|
The
Ten Principles of Entelechy
- Take
Change by the Hand
- Open
Your Eyes and Your Mind
- Understand
How Your Brain Works
- Adjust
Your Explanatory Style
- Expand
Your Comfort Zone
- Exercise
Your Imagination
- Create
and Resolve Dissonance
- Say
Yes to Your Future
- Create
Your Own Virtual Reality
- Accept
Accountability and Get Happy
Principle
One: Take Change by the Hand
[BACK
TO TOP]
To
live is to change, and to live fully is to change often.
Principle
One of the Entelechy curriculum reflects a timeless principle
of life: Everything that’s alive is constantly changing.
Think about it for a moment. I’ll bet you can’t think
of a single living thing that isn’t changing in some way.
The
world around you is changing, too, isn’t it? It may even
seem that, just when you start getting used to something, it changes
on you! At work, at home and almost everywhere you go, you are
forced to deal with change. Until recently, most of these changes
happened gradually. Now, thanks to a computer-driven technology
explosion, the rate of change is so fast, it’s downright
amazing and often unsettling.
Make
no mistake about it, these changes aren’t going away. In
fact, they’re going to continue to speed up. The way we work,
learn, communicate, buy and sell, relax and go about our daily
lives is being transformed. For some people, this is incredibly
stressful. It can even feel overwhelming and frightening. Examples
of people who can’t handle change are all around you, and
we talk about some of them in the Principle One video.
For
other people—high-performance people—change isn’t
scary. On the contrary, it’s stimulating and empowering.
They take change in stride and look for ways they can take advantage
of it and grow from it. They see change as an ally, not an adversary.
As
this segment explains, how you handle change depends on the way
you think—on your attitudes, beliefs and expectations. Fortunately,
you can learn to control the way you think. You can learn to think
in ways that let you take change by the hand—before it takes
you by the throat! In fact, that’s what the Ten Principles
Seminar is all about. Principle One lays the groundwork for what
is to come: learning how to think in ways that allow you to quickly
adjust to change, deal constructively with obstacles, and achieve
the goals you want to achieve, no matter what you encounter along
the way.
Principle Two: Open Your
Eyes and Your Mind [BACK
TO TOP]
It’s
amazing how much more your eyes can see when your mind is open.
What
beliefs and behaviors are you stubbornly holding onto because
you just can’t see a better way? In this Principle, we learn
that what we perceive is mostly what’s important to us. That’s
simply the way all of us are wired. Part of your brain (the reticular
activating system, or R.A.S.) is constantly scanning for information
that falls into two categories: anything that’s either valuable
or threatening. If it’s not important to you for one of those
reasons, you don’t notice it, or, if you do, you quickly
forget.
This
efficient mental system usually works in your best interest. From
the incredible barrage of sensory data that is always coming at
you, your R.A.S. screens out everything that isn’t important
and lets in everything you need to stay safe and succeed. But
it can also work against you.
If
you’re stubbornly convinced that something is true, you may
ignore information that could prove it false. If you believe there’s
only one right way of doing something, you won’t consider
suggestions that might lead to other methods. If your mind is
firmly locked on to one idea, you’ll be locking out other
possibilities. In this Principle, Jim will take you through several
simple yet dramatically revealing examples of how this works.
When
you open your mind, you also open your senses to a wealth of new
information. If, at the same time, you’re very clear about
what’s important to you, you’ll really be harnessing
the amazing power of your R.A.S.!
Principle Three: Understand
How Your Brain Works [BACK
TO TOP]
Human
beings are just beginning to understand and learn how to use
the incredible power of the brain.
What
a shame that your brain doesn’t come with operating instructions!
Most of us have at least a basic grasp of how our bodies function,
but we know very little about how our minds work. The more you
understand about why and how you perceive and process information,
make decisions and behave as you do, the better able you’ll
be to make wise choices that will lead to success and happiness.
This
curriculum can’t possibly tell you all there is to know about
how your brain works, but it will focus on a couple of key processes.
First, you automatically and unconsciously evaluate all new situations
on the basis of your past experience. And, second, you automatically
and unconsciously behave in ways that reflect your self-image.
In other words, you act like the person you believe yourself to
be.
For
example, if you have an opportunity to speak to a group, you’ll
probably decide whether to do it by evaluating your past group
speaking experiences (terrifying, valuable contacts, exhilarating,
disastrous, etc.) and the kind of person you believe yourself
to be (shy, congenial, boring, articulate, etc.). Of course, other
factors may enter into your decision, but these will automatically
be major influences. Jim’s son, Jamey, had a self-image so
strong that he automatically turned the loss of an eye into a
personal triumph instead of a tragedy.
Entelechy
enables you to take advantage of these mental processes by learning
how to control them. If change is to be lasting, you must change
the beliefs you hold about yourself at a subconscious level. That’s
because, as Jim explains in this segment, if you change your belief,
you change your performance. By the time you have completed this
seminar, you will have access to techniques that allow you to
break free of old patterns and change your self-image to bring
you more of what you truly want.
