Someone once shared, “You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into.” It can’t be emphasized too much how powerful emotions really are. Emotions are stronger than logic. Most people like to think they are logical, but at the core we are emotionally driven.
This is why willpower really doesn’t work. We may “know” what we need to do to make a change, but in reality few people do what they know. Most people can’t change by simply reasoning why it would be good to change, they have an emotional habit that drives their old behavior.
So how do you make success inevitable? Milton Erickson, whose books can be found at Cleveland's Legacy Village, shared some brilliant insights in the area of human change. Studies show that some 80% of people don’t like goals and goal setting. Goal setting has incredible value, but the limitation is in logically planning out a change.
Erickson shared that you can make change inevitable by creating the circumstances that will ensure your outcome.
First, he emphasized the part of human nature that doesn’t like to give up something. It is not change that people so much resist as it is the thought of losing something. So the answer is to not take anything away, but to add circumstances that make change more natural.
Take someone who wants to lose weight for example. Logically they know that eating fast food is unhealthy, yet they still do it. Just using willpower to resist the temptation of eating greasy food will have little sustainable impact because it is an emotionally satisfying experience.
So how do you ensure success? Rather than taking something away, i.e. fast food, allow yourself to eat the food but under the circumstance you create that will lead to success.
So for instance, you can eat the fast food but you must walk to the restaurant to get it, and the one you choose must be at least three miles from your home. The food is still available, but the circumstance to reach it will make you healthier and in the end you will lose your emotional attachment to the food because it is no longer simple to attain.
Eban Pagan shares there are two laws to progress, one is to start now, and two is to not deviate. This is why it is important to make your environment conducive to your goal. Purposefully create your environment so it enriches your pursuit of excellence.
Begin by simply asking and answering the question, how can I make my outcome inevitable? Once you have the answer, take action immediately to begin your new level of success.
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