarrassment, rejection, boredom, physical pain and poverty. However, in our minds, we place very different levels of importance on these common emotions.

Prioritizing Our ‘Towards Values’
and Our ‘Away-From Values’

The way we value the positive emotions we desire to move towards are called our ‘towards values’, so named because we want to move towards them. For some people, love is more highly valued than success. While for others, success is placed at a higher priority than love.

The way we value painful emotions that we want to avoid are called our ‘away-from values’.

Imagine there was a person (Jeff) who placed a very high value on freedom and fun as his ‘towards values’. And you compared him with (Sam) who placed a high value on security and comfort as his ‘towards values’. Would they behave very differently and make very different decisions? Of course they would! Would they go on the same kind of vacation? I don’t think so. Jeff might go mountain climbing while Sam may prefer cultural tours that take him to museums and art galleries.

They would also buy very different cars, marry very different women and probably be in very different careers. Jeff would probably drive a sports car and could be an entrepreneur or a salesperson. Sam would probably drive a Volvo and be a civil servant. Therefore, the way we prioritize our towards and away- from values affects how our mind makes decisions and the way we behave.

| JEFF | SAM
| Freedom | Security
| Fun | Comfort
Vacation | Mountain climbing | Sightseeing
Career | Sales, business | Civil servant
Car | Sports car | Volvo

Let’s look at how the way people rank their away-from values can affect the decisions they make, and the actions they take. Let’s say Sally ranks rejection much higher than loneliness as her away-from values. What this means is that she finds it much more painful to be rejected than it is to be alone. Chances are, even if Sally met the man of her dreams, she might not dare approach him for fear that she would get rejected. Although she also fears that she would remain lonely by not having a man, the pain of rejection far outweighs the pain of loneliness. As a result, she won’t take action. Quite the opposite is Christine who ranks loneliness as her top away-from value, far higher than rejection. In short, Christine fears the pain of loneliness much more than the pain of rejection. Placed in the same situation, Christine would make the first move and chance being rejected than do nothing and end up alone and lonely for the rest of her life.

It is very important for you to know what your towards- values are (significant emotions that we move towards) and what your away-from values are (significant emotions that we move away from).

Understand How These Values Drive You…

You are now able to understand why you made certain decisions in the past. You will begin to realize why you are experiencing the life you are living now. And why you have or have not been achieving the goals you have set.

For example, if you discover that freedom and fun are valued a lot more than achievement, it would explain why you may not be going very far in your career. But you have stronger relationships with your buddies than someone very driven to succeed.

At the same time, once you know your values, you will be able to tell if they will drive you towards the destiny you desire, or they are in conflict with your goals.

We said earlier on that the trouble with most people is that they do not know what they want specifically in life. Well, many people who have clear goals may still not be driven towards their goals because they may know what they want but they don’t know why they want it. They don’t feel passionate enough to move single-mindedly towards their goals. And they end up vaguely frustrated instead.

Why Our Life is like a Space Shuttle

To use a metaphor, our life is like a space shuttle. When you set a clear goal, you are setting the coordinates or the direction you are moving towards. Like the Moon or Mars, for example. But what propels your shuttle is the fuel.

Unless you have the fuel, your shuttle is never going to reach your goal. The fuel I am talking about is your life values! The positive as well as negative emotions you value most highly.

You have to find out what your hot buttons are. These buttons when pushed will ignite that fire, that burning desire to go for it… as it has in so many highly successful people

When I wanted to find out what drove the top 5% of insurance agents in Singapore, I interviewed the top three agents, asking them what gave them their energy and their passion.

3 Top Performers – Each Driven by a Different Value

The first woman remarked that she is driven by the love of her family. When she wakes up at 6 am every morning, she plans her day, makes her calls and follows through on all of them. Her family is in her thoughts, at the back of her mind. Not distracting her but doing the opposite. She is motivated by thinking of how, doing what she does is going to give them what she never had before. Her value of family is therefore totally in line with her goals of being successful in her career!

When I asked a second agent, a man, he said that what really drives him is not family at all; rather it is the thrill or satisfaction of beating the competition and being ranked number one. This competitive agent clearly valued achievement and awards, these were his towards values. At the same time his number one painful emotion was coming in second. Can you now see why he was so motivated, all of the time? Like the first agent, this man’s values are very much in line with his professional goals.

The third agent was again totally different. She said that every time she sold a life insurance policy, she felt wonderful because she knew she had made one more family secure. At the same time, she would get very worried for any client who was not adequately insured.

She felt a personal responsibility to ensure that her clients got adequate protection against mishaps. These twin forces drove her to go on and on, in spite of really hard work and rejection. Like the other two, her values of ‘concern and contribution’ and ‘making a difference’ are also totally in line with her goals!

When I worked with agents who were below average in performance and could never achieve what they set themselves, I found out it was because their values were totally in conflict with their goals.

I had one agent whose goal was to be the top agent. Unfortunately, his top ‘towards values’ were freedom and fun. Sure enough, the desire to move towards ‘freedom’ and ‘fun’ overpowered his goal. To him, freedom and fun meant doing what gave him short-term pleasure. So he ended up playing golf and hanging around with friends instead of following through on his goals.

At the same time, this agent’s top away-from value was rejection! The fear of rejection made him procrastinate making cold calls to prospects. He hated being told ‘No!’ Can you see why he could never achieve what he wanted?

Back to our space shuttle metaphor, it is like the rocket is aimed to go to the moon, but the fuel is propelling the shuttle in the opposite direction!

Discovering Your ‘Towards Values’

So let’s find out what your towards values are. What are the positive emotional states that guide your every decision and action? You do so by asking yourself any one of these three questions.

Question 1 What is most important to me in life?

Personal Happiness? Family? Health? Love? Freedom? Security? Fun? Fame? Recognition?
Remember: you should be discovering what values (emotional states) you hold dear and not physical objects. If you say ‘my car’, then ask what does your car give you? Is it Convenience? Power? Prestige? Write these down as your towards values.

OR

Question 2 What positive emotional states would I do the most to attain?

You could also ask yourself this question to elicit your values.

OR

Question 3 Think of the last time you were very motivated to do something. What positive emotional states were you moving towards?

For example, suppose you were once very motivated to enter a speech competition or a talent quest. Ask yourself, ‘What emotional states were you trying to attain?’ Was it the satisfaction that comes with Fame? Accomplishment? Personal growth or Satisfaction?
Again, these would be an indication of your values.

So, if you are ready, I want you to grab a pen and spend at least 10 minutes to really reflect on these three questions. Write down your top seven towards values below.

My Towards Values

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Means Values and Ends Values

In eliciting your towards values, you must be aware of the difference between ‘means values’ and ‘ends values’. Ends values are emotional states we ultimately want; like happiness, love, power and freedom. Means values are values that lead us to ends values. A good example is money.

Money is definitely an emotional subject for most people and it definitely drives them to take action. However, different people are driven by money for different reasons. Money is a means value because we want money for what we think money will give us. It is a means to an end. Some people think that money will bring them power, prestige and freedom. So power, prestige and freedom are really the ends values they are after.

It is important to find out what you are really after. Some people keep chasing money thinking that it would bring them happiness and freedom. In the end, they may have all the money they want but still feel restricted and unhappy.

Family is also a means values. If family is important to you then ask, ‘What does family give you?’ Family could bring you love, security, sense of pride, comfort, companionship, fulfillment, purpose etc… Take some time to examine your towards values again and see if it would be useful to find out what your ends values really are. Do it now.

Ranking Your ‘Towards Values’

The next step in clarifying your towards values is to rank them in order of importance. The way you rank them or value them in your mind will determine how you evaluate decisions in your life. For example, is health more important or money? Is freedom more important or security? Is success more important or love?

The way to begin ranking your values is to ask yourself, ‘Of all these values, if I could only have one, what would it be?’

For example, of all the values below, if you find that love is most important to you, then Love would be ranked number one. Look at the remaining values and ask the same question. ‘If I could only have one value, what would it be?’ Repeat this process until you have ranked your towards values from number one to number seven.

Towards Values | 1 Success | 2 Happiness | 3 Love
(Sample) | 4 Freedom | 5 Health | 6 Security
| 7 Growth |  |

My Towards Values (Ranked)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Remember that your towards values are only one side of the coin. We are also driven to make certain decisions because our brain wants us to avoid painful emotions.

For example, you work hard because you want to avoid getting fired which leads you to poverty and humiliation. You may procrastinate in making cold calls because you want to avoid feeling ‘rejected’. So let’s find out what your ‘away-from values’ are.

Eliciting Your ‘Away-From’ Values

The way to elicit your ‘away-from’ values is to ask your self either one of two questions.

Question 1 What negative emotional states would I do the most to avoid? Is it Embarrassment? Loneliness? Rejection? Depression? Loss? Physical pain? Frustration? Guilt?

OR

Question 2 Think of the last time you were motivated to do something, what negative emotional states were you avoiding?

For example, it could be the time when you worked very hard on a project. What negative emotional states pushed you to get it done? It could have been fear of being reprimanded (humiliation, rejection) or fear of not doing a good job (failure)

Grab your pen again and take ten minutes to do this. Write down your ‘away-from’ values in the space below. Be totally honest with yourself.

My Away-From Values

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Ranking Your Away-From Values

Now, rank your ‘away-from’ values from one to seven. Ask yourself, ‘Of all these values, which would I do the most to avoid?’ If rejection is the one emotion that you fear the most, then it will be your number one away-from value. Looking at the remaining values, ask the same question until you have ranked them all.

Away-From Values (Ranked)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Values Definition

Now, although two people may have the same values, they could still decide and behave very differently because they may have very different definitions of the same values.

Values mean different things to different people. Success could mean something to one person and something completely different to another. It depends on what we have associated these emotions to in our nervous system. It is only when we find out how we truly define our values that it becomes very clear what our hot buttons are.

Is it possible that Madonna and Mother Theresa had the same number one ‘towards value’ in life?

Quite Possibly. How could that be? They are totally different personalities with such radically different beliefs? This is because the way they define success is obviously very different.

For Madonna, success may mean touching millions of lives with her music. Although the late Mother Theresa may have valued success just as highly, her definition of success would have meant feeding 10 million children. As such, they made very different choices in their lives and produced very different results. And are both just as successful? Yes! By their own definitions.

Two Boys:
Very Different Personalities
but the Same Values!

In my work with children, I have always wondered why one student is so motivated to study and become the top student while another just wants to join gangs and beat up other kids. Could they have different values?

I began to understand why when I was having a session with two boys, each a very different personality. Yet I found that both students had the same top towards value of ‘Importance’. At the same time, they both had a top away-from value of ‘rejection’. Well, then how could they behave so differently?

I discovered that the first boy had learnt to associate studying to feeling important. When he scored high grades, he received lots of praise and rewards from the school and his parents. This desire to continue feeling important drove him to excel in school. At the same time, his mind associated not studying to rejection. He felt that if he allowed his grades to slip, people would not admire him anymore and he would feel rejected. As for the other boy, the associations he made to importance and rejection were totally reversed. He felt important being the leader of a gang with his friends looking up at him as the one who dares to defy authority. He felt important every time he bullied the kids around him.

At the same time, this second boy associated the feeling of rejection to studying. Why? Because he would fail and feel rejected by his teachers. He was in a group culture where it was uncool to study and anyone who was a ‘nerd’ would be rejected by the group.

So we have to start analyzing what our brains link our values to. Since our minds will always make decisions to move us to our towards values and away from our away-from values.

Define Your Towards and Away-From Values

Now, I want you to be totally honest with yourself and really think about how you define the values that you have. Ask, ‘What must happen for me to feel (Value) ?’ Define both your towards values as well as your away-from values.

For example, let’s say that success is your top towards value. What must happen for you to be successful? Be as specific as you can! Must people tell you that you are successful? Must you earn $100,000 a year? Must you drive a Ferrari?

Now, how about ‘happiness’? What must happen for you to be happy? To some people, happiness is defined as, ‘Everything must go the way I expect’. What’s your definition? Write down your definition of your towards values now.

Towards Values Definition (What must happen)

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3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Similarly, look at your away-from values. If rejection is what you want to avoid the most, what must happen for you to feel rejected? Do you feel rejected the moment someone does not agree with your ideas? Is it when someone does not buy your product?

How about failure? What must happen for you to feel like a failure? Do you feel like a failure when you don’t reach your goals? Write down your definition of your away-from values. Do it now!

