Tag Archives: subconscious

Concentration Exercises

Posted on by
Reply

963431_water1by Michael Logan

One of the best concentration exercises I have discovered for a lecture or conversation is to simply repeat the words of the person speaking to me inside my head. That simple concentration exercise keeps me from preparing my retort, and it also teaches me to listen for the speakers gifts. Taking a moment to repeat their words to myself allows me to see their strengths, and I get lots of good ideas that way.

If I were actually in a a counseling session, I would be preparing to ask my client if I were hearing them accurately, which is a very important part of the process of building trust, and the reflective listening process. The simple act of repetition in conversation will teach me how fast my concentration wanders. If you have ever tried a meditative technique using a mantra, you will know that your concentration wanders frequently, but the sound of the mantra will bring you back to the process. EEG biofeedback or heart rate variability biofeedback are useful tools for concentration exercises because those tools feed back information about either brain wave frequency or time between heart beats, and as we learn from the biofeedback that we can impact those usually subconscious physiological processes, we become more confident in our concentration, and in our ability to impact it.

The most exciting aspect of concentration exercises is that they change the structure of the brain in a helpful way. Sharon Begley wrote in her very interesting book, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain about research which shows that Buddhist meditation can change the structure of the brain.

But perhaps the most interesting concentration exercises I have come across outside of meditative or contemplative traditions is the dual n back task, which I first saw discussed in Brainfit for Life a very interesting e-book written by Simon Evans, Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt,Ph.D., who are neuroscientists at the University of Michigan. Evans and Burghardt are actually writing about increasing two recently discovered capacities of the human brain, neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, or the growth of new neurons and the incredible plasticity of neurons, which means how neurons reorganize within minutes sometimes after being presented with new information. It turns out if we take care of the pillars of brain fitness, which are physical activity/exercise, nutrition including antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acid, sleep, stress management, and novel learning experiences, we can keep our brain working at its most efficient. The discussion of the dual n back task comes under the novel learning experience pillar, and Evans and Burghardt report that the research shows that users of dual n back demonstrate an increase in fluid intelligence, as measured by IQ tests.

I was very intrigued, and bought a commercial version of the dual n back program, and tried it out. I found the task perfect for concentration and short term memory. While not an easy tool to get a quick feel for, it didn’t take too long until I was working effectively with the tool, which offers me brief sequences of auditory and visual feedback that I have to remember matches for back two, three, or more trials. Immediately, I was aware of how fast my concentration shifted, and the dual n back kept me focused for longer and longer periods of time, and I noticed an increased awareness of attention on other tasks, so that if I wandered away, I would get back to task more quickly. So it appears that research and computers are offering us wonderful tools for concentration exercises that are much more precise than the kinds that we learn using meditative or contemplative tools.

So given my experience with the dual n back, and my experiences with heart rate variability biofeedback tools, and EEG brainwave biofeedback tools, I decided to look into a couple of other online novel learning experience tools, one designed for Senior Brains, which was demonstrated in the IMPACT study to improve memory by exercising auditory circuits, and another a tool that you can use online whenever you want, and both of them were excellent concentration exercises, which I know recommend to clients. Concentration exercises can take various forms, and one of the best and most efficient is the dual n back task you practice on your computer for about 19 days, one half hour per day. More concentration and more I.Q.

Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. http://www.askmikethecounselor2.com

Overcoming Obstacles to Success: Increasing Your Possibility Quotient

Posted on by
Reply

by Dinyah Rein

693590_inside_the_flower_3 “I can’t do that.” “That will never happen.” “It’s just not possible, or at least, it’s certainly not likely.” “It would be way too hard.”

How often do you give up on a dream, or a desire, or an idea, deciding it’s not possible before you even try? When was the last time you truly broke the mold and stepped into a whole new reality?

Let Yourself Dream

Close your eyes for a minute, and ask yourself, “What would I love to be, do or have in my life?” What’s there when you look? Can you allow yourself to dream? Is there a career you’d rather be in? Would you love to travel? Would you rather live in a different location, maybe a different climate? Do you wish you had more time for some of the things you love to do?

For most children, the sky is the limit. Anything is possible. Just ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and you’ll hear all the big dreams an unlimited self can dream. So what happened? Why is it that by the time you reached adulthood that space of possibility is gone, and the window on what’s possible shows such a narrow sliver?

