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| 9.5 | Goals Tip - Link Pain to Your Bad Behaviors and Pleasure to your Good Behaviors |
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How to maximize our action by linking pain to the behaviors that are hurting you and pleasure to the behaviors that are helping.
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 | Human beings are driven by pleasure and pain. We automatically want to do things that give us pleasure and we automatically want to avoid things that bring pain. Our subconscious minds drive us to take actions that give it the perceived maximum pleasure and minimal pain.
Our behavior is based on our deep internal beliefs. If we truly believe that we will have great pleasure by passing up that piece of chocolate, we will do it. If we truly believe that we will experience great pain by not completing that report, we will get to work.
Part of the problem is that future pain or pleasure is not totally certain. That is why we struggle with belief. If we work out, we will probably look great, but we might not. But if we eat chocolate now it is very likely that the pleasure will happen. To make our minds believe that the probability is certain, we visualize the ends. Picture in your mind the successful result. When you do this, you are helping your mind believe that the end is possible! You subconscious mind will begin to believe. How else could you see the result so vividly in your mind, unless it was certain to happen?
We can train our subconscious minds to endure temporary pain and pass over short term pleasure for more meaningful long term pleasure. We do this by linking images and feelings to behaviors. This is how we link pleasure to a behavior we desire. We must reprogram our automatic decisions. We must believe!
The first step is to list the pain associated with the bad behavior. How will continuing this behavior affect your life? Will you loose respect for yourself? Will it hurt your health? Will others loose respect for you?
Now, make a list of the pleasure associated with the good behavior. How will this improve your life? Will you have pride in yourself as a result? Will you be healthier? Will you be happier? Will others have pride and respect for you as a result?
Now, link these feelings to the behaviors using the following routine:
1. Lay down or sit in a comfortable chair
2. Take several deep breaths and exhale completely.
3. Relax completely. Imagine that you are floating comfortably in a pool of water.
4. Think about the behavior you want.
5. Think about the end result of the behavior.
6. Visualize how it will look.
8. Try to really feel the feelings that you will experience.
9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 several times.
Throughout the day visualize the behavior and the results as often as you can. It is extremely effective to do this exercise right when you wake up and in bed, just before you fall asleep.
It is also a great idea to give your mind evidence that what you are doing does in fact work. Look for stories and pictures of people like you who have succeeded! Put these success pictures on the desktop of your computer or paste them up where you will see them on a regular basis.
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