Away-From Values Definition (What must happen)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Analyze Your Values… They Reveal the Inner You

Great! You should now have your towards and away-from values, clearly ranked and defined. Here comes the most interesting part.

I want you to put your values side by side and in front of you, and analyze them. Do your values explain why you have made certain decisions in the past? Do they explain why you behave consistently in a certain manner?

If you have achieved some of your goals, do your values explain why? More importantly, if you have felt frustrated about not achieving certain results or goals, do your values also explain why?

Do your values explain the decisions you made in your professional life? Your family? Your health? Your personal relationships? Take as much time as you need and write down some of your self discoveries!

Do Your Values Sabotage Your Success?

More importantly, I want you to see if your values have sabotaged your success up to now. Is the way you have ranked your values or the way you have defined them caused you any conflict? Are they misaligned with your goals? Do they help you to achieve your ultimate dreams?

If there are certain areas in your life where you have consistently not got the desired results, it can almost always be traced back to a values conflict. Let me give you a few examples I have come across.

The Ambitious Accountant Who Had Conflicting Values

I once worked with an accountant (let’s call him Alan) who had big dreams and grand plans about setting up his own business. It was a partnership. However, Alan just could not bring in much business to his current partnership and felt frustrated with himself.

When I analyzed Alan’s values, I found that his top towards value was ‘success’ (definition: when I achieve my goals). That explained why he wanted to do it so badly. Unfortunately, his top away-from values were ‘rejection’ and ‘failure’. He felt rejected whenever someone rejected his ideas or his services. He also defined failure as ‘when I do not reach my goals’.

Do you see the big conflict here? It’s no wonder Alan could not reach his goals. On the one hand, he wanted to succeed by bringing in more business to achieve his sales targets. On the other hand, he never took any action to solicit for business or come up with creative ideas because he was so fearful of rejection and failure. So he felt stuck and frustrated all the time.

Until Alan changes his values to align with his goals, he will never get what he wants.

Conflict of Values in the Accountant

Towards Value | Definition | Away-From Value | Definition
Success | Reach my goal | Rejection | When people reject my ideas
|  | Failure | When I don’t reach my goals

Spiritual Growth and Money Do Not Mix?

Then there was a woman who came to my seminar and learned that what was holding her back were her two top towards values, that seemed to be in conflict. Her number one value was spiritual growth. Her number two value was money. So, every time she worked hard for money, she felt guilty because she felt that making money would make her less spiritual. In the end, she felt totally unfulfilled.

Love and Freedom Make for Conflict

Another guy discovered why his relationships never lasted for very long. His top value was love (he felt love when he was in a steady relationship). On the other hand, he had freedom as one of his top two value (freedom to him meant not answering to anyone and being free to do his own thing).

Whenever he was single, he would be driven to settle down in a steady relationship (driven by the need to feel loved). The moment he was in a steady relationship, he felt like he had no freedom, so he would unconsciously sabotage his relationship and become single again, earning his freedom. As a result, his relationships would always break down within three months or so. The way this guy set up these two top values just tore him apart.

As you can see, it is not just how we rank our values that determine whether they empower or limit us. More importantly, it is how we have learnt to define these values.

Happiness Means Everything Going Her Way!

I had another woman in my seminar who appeared to be clearly unhappy with her life. She constantly wore a frown and had a pattern of finding problems with the people around her. When it came to the session on values, she ranked happiness as a number one value.

You would think she wanted to be happy all the time. However, her definition of happiness was ‘everything must go exactly the way I want’. It is no wonder she felt and acted in such a miserable way. She never felt happy! And that unhappiness prevented her from taking the action she needed to build relationships with people and work towards her goals.

Do You Have Rejection As One of Your Away-From Values?

Again, the way you define rejection could empower you or limit you. I believe that most people would do anything to avoid rejection. The difference is that people who take action towards their goals tend to define rejection very differently.

If you feel rejected the moment someone rejects your idea, it is likely you will never dare to take much risks in life. You would avoid venturing out, coming up with new ideas and developing new clients for fear of feeling rejected.

Do you think George W Bush, President of the United States fears rejection? I’m sure he does. But to him he may only feel rejected if more than 50% of the people around him reject his ideas!

Even though half of America voted against Bush and half the world hates him for attacking Iraq, he still went ahead because it was difficult for him to feel rejection. It doesn’t bother him that millions disagree with his policy, he goes ahead and does it anyway.

Another potential conflict could be the way you define failure. If failure is a top away-from value, then it may prevent you from setting goals and taking action. What must happen for you to feel ‘failure?’ Most people feel like a failure when they do not reach their goal. As a result, they dare not set goals and take action as they risk feeling what they want to avoid the most, failure! Their motto is, ‘if I don’t try anything, I cannot fail.’

Change Your Values, Change Your Life!

If you find that your life values are not arranged or defined in a way that will propel you to achieve your goals, then surely it’s time to take charge and re-design them!

When you change a person’s values, you immediately change the way they make decisions, the way they behave and ultimately, their future. For example, if you took a person whose number one value was ‘security’ and swapped it with his number seven value of ‘freedom’, what would happen?

You would literally change his entire decision-making process and the direction of his life. From being satisfied in a comfortable corporate job that gives him perceived ‘security’, he may suddenly decide to become self-employed and start his own business!

We must remember that the values we have today are not the result of conscious choices we have made in the past. You never consciously chose the values that you have today. They came about because of conditioning from your environment and the significant people in your life.

If you grew up in a family where love and connection were valued a lot more than success and achievement, you would tend to unconsciously adopt those values as your own. We adopt values in order to fit in and be accepted by the people around us. Your values may have also come from your friends, teachers, colleagues and society at large.

The problem is when we have values that conflict with each other or are not useful in helping us live an exceptional and fulfilling life.

Right now, you have the choice to start designing the values that will drive you to get the best out of yourself.

So, I want you to think, ‘How should my values be arranged so that they propel me to achieve my life’s goals?’ ‘How can I define my values in such a way that they empower me to take action?’ Grab your pen and invest as much time as you need to complete the next exercise.

My New Values

Towards Value | Defination | Away-From Value | Defination
1. |  |  |
2. |  |  |
3. |  |  |
4. |  |  |
5. |  |  |
6. |  |  |
7. |  |  |

For example, if success is currently a top value and health is not even on the list, it probably explains why you will always procrastinate going to the gym, citing no time as the main reason. If you realize that you need the energy and health to really get what you want, you may want to put health as one of your top values.

If success or money is currently a top value, while family is somewhere at the bottom, I wouldn’t be wrong if I guess that even if it’s your wife’s birthday, you would still be at the office telling her, ‘Darling, we will celebrate it another time’.

Or, you’d be getting your secretary to buy her a big present and card, instead of doing it yourself. Well, if you really want to have an enduring and more fulfilling relationship, you will have to change. You will have to shift family to a higher priority, even above money and work.

Clinton Delayed Entering the Presidential Race… Because of Daughter Chelsea (His Top Value at the Time)

Bill Clinton would have made his bid for the presidency four years earlier than he had if he and Hillary had not decided that their precious daughter Chelsea was still too young to be exposed to the ugliness of politics and also she needed them to be around. As governor, Clinton even had a little desk for Chelsea in his office, so he could have her within ear-shot.

Clinton made his choice with a great deal of deliberation and perhaps even reluctance at the time but their reward was seeing their daughter blossom into a fine young woman with all the right values.

Now we go back to the accountant who was facing a lot of conflicts because of his conflicting top priority values. Remember, his number one towards value (success) conflicted with his number two away-from value (rejection); well, learning from his experience, you may want to shift ‘rejection’ down your list of away-from values.

Change Your Definition of Your Values…
and You’ll Make Major Changes in Your Life

Besides changing the order of your values, changing the way you define your values will also create a major impact in your life.

If your current definition of ‘failure’ is ‘not reaching my goals’, you may want to re-define it such that it propels you rather than stops you from taking action.

I have discovered that successful people tend to define failure as ‘giving up’. In other words, if they don’t reach their goal, they don’t feel like a failure. To them, as long as they keep working towards it and not give up, they have not failed. Because of this, they keep on moving towards their goal. Would you find that a useful way to define failure?

As for me, my definition of failure is ‘not giving my best’. And because I hate to fail (it is one of my top away-from values), I am always driven to give my very best!

Now, for the woman who initially defined happiness as ‘everything must go exactly the way I expect’, and who ended up feeling miserable, she too found it more useful to re-define happiness.

When she re-defined happiness as ‘as long as I live according to my principles’, everything changed for her. It was amazing. The instant she made that decision and wrote it down, it seemed as if a great burden had been lifted from her. She started to glow and smile and even remarked that she felt lighter and even happy. That is the power of a value change!

If rejection is an away-from value for you, you may also want to change what it means to feel rejected. We said earlier that if you are the sort of person who feels rejected at the slightest sign of ‘No’, then you would not take action, for fear that if you got even one rejection, you would feel depressed. You may now decide that you have been too thin-skinned.

You must be more thick-skinned. To feel rejected, more than 50% of people must say no to you, or reject your ideas. If you did that, it would really be difficult for you to feel rejected. This definition of ‘rejection’ will not prevent you from taking action!

Are ‘Away-From’ Values Useful?

Some people have asked me, ‘if we can make a decision to change our values, then why not choose to throw away all our ‘away- from’ values if they create negative emotions we want to avoid.

Well, you must understand that ‘away-from’ values are very powerful in propelling you towards your goals as well. In fact, more people are motivated by a need to avoid pain than to obtain pleasure. For example, some people may be motivated to work overtime for fear of losing their job than for a desire to get a promotion.

For example, if your top away-from value was failure (defined as giving up), this would motivate you to keep taking action until you succeed! Again, my definition of failure is ‘not doing my best’ and this away-from value really drives me to give my very best, all the time.

So ‘failure’ as an away-from value can be a very powerful motivating force provided you define it in an empowering way! If you have an ‘away-from’ value of boredom, it could drive you to constantly make things happen, start new businesses and create new ideas!

Sometimes, removing an ‘away-from’ value can be disastrous! One of my top ‘away-from’ values was ‘uncertainty’. As a result, every time there was an uncertainty about the end result, like a new project, I would keep worrying that something would go wrong. Initially, I thought that it was not a very useful pattern to have since I hated to be in a worried state.

What I didn’t realize was that this intense fear of uncertainty was what got me to keep planning to the last detail…until I was certain that I had planned for everything. And that was why my projects ran smoothly.

When I removed my away-from value of ‘uncertainty’, I stopped worrying and adopted a ‘everything will be fine’ attitude. As a result, I stopped planning and sure enough, things started screwing up! I quickly re-designed ‘uncertainty’ back into my values list. A valuable lesson had been learnt.

Create a Propulsion Effect

One of the most powerful ways is to design your values such that you create both a pull and a push effect (propulsion) towards your goals. It’s like putting food on one end and putting heat on the other end that drives the amoeba in one direction.

How do you do this? Simply by aligning your top towards and away-from values so they push you in a single direction.

Here are some possible value designs that can propel you forward.

Towards | Away-From
Success (move towards my goals) | Failure (not attempting or giving up)
Achievement | Boredom
| Procrastination

How to Lock In Your New Values!

Now that you have consciously re-designed your values, how do you install them so they become a new pattern of thinking and behavior for you?

First, you must understand that our life values change whenever we go through significant emotional experiences, both negative and positive.

How do you think having a baby would affect most people’s values? For most, love and family would suddenly become a lot higher on their values list.

I had a friend who, after suffering a heart attack and almost losing his life, experienced a shift of values! Suddenly, ‘health’ and ‘love’ became top priorities. So the way to integrate our new values into our nervous system is to supercharge them emotionally. There are four steps to take to integrate your values. They are…

First you must consciously commit to living by these new values. Once you start consciously making new decisions based on your new values, your mind will start to integrate them at an unconscious level and it will form a new pattern of thinking and living.

So, don’t wait to change your values only when you experience a significant emotional event – it may be too late. Not everyone recovers from a heart attack or cancer.

1. Commit to Your New Values

The first step is to make a personal commitment (and you know what that means, don’t you?) and a public commitment. Go to at least five people you know well and tell them about your commitment to living by these new values. When you put yourself on the line, you will always follow through.
Write down at least five people you will make this commitment to.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

2. Be In Constant Touch with Your New Values

Put your values in front of your desk or in your organizer, so you will be reminded of them daily.