The Power of What You Tell Yourself

Your sense of what’s possible, what could happen in your life, operates much like a thermostat. Decisions and life experiences as you were growing up helped to set that thermostat. Just like the thermostat in your home that helps maintain your temperature, you have a system within you that regulates what you can see as possible, what appears to be within your reach in life. Your self-talk is a part of that system. It helps to maintain the status quo, or homeostasis in the level or type of success you experience, and expect.

When you tell yourself something, like, “I can’t do that,” you are literally programming your subconscious mind. The subconscious is a kind of supercomputer, with tremendous capabilities, but no decision-making power, no ability to make what we think of as choices. So when you tell your subconscious, “I can’t do that,” it doesn’t argue, it doesn’t interpret, it just makes sure that you can’t – it literally does what you program in.

Choice is the responsibility of your conscious mind. Your conscious mind can break out of the programming, and want something new, something different. Your conscious mind can dream up new possibilities. Unfortunately, your conscious mind is not nearly as powerful as your subconscious. The subconscious is the supercomputer. It runs all the physical systems of your body. It’s the part that learned to drive, and can do it without any conscious attention from you.

Your conscious mind has a much smaller role. It thinks, plans, dreams, chooses. It can only focus on one thing at a time, while your subconscious can handle literally thousands of simultaneous functions.

Your conscious mind is only in charge about 5-10% of the time, according to the scientists. This is why changing a habitual behavior can be such a struggle. You can decide to do something new or different, but then the conscious mind goes on to other things, and the subconscious takes over. Your subconscious runs programs that were previously installed. It doesn’t pay much attention to a one-time new command. That new command is overridden by the tried and true programs already in operation.

Reset Your Possibility “Thermostat”

So how do you change your set point for possibility? How do you allow yourself to dream, and how can you open and allow your dreams to flourish, take life, and become your reality?

One essential key is to change your self-talk. Stop reinforcing the old computer programming. Start to become aware of the self-limiting self-talk, and each time you notice, change it. Here are some suggestions:

“I can’t” -> “I could”

“It’s not possible” -> “I wonder how”

“It’s too hard” -> “How could I”

“I have to” -> “I could choose to….., or I could…”

Another key is to breath some life into what you truly want, into your dreams, by creating goals and revisiting them daily. Look out into your future, and allow yourself to envision how you want your life to be – in 6 months, a year, 5 years. Write it. Picture it in your mind. Feel how you will feel when it’s reality.

To reprogram your subconscious mind, you need to imprint new habits, and erase or write over the old ones. Consciously altering your self-talk as much as you can (whenever you notice) and consciously focusing on a future of your choosing are two keys to this process.

The best time to start this process? Right now! What are you telling yourself about these suggestions? How about, “I can do this! I’m starting right now! This will make a big difference for me!”

Good luck with it! Let me know how it goes.

Dinyah Rein has been coaching people to win at their personal and life goals for more than 25 years. Learn how to succeed with your personal goals, download her free audio now at http://www.coachdinyah.com.

Ten Ways to Foster Innovation

Posted on by
Reply

By Michael Angier

In order to compete effectively, we must look for new and better ways to accomplish our mission. We must find creative methods to delight our customers. And we must find innovative strategies for getting more done with fewer resources.

With things changing as rapidly as they are, doing things the old way won’t be profitable for very long. To grow, we must be constantly innovating.

And an innovative company attracts and keeps better employees. People want to be part of something creative. It’s stimulating and it’s fun.

Here are 10 things you can do to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.

Continue reading →

Confidence – Keys to Success

Posted on by
1

Improving your self confidence is perhaps the most important single step you can take to increase your chances of success in any field.

Your self image affects how you challenge yourself. A confident outlook inspires you to tackle more difficult goals. It also affects how others see you and therefore how they react to you.

How you see yourself in your mind’s eye shapes your future – it’s the closest thing to a self-fulfilling prophesy you’ll ever come across. If you see yourself as capable, in control, ready to take on new challenges and responsibilities – then you are well on the way to becoming that type of person.

As Orison Swett Marden said: “There can be no great courage where there is no confidence or assurance, and half the battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake.” and “Walk, talk and act as though you were a somebody, and you are more likely to become such.”

