Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Be Careful What You Pretend To Be Because You Are What You Pretend To Be. (Kurt Vonnegut)

Thinking About Our Behaviors

I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again.  We have to “think” about how we want to behave.

Why is that the case?

Because so much of our behavior comes from our unconscious mind.  We behave a certain way because it’s how we’re predisposed to behave.

Controlling Our Predispositions

The best way to control our “predispositions” is to think in advance.

By thinking in advance (TIA), we are programming our unconscious mind to instinctually respond in a desired manner, as opposed to an undesirable manner.

An Example

For example, I receive probably 10 phone call solicitations daily.  9 out of 10 of these calls are a total waste of my time.  They all start out the same and I can tell, FROM THE VERY FIRST 5 SECONDS OF THE CALL, with 95% accuracy, that the call is going to be a total waste of my time.

As a result of that, I am predisposed to get angry whenever I receive these phone calls (especially when they interrupt my busy business day).

HOWEVER, getting angry at people calling your business is not professional.  It can drive people away, which can be bad, ESPECIALLY if they are in the 5% of phone calls where I “think” they’re going to be wasting my time, but instead it’s a potential client with whom I need to speak.

So What Do I Do?

What I do is simple.  I have “reprogrammed” myself so that I no longer get angry at the beginning of these phone calls.

Instead, I simply listen to the first 15 seconds of the call to confirm whether or not I’m right about it being a time waster.  The moment I’m sure it’s a time waster I simply say, I’m not interested, thank you, have a nice day and then I hang up.

In those rare instances where it turns out to be someone important, I then keep listening, and the best part is that I did not alienate them by getting angry with them at the beginning of the call.

I Changed My Predisposition

In other words, I changed my predisposition.  Where, in the past I was predisposed to getting angry at these time wasters, I have learned to sit back, relax and go with the flow.

I don’t like the fact that I have to deal with these time wasters, but it’s just a necessary part of doing business.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about these thoughts? Please share your thoughts below.