3. Emotionally Charge Your Values

We must remember that our values were formed by neural patterns that were conditioned in our nervous system as a result of emotional experiences.Therefore, to lock in a new value, you need to associate a lot of emotions into it. We generate these emotions by using the power of visualization and submodalities. Use the power of visualization to mentally rehearse making decisions and behaving according to your new values. Then, associate positive emotions towards this new value.

For example, say you wanted to place ‘health’ as a top value in your life. Visualize the new decisions you will make and your behaviors as a result of this new value. In your mind’s eye, imagine yourself eating the right foods and exercising regularly.

See yourself making the new decision of investing the time to take care of your body when faced with so many priorities. What’s more important is to visualize and associate all the positive benefits of doing this.

See how much more energy you will have, how great you will look and how confident you feel. Use the power of submodalities to intensify your mental experiences so that they become new powerful neuro-associations in your mind.

4. Live by Your New Values

Begin by making new decisions and taking new actions based on these new values. For example, if you have shifted health to be a top value, above success; make sure that when the choice arises, you will take time to go to the gym or go for that run, before getting your work done. As you keep making these new conscious choices, your brain will unconsciously begin to integrate your new values.

Let’s say that you currently feel rejected every time someone does not agree with your ideas. And you set a new definition such that you only feel rejected when ‘more than ten people in a row do not agree’. The next time, someone rejects you, reframe the experience as a stepping stone to an acceptance. As you keep doing this, your mind will start realizing that you do not associate ‘painful emotions’ to a one, two or even three-time rejection, not anymore.

Summary: Values: Your Driving Force

Our decisions and actions are driven by us moving towards positive emotions and, simultaneously, moving away from negative emotions.

The positive emotions that we move towards are called our towards values. The negative emotions we move away from are called away-from values.

All of us rank our values differently and hence, we take very different decisions and take different actions.

While goals give us a direction to move towards, values are like the emotional fuel that propels us forward.

When we can discover a person’s towards and away-from values, we can predict how this person will make decisions.

If we were to shift the way a person ranks his values and/or the way he defines it, we will dramatically change the way he behaves and the results he produces.

Once we consciously change our values, we can lock them in by :

Committing to these new values

Be in constant touch with them

Emotionally charging them by visualization

Living by these new values

11
DESIGN YOUR DESTINY

‘Some dream to escape reality, some to change it forever’

– Soichiro Honda

Together we have gone though a whole range of tools to produce literally any result you want. You have learned powerful strategies to re-program your brain, change your habits and drive yourself to take consistent action. You are now aware of the true potential that lies within you which, when unleashed, can create astounding results.

What you must now do is to channel all this knowledge, power and energy into a single direction by asking the question, ‘What do I really want? What do I want to achieve and create specifically in my life?’

Now this seems like a pretty straightforward and obvious question. However, the plain truth is that most people have no clear idea about what they really want. Most of the time, people will say they want to be successful, they want their life to improve, they want more money, they want better relationships, they want to be happier or to have peace of mind.

The trouble with all these ‘wants’ is that they are too vague to become achievable results. You have also learned that ‘happiness’ and ‘peace of mind’ are nothing but states that we can create at any time! If you want to be ‘happy’, all you have to do is to focus your internal representation on what you have and are grateful for, and simultaneously adopt a physiology of happiness!

Remember that you are in control of your states. So, ‘happiness’ is not a goal. Many people think it is, so they go after things which they think will make them happy, like money. At the end of it, they may have all the money in the world, but still feel miserable. Why? Because if you cannot learn to be happy now, you will never be happy. Happiness is a state of mind.

Success may seem like a good result to achieve but when I ask the question, ‘What must you achieve specifically in order to succeed (in your chosen field)?’ I normally get a ‘I don’t know response.’ Or ‘I’m not sure, I haven’t really thought about it!’

Surely it is no wonder that most people never get what they want. They can’t because they don’t even know what they really want.

If you don’t give your bio-computer a clear and direct command of what to execute, there is no way it can direct itself to attain it. This is because if you are not absolutely clear about what you want to achieve, there is no way to design a specific strategy and plan to get there.

Most people desire to make more money and become rich. Why is it that so few ever achieve it? Again, it is because they don’t have a specific goal to focus on.

If you do not know what you want specifically, you cannot develop a specific strategy and action plan to get there. For example, the strategy and action plan to earn $200,000 a year is totally different from the strategy and plan you need to earn $2 million. It would be different again if your aim is $10 million and vastly different again if your target is $100 million a year!

If you want to make $200,000, what should your strategy and action plan be? You could well achieve this target by being promoted to a senior management position in a medium to large company.

What if you want to make $2 million? Would the strategy be different? Of course. The only way to make $2 million a year would be to own your own company or be in insurance or real estate sales.

What if you want to achieve $10 million a year? Could you achieve this by running your own small company or being in sales? No way! No matter how hard you work it would be impossible to achieve this figure!

How then would it be possible? The only way would be to expand your company by opening up many branches or creating franchises across the country or around the world. With this leverage, you can possibly make $10 million a year.

Now, what if you want to make $100 million a year? Again, this goal requires a completely different set of skills and approach. There is no way you can make $100 million through sales, salary or even profits from your own company. The only way is to sell shares in a company you own which is publicly listed on the stock market. This is how the billionaires in the world become so wealthy.

Now, although I use money as an illustration, the same thing applies to anything we want to achieve – be it better health, relationships, contribution to society or even spiritual growth.

My point is this. Once you know what it is you want specifically, you will be very clear about what it is you must do to get there. If you want to achieve $2 million, you must get into a sales line or start your own company.

If you want to make $10 million, you need to expand your company’s products or services into international markets; and if you want to make over $100 million, you must get your company listed on the stock exchange where its value will be multiplied many times.

But when we are unclear and vague about what we want to achieve, we are not able to focus our ideas, energy and effort on anything tangible.

Everything is Possible, It is Only a Question of Strategy

Here is a true-life example of how I helped an insurance agent clarify his goal and hence develop a clear strategy to achieve his outcome. When Paul first came to my training program, he said that he was going nowhere after being in the profession for five years.

He said, ‘I don’t know how some other agents become so successful. I work just as hard but I don’t seem to be very successful.’

‘Well, what do you want to achieve specifically?’, I asked. ‘To make good money and to qualify for some awards!’, he replied. I realized at this point that because Paul was not focused on a specific outcome, he could not focus his time and efforts on any specific action plan.

Finally, after lots of questions, Paul set as his goal attaining the ‘Million Dollar Round Table’ qualification, which requires him to achieve total annual premiums of $150,000.

From there, I again asked a series of very specific questions like:

‘What is your average case size? What is your closing rate? What is your call conversion rate?’ From these figures, I helped him to develop the following action plan by working backwards from his $150,000 target.

GOAL: TOTAL ANNUAL PREMIUM | $150,000
Average case size | $1500
Number of cases required | 100 ($150,000÷$1500)
If closing rate is 20%, then number of appointments required is | 333 appointments (100÷30%)
If call conversion rate is 20%, then Number of leads to call required is | 1665 leads (333÷20%)
Number of leads to call a day is | 4.6 leads per day (1665÷365 days)
Number of appointments a day is | 0.9 appointments per day (333÷365 days)

*Note: call conversion rate is the number of appointments you can make as a percentage of calls you make from leads.
Call conversion rate = No. of appointments ÷ no. of leads called

Following our discussion, Paul saw clearly that based on his past rates of closing and call conversion, if he consistently generated 5 leads a day (rounded off from 4.6) and made one appointment a day (rounded off from 0.9) with a prospect, he would be able to achieve $150,000 worth of premiums within a year!

The instant Paul made his goal specific, he knew precisely what to do and what to focus on. His eyes started brightening and I could tell that he was getting extremely excited that he could achieve it, if he followed the plan.

Within one year, Paul told me that not only did he achieve his target but he exceeded it because he figured that if he could achieve the ‘Million Dollar Round Table’ by making one appointment a day, then he could achieve the ‘Court of the Table’, by consistently making three appointments a day and hitting a $460,000 target for premiums, earning him over $150,000 a year!

Success Rarely Happens by Chance,
Success Happens by Design

I believe from my own life’s experiences, and studying the lives of hundreds of successful people, that achieving success rarely ever happens by chance.

The roll of the dice never made anyone rich for long, or happy. It always begins with a clearly defined outcome fueled by a passionate desire.

These were the findings of a study conducted at Yale University in 1953. That year, the graduating batch of students was surveyed and in this batch only 3% had their goals written down. The goals of this 3% of graduating students included: ‘being a best-selling novelist, starting a computer company and taking it public, running for President etc…’ 97% of the students had no clearly defined goals written down. Many of them chose to adopt the ‘whatever will be, will be’ mindset.

Twenty years later, a follow up study revealed that the 3% of students who wrote down their goals earned a combined income three times greater than the combined income of the 97% that had no goals written down.

That surely shows the incredible power of goal setting.

No Plan?… then You will Fall into Someone Else’s Plan

I can tell you that if I did not sit down 14 years ago and design my life the way that I wanted it to unfold, I certainly wouldn’t have achieved what I have right now. I would be somewhere else, probably doing something totally different.

Very often, if we don’t have a clear plan for our life, we will fall into somebody else’s plan. Most often it would be our parents’ plan: ‘Be a doctor, be a lawyer, be an engineer and make plenty of money’…and while it would be (in their view) for our own future good, it would be trying to live out their expectations and sometimes their own unrealized dreams.

Or if we are in a public or private corporation, do we expect our boss, the company, to chart our goals and our future? I can tell you that if they do it, it will be for your benefit only if that’s in line with the company’s targets.

Now, don’t we all want the freedom to do and to be whatever we choose to become?

When I was first featured in the newspapers as a 26-year old millionaire whose speaking fee was $1000 an hour, many of my friends asked me how I was able to command such a high fee within two years of graduating from university.

Well, by 26, two years after graduation, I had written a best- selling book, started and ran three companies, spoken to thousands of people and made over a million dollars. Most of my peers were either looking for their first job or working for other people for about $2000+ a month.

The irony is that many of these peers and friends were probably just as intelligent, just as talented and hardworking as I was. The only difference between them and me was the fact that at age 15 (highly charged by motivational gurus), I sat down and scripted out a detailed life plan.

I wrote down exactly what I was going to achieve in the next twenty years of my life (this is what I will be getting you to do, whatever your age, wherever you are in your life’s journey, at the end of this chapter).

After scripting out my life plan, I took action and each action I took enabled me to focus all my talents, my intelligence and energies like a laser beam. I use the analogy of a laser beam because I was so energized, I felt I could cut through anything that was in my way.

Often it’s our die-hard habits that stand in our way!

Now, remember, things that come up and seemingly stand in our way are often our own die-hard habits. It’s so easy to hang around with a bunch of friends, whether it’s at a coffee club or swank private club and while away the time.

Getting on with our goals, forging ahead, definitely calls for what initially appears to be ‘sacrifice’ – using the time you would have spent ‘hanging out’ purposefully making ‘cold calls’, reading, studying the market and researching. Most of these are solitary pursuits but so necessary.

So, armed with my detailed life plan, I went all-out and did what I needed to do to make my dreams a reality. It was because of what I had designed (in that plan) that made me start collecting notes and writing a book. Nothing was by chance, everything was according to plan.

Starting my first business (mobile disco) at 15, attending personal development programs and reading hundreds of motivational, self-help and business books, were all in my plan. Even spending whatever free time I had (outside of my studies) speaking in public or selling something was part of my success strategy.

The goals drove my decisions and my actions. If I did not have a clear plan, I would have followed the crowd, doing what everyone else was doing (just getting my education) and getting what everyone else was getting.

If you do what everyone else does, you will get what everyone else gets!

– Adam Khoo

Do you have a home computer? Yes? What software does your computer run on? If I bet that it runs on Windows, I will be right eight out of ten times. Why? Because over 80% of personal computers run on some form of Microsoft software. Did this happen by chance? No!

This is the result of a very clear goal that Bill Gates set when he first started Microsoft, two decades back. His vision was ‘a computer on every desk and every home, running Microsoft software’.

In fact, this goal was set at a time when it was uncommon for homes to have personal computers. Just a few years earlier, in 1977, Kenneth Olsen, the President of Digita Equip Corp remarked, ‘There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.’

Gates thought otherwise. He made it his specific goal and mobilized his team to create what is now taken for granted; home computers that are as common as telephones.

When Milkshake Salesman Ray Kroc Set a Mega Goal of Going Global…

Do you know which company collectively owns the biggest spread of real estate in the world? It’s McDonald’s Corporation. Anywhere in the world, in any major city, you will find a McDonald’s restaurant. In fact, many major cities like Los Angeles, California, Hong Kong and London have a McDonald’s almost every five blocks.