Principle Four: Adjust
Your Explanatory Style [BACK
TO TOP]
The
way you explain the world determines the way you experience the
world.
Your
explanatory style is the way you’ve learned to see and explain
your world. As a result of your early experiences and what you
told yourself about them, you developed a way of looking at the
world and a way of seeing yourself. This, you’ll remember,
is called your self-image, and it’s based, not on your true
potential, but on past experiences and other people’s opinions.
Another
term for explanatory style is self-talk. If your self-talk is
negative, you can literally talk yourself out of success. In this
segment, Jim gives several examples of how this comes about. When
he describes what happened to him on the golf course when he saw
himself as a rank beginner, you’ll see exactly how it works.
He calls this the “Sure Enough Cycle,” because that’s
often what we say when our negative predictions become reality.
If
your self-talk is largely positive and optimistic, you have a
real advantage. High-performance people talk to themselves and
explain their world in ways that are overwhelmingly positive.
The results they get in life reflect their positive attitude.
They tend to achieve much more at work, school and on the playing
field. They bounce back from setbacks more quickly and get depressed
far less often. They have happier relationships, better health,
and may even live longer. Makes you wish you could learn how to
adjust your self-talk or explanatory style to be more like them,
doesn’t it?
Well,
you can. The Entelechy curriculum teaches the skills of on-purpose
optimism. It will help you gain control over your self-talk and,
in the process, upgrade your self-image. This is an incredibly
valuable skill, because, as Jim points out, we move toward and
become like what we talk about and think about.
Soon,
in just minutes a day, you’ll be able to silence the critical,
pessimistic inner voice that stops you from doing all you can
do and feeling happy. Instead, you’ll be able to give center
stage to your internal optimist. When you do, your attitude toward
life changes and your behavior naturally follows. The next thing
you know, you’ll be getting the kind of results optimists
get—the kind of results you may once have thought were impossible.
Principle Five: Expand Your Comfort Zone [BACK
TO TOP]
Growth
always requires you to do things you’ve never done before.
For
all of us, there are certain situations that feel perfectly comfortable.
Certain people we feel comfortable working with or talking to.
Certain things we feel comfortable doing. That’s often a
good thing. Everyone likes to feel relaxed, comfortable and at
ease.
What
happens, though, when you venture outside that familiar “comfort
zone?” When you meet new people who seem very different from
your usual associates? When you are thrust into a new work or
social environment? When you are faced with the challenge of doing
something you’ve never tried before?
For
most people, the answer is stress. For many, it’s such a
tension-producing experience that they diligently avoid anything
new and different, preferring to stay with the old and familiar.
But the more successful they are at avoiding stress, the less
successful they are at personal and professional growth. That’s
because growth always requires stretching, risking and venturing
into new territory.
In
this segment, Jim will give several vivid examples of what happens
when you try to leave your comfort zone, even when it would be
to your advantage. When you’re forced to operate outside
of your comfort zone, all you want to do is go back. All of us
self-regulate, subconsciously, to avoid stress and stay where
we’re comfortable. Jim will also explain why it’s so
hard to motivate yourself or anyone else to leave their comfort
zone: We don’t want to do it until we can see ourselves accomplishing
it comfortably.
Principle Six: Exercise
Your Imagination [BACK
TO TOP]
The
imagination is one of our greatest gifts and strongest allies.
Imagination
is your mind’s blueprint for constructing reality. Or, as
Jim’s son Chase says, “It’s what comes after the
words, “What if….” Every man-made creation that
has ever been brought into the world first existed inside someone’s
imagination. We were earthbound until someone imagined a vehicle
for flight. We traveled on the backs of animals until someone
imagined the internal combustion engine. First comes the vision;
then comes the reality.
Your
own life is no different. What you can do is limited mainly by
your ability to imagine it. In fact, imagination may be the most
powerful gift you possess. If you can mentally see yourself behaving
in a certain way, it’s far more likely that you’ll behave
that way in real situations. And the more clearly and vividly
your mental picture, the easier it will be to bring it to life.
You
don’t have to worry about how you’ll do that, either.
The Wright brothers weren’t sure how to build an airplane,
but they believed they could figure it out. That’s exactly
what you need to do. Be clear about what you want, imagine it
repeatedly, and don’t let the truth of current reality stop
you. Believe in your ability to invent the how-to’s as you
go along. Remember, your imagination is like a muscle. The more
you exercise it, the stronger it will become and the more you’ll
be able to do with it.
High-performance
people use their imaginations all the time to help them achieve
their goals. In this segment, Jim discusses five ways that high-performance
people think about the future. He also takes you through two exercises
in using your imagination that will help you see exactly what
a powerful ally it is.
Principle Seven: Create
and Resolve Dissonance [BACK
TO TOP]
Self-directed
growth thrives on the energy that comes from wanting something
new and feeling dissatisfied with the old.
Dissonance
means conflict, and we usually think of conflict as something
to avoid. There are times, though, when conflict is not only necessary,
it’s also healthy and productive.
