Robert Wilson's Un-Comfort Zone is offered as special content for ACC members only.
The Secret for People Who Don’t Believe in VooDoo
The latest fad in motivation is the Law of Attraction or more popularly The Secret after the motion picture and book by Rhonda Byrne. The idea being that if you use the power of The Secret you will attract health, wealth and friends to you in abundance.
The Secret takes an old idea and repackages it for our today’s society. The core idea is that your thoughts control the world around you. If you have positive thoughts, good things come your way. If you have negative thoughts then bad things come your way. In other words, if you wish hard enough for the things you want -- you will get them. Simple. Or is it? If it were simple, then countless people throughout history would have figured it out over and over, and it would not be much of a secret. Perhaps it takes a little more effort than suggested – or perhaps it is just a pipe dream.
We, as modern educated people, need more proof. In order to make it palatable to the skeptic in us, The Secret adds an element of science. We are told that quantum physics has identified that all things at the sub-atomic level exist as both particles and as waves – constantly shifting between being solid matter and being pure energy. It is then proposed that our thoughts create brain waves which in turn influence the sub-atomic waves of the entire universe. The Secret claims that the more intent you are in your wish the faster the universe will act upon it. Is it real, or is it VooDoo.science?
If real, it sounds wonderful! Now, if I understand correctly, if I wish real hard I can become a concert pianist and play to a sold out audience in Carnegie Hall? I only see one hitch: I’ve never had a piano lesson in my life.
The Secret also presents the Law of Attraction as if it had been intentionally kept hidden for centuries. That it was suppressed and held by a few conspirators so that they could control all the wealth of the world. Unfortunately, that notion is nothing other than a marketing ploy to generate interest in the book. It also contradicts the concept of Law of Attraction. The idea that a select group of people have kept it away from the masses intentionally preys on the destructively negative emotion of envy.
To the contrary, people who have understood the Law of Attraction have made numerous attempts at sharing it with the world at large. The best example is Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the most successful so-called “Robber Barons” of the Industrial Age. Carnegie hired Napoleon Hill to research the most successful people in the world, how they got that way, and then record his findings in a book. The book is Think and Grow Rich and was published in 1937.
The best thing about Think and Grow Rich is that it takes the mysticism out of the Law of Attraction. So, for those of you who find wishing on a star a bit difficult to swallow as a method for acquiring wealth, here is the real secret:
Identify your goal. Make a written plan to acquire that goal. Work your plan persistently. Give it your time, attention and energy. The more time and effort you give, the quicker you will achieve it. Visualize it coming to fruition. Draw it, illustrate it, photograph it, then keep it in front of you. Revise your plan as your knowledge grows. Be open-minded to opportunities that arise that may deviate from your plan, but still move you toward your goal.
The world’s most successful people were extremely focused on achieving one goal. They focused to the exclusion of everything else including family, friends, lovers, recreation, entertainment, vacations and hobbies.
Next, tell everyone you know about your goal. Spread the word, so that people who can assist you are aware of your intentions. I truly believe that positive minded people attract more opportunities to themselves because they are so pleasant to deal with.
The formula is simple, but most of us compromise our goals because we want to enjoy a full balanced life. A life filled with friends, family and good times. We focus on our goals when time allows, and in turn, our goals take much longer to achieve. The true secret is staying focused on your goal.
Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
Robert Wilson's Un-Comfort Zone is offered as special content for ACC members only.
Keeping The Ball Rolling
I know an advertising agency owner who never fully takes a vacation. He takes his family to fairly exotic locations, but never so alien that they are outside the reach of modern communication. In other words, he is never further than a cell phone call or email away. He checks in with the office several times a day – much to the chagrin of his family who want him to be fully engaged in the holiday at hand. So, he ends up sneaking off under the guise of visiting the restroom, or going to the bar for a cocktail, in order to connect with his staff, a client or a prospect. His wife and kids aren’t fooled; they just sigh and accept the inevitable. I used to think he was a control freak – someone who couldn’t let go and let someone else take over – until I came to understand the concept of Momentum.
In science, Momentum is equal to Mass times Velocity. Or just think of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark running as fast as he can out of the tunnel while that huge stone ball rolls faster and faster after him. In business, Momentum is the point at which success begins to come easily. Business veterans jokingly refer to it as having, “paid my dues.” In short, Momentum is an accumulation of acquired knowledge, skill, experience and connections. And, those who understand it... also know it can be fragile and easily lost.
Sales professionals who have achieved Momentum will tell you that you must pursue a number of activities to generate sales leads: phone calls, emails, sales letters, networking events, etc. You keep it up building dozens, then hundreds of leads at a time. Then to convert those leads to sales you keep following up on each of them in a timely fashion. Meanwhile, you are still maintaining all the activities that continue to generate leads. So between generating leads, following up on leads, then turning leads into sales, you begin to feel like the guy in the circus who spins plates on top of poles – rushing from one plate to the next to keep them spinning.
No wonder these folks hate to take vacations – it breaks the Momentum they’ve spent months or years creating and they know it takes time to get it going again.
Years ago when I first started giving speeches, a seasoned professional speaker advised me, “It took me ten years to quit sweating cash flow, but even so, it is still all about non-stop marketing.” In other words: maintaining Momentum.
For a growing company, Momentum is the point where you have done enough advertising, marketing, public relations, networking, customer service, and so forth that business begins to flow. It is the point where you are garnering the precious and often elusive word-of-mouth referrals. Momentum is about building a reputation. Acquiring it, however, doesn’t mean you can taper off on your efforts... but it does mean that your efforts will become easier.
The best thing about Momentum is that once you get it, motivation becomes self-perpetuating. Momentum is energizing. It keeps you on your toes. And, the rewards come quickly and regularly.
I have found this to true in all pursuits. Even when I am writing fiction there is always a certain point in a novel that it takes on a life of its own and demands my daily attention, energy and focus until it is complete. Unfortunately, nothing quite puts the brakes on Momentum like finishing a book, or completing any other major task. The trick to avoid losing that Momentum is to begin another book or another task before you complete the first one. Then you just shift your energy over to the next project that is already under way.
Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