Earlier, during McDonalds’ massive expansion phase, outlets were being opened at the rate of one restaurant a day, all around the world!

This phenomenon did not happen by accident. McDonald’s dominance around the world started as the result of a clear vision that McDonald’s Franchise owner Ray Kroc had back in 1961 when he first acquired the worldwide rights to build McDonald’s restaurants around the world.

In the beginning, McDonald’s was just a small diner in America operated by the McDonald brothers. At that time, Ray Kroc was a salesman who sold milkshake mixers. When he saw how the diner was operated, he was amazed at its service and efficiency and the consistency and cleanliness of the food it offered its customers. Kroc manage to get the brothers to sign over to him the rights to franchise and build exact replicas of the McDonald’s restaurant around the world.

As salesman Kroc flew back home with the newly-signed document in his hand, he knew he had a struck a goldmine as he envisioned how hundreds of thousands of these McDonald’s restaurants would be created all over the world, in every country, and in every city.

Again, it was this specific mega goal, fueled by passion that led to it being a reality. Today, a new McDonald’s restaurant opens somewhere in the world every seven hours: a tally of 20,000+ outlets in 90 countries serving 29 million people everyday.

Why You Must Start Setting Goals, Right Now!

If there is one message I must get across, it is this. You must start setting goals in every major area of your life. Right now, whatever your age, whatever you are doing. Without something to focus on, the decisions we make and actions we take daily will not have any long-term direction, and will not result in any kind of achievement.

Without direction, we will be caught up with short term outcomes like paying the bills, watching our favourite television shows, going shopping, trying out the newest restaurant, avoiding problems or just making it through one hectic week after another. Like rats on a treadmill. We will tend to be caught up in a stressed and monotonous existence instead of designing a destiny and truly living.

You see, the human mind is always pursing some kind of goal, however feeble. If we don’t focus our mind on long term goals that lead us to success, our minds will tend to focus on short term and puny goals that end up wasting our time and distracting us.

Life is Like a Raging River Branching Out to Many Streams…

I always like to use a river as a metaphor for life. We are all in our boats moving down this raging river which splits into many tributaries downstream, representing the many outcomes. Which tributary we take will determine where we end up.

When we are clear about which stream we want to take, we will begin rowing in that direction. Now, along the way, there are definitely going to be currents that pull us in different directions. There are going to be rocks and rapids that block our path. But if we stay focused on where we want to go, we will just keep rowing steadfastly, re-directing our boat until we get to our destination.

However, if we go through life without any clear idea of where we are going and where we want to end up, we will just row our boats aimlessly. We will just allow the currents and the rocks to move us in all directions.

This is what happens to most people. They end up going down a stream that they don’t want to be in. When they finally realize that it is not an outcome they want, they start paddling hard to avoid it. By this time, for many, it will be too late.

They go over the rapids (disaster) or finish up in a dead-end mill pond. They end up feeling frustrated, disillusioned and unfulfilled in the many different areas of their life. So, surely it is time to start deciding where you want to end up in your river of life!

What Prevents Most People from Designing their Life?

If setting clear goals is so crucial for us to achieve a successful and fulfilling future, then why do so many people fail to do it? Why are so many people allowing the river of life to pull them in all directions?

1. Limiting Beliefs

The first thing that holds most people back from setting goals are their limiting beliefs. Many people only dream about what they would love to have. When it comes to committing to a specific target and plan, they don’t even bother. Something inside them says ‘there is no way’. Either it’s too difficult or they simply don’t have what it takes.

You now know that these are nothing but limiting beliefs. Unless we break these past generalizations about ourselves, we will never dare to design goals that drive us to the next level.

2. They Don’t Know What They Want

‘But... I don’t know what I want!’ This is probably one of the most common responses I get from people. I bet if I gave these people a magic lamp and told them that they would be granted anything they wish for, they will start making up a whole list of things real quick!

It is not that people don’t know what they want. What has truly happened is that most people have stopped daring to dream. I believe that as kids, all of us had fantasies and dreams of what we wanted to have and be when we grow up. However, as we went through life, we met with so many failures and disappointments that our rational, critical mind has forbidden us to continue day dreaming anymore.

Whenever we get excited about something, our internal voice will rush in to tell us, ‘It can’t be done’ ‘You cannot do that’ ‘That’s impossible’ ‘Grow up, get real’. (It could even be an echo of our parents’ voice, if we had stern, no-nonsense parents). As a result, this would block our creative juices and deflate our passion – the very elements we need to create and design the life we truly want.

We need to learn how to unlock our imagination and set our creative minds FREE… free of fear and inhibitions so we can dream clearly and with growing excitement of what we truly want out of life.

3. Fear of Failure

This fear of failure, of rejection and embarrassment is what probably paralyzes most people from even starting out. I had a participant in one of my seminars who never dared set goals because of her intense fear of failing if she did not achieve what she had set her heart and mind to. In her mind, she reckoned that if she did not set expectations, then she could not fail!

My mum did something similar when she was sitting for her final O level examinations over 40 years ago. She was sure she would fail maths (which she hated), and so she decided she would rather not take the exam than have a fail mark!

Sounds crazy, but many people do the same thing. They believe that it is better not to have expectations, so they cannot let themselves down.

Does this mean that people who keep setting goals do not fear failure? I don’t believe so. I think everyone hates and fears the feeling of failure, including myself. What, then, gives them the courage to set high goals and go for it? It is how we define failure to ourselves. (Remember that we talked about this in the chapter on ‘values?’).

The only one who can tell us that we failed and make us feel bad is… ourselves. Yet, this is how we often shoot ourselves in the foot. The moment we do not achieve what we want, even on our first attempt, we tell ourselves we have failed, and feel really bad. This pain is what prevents us – and this goes for the majority of people – from daring to go for high stakes, to taking risks.

People who constantly set expectations and go for it do so because they define failure differently. They believe that not getting what they set out for is not failure, but only feedback. They don’t feel bad about it at all. They believe that they only fail if they give up! As long as they keep going for it and do not give up, then they have not failed! This belief drives them to do anything, since they alone decide when (i.e. if they ever have to) to call it quits!

You can do the same thing for yourself. Let me ask you this question, ‘What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?’ Would you suddenly go out and do a lot of things you never dared to do? I bet you would.

Then why don’t you go out and do it? After all, there is no way you can fail unless you give up! It is this belief that has driven me to go for the impossible!

Did I achieve them all? Of course not, but it has stretched me so much and has gotten me so much more results than I would have had I not set such high targets.

4. Addiction to the Soft Life

Most people are risk averse because they are addicted to a way of life: a soft life, a cushy life with habits and material comforts they are loathed to change or risk losing. Unless that comfy life- style is imminently under threat, they won’t do anything that calls for iron will and discipline.

Setting goals and really going for our goals often means changing habits, sacrificing time spent hanging out with friends. This is why people make half-hearted attempts. As soon as their new path impinges on their old habits, they withdraw…it’s too hard.

A friend who teaches a Detox and Energise self-help program says most people don’t stick to it because even if they believe in its long-term health benefits, they are not willing to work at it… and it is life-long work. They’d rather pop a pill (a drug) and dam the long-term consequences.

There are no short-cuts to success in any area – business, career, health or personal relationships. So, be prepared to make what appears to be ‘sacrifices’ and, if you do, the rewards are there.

5. Setting Goals Don’t Work

‘I have tried setting goals, but they didn’t work.’ ‘Many people I know set goals, but they never achieve it, so they give up!’ This is another one of the most common responses I get. My reply is always ‘It’s not the goal that did not work, you did not work!’ Remember that setting goals in isolation will not get you what you want. However, they are the first and major key to the ultimate success formula. If you don’t follow up with your goals by developing a strategy, taking action and changing your strategy from feedback, you will not be successful!

When you don’t get what you want, it is merely part of the feedback you get on your journey of getting to what you want. Let me illustrate this with a diagram.

When you have no specific goals, you will tend to go towards whatever influences you in the short term. You will be like a sheep following other sheeps around you. After some time, you will move all over the place and end up going nowhere.

When you set a clear goal and focus on it, you will make the decisions and take the actions that will move you there. As you take action and follow your plans, you will move towards what you want.

But very rarely is the path a straight and easy one. Along the way, soon enough, you will encounter some obstacles, set backs and frustrations.

It could be in the form of a rejection, a lost business deal or even a business failure. At this point, there will always be a group of people (I estimate 30%), who will give up on their dream. These are the ones who will live in fear all of their life and never dare to shoot for anything anymore.

The remaining people (the 70%) will not let one setback stop them. They will quickly recover and take action again. Sure enough, along the way, failure will strike again. At this stage, another group of people will give up, say maybe another 30%.

The remaining 40% will pick themselves up and keep taking action. So along the way to their goals, more and more people will keep giving up as they encounter one setback after another. It is only the remaining 5% that finally reach their goals.

Coming Back Even Stronger… After Major Blows

In fact, setbacks sometimes come as big plunges. I have noticed so many times that people are only rewarded with their dreams after they have gone through one of these huge plunges. If you study the life stories of Sylvester Stallone, Richard Branson, Soichiro Honda and Donald Trump, the pinnacle of their success came only after (and sometimes as a result of) some huge setbacks.

There are always going to be times in our lives when we seem to be put to the ultimate test. These are times when life seems really unfair. We put in all the work, only to see everything flop. We earn everything only to lose everything.

Some people allow these experiences to destroy their dreams forever. People who make their achievements a living example are those who allow disasters to make them stronger and propel them even faster to their goals.

In an earlier chapter, we saw how Donald Trump went through a near brush with bankruptcy, but regained his focus to make over $3 billion in the following three years. Well, Soichiro Honda had his entire factory bombed twice during World War II, then flattened by an earthquake after rebuilding it for the second time. After weathering these two blows, the Honda corporation was paralyzed by a fuel shortage in post-war Japan.

Despite all these ‘unfair’ blows that life gave Honda, he managed to build the Honda corporation into one of the major transportation companies in the world today.

Out of the Ashes of Two ‘Bad’ Experiences…
I Built a New Business

I can say that I have had similar experiences in the pursuit of my own goals. It was only after I went through two major setbacks, the collapse of an interior design company I had a major share in, and my breakup with my former partner and mentor, that I sat down to re-focus and set new goals.

Out of the ashes of those two experiences, I started a new business in the field I know best; gained a new partner and friend and has emerged wiser, more resilient and more confident. And my reward? I am now seeing my business skyrocket to a new peak! I believe that failures and setbacks are there to teach us certain lessons. Important lessons that, unless we learn, we will never get to the next level necessary for us to reach our dreams.

I also believe that life throws failures at us to test our level of commitment.

If we are truly committed, we will be rewarded with our dreams coming true. Many people fail this test of commitment, and that is why they never get what they dream of.

Three Major Keys to Powerful Goals

So, are you ready to sit down and start designing the kind of life you want? Before we get started, there are three major keys that every one of your goals must have. They must be 1) Specific and Measurable, 2) Passionate and Exciting and 3) Stretch Goals.

1. Be Specific and Measurable

The more specific you are, the more focused your mind and efforts will be. Specific and measurable outcomes will lead to effective strategies and actions. If you want your health to improve, you must set specific and measurable targets such as ‘how much weight do I want to lose?’

‘What pulse rate do I want to achieve’ ‘What is my targeted body-fat ratio?’ ‘How many hours must I spend in the gym each week?’ ‘How many calories will I allow myself to take in a day?’ ‘How many miles should I run or how many laps must I swim at each session and how many times a week?’

Under personal development goals, you may want to set goals such as ‘What new languages do I want to learn? And to what standard?’ ‘How many books do I want to read each month, and in what areas?’ You must also be specific about the time frame you are giving to each goal and list a specific date of accomplishment.

2. Passionate and Exciting

Have you ever been so passionate and excited about doing or achieving something that it kept you awake all night? That kept you thinking about it every waking moment? Something that you just couldn’t wait for it to happen? Maybe it was your first trip to an exciting new destination. Or it was participating in an important tournament, meeting that special person or it was planning your 21st, 30th, 40th birthday celebration.

When we are so passionate about achieving something vitally important to us, it gives us a level of energy and focus that cannot be matched. It is this level of passion and excitement that we must have for our goal(s), if we ever want to achieve it! When people ask me, ‘Where do you get the energy and discipline to keep writing books, developing seminars and starting new companies?’, I reply by saying that it is because I get so passionate and excited about my goals, they charge me up continuously.