Self confidence can be simply inborn (until or unless the hard knocks of life diminish it) but more often is built through personal experiences. Succeeding in small endeavors inclines us to attempt bigger and grander things, and further achievement boosts the level of confidence still higher. So, one way to build confidence is to tackle new things, gradually increasing in difficulty. This is similar to the way you might train a muscle through lifting progressively heavier weights.

But there is a purely mental approach, too. You enlist the help of your subconscious. Positive self-talk is absolutely essential to building confidence. Successful people condition themselves to intensely bombard their subconscious mind with their chosen goals and desired self-image. This leaves no chance for the subconscious to absorb anything but these confidence-boosting messages. The subconscious doesn’t question anything. It simply accepts, then acts on whatever it is told. This may be why children who are repeatedly told by their parents and teachers that they are lazy, clumsy or sullen act accordingly and reinforce that trait. On the other hand, those who are repeatedly told that they are clever, capable, and a pleasure to be around, also live up to that message. Comments from other people may carry a particular influence, especially if these are respected or authority figures – but can still be overwhelmed by consistent, frequent, powerful inner messages.

To make the inner message as strong as possible, it requires more than just the repetition of key phrases within the privacy of your own thoughts. Attaching strongly felt emotions and, if at all possible, speaking the words out loud makes them infinitely more effective. You don’t have to turn yourself into a table-thumping, red in the face maniac shouting “I can do this!” to reap the rewards of this technique. Try something like “I lead a charmed life – I’m the luckiest person I know and I count my blessings every day. I look for the fun in every situation and I find myself laughing easily. I enjoy myself and make the most of every opportunity.” While you’re saying the words, create a mental picture of yourself in a happy situation, enjoying the success you have earned. Of course, you’ll need to construct a script tailored to your own circumstances, but remember that even if what your affirmation says is totally at odds with where you are today – it won’t stay like that for long. Your subconscious will soon take notice of where you want to go and start moving you in that direction. Once you’re happy with your own affirmations, recite them at least twice daily, out loud, putting as much emotion into the recitation as possible.

If affirmations sound completely alien to you, and you feel “that’s just not for me” – there is still a simple, effective way to use positive self talk. As an absolute minimum, every time you hear yourself questioning your ability to do something, immediately recall a time where, in similar circumstances, you obtained the result you were aiming for. Make the memory as real as possible – including the feeling of elation at your accomplishment. Then make the connection – “I did that. I can do this, too.”

Claim your free copy of the “Marden’s Keys to Success” mini email course and download a complimentary chapter from Brendan McKeogh’s latest book at http://www.MardensKeysToSuccess.com – the website based on Orison Swett Marden’s philosophy where you can read biographies of Dr Marden and other “Masters of Success”.

Get Over Your Faults and Failings

Posted on by
Reply

We all have our faults and failings. That is a statement of ordinary, honest fact. However, the vast majority of us mistake our inappropriate behaviour for some inherent character flaw that leads everyone to whom I have ever posed the question “Are you 100% happy with yourself?” to immediately and forcefully answer “No!”

All my clients tell me that they have “inadequacies”, things they’d like to change about themselves. But when we dig deeper, two things become apparent. Firstly, our so-called inadequacies are not real, they are perceived, this perception arising from how we were made feel about ourselves during our formative years. Secondly, the things we’d like to change about ourselves are either generally behavioural or the result of our behaviour.

No one is inadequate – though many of us feel a great burden of inadequacy. Vast swathes of psychological work and research, stretching back over a century at this stage, indicate that we are the product, or some would go so far as to say, the victim, of our upbringing. Indeed, I have found, with every single one of my private clients, that their self-perceptions are the direct result of their interaction with people and events during their formative years. As a result, even those with the happiest and most loving childhoods developed into “normal” adults – “grownups” who are not entirely happy with themselves. As a result, they live lives with which, at the very best, they are not entirely happy – or, as most people say “not too bad”. Surely, not too bad is not good enough.

Our perceived inadequacies are etched on our deep subconscious mind as a result of a process called “snapshot learning” – when an event takes place that makes a great impression upon us, that’s exactly what happens – a deep impression is printed into our subconscious. Snapshot learning generally only takes place during our formative years – particularly up to the age of 11 or 12 years, with the final touches being added during adolescence – anywhere up to the age of 25 years. After that, we, generally speaking, have very fixed views about ourselves – very fixed views of our own inadequacies.

