Many people want to change, or say they do. Relatively few actually succeed. Why? Lots of reasons. Bookstores are full of tomes offering more insight than I possibly can offer here. But the primary reason people don’t change? They don’t WANT to! They SAY they do, but actions (or inactions) speak louder than words. (Listen to what people DO, not to what they say.)
Most human motivation boils down to seeking pleasure (desire for positive feelings) or avoiding pain (desire to avoid negative feelings). When it comes to change, for most people the allure of their comfort zone (desire for positive feelings) OR the fear of the unknown (desire to avoid negative feelings) far outweighs their desire to change.
So, one of the key first steps to creating change is to ramp up the motivation level.
I generally work on the positive desire side of the equation. (One trouble with fear is that once you get out of immediate danger, motivation levels tend to drop off dramatically unless you are a long-range thinker.)
“Magnetize My Wants”
Magnetizing my wants is how I ramp up my desire level. By magnetize, I mean that I think about my goals in vivid detail, dream about them in Technicolor. I focus on them, I live them in advance. I plan, I scheme, I prepare. I visualize how wonderful it will be when I reach my goal. I work out how I will get there. I celebrate achieving various intermediate goals along the way. I savor arriving at my checkpoints. I monitor my progress. I daily become my future as I create it.
I make a habit, a practice, of doing the things that will push me forward. These habits are not things I do to succeed, they are the embodiment of who I have chosen to be. These rituals of diligence and persistence, this commitment to learning, this love of people and the belief in their inherent greatness, these are not a veneer that will wear off in tough times under pressure. It is who I am to the core. I also seek out like-minded people, those with similar values who reinforce and re-energize me. People who serve as role models and a mutual support team. People who will cheer me on if my spirit flags.
If you want to change, if you TRULY want to change, “magnetize your wants.” Drive them so deep into the core of your being that you have no choice but to change, if you are going to be true to who you are.
I think this is an interesting concept. It is a unique way to present the notion that people gravitate towards their wants, or as a product, the future visions of themselves, as if by “magnetic pull”. I like the idea of charging my desires if you will, to pull myself towards those visions and goals. I also agree that very often the strength of the pull is not strong enough, or maybe the alignment is not “just right” and by happenstance the door remains open for the easier path of lackadaisical and uniterrupted static existence.
Consequently, I believe even more that our echo for change can be mirrored and enhanced by those that lead us. Often, most people just need that stimulus of a voice calling for change or the security of the anecdote that implies the familiar “Been there, done that” ideology to catalyze their moves. That is why most productivity is observed in areas with strong management and sharpened goals. Almost always, the strongest rallying point is the realization that we are not alone and that our goals aren’t as outlandish as everyone, especially ourselves, would make it seem.
One ideology that I have always found profoundly inspirational was taken from the words of a very respectable senator and can be summed up very simply: “Yes, we can”. I truly believe that his story, and the mentality it professes to, is an example of what you would call “magnetizing your wants”.
All in all, in the professional world and in our personal lives, aligning our poles with the pull to move forward is perpetually self-rewarding and, needless to say, critically important. Your scholarly accomplishments, Mr. Collier, which I believe, set the ground for you to pivot into a successful business life, are clear evidence of how immensely important it is to motivate yourself to learn and achieve.
Well written, and by all means, great analogy! It was good to have finally met you today!