Your Brain Won't Let You Succeed if You Do This!

Years ago I was mountain biking down Devil's Gulch in Eastern Washington. We were flying down the mountain like crazy men. The dirt and gravel path was only about a foot wide and there were some tremendous, 100 foot drop offs. At one point, I just glimpsed off the edge for a second and said to myself, "I definitely don't want to go down there!" In an instant I launched off the edge... bike and all.  Fortunately I landed in a bramble about 15 feet below. Holding on I yelled for help as my buddies went flying by. Finally someone saw me and I was able to get back up onto the trail with the help of my friends. Too bad I didn't get it on video! There is a predictable process going on that causes this sort of event (not the stupidity of riding down the trail in the first place, just the launching off the edge).

As someone with over 25 years of experience in neuropsychology, I should have known better. One of the most important concepts that I've come across to determine someone's success or failure is the concept of Target Fixation. I won't go so far as to say that it is a "law" but it is darn close. OK, get ready, here it is: you go where you look. It sounds too simple to be of any worth but usually profound concepts are. Think back on the relationships that you have had over the years. If you keep a list of the negative things that you don't like about the other person, the list grows rapidly. Fortunately, if you keep a list of the things that you do like, that list will grow instead. The choice is yours. You can change your perception of the other person dramatically. They can become much more appealing even though they may not have changed in the slightest. The same concept holds true in your business. If you are focused on your goals and "look" where you want to go, you are much more likely to get there. If you get discouraged and take your eyes off the goal you might end up in a heap. Refuse to look over the edge; keep your eye on the goal.