When set out in the manner in which I’ve done so above, we can immediately see the stupidity of dwelling on our inadequacies – they come from a past long gone, but one on which the subconscious mind is continually, daily focused. What is of at least as much concern, however, is that those same out of date snapshots create – and, daily, re-create – the repetitive, automatic, reactive behaviours that result in us doing things that we’d prefer not to have done. Bad habits, snapping at people, manipulating those we claim to love, losing our temper… make out your own list.

The big problem is that when we display those daily faults and failings, as I said already, we mistake our automatic reactive behaviour for ourselves – we perceive ourselves as in need of repair – and, as a result, not only do we beat ourselves up, often becoming frustrated that there is not easy exit from the apparent continuous treadmill of the same reactive behaviour. Some resort to bad habits that will help them come handle or suppress their feelings – I’ve come across alcohol, drug and sex addictions – all of which, clearly, only make matters worse.

What we’ve got to realise is that if we stumble and do something stupid, destructive or hurtful, that’s all it is – a stumble. Replaying the stumble, feeling guilty about the stumble or being certain that there’s no way out of stumbling again are all useless thoughts that add to our own incorrect feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem and lack of self worth. When we stumble, we need to stand up, dust ourselves off, pull ourselves together and start over.

But that’s only part of the solution – because if we just do that we may never learn from our stumblings – we may never rise above our perceived inadequacies and the manner in which they automatically create our stumblings. We need to break out of the automatic mode in at least 96% of people live – validated by years of research. Quite obviously, this is done by being mindful rather than, through automatic behaviour, being totally mindless.

Mindfulness comes from paying attention to the present moment – to what your body is telling you about now, through your five senses. This may sound simple – and, yes it is, but it’s not easy to practice. In fact, you’ll take a lifetime perfecting your ability to be attentive to the here and now but, in doing so, you will drag your subconscious mind’s attention away from past snapshots and prevent those past snapshots dictating the kind of automatic reactive behaviours that make you unhappy.

In developing your ability, through the deliberate and conscious use of your five senses, to give more and more of your attention to the here and now, you will see the here and now for what it is – one moment in time, where you can choose to be “all there” and do your best, or you can choose to abdicate responsibility for your own state of mind and let the automatic programmed subconscious alter ego repeat past mistakes. The choice is yours – moment to moment. In deliberately exercising the choice to be more attentive to the moment, you will see your perceived inadequacies for what they are – illusions – and see the real you for what you can be – here and now.

Copyright © 2009 Willie Horton

Willie Horton’s acclaimed two-day personal development seminars have been running for thirteen years. He teaches that a clear and present state of mind creates extra-ordinary personal and business success. His vast expertise is now available in his Online Workshop at Gurdy.Net. His website also offers daily free personal development video seminars, articles and a Free Personal Development Ezine published every Monday morning.

The Power of Self Belief

Posted on by
Reply

“In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true.” John Lilly. The mind is an incredibly powerful thing. If you believe (and I mean truly believe) you can do something then your subconscious will work to make it fact.

You believe in your career and in yourself or you wouldn’t be where you are now. But do you have that internal negative voice sometimes? You know the one that undermines your positive beliefs, tries to tell that you won’t make it to the next level up, that you will never achieve a healthy work/life balance, or that you’re no good at a particular area of your work? If you tell yourself negative things about yourself and your career, you will subconsciously look for ways to prove that you are right. And so your beliefs will be constantly reinforced and may ultimately actually become fact. Let’s see what we can do about that.

What I’d like you to do for a moment is concentrate on your main goal for your career. Close your eyes and take yourself forward to the time when you have achieved it, when your career (and accordingly your lifestyle) is everything you want it to be. Stay there for a minute or two and really drink it in. Take note of what you can see, hear and feel.

Ask yourself:

· What strengths did I have back when I was planning to get here, which enabled me to get to this point?

Now come back to the present and keep hold of those positive thoughts.

We all hold Empowering Beliefs. These are the beliefs which empower us to move forwards towards our goals. Some of them we know and can list straight away. Others may surprise us when we encourage our subconscious to come forward with them. All of them are extremely powerful and make a huge difference to the outcome of all our endeavours.