I sleep, breathe and dream my goals every single day until they are achieved! Then I set a new one, at a higher level!

When people seem to lack discipline or will power, it is not that they are lazy, it is just that their goals are not exciting enough for them. They are not passionate about what they want to achieve!

This second key of goal setting is one of the most important. We must only set goals that we are passionate about and which give us a high level of excitement. If your goals don’t fire you up inside, they are not exciting goals! And therefore, not effective in getting you to take action.

People who achieve their goals, despite all the odds and setbacks, got there because of one single reason, Passion. They did it because they loved to do it.

Tiger Woods loves to play golf, Donald Trump loves the art of the deal, Steven Spielberg loves to make larger-than-life movies and Bill Gates loves technology and the idea of shaping the world. Even if they had all the money in the world (which they do), they would still be as obsessed with their goals.

So, you must set goals that you are passionate about. How? Simply ask yourself this question, ‘Even if I had $10 billion, what would I still want to do and accomplish? What would I be willing to do for free if I had all the money in the world?’

The other point is to make sure that the goals you set are aligned with your life’s values. Remember that we are always driven by emotions and not logic. When our goals are truly aligned with what is important to us, we will automatically have the drive and discipline that follows.

Take for example John (Baskin) Robbins. This heir to the Baskin Robbins ice-cream empire turned away from his billion- dollar inheritance to lead an almost monastic life with his family and followed his heart-dream of rebuilding the Planet through his revolutionary books (Diet for a New America) and his soft speeches urging his readers and audience to help create a better and kinder world where “May all be fed, May all be healed, May all be loved.”

So, whatever your dreams, whatever your passion, make them BIG and when we get to the ‘Design Your Destiny Exercise’ in a short while, write down what you are truly passionate about and what comes from your heart rather than just from your mind.

3. Stretch Goals for Quantum Results

I believe that the most powerful goals you can set are stretch goals. This was a key ingredient that allowed me to achieve so much within such a short period of time.

Most people I know tend to subscribe to setting for themselves merely incremental goals. Incremental goals are goals that are slightly higher than what you are currently achieving. For example, if you were making $2000 a month in income, an incremental goal would be $2500.

A stretch goal, on the other hand, is when you set for yourself an outcome that is way beyond your current level of ability and skill. If you were making $2000 a month, an example of a stretch goal would be one aiming for $10,000 a month. So why should you set for yourself stretch goals?

Stretch Goals Excite You & Put Fire In Your Belly

There are two main reasons why stretch goals are extremely powerful. First, setting stretch goals are a lot more exciting than setting puny, incremental goals. Remember, if a goal is not exciting, you will never have the emotional drive to go for it.

The thought of achieving something so much bigger than what you have will rouse your imagination and boost your energy level. Stretch goals are goals that seem almost impossible at the time you set them, but the possibility of achieving them will create a sense of excitement and drive.

It is this excitement and passion that all of us need to drive us constantly to take action! Remember, the main reason most people do not take action and go for their goals is because it does not excite them. They see it more as a chore than an adventure!

If you were making $2000 a month now, would the thought of earning $2500 get you jumping out of bed? Of course not. On the other hand, the thought of believing and committing to earning $20,000 will certainly drive you to take a lot more action!

It is imperative that you truly believe it is possible (remember when we said that beliefs determine everything?). When I was at the bottom of my school, I set for myself crazy goals like topping the school and qualifying for the number one junior college. The thought of possibly doing that gave me a level of excitement and energy nothing else could match!

Similarly, when I set the goal of becoming a millionaire by age 26 and writing a best-seller, the excitement kept me awake every night working and doing whatever it took to make it a reality.

Stretch Goals Result in Stretch Strategies

Stretch goals are extremely powerful as they literally stretch your abilities and skills way beyond your current level. They force you to think out of the box and to develop ground breaking, revolutionary strategies.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Imagine if there was a high jumper who had to get over a high jump bar, how high would he decide to set the bar? Well, if he were into setting incremental goals, he would set the bar slightly higher than what he cleared the last time. If he cleared the bar at 5 feet the last time, he would set an incremental goal of 5.5 feet. With enough training and effort, he would eventually be able to clear the new height by jumping high enough.

Well, what would happen if he set a stretch goal instead? Suppose, he set himself a goal to clear the bar at 50 feet? Would he be able to achieve it?

Most people would say ‘No way!’ ‘That’s crazy!’ ‘Impossible.’ They are right. There is no way he will be able to do it…if he keeps to his current way of thinking and strategy. But did I say that he had to jump over the bar from the ground? No! Jumping is just an assumption that we all make, since it is what he has always been doing.

What if he could use any strategy known to man to get across the bar? Would it then be possible? Of course! If you start thinking out of a box, you could come up with a million ideas - like using a trampoline, pole vault, a helicopter, a rope, a ladder, be a human cannonball or even shorten the legs of the pole!

You see, as long as we keep setting targets that are incremental, we will always have the tendency of doing what we are used to do. We will always keep to the same paradigm of jumping from the ground. We will just keep working harder and harder doing the same thing over and over again.

However, the moment we set a stretch goal, our brain knows immediately that it is impossible to reach the goal, if we keep to that same paradigm. It then forces us to think out of the box and come up with revolutionary ideas to achieve that goal! As a result, we tap so much more of our own potential.

Setting Crazy Stretch Goals…
Will Get You Exceptional Results

Setting crazy stretch goals has been one of the main reasons why I have been able to achieve so much more than my peers. If I had thought incrementally like everyone else, what goals would I have set? I would have been ‘realistic’ and planned to graduate at 25, get my first job, make $2500 a month at best and take 5- 10 years to gain enough experience and money to start my own business at 35.

By the time I am in a position to make a million, I would be 50 years old. And, hopefully, if I worked and saved hard enough, I could retire by age 60. If I had set such incremental goals, I would have taken the conventional path, doing what everyone else does, except probably work a lot harder. (Nothing wrong taking the conventional route as long as you are content with your incremental raises and small achievements.)

Because I set a stretch goal of making my first million at the age of 26 and retiring at the age of 35 with $10m, it forced me to do things other people would never think of doing. It forced me to think out of the box.

It made me create stretch ideas and strategies such as starting a mobile disco business while still studying (at age 15), investing heavily in business, marketing and personal development courses and books, cramming to finish a four-year honors degree course in three years, writing my first book and taking on two additional jobs (training and selling greeting cards); all this while I was still studying full time.

Then, as I succeeded in these early ventures and my academic studies, I was offered scholarships and lucrative job training by multi-national companies and the military. I turned them all down.

Every one thought that I was a dreamer making a stupid mistake in doing my own thing, but I knew that if I took the conventional route of ‘jumping’, I would never be able to achieve exceptional results!

The Bank that Used Stretch
Thinking to Break Through Restrictions

Now, let me give you an example of how stretch thinking enabled a foreign bank in Singapore to expand, despite regulations that could have limited their operations. This is how it happened. Because of strict regulations imposed on foreign financial institutions in the past, foreign banks like Citibank were only allowed to have three branches in the country, as compared to the hundreds of branches that local banks were allowed to have.

If Citibank wanted to be ‘realistic’ and think incrementally because of these restrictions, it would simply have done what every other foreign bank did. Instead, they set stretch targets of becoming a major player in the consumer credit market as well as having a significant market share in the high-end retail bank market. Citibank did this because they knew that with their restricted number of branches, it would be extremely inconvenient for people to bank with them. If they followed conventional ways of doing business, their market share would shrink.

This stretch target forced them to think out of the box and pose themselves this question.‘Who says people have to come to the bank to do banking?’ When they challenged this paradigm about banking, they gave birth to the idea of ‘phone banking’. It was an overnight success. Many people chose to make all their major banking transactions from their home.

Sure enough, all the other banks followed this revolutionary idea. However, a major hassle was the inconvenience of having to go down to the bank to deposit cheques. While most other banks required the customer to do this, Citibank again changed the rules by offering its customers the simple option of putting their cheques into a self addressed envelope and dropping it into any post box. The cheque would be automatically banked in. They literally converted every post box in Singapore into a Citibank branch!

As a result, Citibank continues to be one of the market leaders in the banking industry. This shows that when you set stretch targets, it will lead you to stretch strategies and quantum results.

The Agency Leader Who Dared Set ‘Unrealistic’ Targets

Let me relate an interesting example from one of my consulting projects in the life insurance business. Now, most agency leaders would typically take anywhere from five to ten years to build up an agency team of fifty agents. The usual way is to recruit new agents through interviewing potential new agents, using referrals or word of mouth recommendations.

There was an agency leader from one of the major insurance companies who caught my attention. He was someone who had achieved massive success over a short period of time in the industry. Just twelve months into the business and he achieved his MDRT (representing the top 6% of insurance agents in the world). He continued to achieve this award for five straight years and eventually started his own agency. One major key that I discovered about his success was his willingness to set super stretch goals that everyone else thought was ‘unrealistic’.

In his second year as an agency leader, he set the stretch goal of recruiting fifty new recruits within five months, and his aim was for 80% of these new recruits to achieve their MDRT within 12 months. Quite impossible if he did what every other agency leader did. But this stretch goal forced him to think out of the box and ask, ‘How can I make this happen?’ That was when he approached me to help him recruit these fifty new high quality agents.

The strategy we came up with was to put a large advertisement in the papers with the headline ‘Learn the formula to earn $100,000 a year!’ Needless to say, the response was overwhelming. Together, we did a power-packed introductory seminar on how they could achieve their first million in this business.

Over 50% of those who attended were interested to be part of the team! This method of recruitment had never been done before and certainly not on this large scale and not by a single agency.

As a bonus incentive, any one who qualified to join the firm would be sent for training in AKLTG’s Patterns of Excellence program, because I knew that with our formula training, achieving the MDRT would be a piece of cake.

Want Exceptional Results?
Use Out-of-the-Box Strategies!

Time and time again, we hear people with good intentions tell us that we should know our limits. We should not set goals that are too high to avoid disappointment. While it is certainly true that it is so much easier to succeed with incremental goals, if you want to produce exceptional results you have to use out-of-the- box strategies.

People who make history are those that set goals that everyone else had thought was ‘unrealistic’ and even crazy. But by using the ultimate success formula and doing whatever it takes, they made the impossible possible.

In fact, I believe that when people say something is impossible, it’s only impossible because a strategy has not been found yet. Many of the things around us that we take for granted were not too long ago dismissed as ‘unrealistic’.

Thirty years ago, if you told someone that almost everybody today will be walking around with a telephone the size of a credit card and it can also play music, take pictures, communicate with computers and send pictures, they would think you were crazy.

Why is it now a reality? All it took was for someone to think the ‘impossible’ and then make it real. Everything you see around you first started as an idea in someone’s head. Everything is created twice, first in the mind, and then manifested in physical reality.

Were the Wright brothers being very realistic when they set out to build a flying machine? Not only were they not scientists or engineers, but it was believed by the scientific community that it was physically impossible for machines that were heavier than air to fly. Again, by changing their strategy and doing whatever it takes, they finally invented the first airplane.

Today, it is still a wonder that a multiple-tonned jumbo jet carrying over 300 people can lift off and fly 35,000 feet above sea level. If the Wright brothers had been realistic, you and I would still be taking the slow boat to China.

Singapore’s Success…
Can be Attributed to Thinking Out-of-the-Box

Think about how Singapore became a developed country and a first world economy within thirty years. When the country gained independence back in 1965, the government had to face the fact that all we had was a tiny island of one million people. Singapore had no natural resources like tin, oil or gold. In fact, we did not even have sufficient water. The only resource we had was human resource. And this human resource comprised of mostly lowly or uneducated immigrants from China and India, and Malay fishing folk.

Clan clashes, gang warfare and racial riots were also rampant at that time and the economy (over 70%) was dependent on the British armed forces who were soon going to pull out of their Far East base, Singapore.

If the government had been realistic, given the limited resources they had, they would have set incremental goals, growing alongside our neighbours who have huge hinterlands and an abundance of natural resources. If they did, Singapore would still be a developing third world economy.

Instead, the government set out to make Singapore a first world economy, modeling itself after tiny Switzerland. At that time, this seemed like a mad and impossible dream. However, this stretch target forced them to develop plans and strategies that were ‘out of the box’.

The government decided to jump start the economy by attracting American and Japanese multinationals to invest. The government created a safe and conducive investment climate and provided incentives for them. They came and in the process created thousands upon thousands of jobs.

