Programming Your Mind #1404
To Show Up Heroically Energized, Productive and Connected
As you know if you’ve been following along and moving from Theory to Practice (en route to Mastery!) with the Heroic app, we architected the Big 3 protocol to help you get clear on who you are at your best in your Energy, your Work, and your Love.
We help you set your Identity for each of the “Heroic Big 3” and then we help you get clear on what VIRTUES you embody when you show up as the best, most Heroic version of yourself in your Energy, your Work and your Love.
THEN we help you get clear on what specific Behavioral Targets you hit when you are living in integrity with those Identities and Virtues.
Then, of course, we encourage you to spend a minute or three FIRST thing in the morning (EVERY MORNING!) recommitting to BEING that best, most Heroically Energized, Productive, and Connected version of yourself.
It may sound too simple (and/or boring) to be effective, but early pilot research shows that spending even just a minute or three every day in the Heroic app “tap tap tap” recommitting to your Big 3 protocol and then hitting as few as THREE Heroic targets you set for yourself can lead to a 40% boost in your Energy, a 20% boost in your productivity, and a 15% boost in your connection.
Why?
Because when you set a clear INTENTION, your ATTENTION tends to follow and you are more likely to remember to (and find ways to) DO the things you KNOW are best for you after you recommitted to them in the morning.
Then, when you celebrate the micro-behavior WIN with a Target Swipe splash of dopamine, surprising goodness ensues.
Don’t believe me though.
Try it!
Now…
When I started writing this +1, that wasn’t what I was going to talk about. I was going to talk about TWO of the virtues that show up in EACH of my Big 3. We’ll talk about that in our next +1.
For Today, let’s go one step deeper into WHY the super-simple 1 to 3 minutes spent in the Heroic app committing to and then hitting your Big 3 Targets can have such profound effects.
The reason why it’s so powerful is related to an idea we’ve explored (in this +1 on The Frequency Illusion from Ben Bergeron’s Chasing Excellence) that you’ve probably thought about before.
Question: Have you ever bought a car?
If so…
Follow-up question: When you were thinking about buying that car and shortly after you bought it, did you suddenly see that type of car EVERYWHERE?
Of course you did.
But why?
It’s simple.
Your brain evolved to filter the INSANE number of stimuli you are exposed to in any given moment into a manageable load.
How does one of the most ancient parts of your brain filter all those inputs?
It “decides” what gets into your conscious mind based on what you “told” it was “important.”
Result: If you’re thinking about buying a certain type of car, you’ll suddenly see it everywhere.
Guess what…
That same idea applies to EVERYTHING you think about.
Your brain (more specifically, your reticular activating system) is CONSTANTLY paying attention to what you’re thinking about and will show you more of whatever that is—which is awesome, except when it isn’t.
If you’re thinking about all the things that are WRONG in your life (and the world), guess what? You’ll see more of that.
On the other hand, without becoming a pollyanna-ish idealist who ignores reality, of course….
If you think about the stuff you want to see MORE of in your life, you’ll see more of it.
For example, IF YOU REMIND YOURSELF OF WHO YOU ARE AT YOUR BEST AND WHAT VIRTUES YOU EMBODY AND WHAT SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS YOU WANT TO ENGAGE IN ON A DAILY BASIS (via something like the Heroic app perhaps?!) guess what you’re likely to see more of in your life?
You will see more opportunities to live in integrity with those Identities, Virtues and Behaviors.
And…
That’s life changing.
And…
That’s Today’s +1.
Here’s to programming our minds with what we want to see more of.
And then seeing all the opportunities to show up as the best, most Heroic versions of ourselves.
TODAY.
This +1 Inspired by:
Chasing Excellence
by Ben Bergeron