When you express an Empowering Belief the sentence would typically start ‘I am…’ or ‘I can…’

Basing your list on your answer to the bullet pointed question above, write down now 5 Empowering Beliefs you have about your career. What are its strengths? What does it do for you? What do you love about it? ‘It is… what?’ ‘It can… what?’ ‘It does…what?’

Once again basing your list on your answer to the question, write down now 5 Empowering Beliefs you have about yourself which will enable you to get your career to where you want it to be. ‘I am…?’ ‘I can…? ‘I’m great at…?’ ‘My XYZ skills are superb’. Don’t worry if you think it might sound big-headed to anyone else. What’s important is that you believe that you have this strength, ability or knowledge.

That’s a great start!

Now commit to doing something over the next couple of weeks. Every day add at least one new Empowering Belief to your two lists. Your goal is to end up in 2 weeks time with at least 10 Empowering Beliefs about your career and at least 10 Empowering Beliefs about yourself.

So each day ask yourself: ‘What Else?’

Ask other people what they think. Ask colleagues, family and friends, and ask clients. When someone else gives you some positive feedback, accept that they wouldn’t say it unless it were true. So you can easily take that on as a belief of your own – right?

Keep your lists where you can access them easily and often, particularly if you are having a ‘wobble moment’. This is really powerful stuff and can cause a mental shift that will take you shooting forwards. Please note I am not saying that empowering beliefs alone will make things happen. But if you accept and believe all the positive things about your current and future career and about yourself, you will actually go out there and take the action necessary to make it happen! What’s the alternative?

© Emma Wortt of Em-powering Executives, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Em-powering Executives help leaders and their teams to achieve excellence through executive coaching and training. To receive similar articles direct to your inbox, you can subscribe to the FREE monthly Em-powering Executives newsletter at http://www.em-poweringexecutives.co.uk

Caution! Affirmations at Work

Posted on by
Reply

1198420_abstract1Congratulations, if you are reading this article then you’ve already begun creating a most magnificent blueprint for your life and you’ve probably already done a lot of work. It’s time to learn a bit about affirmations. Most likely you’ve already done a fantastic job of creating your Blue Print for Living.

What are affirmations?

Affirmations are powerful spiritual building tools. Before you begin practicing affirmations, visualize what you want. See it clearly. Then affirm that you have it.

Some will say that affirmations are claiming what is not real. That’s not really so, an affirmation is a declaration that something is true even when it does not currently exist. If you can think it and visualize it, then your subconscious mind, with proper direction, can and will create it.

In new age theory it is the practice of positive thinking. The repetition of a positive thought that impresses itself on the subconscious mind which sets in motion actions and events to bring the affirmation into manifestation.


Affirmations are statements of acceptance that one uses to create their desires.
Here’s what a couple of recognized experts have to say:

Robert Collier:
“One comes to believe whatever one repeats to oneself sufficiently often, whether the statement be true or false. It comes to be dominating thought in ones mind” and therefore has no choice but to manifest in your life.

Claude M. Bristol:
“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”

Let’s review three aspects of affirmation.

Fears:

There are numerous fears related to starting the practice of affirming for what you want to create in your life:

Most people are afraid it won’t work They fear other people will think they’re silly. Who are you going to tell?

A great many people are actually afraid of success. I know that sounds ridiculous; but fear of succeeding is one of the major stumbling blocks that gets in the way of success.

If you will become willing to be open and receptive while concentrating on your affirmations you will soon rid yourself of these niggling voices that whisper, “this won’t work.”

Instead, train yourself to listen for the still small voice within. Hear the whisper of divine inspiration. It is, after all, a desire from the super conscious Universal Mind.

Remain positive. State your affirmation in the present tense, Not future tense. You want to reinforce the thought on your subconscious mind that you have what you desire now.
Here are some techniques to assist you in making affirmations work in your life:

Come to believe in your desires.
Take time to concentrate on what you really want.
Discover your burning desire.
Open up to the thing that causes you Divine unrest.
Discipline yourself to practice daily meditation.
Listen to what your inner voice is tells you.

Jim Rohn
“Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.”

Fiction and Fantasy:

Writing affirmations is most powerful, more so than repetitions in your mind. Write down your affirmation. Write it 10 times every day. Do this at the same time each day if you can.