To create social cohesion, the government made it compulsory for every male citizen to serve in the Army for two years and they made it compulsory for every citizen to save 40% of their income. They created a first class education system to serve the industrial economy’s growing needs; a first-class transport system and also a financial centre to rival Hong Kong by going out and modeling the best systems in the world. As a result, within thirty years, Singapore has achieved first world economy status and has one of the highest gross national product (GNP) per capita in the world.

Design Your
Life Exercise

With these three major keys in mind, get ready to design your destiny! This exercise is designed to help you unlock your imagination and tap deep down into what you really want to achieve and create in the next 10 to 15 years of your life.

A few rules though. For the purpose of this exercise, I want you to suspend your judgment and internal critic.

Ask yourself the question, ‘What would I do if I knew I could not fail?’.

The second rule is to write with total passion and emotional intensity. Ask yourself, "What am I truly passionate about? What would I love to do?
If I could create a life full of passion, what would it be like?"

The third rule is that once you start writing, you cannot stop the pen until the time is up.

So it would be good if you find a place where you can spend the next 30 minutes fully focused. No distractions whatsoever (and turn off your mobile phone).

Once you are ready, follow the time indicated and write all the goals that you want to achieve in the following categories.

Make sure they are specific & measurable, passionate & exciting and are stretch goals. Also, remember to put a specific deadline for each goal. Ready? Go for it!

Personal Development Goals (6 mins)

What do you want to be able to learn?
What new skills do you want to acquire & master? Speed-reading? Investing?
Creative-Artistic expression? Public speaking?
Do you want to learn a new language? To dance the Salsa?
To play a musical instrument? Produce a play?
What do you want to achieve in the area of your health?
What is your ideal weight? How do you plan to get fit?

Career and Business Goals (6 mins)

How much more value do you want to be able to create in your career? What do you want to achieve in your career?
What position do you see yourself aiming for? Where do you see yourself in your industry?
How could you become the best: a pioneer, an industry leader? What kind of boss do you want to be?
What kind of business do you want to start? What are the goals you have for your business?
What do you want to achieve in terms of market share, sales and profit? What kind of people do you want to employ?
How would you want to serve your customers?
What is your ideal weight? How do you plan to get fit?

Wealth & Lifestyle Goals (6 mins)

How much would you like to earn a year?
How much would you like to increase your income by each year, over the next 10-15 years?
When and how much do you want to retire with?
What sources of income do you want to create for yourself? How would you create them?
What is your targeted annual return on your investments? What investments would you like to be able to master?
Describe your ideal lifestyle.
What kind of house do you want to live in? Where would this ideal home be? What kind of car do you want to drive?
What are the places you always wanted to visit? All the things you always wanted to do?
What other dream luxuries would you love to have? A yacht? A private jet? A tropical resort?

Family & Friends Goals (6 mins)

How could you add value to your family & friends?
What kind of son, daughter, spouse, father or mother do you want to be?
A model of kindness and understanding? A source of inspiration & strength? How could you show them more love & appreciation?
How could you increase the bonds you have with them?

Contribution Goals (6 mins)

How would you want to be able to contribute to your family, your neighbourhood, your community, your nation, the world?
Do you want to start a foundation? What kind and for what purpose?
Do you want to start a charity or be a regular volunteer in an existing one? What kind of charity? Do you want to work with the disabled, the poor and needy, young children, troubled teens, single parents or old people?
If you are already an active member in your Community – how much more can you take on? How can you help them to become more effective?
Maybe you would like to introduce new ideas to your Community club, set them in new directions; eg like creating an organic food garden using the volunteer skills of retired farmers?
Perhaps you would like to fight for animal rights. Join the Vegetarian society and campaign for animal welfare? Create a massive fundraiser for a cause you are passionate about? Or even work with humanitarian agencies abroad.
How would you want to be remembered when you pass on?

Making the Dream Possible and Real

Have you designed all the things that you want to create in your life? Great! At this stage, what you have done is to put all your dreams down on paper. The only way for you to manifest your major goals into reality is to take it through a seven-step goal achievement process!

These seven steps are designed to help you move the goal from Dream to Possibility, and then to Realization. So what I want you to do is to look at all the goals you have written down and to make sure that you have put a deadline on each one of them.

Now, re-categorize your goals by putting them into the various time frames of one year, five years, ten years and fifteen years. You can do this on the worksheet given below.

Goals within One Year

Personal Development | Deadline | Three action steps (36 hours)
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |
Career & business | Deadline | Three action steps (36 hours)
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |
Wealth & Lifestyle | Deadline | Three action steps (36 hours)
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |
Family & Friends | Deadline | Three action steps (36 hours)
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |
Contribution | Deadline | Three action steps (36 hours)
1. |  |
2. |  |
3. |  |
4. |  |

Take On a 36-hour Challenge

They say that taking the first step is the most difficult one. We are often held back by inertia. The moment we start taking the first few steps towards a goal, we will gain momentum and continue on until we realize it. What has been an extremely powerful strategy for the hundreds of participants that have gone through the ‘Patterns of Excellence’ programs (and also for me), is that for every goal we write down, we act on three action steps within 36 hours of setting the goal.

No matter what goal it is, or how long term it is, there are definitely three steps you can take within 36 hours that will move you towards your goal.

It is a very powerful process… one of the most powerful steps you take on this process involves putting yourself on the line by making a commitment to other people. Or it involves committing some money. By doing this, you are telling your brain that you are serious about the time you are investing.

If your goal is to lose 5 kg in the next three months, what are three steps you can take within 36 hours to commit yourself? You could give away all your clothes and go out and replace it with a wardrobe four sizes smaller.

You could sign up for an aerobics class and put down a deposit. You could go and buy a book on ‘healthy eating’ and read and follow it religiously.

There was a participant who set a goal of quitting and starting his own business in two years time. Despite this being a long-term goal, he sat down and wrote a business plan, registered his business with $80 and signed up for a part-time course in business management. All within 36 hours.

If your dream is to buy a Ferrari in five years time, you could go down to the showroom right away to get a brochure and take a test drive. So, write down your 36-hour action plan for each of your major one-year goals.

Do it now!

Goals within Five Years

Personal Development | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Career & business | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Wealth & Lifestyle | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Family & Friends | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Contribution | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |

Goals within Ten Years

Personal Development | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Career & business | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Wealth & Lifestyle | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Family & Friends | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Contribution | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |

Goals within Fifteen Years

Personal Development | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Career & business | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Wealth & Lifestyle | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Family & Friends | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
Contribution | Deadline
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |

Now, take all your major one-year goals and put them through the seven-step goal achievement process. You can do this in the worksheets provided.

Seven-Step Goal Achievement Process

What do you want specifically? What is the deadline?

Who can you model for excellence?

What specific actions/steps do you need to take to get there? What are your deadlines? Schedule this in your organizer now!

What resources would you need? (people, money, talent, skills etc…)

What are 3 action steps to take within 36 hours?

Why must you achieve this goal?

Visualize this goal daily.

Seven-Step Goal Achievement Process Worksheet

1. What do you want specifically? What is the deadline?

2. Who can you model for excellence?

3. What specific action steps do you need to take to get there? What are your deadlines? Schedule this in your organizer now!

4. What resources do you need? (people, money, talent, skills etc…)

5. What are 3 action steps to take within 36 hours?

6. Why must you achieve this goal?

7. Visualize this goal daily.

The Power of Why

The next step is to list down all the reasons why you must achieve this goal. In fact, I believe the ‘why’ is more important than the ‘how’. When you know why you want something bad enough, you will eventually find out how to do it. So, why is it important for you to achieve this goal? Again, all your reasons ‘why’ should be in line with your top values.

Visualization: Emotionally Charging Up Your Goals

This final step is an extremely powerful one. Remember again: what drives our actions daily is not logic but the emotional states we are in. Logically you may want to build your company to be the next Fortune 500 but if you are not in a state of high excitement, you will keep putting it off.

So you must keep getting yourself in a resourceful state by emotionally charging up your goals. Do it daily! I personally love to do this just before I sleep every night. What you do is to take one major goal a night and to visualize yourself in the future already achieving it. As you imagine the experience in your mind, increase the intensity of the state by shifting your driver submodalities.

Get associated into the experience and make the picture bigger, closer and brighter. Make it into a movie and make the sounds loud and in full stereo. Hear what you hear around you as you are achieving this goal.

I can bet you that by doing this constantly with your major goals, you will definitely find the energy and drive to take action towards them.

I remember that the only way I managed to have the discipline to write my first book was that every night I would imagine myself in the bookstores signing autographs and seeing the books flying off the shelves.

The image was so clear in my mind that it kept giving me the energy to work on my book until it was finally complete. So start visualizing your goals today!

Summary: Design Your Destiny

Know what you want specifically. Only then can you develop a specific strategy and focus your efforts towards your outcome.

Success rarely happens by chance. Success happens by design.

What prevents most people from designing their destiny are

Limiting beliefs

They don’t know what they really want

Fear of failure

Addiction to the soft life

Belief that goals do not work

Major keys in goal achievement

Specific and measurable

Passionate and exciting

Stretch goals create stretch ideas and results

You must design your life in these areas

Personal Development

Friends and Family

Wealth & Lifestyle

Career or business

Contribution

Seven-Step Goal Achievement Process

What do you want specifically? What is the deadline?

Who can you model for excellence?

What specific actions steps do you need to take to get there? What are your deadlines? Schedule this in your organizer now!

What resources do you need? (people, money, talent, skills etc)

What are 3 action steps to take within 36 hours?

Why must you achieve this goal?

Visualize this goal daily

12
HOW TO REPLICATE ANYONE’S SUCCESS BLUEPRINT

‘Everybody here has the ability to do absolutely anything I do and much more beyond. Some of you will and some of you won’t. For the ones who won’t, it will be because you get in your own way, not because the world doesn’t allow you’

– Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway

Welcome to the final chapter! I am sure by now, you would have experienced a major shift in your personal effectiveness. In this chapter, we will further explore the concept of modeling and how you can replicate the success blueprints of models of excellence. One of the reasons I have been able to achieve such exceptional results in such a short period of time is that I have learnt how to become a master modeler. I have identified fantastic role models in the area of learning, speaking, wealth creation, selling and business and have distilled their years of experience and accumulated expertise into a series of strategies that I have adopted within a few years.

Remember that we all have got basically the same neurology (one thousand billion neurons) available to us. If someone is more effective than you in a particular skill or behaviour, it is because their neurology is running a more effective strategy. They may have taken years of trial and error to build in their ability to speak in a powerful manner, generate creative ideas or stay relaxed in stressful situations. As a result, their brains have formed an effective set of neural connections that generate the desired states, behaviours and results. In this chapter you will learn how to dissect a person’s success blueprint, replicate it and install it within yourself.

When I modeled the top students and gifted children, I discovered that the reason they were superior learners was simply because they had a very effective strategy for generating ideas, understanding new facts, memorizing it and solving questions. 95% of the other students who were either average or below average were not stupid, they just had an ineffective strategy.

Let me give you an example of how changing your mental strategy can significantly change the results you produce. Do you have a good memory? Most people I ask would say ‘no’ immediately. Well, again if you forget things easily, it is not because you do not have the ability to remember, you just have an ineffective memory strategy. Take a look at the list below and do your best to remember it in sequence. Give yourself a maximum of one minute.

1 Eggs | 6 Fan | 11 Michael Jackson | 16 Numbers
2 Cow | 7 Hair | 12 Earrings | 17 Crown
3 Fork | 8 Glucose | 13 Frisbee | 18 FishBalls
4 Bikinis | 9 Policeman | 14 Planet | 19 Clock
5 Banana | 10 Zoo | 15 Rainbow | 20 Claw

Now, covering the list above (be honest!), do your best to write down as many words as you can remember in the blank spaces below.

1 | 6 | 11 | 16
2 | 7 | 12 | 17
3 | 8 | 13 | 18
4 | 9 | 14 | 19
5 | 10 | 15 | 20

Use your mind and visualize an egg. (say ‘egg’ out loud) Now, imagine that the egg cracks and out pops a cow’s head. (say ‘cow’ out loud). See that the cow has forks on its head (say ‘fork’). Imagine that the fork is wearing a pink bikini. Suddenly, the bikini drops and bananas are exposed. Imagine that the skin of the banana peels off and becomes fan. The fan blows all your hair away. Your hairs flies and gets glued to a ghost (sound like ‘glucose’). The glue ghost (glucose) chases a policeman into the zoo. Inside the zoo, imagine seeing Michael Jackson wearing ear rings. He then takes the ear rings and throws it like a Frisbee. See the Frisbee spinning around the planet.