For
example, whenever you imagine something new for yourself—whether
it’s a more loving way of relating to your family, a highly
successful career, financial security, physical fitness, outstanding
job performance or anything else—you create a special kind
of internal conflict. It’s called cognitive dissonance, because
it concerns your thoughts, and it means that there are now two
“truths” in your mind. One is the vision, your picture
of reality the way you want it to be. The other is current reality,
your picture of things the way they are right now.
Your
mind can’t accommodate two conflicting versions of the truth,
so it generates a tremendous amount of energy in order to resolve
the conflict. In this segment, Jim gives several examples from
his own life when he experienced this kind of conflict. He explains
that there are only two ways to resolve it: strengthen the vision
and bring it into reality, or weaken the vision and cause it to
disappear. You are about to learn how to create and harness the
tremendous energy of cognitive dissonance to bring your boldest
visions into reality.
Principle Eight: Say
Yes to Your Future [BACK
TO TOP]
The
power of language to focus thought and generate emotion can’t
be overestimated.
Principle
Four focused on controlling your self-talk and developing an optimistic
explanatory style. Principle Six concentrated on harnessing the
immense power of your imagination. When these two principles are
combined, you can use them in a simple, systematic way to make
goal achievement feel completely natural. You do this with an
easy-to-learn affirmation and visualization technique.
As
you may know, to affirm means simply to speak the truth, to make
the truth more “firm” and real. So an affirmation is
simply a statement that expresses a truth or belief. Positive
affirmations are tools used to deliberately build beliefs that
help you achieve your goals and be the person you most want to
be.
Some
people prefer to call affirmations goal statements. No matter
what you call them, they can make change much easier. This part
of the Ten Principles process teaches you how to create the most
effective affirmations possible, demonstrates how to use them
and explains why they work. In this segment, Jim describes how
he stopped a lifelong nail-biting habit by using affirmations,
and he explains how the process works.
As
he points out, affirmations are effective because your subconscious
can’t tell the difference between something you vividly imagine
and something that is actually happening. Used correctly and consistently,
affirmations enable you to create mental experiences that are
as powerful as the real thing, but even better, because they’re
completely under your control. It’s like having the ability
to practice a skill whenever you wish, but being able to practice
perfectly! Imagine what that could do for your level of goal achievement.
Principle Nine: Create
Your Own Virtual Reality [BACK
TO TOP]
The
dominant picture inside your mind finds its reflection outside
in your world.
There’s
no longer any doubt about it: Vivid mental experiences are as
real to the body and the subconscious as actual experiences. That’s
why so many athletes have added visualization techniques to their
practice (wait until you hear the story Jim tells about Kirk Gibson,
former Los Angeles Dodger and Detroit Tiger superstar!). That’s
why so many health care professionals suggest that their patients
use guided meditations and imagery along with traditional healing
methods. That’s why so many sales and business people mentally
rehearse their presentations. And that’s why you, too, will
benefit from using visualization as part of your goal-achievement
strategy. If you can see it, you can be it!
The
written and verbal affirmation process taught in Principle Eight
is made much stronger when it is accompanied by vivid mental imagery.
In fact, the words in an affirmation are there primarily to trigger
mental pictures or images. Those images, in turn, cause feelings.
Words, pictures, feelings: I x V = R. That’s the formula
for reality, as far as your mind is concerned.
When
you repeatedly and systematically use affirmations to help you
see and feel yourself behaving in a new way, after a while it
isn’t new any more. It becomes assimilated into your subconscious
self-image. In other words, it becomes part of that self-image.
Then, you naturally and automatically start to behave like the
picture you’ve created. You no longer have to think about
it or remind yourself to act that way. Instead of who you want
to be, it gradually becomes who you are.
That’s
why Jim’s son, Jamey, was able to adjust so quickly and completely
to the loss of his eye. And that’s why this technique is
so valuable to anyone who wants to create lasting, meaningful,
positive change.
Principle Ten: Accept
Accountability and Get Happy [BACK
TO TOP]
If
you put a smile on your face, a glow in your heart and do the
same for others, your life will be transformed.
What
makes you happy? What puts a smile on your face and a glow in
your heart? Who is responsible for making you happy? Accepting
personal accountability is a critical factor in achieving happiness
and success. That’s because, in the final analysis, no one
can make you happy but you. What does it mean to be accountable?
Simply that you take one hundred percent responsibility for your
own life. All of it. The parts you like and the parts you don’t
like. The parts you want to hold on to and the parts you want
to change.
You
are the final authority concerning what’s best for you, and
you get to choose what you want to enjoy, what you want to accept,
and what you want to change. The kind of choices you make and
goals you set are important, because they will determine the depth
and duration of your happiness.
In
this segment, Jim discusses Plato’s four levels of happiness,
some of which last much longer and feel much deeper than others.
He’ll also tell you two moving true stories that will help
you see how level three happiness can be an everyday thing in
your life, no matter what the external circumstances.
[BACK
TO TOP]
|
