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Any professional
athlete knows enough to warm up before the game. There
are various warm up drills before any type of competition.
As a business professional you must warm up.
Let's begin
with a simple exercise. Clench your fist while holding
it about face high. Picture in your mind the baseball
relief pitcher that just threw the strike that ends
the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Picture
the hockey player that just scored the winning goal
in overtime. Picture the tennis player that just smashed
the winning ace. Picture that clenched fist, picture
that fist shaking in a vigorous motion of approval,
picture that facial expression of satisfaction. Now
put your face in that picture. Picture it's you who
just smashed that ace to win the U. S. Open tennis tournament.
Picture it's you who just scored the winning goal in
overtime to win the Stanley Cup. Clench your fist, grit
your teeth, think about that winning thought that pumps
you up, and firmly say, "I feel great."
The next
time you prepare for a business meeting, remember you
need the winning goal, clench your fist, grit your teeth,
and firmly state, "I feel great." When that customer
that drives you crazy walks into your store, picture
that winning smash, grit your teeth, and firmly say,
"I feel great."
If you capture
the emotion in your mind the first time, the effect
will follow each time you grit your teeth, clench your
fist, and say, "I feel great."
Many people
have dramatic turning points in their life, emotional
anchors which forever remain a part of them. From these
anchors come the mission statements and battle cries
of success. Anchoring is a way to enter a state of mind,
as well as a way to condition responses.
While I may
not remember exactly what I was doing a few days ago,
I can tell you exactly where I was on the following
dates:
November
11, 1963
July 20, 1969
March 30, 1981
January 28, 1986
Each of these
days bring back vivid memories. Even though you may
not know who I am, you too may have emotional anchors
attached to these dates. If you were alive to experience
these dates, you may experience emotional and visual
images as I describe their significance.
On the afternoon
of November 11, 1963, I vividly remember sitting with
my legs crossed of the floor of my elementary school,
I remember our teacher walk into the classroom to announce
that the President John Kennedy, had just been assassinated.
There are very few events from my early childhood that
stand out as clearly in my mind as this day does.
I remember
July 20, 1969, sitting in a dark living room late at
night, lighted only by my parents old black and white
television. I remember that fuzzy picture of an astronaut
saluting the American Flag. I remember being there for
the first Apollo moon landing every time I hear the
audio of Neil Armstrong's first words, "That's one small
step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
I can remember
the afternoon of March 30, 1981. The memory of my shopping
that day, is forever anchored to an audio image. I recall
a radio in a department store announce the assassination
attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan. I also
remember, the erroneous report that press secretary
James Brady had been fatally wounded.
Another audio
image from my past is linked to hearing a secretary
shriek, as she turned up the radio for every one to
hear. On the afternoon of January 28, 1986, the report
of the space shuttle explosion killing seven astronauts
sent a chill of strangeness throughout me, as if a friend
of the family had just been killed. The visual picture
of the explosion played on the TV news that night is
one I will not forget.
It is unfortunate
that the anchors we share in common are often ones which
inspire the emotions of shock or sadness. Of the four
I have just described, one was of triumph, three were
of tragedy. While you may not remember the dates, when
told of the events, you may have personal feelings and
images anchored to those dates.
The positive
anchors in my life are of personal events, rather than
national events. Feelings that bring a smile to my face,
or inspire me, or create high energy levels, are anchored
to a picture or a song from my past. There are those
special songs, that every time I hear them, I feel happy
or motivated. There are those certain songs that cause
me to picture where I was, or what I was doing on a
very specific date. There are also visual images that
cause the exact same emotional response within me every
time I see them.
Learn to
use emotional anchors to inspire positive feelings and
activate your drive to succeed. Get a picture of a sports
star, or even better yet, a family member or friend,
at a moment of triumph. Paste the picture on the mirror
in your bedroom, or the dash board of your car. Find
a visual image to use in combination with our "I feel
great" warm up exercise.
You may find
a time when simply gritting your teeth and shaking your
fist causes you to see the picture, even though its
only in your mind. You will be pleasantly surprised
when the feeling of triumph and success can be stimulated
at will.
Whether it
is a 30 second commercial or two hour movie, visual
as well as audio images can be used to trigger emotions.
Learn to recognize the triggers of your positive emotions.
Find an audio stimulus that creates excitement and positive
feelings in you. Is it a political speech, a movie dialog,
or musical work?
Believe and
Succeed !
You will
not succeed if do not believe. You will not succeed
if you are not in the proper state of mind. As you use
this work book to define and clarify your mission, look
for the people and events which will become the positive
anchors in your life.
The simple
exercise of visualizing, verbalizing, and emotionalizing
the winning score, is one which "warms you up" for a
positive outcome. Now that we are warmed up, lets move
on.
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