What is true is that there is great power in writing what you want and repetition enforces upon your subconscious mind your desire.

When you hear mind chatter, over talk it. Mind chatter is mostly negative thought; try turning down it’s the volume. Diminishing it by tuning it out.

One excuse for not doing affirmations is that you have to find time and space to do affirmations. Oh no, that won’t do. Affirmations can be repeated while you are:

Driving
Exercising
Walking
In the shower
In the elevator; two or three times between floors would be great.
Any where you are you can repeat your affirmation.

Romain Gary:
“Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man’s superiority to all that befalls him.”

Fact:

It works. Affirmations lessen the power of negative thoughts. Positive affirmations help to silence the negative chatter that goes on in the mind. The mind cannot hold two chatters simultaneously, so give it positive food to crowd out the self put down talk.

Repetitions’ drives home to the subconscious that this is something you want it to do. The subconscious mind will create your affirmation without question or challenge.
Remember that writing your affirmation immediately replaces negative thoughts. Writing empowers the subconscious mind.

Florence Scovel Shinn:
“You will be a failure, until you impress the subconscious with the conviction you are a success. This is done my making an affirmation.”

You get a nudge, a yearning a desire or idea from the super conscious Universal Mind. You then build upon it through affirmations, written, spoken aloud or to your self. The seed is planted in the subconscious mind and it commences growing your wish into reality. Like planting seeds in rich fertile soil. An affirmation is like watering newly planted seeds. Affirmations are the garden tenders that help your desire seeds grow into reality.

Here are sample affirmations you can use. Feel free to write your own:

I am at peace with myself
I have abundant energy and knowledge to do the things in life I most want to do
I am connected with the Universal mind
I am a success
I am responsible for my growth
I am responsible for my life

Copyright © Wee Dilts 2009

Wee Dilts is a counselor, psychologist, teacher and trainer. She has conducted numerous life changing seminars as well a popular sales training course. She is a lifelong student of self help, metaphysics and psychology. You can download fantastic life improvement articles free and review her many self help books at: http://www.changeyourlifeebooks.com

What is Success? – Only You Can Decide!

Posted on by
1

963086_chileLook in any bookstore and you can find hundreds of books claiming to contain the secrets of success. And each has some valuable insights to pass on. But I see too many people who are using other people’s standards to quantify their success. Anyone using other people’s definitions of success is in danger of either being unable to attain the heights set for them by others, or else being left unsatisfied by a specific achievement because it really doesn’t fit with their own deep seated (and possibly unexplored) wants and needs.

Everyone has a different vision of what success is. The ingredients and the recipe simply cannot be found in other people’s experiences. Having said that, there are skills we can learn which will help us determine what our true ambitions in life are, and how we can best achieve them.

Reading the biography of someone we look up to might inspire us. Being exposed to a high-achiever’s “go-getter” attitude can make us realize that we are capable of having, being and doing more than we previously thought possible.

It is so important to give yourself time to read. Not just work-related “information” stuff, or, heaven forbid, a newspaper (you’ll rarely find anything very inspirational there). Allow yourself the time to read a self-help book that appeals to you. Just don’t become a self-help book addict! You see, the answers to your life questions are inside you – maybe deep inside, buried in your subconscious. A good self-help book just helps you realize which questions you need to ask yourself, and then how to work out the answers.


It’s the unasked questions which are responsible for making you feel uncomfortable or incomplete, or restless. Once you have your question (where do I want to go?), you are in a position to work on the answer (the destination).

Any self-help book should be seen as a guide, not an action plan. One way to view a guide is as a map with all the roads, rivers, mountains and points of interest clearly marked. You can choose where to travel, and how. Lets say you choose to go in your car. Along the way, you might have to take a detour or follow a dirt track for a while – but you are making progress, albeit in a round about way. Your guide (the map), shows you alternative routes. You just refer to it as and when you need it. An action plan can be seen more like a train journey. There is a list of possible destinations, but these are limited, since not everywhere has a railway station. Once you get on the train, the journey is out of your hands. You are simply taken along according to the timetable. You are subject to whatever delays the train may encounter – and you are no longer in control of how you get to your destination. Your only option in this “action plan” analogy is – you can get off the train. You then have to try a different method to get where you want to go. But the action plan is now redundant. So, taking the view that a self help book is only a guide – not an action plan – ensures you create your own definition of success – and that you achieve it on your own terms!

