Practical Tips For A Better Life

"If you have only one way to do something, you're a robot. If you have only two ways to do something, you're in a dilemma. You need at least three ways to do something before you have the beginning of some real flexibility."


HOW TO MAKE AN EXPERIENCE COMPELLING
This exercise will help you find out how your brain "codes" images to increase your motivation by making them so strong you're naturally compelled to take steps to achieve them.

1. Think of a task that is really attractive and compelling to you. This task is something that you really, really love to do. When you experience attraction, look at the image in your mind and notice the qualities: the setting, lighting, the sound. Make it so that it is very clear and with as much detail as possible. Once this is done set the image aside for a while.

2. Take a breath, let it out, look at something around you.

3. Now think of something that is of no particular importance to you such as a piece of paper or a pencil. Notice the feeling of not caring about it and again list the qualities of the image: the setting, lighting, the sound.

4. When finished, again take a breath, let it out and look around.

5. Finally, compare the two images in terms of the qualities. You might find that the attractive image was brighter, more colorful, bigger and closer and had sounds of words while the don't care image was darker, in black & white, smaller and farther away and silent. Make a list of the differences and know that this is how your mind represents something of value to you, something that will motivate you. You can now use these qualities to make an experience more attractive.

6. Think of something that you know would be valuable for you to do but have a hard time in actually doing it.

7. Ask whether any part of you objects to you actually doing the task. If there are objections you cannot answer, you have to think of another task.

8. Imagine the end result of doing this task, the positive benefits you will gain. How do you think of these benefits?

9. Now use the list of differences from step 5 to change the qualities of your thoughts about the end results. Keep increasing the qualities, if color make it more colorful, if size make it bigger, if sound make it more pleasant, encouraging. Keep doing this until you feel the strong attraction to the task, the same attraction you had from step 1.

You have now set in place the attraction that will pull and compell you to perform the task that will get you the results you desire. Congratulations!