Are you aware of how the FBI trains its agents to spot counterfeit bills? The FBI schools agents by training them to see all of the characteristics of bills printed by the U.S. Treasury - they deal only with genuine money. An FBI agent learns to recognize authentic ones, fives, tens, twenties, fifties and hundred-dollar notes until his or her appraisal of them becomes second nature. An agent studies a bill, both sides of it, until he or she learns every feature that makes it genuine legal tender.
That way, when FBI agents see counterfeit bills, they
immediately recognize them as such. Their minds aren’t cluttered with what
“might be wrong” or “what usually is left off” or “mistakes that are commonly
made.” They know what they’re looking for. They are specialists in the real
thing. False bills seem glaringly obvious to them.
If you allow yourself to think about the penalties of
failure or all the things that could go wrong, you’re far more likely to infuse
your performance with those penalties and mistakes. Continually tell yourself
what to do. Don’t concentrate on what not to do.
The mind has a fascinating capability. What you think about
most is generally what you do most readily. A mistake most people make is to
set goals in negative terms. A tennis player may set a goal of not
double-faulting a certain number of times during a match. An employee may set a
goal of not being late so often. Goals to lose weight, not talk so loud and
fast, and not get upset so often are goals framed in negative terms. We need to
stay away from negative goal setting.
Understand this about the mind: A fear is a goal in reverse.
The mind can’t focus on the reverse of an idea. The term double fault reminds
the tennis player of the condition he or she wants to avoid. Being late reminds
the employee of the problem, not the solution. When we think we need to lose
weight, our minds store the self-image of being overweight. We need the image
of the desired weight we want to attain, not the pounds of fat we want to
discard. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to concentrate on not
being upset.
It’s the same thing as saying, “Don’t make mistakes.” Or
worse yet, to a tightrope walker, with no net, “Windy day, don’t fall!” The
mind always moves you toward your current dominant thought. We should say, “First serve in,” for the tennis player.
“I’m a punctual, on-time person.”
“I’m reaching my desired weight.”
“I speak slowly, clearly and confidently.”
“I remain calm and relaxed under pressure.”
These are all positive goal statements, which are called images of achievement, which pull us in the direction of the desired behavior rather than away from the undesired habit.
This week, stop looking at your life through the rearview
mirror; instead, focus on where you want to go!
- Denis Waitley
