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Posted on November 8, 2008 by Howard Tangler | Posted under Success
Self-Talk Your Way to Success
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We all have a small voice inside our head talking to us all the time. You probably just heard it say, “What small voice?" Every one of us is the result of what that little voice has been saying to us over the years. We are either the victim of, or the benefactor of those words. Tom Monahan was a very productive member of my sales staff a few years ago. During one of our Monday morning meetings, I asked Tom for the name of the prospect he was just describing, and his response was, “I don't remember. I can never remember names." I asked Tom if he thought it would help in his career if he could actually be better at remembering the names of people he meets. He responded and said, “Sure, but I just can't remember names." I then gave him the first tip. I said, “Stop saying that you can't remember names." Psychologists tell us that we have both a conscious and subconscious mind. Our subconscious mind is the world's most powerful computer. It does exactly what it is told. No more, and no less. Our conscious mind acts as the computer programmer, giving instructions to the computer, our subconscious mind. Tom's programmer, his conscious mind, was programming his computer, the subconscious mind, to forget any name he hears, because he “can't remember names". His subconscious mind accepted that command without question. AFFIRMATIONS Affirmations are statements we make that we believe to be true, and they affect our behavior. For years Tom repeated his affirmation, “I can't remember names", so that now his subconscious mind paid no attention to names he heard. My strategy for Tom was to change his affirmation from negative to positive. For affirmations to have the most positive effect, they must include the “Three Ps", - Positive - If Tom's affirmation was phrased as, “I will stop forgetting names", the affirmation is simply a reminder to the subconscious about his long history of forgetting names. It must be phrased as a positive. - Present Tense - If the affirmation is, “Someday I will be good at remembering names", the results will not come, become “someday" never arrives. - Personal - The affirmation must be something that you can accept and believe, not mere words you heard somewhere. In Tom's case, the affirmation that he decided to use was, - “I'm getting better all the time at remembering names", which was clearly o Positive o Present Tense o Personal. I told him to write that affirmation on 3x5 cards and carry them with him, clip one to the sun visor in his car, on his bathroom mirror, on the alarm clock, and anywhere else he will see it on a daily basis. I told him his results would be guaranteed if he repeated that affirmation at least 25 times in the morning, 25 times at midday, and 25 times in the evening for the 21 days it takes to form a new habit. GOALS One of the keys to making progress is being able to measure it. My management philosophy has always been, “If you can't measure it, you can't manage it", and the clearest way to measure progress is by setting goals. I asked Tom if he would be meeting anyone for the first time in the next week, and he replied, “Sure. I'm in sales. I meet new people every day." We then set a goal for him to come back the following Monday and give me the name of someone he met, along with a description of them. When asked if he could commit to that goal, he replied, “yes". I then also had him write down the goal on 3x5 cards to carry with him and place them in highly visible locations. The following Monday Tom came into my office with the biggest grin I had ever seen. I asked if he met his goal. He said, “I have the names of FOUR people I met, and I can describe all of them them in detail". He then said, “You know, I really AM getting better at remembering names." Tom no longer had a problem with names. CONCLUSION What instructions has your inner programmer been giving to YOUR subconscious mind? How often is it saying, “can't" or “won't"? Make the decision today to turn your life in a more positive direction. Resolve today to create some new affirmations for yourself, with the 3 Ps: Personal, Present Tense and Positive. Set goals to measure your progress, and begin a new, more positive, stress-free life. Remember the old saying, “If you think you can, or you think you cannot, you are absolutely right!" About The Author: Howard Tangler has devoted more than 30 years to helping people live their dreams. Henry David Thoreau said, “"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation". Tangler has guided countless thousands of people out of that misery to a life they dreamed of, but never thought they could achieve. They now found they could live their dreams every day when they followed his advice and counsel. His tips and strategies have proven their worth over the years. To learn more about what Howard Tangler has to say, click the link, http://www.StressFreeLifeStrategies.com |
Tags: STRESS, ATTITUDE, SUCCESS, AFFIRMATIONS, VISUALIZATION, MOTIVATION, DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, ACHIEVEMENT, POSITIVE
