Want To Know How To Tell The Future? Read This!
If you want to predict someones future success...just study their beliefs about their future. After all, what we believe is likely what we're about to get!I'm in "writing and research" mode and recently I have been learning a lot about what psychologists call “expectancy theory" (Expectancy theory = is the finding that we respond to what the brain expects to happen next).
I wanted to learn more about this because every achiever I have ever interviewed has had the ability to get themselves to believe they could succeed even though most times no one before had ever accomplished it. 100% of them expected success.
How Crazy Is This?... Psychologists use to believe that the human mind responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today, psychologists understand that we respond to what the brain expects to happen next.
Here Is An Amazing Study showing expectancy theory at work:
Doctors in Texas study the effect of arthroscopic knee surgery. Assigned patients with sore, worn-out knees were assigned to one of three surgical procedures: (1) scraping the knee joint, (2) washing out the joint, or (3) doing nothing.
During the “nothing” operation, doctors anesthetized the patient, then made three incisions in the knee as if to insert their surgical instruments, and then pretend to operate. Two years after surgery, patients who underwent the pretend surgery reported the same amount of relief from pain and swelling as those who had received the actual treatments. The brain expected the “surgery” to improve the knee, and it did.
What do you expect is in store for you?
If you want an easy way to increase your chances of success...believe you will do great, believe you will get the job , believe you can do it, believe you will get the new client! Simply expecting that good things are ahead for you takes no more effort and will up your chances of success.
Try it out and let me know of any great stories! Who knows maybe I'll even include you in my book?
posted by Paige Kearin @ 2:34 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
see, i pursued you for three years in high school, the whole time believing somewhere deep down inside you had the hots for me! it took a while, but it worked :)
Deyl- You were right, I did! If I could kiss you through the blog I would.
Man, the dangle of getting written up next to Lance Armstrong in your book inspired me beyond belief to write about Expectancy Theory in practice in my life. And, given your recent posts about Deyl completing the California 70.3, it should fit well.
LP.
PS: Sorry its so long!
PPS: It turend out to be a pretty good writeup. I may post it sometime at my own site when I have writers block!
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Seven years ago I participated in my first Ironman Triathlon. Billed as the ultimate endurance race, the Ironman distance triathlon consists of a 3.8k swim, followed by a 180k bike and ending with a marathon run, or 42.2k. The winners take only 8 ½ hours to complete the race; the rest of us struggle to meet the 17 hour cutoff. I was never very athletic in the past and when I expressed my intention to compete, almost everyone I knew told me I was crazy. I had never before been the brunt of so much sarcasm. The fact that was about 50 pounds overweight, had not biked or run for six years, and had not swam in over ten may have fuel their disbelief. What my friends and family did not fully appreciate was the passion and determination I evoke while focusing on a goal.
Fortunately I had one cousin who called me up to tell me he thought I could do it. A multiple Ironman finisher himself, he had coached many athletes and took me on as his pro bono project. Every few weeks he would give me an email or a phone call with a training schedule. It would always be followed up with the advice, “Visualize, visualize, visualize.”
One of my philosophies in life is that if one sets the bar to an attainable height, then one will undoubtedly make the bar and perhaps not grow to full potential. However, if one sets the bar beyond the seemingly attainable, the prospect of growth and challenge will propel one farther than dreamed. You have to believe – ‘faith like a mustard seed’ type believe. To attain my dream of finishing the Ironman race required pushing the bar well beyond my view. At that point in my life, this bar was so high my only option was to rely on visualizing my dream.
On my long, and very slow, runs I would imagine myself at the front of the pack, being chased down by Peter Reid for a sprint finish at Ironman Hawaii. I took Lance Armstrong along with me on my long solo rides - the mountain I lived by becoming my own personal Alp d’huez. On days my body was too tired to swim, I would visualize moving through the pack of 2000 swimmers in open water on race morning. In a time before iPod’s, my time out to go running and biking meant I was truly training on my own.
Race day arrived and I was nervous. Really nervous. More nervous than I was when I proposed to my now wife. Considering back then I wasn’t sure she would even say yes, that put race day nerves way up there. Would I disappoint others if I didn’t finish? I kept thinking. More importantly, would I disappoint me if I didn’t finish?
As I was packing my transition bag my cousin, who had managed to talk his way in the back with the athletes, came over to wish me luck and gave me a card. About 20 minutes before the cannon started the race I slit open the card and read what he wrote: “Good Luck Ironman! Remember that it really comes down to the six inches between your ears!!”
