Can we really retrain our unconscious responses?

Russian Psychologist Ivan Pavlov learned that Dogs salivate at the sight of food.  He retrained this automatic response to salivate, by ringing a bell immediately before feeding time.  This was repeated over and over again.  These dogs were trained that the sound of a bell meant that food was on its way.  In preparation for the food the dogs began to salivate.  Because they believed that food was on its way, over time the sound of the bell alone would cause the dogs to begin to salivate. What if you could train your autonomic nervous system?  The autonomic nervous system is broken up into two main parts.  The sympathetic nervous system that controls our fight/flight response?  And the parasympathetic nervous system that controls our appetite and sexual desire. These are automatic responses to stimuli. It is believed that self-control is lowered when we are sleep deprived or low amounts of glycogen in the body. When stimulus hits one of those 4 responses, we immediately have an automatic response. Anger (fight), Fear (flight), lust (sexual desire), hunger (gluttony). Think about antisocial behaviour and crime.  Is not all of crime attached to one of these primal functions? How then can we train our autonomic nervous system to…

Seminars are the Way FORWARD
Breathing Life , Influence , Purpose , success , value / April 27, 2017

As a teenager I had a stutter, and the worst fear in my world was speaking in front of a group of people.  I recall that at age 12 or 13 I was assigned to speak in front of a class in a debate.  The fear was so intense and I thought that I would avoid doing this most uncomfortable thing (public speaking) at all cost.  As it turned out I did not have to give that talk.  I was in a car accident that incapacitated me for about a week.  As a result I avoided this speaking assignment.  I was in hospital and in pain, yet I was happy that I did not have to face my big fear of public speaking.  I was happy that I did not have to do something that would likely embarrass me, cause me yet another failure, and leave me feeling fearful and low. Looking back I realised that my unconscious mind helped me to avoid this event by creating an accident.  Looking back I realised that fear and limitation were ruling my life and my outcomes.  I felt like I was not in charge of my life, and that my unconscious mind…

Feel as though you are flat-lining?

Well it seems to me that when you change the way you use your body, life changes……for a time.  Anything new becomes old over time.  It really does not matter what it is.  Any big change to your life, once repeated about 1000 times becomes normal.  Wow who would have thought that jumping with excitement would become like breathing or riding a bike.  That it would become normal to be excited every day. How amazing is that?  looking back over the last 18 months of my life have been like a dream. Life has changed more dramatically than ever before. It really is such an inspiration to myself and others and as a result many new opportunities have presented themselves. It really is incredible that Contributing to the lives of so many other people, coupled with personal growth has really produced a high level of fulfilment. Much joy is the result of giving so much of myself to others.  Furthermore the consistency of focus on the things that matter most in life has also been incredible, and has assisted with the feelings of fulfilment. Now it is time to move to the next level, as each of us must continue to…

What if?

Today I thought about attending Tony Robbins seminar next month (Date with Destiny May 21-26, Gold Coast 2017) and considered that I was given the floor for a period of time.  I imagined myself in front of a thousand people teaching and instructing with a confidence and energy that I have never before exhibited.  It was an exhilarating thought and one that got me excited. I began to do my power move and get the adrenaline pumping through my body.  This brought into my mind and body a rush of ecstasy. I do this daily.  I jump, do my power move and get excited every day at least twice. This has created for me such exhilaration any time I need it. I then needed to help my son who was sick with a sore throat. He is better now.

Enhanced performance

Many years ago I was at work and a senior employee said to me, “you need to switch on”. I was new to the job and did not know what to do, yet there must have been an overriding attitude of disinterest. I was there physically, yet in reality I was a thousand miles away. He did not just say this to me once. I acknowledge that as an absent minded child I was often not present when being spoken to. I was often distant and aloof, and would zone out regularly. It was not that my brain was inactive, rather I was thinking, wondering, or pondering. This would sometimes annoy my teachers who were trying to get me to take action. When I started an action I would become easily distracted and a simple task would take me a long time to complete. I have sat down to read something and I found that I could not concentrate. I just couldn’t seem to get my mind to read in a way that I could absorb the material. It did not help that the content of the material my have been very boring, and I found my mind wondering. Therefore…

Are you afraid to fail?