A rainbow appears. Then see that there are numbers dancing on the rainbows. These numbers then join to make a crown. On the crown you see fish balls which contain small clocks. On the hand of the clock are claws.

Now, do your best to write down as many words as you can remember in the blank spaces below.

1 | 6 | 11 | 16
2 | 7 | 12 | 17
3 | 8 | 13 | 18
4 | 9 | 14 | 19
5 | 10 | 15 | 20

If you had followed the strategy, you would have no problem remembering all 20 words in sequence. Why were you able to remember so easily the second time? Well, simply because you used the strategy people with exceptional memories use.

Most people try to remember by staring at the words and repeating it to themselves over and over again. This visual external & auditory digital (self talk) strategy is not effective at all.

Ineffective Memory Strategy

Visual External | ➨ | Auditory Digital
seeing the words | ➨ | repeat words to yourself

However, what I have found is that people with exceptional memories tend to make an image of the word in their mind (visual internal). They then associate the images together in an emotionally outstanding way (kinesthetic). In addition, they say the words out loud (auditory digital). Anyone who uses this strategy will find themselves being able to remember lists and list of words effortlessly. By adopting this memory strategy as well as other powerful learning strategies in reading and information processing, I managed to jump from a below average student to among the top one percent of students in the country!

Effective Memory Strategy

Visual internal | ➨ | Kinesthetic internal | ➨ | Auditory digital
imagine images & associate images | ➨ | emotionally engaging i.e. humorous | ➨ | say words aloud

Modeling & Replicating the Strategies of Top Shooters

As narrated by Stuart Tan

The challenge is that Singapore is the only nation in South East Asia with a large number of its top shooters being made up of national servicemen who serve in the army for only two and a half years. Every year, they find themselves having to compete in a shooting competition with career soldiers in other countries who have ten to fifteen years of shooting experience.

In the year 2001, many of the Army’s top shooters were going to leave the force after serving their two and a half year term. The commanding officer at the time wanted to find a way to retain their shooting skills and transfer it to the new soldiers who were just going in. So I was given the top eight shooters to model. It was an arduous task when I videotaped and analyzed the physiological and mental strategies of these shooters. It wasn’t very difficult to identify their strategies as they were distinctly different from novice shooters. The experts had a clear vision, a clear idea about their outcomes, they conducted mental rehearsals for themselves, they learnt beyond the point of remembering, they were technically well-versed, and they executed their strategies in an optimum state. After I distilled the blueprints of these top shooters, the Army then used it for their mental training purposes while they continued with their usual physical routine. Not surprisingly, in the following year, the Singapore Shooting contingent came in champions in the ASEAN Army Rifles meet for the first time.

Modeling the Success Blueprint

So how do you go about modeling a person’s success blueprint? In chapter 6, we talked about the power of modeling someone’s PHYSIOLOGY (external behaviour). By modeling a person’s physiology, we can quickly tap into their optimum states and peak performance levels.

By observing and literally modeling the gestures, tonality, facial expressions, posture and mannerisms of top speakers, Stuart and I managed to become extremely powerful communicators on stage within a short period of time. In his work with the Army, a major portion of his modeling of the top shooters was modeling their breathing patterns before and after they squeezed the trigger. What made a key difference to their accuracy were also their body position, eye movements and focus.

If we want to replicate a person’s success, we must also model their empowering BELIEF SYSTEMS. Why? Remember that our beliefs are like the operating system to our brain. They determine how we filter and perceive what happens around us. They determine how we respond and how we take action. By observing and asking the role model questions, you can get a sense of the beliefs they have. Here are some examples of the empowering beliefs of effective communicators. It is these sets of beliefs that truly set them apart from the average communicators.

Beliefs of Highly Effective Communicators

Everyone has a different model of reality

The meaning of your communication is the response you get

Resistance is a sign of lack of rapport

There is no failure, only feedback

There are no resistant people, only inflexible communicators.

Beliefs of Successful Entrepreneurs

Everything is possible. It is only a question of strategy

Every failure lays the foundation for progress towards success

Everything happens for a beneficial reason

For things to change, I must change first

Behind every crisis lies an opportunity

The other thing we must model from someone who is excellent in something is their VALUES STRUCTURE. You have learnt that the way we individually rank and define our values (towards and away from) also determines the decisions we make and what actions we take. Again, is it necessary to know the person’s entire values structure? No! We just need to get a sense of what drives them towards what they do. We can simply do this by asking, ‘What’s important to you about what you do?’ (refer to Chapter 10). For example, when I was modeling the values of a top insurance advisor (who earned over $600,000pa), I found that her towards values were ‘contribution’, ‘passion’, ‘money’ and ‘accomplishment (of a great challenge)’. At the same time, her away-from values were ‘losing’ (she hated to lose to anyone), ‘giving up’ (she always persisted until she got what she wanted) and boredom (she could not keep still). These values sets drove her to become top advisor of the year for six years in a company of over 3000 professionals.

The final thing we must model in a person’s success blueprint is their MENTAL PROCESSING STRATEGIES. Commonly known as STRATEGIES. Every behavior (positive or negative) we perform begins with a specific mental strategy that we run in our brain. In order to generate brilliant ideas, a person runs a specific ‘creative’ mental strategy in their neurology. Similarly, in order for us to feel ‘love’ or ‘depressed’, our neurology must run certain mental strategies that produce these states and behaviors.

Strategies: Our Mental Roadmap

So what is a mental strategy? It is a specific sequence of internal and external experiences we run in our brain in order to produce a specific outcome. It is what a person does in his brain that produces a specific result. For example, how do you wake up in the morning? In order to perform the behavior of ‘waking up’, your brain goes through a mental strategy. And all of us have different mental strategies for waking up in the morning. For some people, when they hear the alarm go off, they would look at the clock and say to themselves, ‘What time is it? How much longer can I sleep?’ They then shut it off, feel the warmth of their blanket, say to themselves ‘just five more minutes’ and doze off again. A few minutes later, they would start making pictures in their head of how they will get into trouble for being late. This triggers off a feeling of panic and an internal voice that goes, ‘Oh Shit! I’m late!’ they will then jump out of bed twenty minutes late. This is obviously an ineffective waking up strategy that probably gets you always to be late.

Ineffective Waking Up Strategy

Effective Waking Up Strategy

So, think about it. What is your strategy for waking up in the morning? What is the first thing that happens in your mind as the alarm clock rings? Do you make a picture in your mind? Say something to yourself? Switch off the alarm immediately? How do you eventually get out of bed? Take about 5 minutes and use the space below to map out your strategy.

We use mental processing strategies for everything we do. All our states and external behaviours are controlled by these internal processing strategies. We have strategies for falling in love, buying, motivation, learning, decision-making, writing, communication, procrastination and creativity. There are strategies for everything. It is just that many of us have never been aware of our mental strategies.

We must start becoming aware of our own mental strategies, both the useful ones and the non-useful ones. If you have a useful strategy for creativity, you must discover how you do it. In this way, you can replicate your creativity at any time and in any given situation. If you have a lousy ‘waking up strategy’ or ‘anger strategy’, you must discover how it runs so you can begin to change it!

What Makes Up a Strategy?

So, what makes up a strategy? Well, if you think about it, there are only three major things we can run in our brain. We can either make Pictures (Visual), Sounds (Auditory) or Feelings (Kinesthetic). These Pictures, Sounds and Feelings can be either External or Internally generated. For example, a Visual External (Ve) experience is when we see the alarm clock. A Visual Internal (Vi) experience is when we make a picture in our minds imagining ourselves arriving late.

An Auditory External (Ae) experience is when we hear the alarm clock ringing. An Auditory Internal (Ai) is when we play sounds in our mind. An Auditory Digital (Ad) experience is when we are talking to ourselves or trying to make sense out of something. i.e. saying to ourselves, ‘Just five more minutes.’

A Kinesthetic External (Ke) experience is when we physically touch something, like feeling the warmth of the blanket. It also includes an external smell or taste. A Kinesthetic Internal (Ki) experience is when we feel emotions like ‘panic’ or when we imagine in our minds what it would be like to touch a snake. Again, it could also include imagining what something would taste or smell like.

Notice, that we use a lot of notations in describing strategies. These notations make it a lot easier and efficient to study our mental strategies.

What makes up a strategy is not just what we run in our brains, but the order and sequence in which we run it. Just by changing the sequence of what we run, the entire outcome of the strategy changes. For example, let’s look back at the effective ‘waking up strategy’.

Effective Waking up Strategy

In the last part of this strategy, you should ‘jump out of bed’ (Ke) and then ‘switch of the alarm’ (Ke). If we were to change the sequence to ‘switch off the alarm’ ➨ ‘Jump out of bed’, would it work as well? Maybe not. Why? By switching off the alarm before getting out of bed, it may cause you to lie on the bed and feel lethargic again (Ki).

A good metaphor for understanding the concept of strategies is in the baking of a cake. Imagine if there was a famous chef who could bake a delicious cake. He may have taken years of trial and error to produce a cake of such high quality. However, within a matter of minutes, you too could bake the same quality of cake. How? All you would need would be his recipe and to follow it precisely. You will have to use the same ingredients, the exact amounts and well as the sequence in which they are added.

Similarly, in the modeling of human behaviour and results, we need to find out the recipe for excellence. The ingredients in this case would be the visual, auditory or kinesthetic elements. The amounts would be the submodalities of our experience. For example, is the visual image large or small, associated or disassociated? Finally, the sequence of these experiences must be replicated precisely.

Do know that in understanding a person’s strategy, we are not so much interested in the content of the thought, but the form. You might say, ‘I thought of this’ or ‘I thought about that’ or ‘I thought of a car’. Rather than the content (what you actually thought of), we are more interested in the structure and sequence of the thought. In other words, did you make a picture in your mind? Did you say something to yourself? Did you have an internal emotion? And, what was the sequence of it? Did you make a picture in your head and hear a sound or was it the other way around?

Why Learn Strategies

Besides being able to model and replicate strategies from an individual who is excellent at producing a particular result, there are many more reasons for discovering our own strategies and that of other people.

A very important reason for discovering our own strategies is to be able to replicate our own excellent states and past performances at will. Haven’t you ever experienced a time when you were especially creative in generating ideas, whereas in another point of time you felt a creative block? When we can discover what our strategy for motivation, creativity or love is, we can trigger these states and behaviors whenever we need to! For example, I discovered that I am able to write (my books) most effectively when I imagine myself in front of an audience (Vi) and hear myself giving a talk (Ad). While I see and hear this in my mind, I type out the words of my talk (Ke). When I use this particular sequence of internal experiences, my mind gets into its most creative mode and the words just flow out. By the way, this is the reason why my writing style is so conversational in nature.

When we discover someone else’s strategy, we can also utilize it to help them achieve their peak states and outcomes. For example, let’s say that you discovered that your son’s motivation strategy was Ve ➨ Ad ➨ Ki. In other words, in order to access the state of motivation, he has to see something, then say something to himself and this gets him to feel motivated. You can talk to this person (Ae) about why they should be motivated but it would not work. Why? Wrong trigger! This person’s strategy must begin with an external image (Ve). But if you were to show him something (the result), then mentioned what he would say to himself when he achieved it, this sequence would lead to him getting into a motivated state. We will learn more about this in the section on ‘How to utilize someone’s strategy’. Another purpose for discovering someone’s strategy is to assist them in changing it. Obviously, we would want to change a strategy if it is not very useful in helping us achieve our goals. For example, I once had a client who had a buying strategy that caused her to constantly buy on impulse. Her buying strategy was:

Ve |  | Ki |  | Ke
see the item | ➨ | feel good about buying | ➨ | buy it

This ‘see it’, ‘feel good about it’ and ‘act upon it’ strategy is pretty efficient for making quick decisions, especially if you are an airline pilot. It was however not very effective for the person as she kept buying a lot of things on impulse which she would later regret. The problem was that she lacked an auditory digital (Ad) check (asking herself, ‘Do I really need this? Can I afford it?’) component in her strategy, like most of us have. In the section on ‘Re-designing strategies’, we will talk about how to do just this. Before going further, we need to first learn…

How to Discover Someone’s Strategy

So, how do you discover someone’s strategy? Well, just ask them! If you are able to get the consent of a role model or a client, then you can use a Formal Strategy Discovery Script (on page 338).