Brendan McKeogh believes that success is as individual as each one of us. Although different for everyone, it involves enjoying the best of the situation we find ourselves in today, while striving for better tomorrow. He offers free success resources (including a report and a complimentary chapter from his latest book based on Orison Swett Marden’s work) at http://www.mardenskeystosuccess.com

The Dangers of Recognition

Posted on by
Reply

1162149_colour_explosionWe all have the ability to recognise – someone we already know, a difficult situation when we see one, an opportunity that’s staring us in the face or a problem that needs our attention. However, our psychological ability to recognise is just as much a curse as it is a blessing. We take in raw data through our body’s five senses – a psychologist would term this “bottom up” data – through the process of cognition. At this point, the data, of itself is meaningless – we need to interpret it. This is done by adding our “stored knowledge” or “top down information” to the raw data and, in this way, we make sense of what is going on. This is the process of re-cognition.

As I said, this process enables us to make sense of the present moment. Or does it? The big problem with our stored knowledge or top down information is that, generally speaking, it is decades out of date. We generally start storing key elements of that “knowledge” between 12 and 18 months – when we create “schemata” (or pigeonholes) into which we then fit anything similar that we might encounter in later life. From an evolutionary perspective, this gave us a huge advantage – we didn’t have to waste our precious attention on routine day-to-day stuff – we needed that attention to watch out for the next man-eating tiger that might otherwise devour us!

But the result is that, in the modern day, we pay little or no attention to what our senses are actually telling us in the present moment – we prefer, automatically and subconsciously of course, to let our top down information make sense of what’s going on for us. And, in the process, we make nonsense of the present moment and react accordingly.


Somewhere between 12 and 25 years (adolescence), we generally stop taking in new top down information. That has drastic implications for the rest of our lives because, for the rest of our lives, we live in an illusory world of make believe – we create what we think is going on based on out of date information. As a result, so-called “normal” people never really appreciate what is actually happening – everything is “filtered” through their stored knowledge – and, as result, they react to what they think is going on. And, as you and I know, reacting generally makes matters worse, not better.

Quick example. Somebody at work asks you to do something. Because of the way we automatically pigeonhole people, you will have made up your mind whether you like or dislike the person who’s doing the asking within four minutes of meeting them for the first time. Say, for example, she reminds you of your sister-in-law (and you hate your sister-in-law because she reminds you of someone who bullied you at school thirty years ago). Also, the thing you’ve been asked to do is something that you think you don’t like doing – you might, for example, have a hang-up about putting together some sales figures because, when you were small, your father gave you grief over how awful your math marks were (these are all true client stories, by the way).

So, someone, who not only could be the nicest person in the world but who might also have a major impact on your career and on your life, asks you to do a simple task – and you snarl at them in return. It’s an automatic reaction. The request is the raw data – but you’ve made nonsense of the request based on a load of out-dated notions that are stored deeply on your subconscious. And that’s the process of recognition.

And that’s what gets normal adults into trouble. Conflict breaks out at work and at home – not because of what’s actually going on but because of what normal people think is going on. But, worse than that, real opportunities are missed because they are never spotted in the first place. The opportunity could be staring you in the face and, because of your top down data, you wouldn’t recognize it for what it truly is.

Normal people need to stop recognizing and start cognizing all over again. That’s why so many business and sports people meditate – it enables them stop recognizing and start experiencing what is actually and really going on, using their five senses, in the present moment. Watch your TVs – all the great sports people “meditate” before a field kick or a tee shot, before a penalty or a serve in tennis. And I meditation was good enough for someone as prolifically successful in business as Thomas Edison well then, it’s good enough for me. Start paying attention to what your five senses are actually telling you. Stop analyzing, judging, adding your top down out of date information. Whether it’s through some form of formal meditation or just “stopping to smell the roses” – break the vicious cycle of the normal repetitive behaviour that normal recognition automatically produces.

Copyright © 2009 Willie Horton; Willie’s work in the area of self-improvement and meditation has been described as “life-changing” and “phenomenal” by clients from every walk of life. His acclaimed two-day personal development workshop is now available online at Gurdy.Net

Photo: martyn rice