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Meme
Central Books Level 3 Resources Richard Brodie Virus of the Mind What’s
New? Site
Map Programming Myself Jeffrey Gitomer, the world’s greatest
salesman, used to worry so much about getting the big sale that it interfered
with his confidence. Prospects could sniff out his nervousness and detect
that something was not quite right. The fear of losing the sale would
actually result in the loss of a sale. And once this cycle happened a few
times he became reluctant even to try, resulting in even more lost sales. He
had to change his way of being or find a new career, and that meant working
at a real job so that was out. Jeffrey
wanted to find a way to reprogram himself not to care if he won or lost. So
each time he made the big sale, he would take himself out to an expensive
men’s clothing store and reward himself with some new clothes. And each time
he didn’t make the big sale, he would also take himself out to an
expensive store and buy clothes. For a
year he faked it but after that he really didn’t care if he made or lost the
big sale. He had successfully used operant conditioning, a la Pavlov’s dog,
to make trying for the sale the rewarded activity and not getting
the sale. Through added confidence and sheer numbers this resulted in his
becoming a successful super-salesman. And having six closets full of clothes. The
mind is programmed through repetition. Combining repetition with reward is a
great way to change my mind. Unlike a computer, which can be reprogrammed
simply by making a change once and compiling new code, a human mind needs
training. It is possible to change my mind. That is the core belief that
makes everything else possible. If I had trouble with that one I would say it
every morning in front of the mirror (right along with “I’m good enough, I’m
smart enough, and, doggone it…”). I change my mind by identifying the
unworkable beliefs I have—beliefs that interfere with my purpose—and
replacing them with workable ones. There may be a whole network of unworkable
positions preventing me from going in the direction I say I want to go. I
can address them one by one or I can
simply identify the way of being that is ineffective and train myself to be
another way. I used to pout when someone said something that rubbed me the wrong way. I would guess that it was an effective way of being with my parents when I was growing up. But in a seminar many years ago I got feedback that people thought it was irritating and incongruous with the powerful way I otherwise presented myself. So I put into practice a new way of being. Whenever I noticed myself about to pout, instead I beamed a genuine, charming smile. It didn’t feel so genuine the first few times but after less than a month I had successfully reprogrammed myself. The awkward discomfort only lasts a little while, like when I learned to ride a bicycle. Soon thereafter I knew what I was doing, and within a year I didn’t even have to think about it. Richard Brodie |