First, do your best to get the person in the right state. If you want to discover a person’s motivation strategy, get the person to go back to the last time they were very motivated, and as they access that state, they will be able to describe how they did it (their strategy). If you want to discover a person’s buying strategy, get them to think of the last time they bought something and as they run through that memory and access the buying state, they will be able to describe the mental process they went through in making a purchase.

Formal Strategy Discovery Script

Let’s say you wanted to discover a person’s motivation strategy. You can ask them the following series of questions.

Can you recall a time when you were totally motivated? Can you recall a specific time?

What was the first thing that caused you to be totally motivated? Was it something you saw, something you heard (or a tone or voice/music) or something you felt?
This question identifies the trigger that starts off the strategy. It is normally something external you see, hear or feel.

After you (saw, felt, heard) that, what was the very next thing that happened that led you to become totally motivated?
Did you picture something in your mind?
Say something to yourself?
Have a certain feeling or emotion?

After you (saw, felt, heard) that, did you know that you were totally motivated? If ‘yes’, then the strategy is complete. If ‘no’, then continue to ask question 3.

Continue asking these series of questions until the strategy is complete (the outcome of motivation is reached).

Demonstration of a Formal Strategy Discovery – Motivation

Let’s assume that Robert is attempting to discover Peter’s motivation strategy. Here is an example of what typically might happen.

Robert Can you remember a time when you felt totally motivated? Can you remember a specific time?

Peter Hmmm…Yes

Robert What was the first thing that happened that caused you to be totally motivated? Was it something you saw? Something you heard? Or the touch of something or someone?

Peter It was something I saw (i.e. Ve)

Robert Good. After you saw what you saw, what was the next thing that caused you to be totally motivated? Did you picture something in your mind? Say something to yourself? Was it something you heard? Did you have a certain emotion or feeling?

Peter I had a picture in my mind (Vi)

Robert Good. After you made this picture in your mind, did you know you were totally motivated or did you say something to yourself or have a certain feeling or emotion?

Peter I said something to myself (Ad)

Robert Alright. So, after you saw something (Ve), that made you create a picture in your mind (Vi), you then said something to yourself (Ad). Did you become totally motivated or was there something else that happened?

Peter Well, I just felt motivated at this stage.

Robert Ok. So that completes your motivation strategy.

Now, we know that Peter’s motivation strategy is

Ve | ➨ | Vi | ➨ | Ad | ➨ | Ki

Once you find the components and sequence of Peter’s strategy, you must also find out the submodalities of what he saw, heard or felt.

Robert So, this picture you made in your mind. What was about it that made you feel motivated? Was it the size? Was it associated or disassociated? Was it a movie or a still picture?

Peter It was a large, associated movie.

Robert So, what you said to yourself, was it loud or soft? Which direction did it come from? Was it high or low pitch?

Peter What I said to myself was loud, low pitch and from the left.

Robert O.K. Thanks

You can test to see if this strategy is accurate by getting him to run the same strategy in his brain. If you do this well, this person will become motivated instantly.

EXCERCISE 1

To truly understand and master the ability to discover someone’s strategy, it is best that you take action and experience the process for yourself. It is a stretch, so put yourself on the line and you reap the benefits now.

So, here is your assignment. Go out and find someone whom you can spend at least 20 minutes with and model their motivation strategy. You can follow the script given above, but be flexible and explore as much as you can.

Demonstration of an Informal Strategy Discovery

Sometimes, you may need to discover a person’s strategy informally, without them being aware of it. This is especially so when you are a salesperson, teacher or parent who wants to be able to discover and utilize your client’s (or child’s) strategy.

What is important is to first establish rapport with that person and use softeners before asking strategic discovery questions. For example, as a salesperson, you could ask, ‘Mr. Client, just so I can serve you better, would it be o.k. if I were to ask you a couple of questions?’

Let’s say that you were selling clothes and a customer walks towards your section. In order to get the customer motivated to buy, it would be useful to find out his buying strategy. No matter what we buy, we tend to follow a consistent mental processing sequence in evaluating a purchase and becoming motivated to buy.

Salesperson Hi! That’s a great shirt you have. How did you decide that it was the shirt for you?

Customer Well, I liked how it looked (Ve)

Salesperson Did you know that it was the shirt to buy just by looking at it? What else was important in your decision?

Customer Well, I kind of imagined how I would look in it (Vi)

Salesperson Did you buy it right away?

Customer No, I had to make sure it was value for money (Ad)

Salesperson If the price is right, would you buy it right away?

Customer Well, the material must feel right and I would try to make sure it fits (Ke)

Salesperson You felt that it was the right shirt for you?

Customer Yup! I felt it was the right decision (Ki)

So, from the conversation, we can kind of guess that that the customer’s buying strategy is:

Ve | ➨ | Vi | ➨ | Ad | ➨ | Ki | ➨ | Ke | ➨ | Ki | ➨ | Take action and buy

Obviously, in a real life scenario, you will never be able to ask a series of questions and get such accurate answers so easily. More often than not, you have to subtly ask when the time is right and guess their strategies through the answers they give.

In the next section, we will learn in greater detail about how to utilize a person’s strategy.

Now that You Know How to Discover a Person’s Strategy…You Must Know How to Utilize It!

Once you have discovered what someone’s strategies are, you can begin to utilize that person’s strategy by feeding information back to them in the exact same way. When it is done, the information becomes irresistible for them. For example, you can utilize a person’s strategy to help them become motivated towards doing something such as taking action to buy something or perform a task.

Let’s say, a person’s buying strategy was

Ve | ➨ | Vi | ➨ | Ad | ➨ | Ki

In other words, in order to get motivated to buy, their brain’s recipe is to first see something, make a picture in their mind, say something to themselves (make sense of the information) and feel good about making the purchase.

While presenting your proposal for an interior design project, you could say to them, ‘Here, take a LOOK (Ve) at this proposal, IMAGINE (Vi) how good it would make your office LOOK. From the quote and specifications, you will find that it meets your CRITERIA (Ad). Does it FEEL good to you? (Ki). They would probably feel very motivated by what you said and won’t even be consciously aware why. The way you present information to a person is extremely important. If you present it in an order and sequence in which their minds process information (their strategy), your suggestion would seem attractive, However, if you were to present it in a different sequence, they can feel very differently about it. If you were to just present your proposal verbally (Ae) without first showing them a result they could see (Ve), they will not feel as excited by it because their buying strategy is not being effectively triggered off. It is like you are punching the wrong keyboard commands to access his motivation program. It just cannot run.

Re-Designing an Ineffective Strategy

Some of the strategies we develop over the years may not be very useful to us. For example, running depression, procrastination, impulsive buying, anger or overeating strategies may limit us and prevent us from producing exceptional results. When a strategy is not useful to us, we can re-design it. However, do remember that whether a strategy is useful or not depends on the situation we are in. For example, when we need to do something important, running a procrastination strategy in our minds is not very useful. However, whenever we see something that we would like to buy, running a procrastination strategy may be useful to prevent you from overspending.

I used to get depressed very easily, especially when I hear bad news from my family members or my staff. The moment I get depressed, I would not be very productive for the rest of the day until I got over it. I decided that running the depression strategy whenever I hear bad news was not useful for me, so I decided to change it! First, I discovered how I got depressed by re-playing in my mind the sequence of thoughts that got me to feel lousy. (Yes. You can discover your own strategies).

Here is what my depression strategy looked like:

What normally triggers off my depression strategy is bad news that I hear or news that does not match my expectation (Ae). The moment I hear this bad news (Ae), I will feel depressed (Ki). In this state, I would start to imagine the worst- case scenario by making pictures and hearing sounds (Vi + Ai). At the same time, I will start talking to myself negatively, ‘Oh No! Oh sh**!’ (Ad) This will make me feel even more depressed (loop back to Ki). The more I feel depressed (Ki), the more I see and hear the worst case scenario (Vi + Ai), and the cycle continues.

I knew that I had to re-design my strategy in such a way that when I hear bad news, it will not fire off the feeling of depression, but a more resourceful emotion of motivation instead. I decided to re-design my strategy in the following way:

Ae | ➨ | Ad | ➨ | (Vi + Ai + Ad) | ➨ | Ki
Bad News |  | Reframe |  | Positive |  | Motivation

After installing this new strategy, whenever I heard bad news, I would immediately do a reframe (we learnt this in Chapter 9), I would then imagine how this negative news would be a blessing instead. I would see and hear the future possibilities (Vi + Ai) and this would make me feel motivated to take action and deal with the challenge.

How to Curb that Spending

Do you remember me speaking about a client I had who had a buying strategy that caused her to keep buying on impulse? To recap, her strategy was:

Ve | ➨ | Ki | ➨ | Ke
See the item |  | Feel good about buying |  | Buy it

In order to keep her from overspending, I knew that I had to help her develop a buying strategy that got her to procrastinate making a purchase. Since I did it naturally myself (yes, I take months to decide on buying something), I decided to get her to model my strategy and use it.

Whenever I see an item that I like (Ae), I would always ask myself, ‘Do I really need it? Is it value for money?’ (Ad). If the answer is ‘Yes’, then I would feel good about buying it (Ki) and purchase the product. However, if the answer was ‘no’ (which was most of the time), I would imagine myself not using it and saying, ‘I wasted my money.’ (Vi + Ad), this would incite the feeling of regret (Ki) and I would procrastinate buying it (Ki).

Are you getting the hang of how you could re-design your mental strategies now? Great. Again, test it out by doing the following exercise.

EXCERCISE 2

Think of a strategy that is currently limiting you now. Do you overeat? Wake up late? Get depressed, procrastinate or get over- worried? Use the strategy discovery steps and sketch out your strategy. Once you have your strategy, think of how you could re- design it in such a way that it leads you to a more powerful outcome.

Existing Strategy

New Re-Designed Strategy

Installing Our Strategies of Excellence

One you have modeled a person’s strategy and/or re-designed an ineffective strategy, you must install the new strategy into your brain. The best way to achieve this is to mentally rehearse the strategy through visualization. By visually rehearsing the new strategy a few times, new neuro-connections that generate a new set of thoughts and behavioral patterns will be formed.

For example, let’ say that you had an ineffective strategy that got you to overeat.

Ve | ➨ | (Vi+Ki) | ➨ | Ad | ➨ | Ki | ➨ | Ke

See food

Imagine yourself
eating and imagining
how it feels like
to eat it

Say to yourself,
Yummy
I’m hungry

Feel hungry

Overeat

And you have designed a new strategy so that looking at the food will fire off a new chain of internal experiences that create a new behavioral outcome (i.e. going to exercise).

The way to install this would be to close your eyes and imagine yourself running through the new strategy. So imagine yourself seeing the food where you usually do (on a television commercial or restaurant sign), then see yourself conjuring up an image of yourself being fat and hearing people commenting on how lousy you look. You then say to yourself how disgusting you are. Run through the state of ‘feeling bad’ and intensify this feeling! Then imagine yourself in the future looking fit and good, feel the motivation to exercise and see yourself working out!

Alternatively, you could also use the Swish Pattern (chapter 7) to swish in the new strategy. If you recall, the swish pattern requires you to swish away the Trigger Image and Swish in the Desired Image. Similarly, in this case, swish away the Trigger Image (seeing the food), and swish towards you the new strategy. Repeat this process with all the visual, auditory and kinesthetic elements until you have created the new pattern in your neurology!

So there you have it, all the tools and strategies you will need to model, utilize, design and install any mental strategy to help you reach your desired outcomes. So start being aware of your own strategies, both the effective and ineffective ones that result in the outcomes you experience daily. At the same time, keep a lookout for powerful individuals whom you can begin to model and learn their patterns of excellence.

Summary: How to replicate Someone’s Success Blueprint

We all possess the same neurology. If we can model and replicate a person’s success blueprint, we can replicate their results.

We can model a successful individual their-

Physiology

Beliefs

Values

Mental Strategies

A strategy is a specific sequence of internal and external experiences we run in our brain to produce a specific outcome

We have mental strategies for everything including feeling loved, motivation, learning, decision making, buying, eating, waking up etc…

A strategy is made up of

Ingredients : Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic Experiences (internal or external)

Amounts : Submodalities

Order and sequence

We learn strategies in order to

Model an individual who exhibits excellence in something

Model our own successful patterns to repeat a past performance

Help a person utilize their strategy to achieve an outcome

Re-design ineffective strategies.

We need to Discover a person strategy in order to

Utilize it

Redesign it

Install it

We can install a new strategy through mental rehearsal or using the Swish Pattern.

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