There are three resistors to mental effectiveness. They are fear, laziness and limited self-belief.   I wanted to write a little about fear. In particular the fear of failure. Fear can be good or bad depending on the context.  Fear can keep us safe, but fear can also prevent us from achieving our potential.   Fear of failure in business can cause one to shy away from making an attempt, taking risks, or having a go. Failure can lead to financial setbacks, or great loss such as foreclosure, or bankruptcy. Many people have started businesses, only to go out of business.  Fear stops people from taking out a loan to grow the business, spending money on advertising or employing staff. Fear can and will keep you from getting started, and fear can also keep the business small.   Fear of failure in relationships may prevent us from being open to the possibility of a relationship.  Those in a relationship may find that they unconsciously self-sabotage that relationship, or reject the other person first, for fear that they themselves will be rejected.  Failure to meet our responsibilities in a relationship may likewise be costly. If we neglect our relationship in the pursuit…

Be sure your ladder of success is against the right wall.
Confidence , Example , honesty , Influence , Life , Life Choices , money , Purpose , success , value / February 19, 2017

I recently read a quote from Albert Einstein that said, “Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value”.  As I have considered this thought I comprehended that success does not come by focusing on success.  Many people believe that income or wealth is the predominant measure of success.  It is true that financial mastery is a measure of success, however there are many who are successful, or feel successful regardless of their level of wealth.  After all, financial well-being is only one aspect of life.  Therefore if one is successful in their finances, it is folly to automatically assume that this person is successful. Success in one’s career, does not translate to success in life.  I have learned that money, relationships, health and purpose all play a role, and collectively contribute to happiness and success.  If a wealthy person is unhappy the reason may be that they had leaned their ladder of success against the wrong wall.  The rich suffer from anxiety, just like middle class and the poor.  The rich suffer from depression, just like the middle class and the poor.  This is because happiness is based on values, and if you focus on…

Why is leadership important?

Leadership is essential to every organisation and the world needs more teachers and leaders.  I fervently believe that in order to build strong teams, we need strong leaders.  These leaders must have qualities, attitudes and beliefs consistent with organisational values if we are to promote improved performance. A leader is not the one who can do the work of 10 men, rather it is one who can get those 10 men to do their work.  In the book the psychology of winning author Dennis Waitley described that 3 resistors halt our progress.  Laziness, fear and limited self-belief.  However I believe there are 3 principles that enable a business leader to get the best out of others. 1/ Money.  People need to be paid for what they do, and paid well.  Most organisations in the developed world have a very good payment structure and employees are paid well.  The only exception here is those involved with unpaid charity organisations or churches, where the reward is spiritual fulfillment. 2/ Autonomy and Mastery.  Autonomy relates to extending trust to employees, and allowing for growth in their decision making muscles.  Mastery is about improvement and development. Many organisations allow for creative vision, forward thinking employees and training and…

Wasting time!

I had a brilliant student in one of my workshops state that there are only 3 ways to use time.  He said that we can sell our time, invest our time or waste our time. As I have thought about this comment, and looked back on my life I realise that I have wasted so much time.  In fact even when I was selling my time and investing my time, at the core often I was wasting my time. The biggest reason for this is my reluctance, or resistance to planning.  Planning takes time.  Planning takes mental focus and energy. Planning is a vital part of all success, and it is a principle that successful people understand and live.  Planning is not only goal setting. It’s not only about the big picture. It is about all the small details. It is about the moments in our lives, and making those small moments count. Whilst I understand the importance of planning, often I feel like it is a waste of time because I am so focussed on taking action.  However planning is an important aspect of ‘sharpening the saw’. My brother in law and I were using an electric chainsaw that was…

Reducing the divorce rate.

I have been thinking recently of something I once heard from a religious leader by the name of Gordon Hinkley say. I’ve tried to look up this quote on the internet, yet have been unable to find it. My memory is excellent and it was such a bold statement that I committed it to memory straight away. The comment is this, “if every man and every woman would do everything they could to look after the needs of his or her companion, there would be very little, if any divorce”. I have thought about this quote a great deal over the past several months. Since the establishment of AccessWorldSeminars my focus has not been on my relationship as my number 1 priority. I certainly have not been doing all I could to ensure that the needs of my wife are being met. The first thing I needed to do, was uncover the needs of Rebecca my wife. I began to studying the needs of a woman, and the needs of a man. As I studied I found conflicting opinions, yet I soon discovered some needs that actually work in almost all situations, and with almost all women. These are fundamental…