Over 8 months of dedication to physical training was required, yet those who believe the Ironman is purely a physical race are wrong. Having crossed the finish line in utter exhaustion at 13 hours, 59 minutes (1 minute under my goal), I can attest to the fact that an Ironman race is only 5% physical effort, and 95% mental. The endless hours of physical training paled in comparison to the mental focus and drive that propelled me to the finish.
And that card? For the past seven years I’ve kept it in my gear bag, and often pull it out on race mornings for some last minute inspiration. That one day of turning my belief into reality has influenced me by giving me confidence in my ability to focus and train my mind and body to meet my dreams.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Since that day I have completed many more triathlons – many short distances and several more Ironman distances, all with the same mental methodology. Then, 20 months ago I was training for another Ironman and I hit a bump in the road. Actually, something hit me – a SUV. A big SUV. A big black SUV to be exact. I thought I had escaped with just a few broken bones but after the pain killers wore off a week later, it was much worse than anyone had imagined. After partially landing on the concrete road, my head cushioning the rest of my body from the blow, I was left with a head injury. As time went on the tests confirmed it damaged parts of my short-term memory and some other high level cognitive processing.
Two weeks before the accident I had successfully defended my masters thesis. Now, when I picked up the paper to read it, I couldn’t understand most of it. Laying on the couch I would play Where’s Waldo with my 3 year old and he would beat me – almost every time. I tried to run, but would get a migraine and be in bed for the rest of the day. To say I wasn’t exactly thrilled about my state was an understatement.
During my rehabilitation I would talk about what I was going to do – another degree, a different career, or another Ironman. Many days I was so exhausted my body refused to get out of bed so between naps I would just lie there and think about all the things I was going to do again. Most of my friends and family tell me to stop dreaming about what I want to do and focus on what I can do right now. They obviously didn’t appreciate how much my recovery is tied to dreaming and visualizing doing everything again.
I don’t remember the first few months post accident but I do recall my doctors telling me about my prognosis. I was told “Around 16-18 months you will start to peak, and at 24 months post injury, although medically and statistically speaking there may be gains, realistically you’ll be at where you’re at by 18 months.” Now, at 20 months, I’m still going strong in my recovery. Every week brings new challenges, but every month new gains.
It is ironic that the mental training I learned while preparing for my first Ironman is exactly the same resource I am using to get through my recovery, an accident as a result of my physical training. Deep down I believe I will be successful in getting back to where I was. It may take another year or two, but I’m willing to wait and be the statistical anomaly for their medical journals.
Not very exciting...but when I decided to quit my lame job to pursue my dream of being a photographer...I saw others doing it and told myself there was nothing different about them from me. Nothing they could do that I couldn't. I thought of ideas and I went for them. Things started happening for me at a rate I couldn't understand or comprehend. This also backfired on me when I started to get scared of all the success! I started telling myself I couldn't handle it, and suddenly the ideas stopped flowing and doors began to close.
I also used this philosophy to heal myself from a debilitating illness, Guillaume Barre. The minute I began to picture myself recovering, walking, holding my children...the progress happened. It was as simple as that. Wish I had known it my whole life.
You post fun, interactive blogs:)
I was supposed to take over my dad's plumbing business. I hated it, but didn't know there was anything past that which I could attain. Neither of my parents had college degrees, so the thought of higher education wasn't even introduced to me.
I had recently picked up a camera, and was "Googling" tips on how to use a flash. The first site that came up was Brooks Institute of Photography, and the first thing I read was their acclaimed mission statement, challenging me to "learn by doing." I knew I heard the voice of God telling me to get out of my comfort zone. A month later, I enrolled, and have been pursuing crazy dreams ever since. Years later, I am about to graduate, and have left photography for bigger ventures that have opened up because of it, and am blessed to see that my sister and my mom are now both tackling college as a result of the kid brother that wasn't satisfied with sitting around.
I think these are also the exact reasons why Jesus stressed faith so much . . . anything less is denying/quenching that the freedom he gave is for now, not just the afterlife.
On a non-theological note, have you read ThinkerToys? It seems right up your alley.
I agree with this concept whole-heartedly! Great post! :)
I agree, so so so so much! You should always think positive. Why ever think negative? This study reminds me of the study done by Dr. Masaru Emoto on Water, Emotions and Positive Thinking.
Thanks for sharing your stories- I love them! I think logical philospher definetly wins for longest blog posting ever! Thanks for participating, I'll see about how it might work in!
Best Post! Perfect path for your next book! This will be a great venture to watch you on. I'm so on the same path! Can't wait to see where it leads us. The energy produced. It's incredible.
Paige girl you kick!
Dayl & Paige you two together are an inspiration in just a supporting marriage. I love it. It's so cool to see both of you pursue your careers and then share your gifts together online with the rest of us. How fun is THAT?! wink
Chels
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