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Fortunate indeed is the person who takes exactly the right measure of himself; easier said than done. In a time like no other it has become difficult to climb out of a rut, to redirect our talents and life goals. There's no short road and it's always mined.
The Pacific Institute-one of the most globally influential purveyors in the science of human behavior-approaches self-improvement seen through four well defined rungs on our self-assessment ladder; the pitfalls, the perils, the progress, and ultimately the performance based on the way we communicate with self and others: words, feelings, and pictures.
Negative Resignation: a dangerous and unproductive self portrait that says, "What's the use, I can't ever climb out of this funk. It's the story of my life," etc. It is non-efficacious and destructive holding untold millions back from seeing beyond setbacks and disappointments. It's a rung on the ladder of personal assessment that must be left behind. If not, change is impossible.
Recognition: a step in the right direction, but it's mostly surface. Here we recognize our vulnerability (whatever it may be) but there is no intent in one's subconscious to change it. "I know I should quit smoking..." or "sure, I should change my diet." Yet nothing comes of this passive acquiescence. Things just remain in stasis.
The Vow: a major step forward engaging a self-imposed makeover using teleological pictures..."Damn it, I need to quit smoking," or "I need to lose weight and soon." It's here the great awakening begins. It's Hannibal's proclamation: "I must either find a way or make one."
Replacement Pictures: tricking the mind is nothing new. Hypnotists have been doing it for centuries. But hypnosis is not required. Replacement Pictures are a way of conditioning our subconscious to see a different self-portrait based on the psychological truth that says "the mind cannot tell the difference between that which is real and that which is imagined." So, the message becomes a lens into the near future; what things will look like when behavior changes. "The next time I think about grousing over small stuff in the office, imagine how much better it will be when I don't react." Or, "I can picture how I'll feel when I lose thirty pounds."
Keep this array of phases in the human condition for future use with your colleagues or employees, for days like tomorrow or the next. People move to what they picture. Being part of success is more important than being personally indispensible. Raising the outlook of those we count on to pull us through and further our organization means the difference between a team's rebirth or an individual's slow decline.
On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of victory sat down to wait, and waiting-died. (George Cecil)
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