Go ahead, think negative thoughts

I am not a self-improvement geek. Tony Robbin’s smile is just a little too scary to me. But I like to do better, to make incremental improvements in my life. Maybe its better to say, just like my marketing, I like tactical improvements, not strategic changes. Tactical (yes): getting an MBA, Strategic (no): opening my own consulting firm.

But being tactical can sometimes be a problem if you aren’t on the right trajectory. So an infrequent, but close, review of your life’s goals and your strategy for achieving them is needed. Sometimes I get frustrated by my inaction to do this–you know, where your goals are more like wishes and your strategy is procrastination.

Here is the eye-opener that got me thinking about this. In an email from a much more approachable improvement guru, Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, she stands the conventional goal setting approach on its head. While goal-setting is good as a guide, it doesn’t make a compelling tool to motivate and drive us to action. She puts it this way:

You really only have three choices about how your image of the *you of the future* will look. Your choices are something like this:

Choice One: Somewhere between how you are today, and a totally broken mess. Here is where the *avoiding pain* motivator could kick in.

Choice Two: An exact duplicate of how you are now except ten years older. Absolutely nothing will have changed in a decade. Again Â? not a very satisfying picture for most of us, and perhaps a strong *avoid pain* motivator for many.

Choice Three: A happier, healthier version of the *you of today.* This will kick in the *gain pleasure*motivator.

Obviously, no one would choose to visualize choice number one. But in doing so, you may in fact create a hot and intense *amygdala shunt.*

So every time you see some image that reminds you of NOT moving ahead, your amygdala shunt will spur you to take automatic action. *Make that phone call NOW,* it will insist? and you will have the telephone in your hand before you even think to procrastinate.

Wowa, what’s an amygdala shunt? From the same email:

Recent research has proven thereÂ?s a direct route from your eyes to a unique part of your brain called the amygdala (ah-mig-da-la). So what? This happens without going through the conscious portion of your cerebral cortex (your thinking brain.) …

The secret is this: The more emotion tied to those images, the more likely they are to be rushed directly to your amygdala. And once they are there Â? the more likely they will cause an automatic positive response in support of your goals.

So now I have to think of what I don’t want to be in ten years and let that drive me–drive me to revisit my personal strategy and goals even. It’ll be a scary picture I won’t share here! You could certainly use this reverse-psychology technique in your marketing, sales, and business.

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