The Certainty Hack

In 2019 my wife and I co-developed what we call The Certainty Hack which can be used to get yourself back in the zone or reinvigorated. It flowed from us during a podcast episode.

Your body knows the physiology of certainty. It has been there before. And because the subconscious mind can’t tell fact from fantasy, this hack will cause a good chemical cocktail to flow throughout your body. Given the mind and the body are connected in a loop, each affects the other. Give the following steps a try:

?1.??Clarity

?Imagine/create a compelling future.

i) Current Reality: Where are you now? What is your current position?

ii) Desired State / Goal / Outcome: Take yourself out one year. What does it look like? What do you feel? What are you saying to yourself?

2.??Commit

Why is this state, goal or outcome important to achieve? Reconnect to your mission / purpose / identity. Link your desired outcome to it.

3.??Capabilities

What capabilities, skills or resources do you need? What capabilities do you already have?

4.??Challenge the Limiting Belief

i)???What is the main limiting belief holding you back?

ii)???Is it true?

iii)??Is it really true?

iv)??What is a more resourceful / useful belief?

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5.??Certainty: Reconnect to the Physiology of Certainty

You have been absolutely certain about things in the past. Reconnect to a time when you were certain. Feel how it felt then. Adopt the bodily physiology of being certain. And now in that state…

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6.??Action: Take Massive Action

The previous 5 steps will account for very little unless you take massive action. Taking action is the only way of creating certainty – and delivering outcomes to reflect your dreams and aspirations. And the massive action may be multiple actions that need to occur consistently. As discussed in my award-winning book, “shiFt MINDSET”, I have found from years of experience that consistency is the key ingredient to achieving successful and positive outcomes.

Here’s an example of how the The Certainty Hack worked for us. Friday March 13th, 2020. I was in Adelaide at the Professional Speakers Australia (PSA) convention with about 150 fellow speakers, trainers, consultants, and coaches who make a living through speaking. During a break from the pre-conference masterclass, it was a surreal experience watching Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, on TV announcing that the following week, the country would enter emergency lockdown measures due to COVID-19.

For the next four hours everyone’s phones and emails went crazy – cancellation after cancellation after cancellation. I watched as some high profile and very busy speakers lost over sixty forward-booked speaking engagements in one afternoon. Demoralising.

I was in shock. What would this mean to our business which was reliant on me being booked to speak and train, and travel interstate, on average 180 days a year? Fear set in.

I was numb as I went up to my hotel room that evening and hooked up with my wife on FaceTime. Karina is blessed with a disposition where she remains very calm in a crisis. Her nursing background kicks in. Whilst the following is not 100% verbatim, it is very close to my memory of the actual conversation we had. Watch how it loosely follows The Certainty Hack process…

Karina: “It’s okay, babe. We’ve got this. What’s our current position with bookings?”

Ian: “I’ve had about 6 clients postpone so far but none have cancelled because they have all paid in advance.”

Karina: “Okay, so short term cash flow-wise we are fine. What else have we got going for us at this very moment despite what’s going on around us?”

Ian: “Well, thanks to you kicking me into the green room two years ago to film every model, principle, skill and concept we teach, we already have an online eLearning portal up and running with our three main programs live and working. I can swing all our current clients over to doing the eLearning versions and bundle up a package that includes me doing monthly deep dive Zoom sessions.”

Karina: “See – awesome. We have been saying for years that we want more of ‘Ian on the air versus Ian in the air’. I’m not playing down the seriousness of the situation and, yet, the Universe has our backs and there may be some great upside to this. Now, do what you ask your training course participants to do. Let’s go out a year. It’s March 2021. What’s happened? Where are we? What’s our business like and how are you feeling?”

Ian: “Well, if we play our cards right, perhaps this will be my chance to get off the ‘hamster wheel’ and do a lot less travel. I am spending more time at home and sleeping in my own bed, we have a business that is predominately an online eLearning business, clients are reaching out for help because the way they have to sell has shifted, and our revenue has jumped because we have an online portal up and ready to go. I’m feeling less stressed and can relax more in and around our new home without the constant demand of travelling.”

Karina: “So you will still be educating people and living your higher calling of enriching lives?”

Ian: “Absolutely. And probably enjoying it more without having to travel so much.”

Karina: “So what help do you need? What resources have you already got?”

Ian: “Well, as luck would have it, I’ve got the rest of the weekend here at the convention with 150 speaker buddies. I can’t think of a better place to be at this very moment. We will help one another formulate a plan. I also think we need to bite the bullet and set up a home-based facilitation studio in the spare room, so we will need a bit of equipment for that. And don’t forget Jo. We have Jo. I can utilise her skills to get the other six online programs up and running so we have all nine of our core programs available via the portal.”

Karina: “Perfect. And given all the filming and editing is already done, and the portal is already built, you are well ahead of the game. But, babe, the portal has been there for over a year, and you filmed everything two years ago, and you really have not promoted it or sold it to clients. So, what’s the limiting belief that has been holding you back?”

Ian: “I know. We’ve talked about this. I guess at a deep-seated level I don’t think I can be as effective as an educator online versus when I am live in the room with people.”

Karina: “And is that really true?”

Ian: “No. It’s my ego. Many educators create lasting learning via online teachings.”

Karina: “Okay, so come on… you are the Sales and Mindset Guy. What is a better, more resourceful way of thinking?”

Ian: “I can partner with clients via our online portal, be involved with them over a 3-6 month period, and create learning which sticks far better than just being a ‘fly-in-fly-out two-day event’ trainer.”

Karina: “There we go. Now, you hang up and go do that thing you do to put yourself in a state of certainty that all this is possible. Take this weekend to formulate the plan and when you get home, we will get into action. We’ve got this.”

Half an hour later I left my hotel room to join my fellow professional speaking colleagues at the official convention launch and after party. I was in a state of absolute certainty. I had a spring in my step again. The Certainty Hack had put me back into a resourceful state. I know that helped me assist my colleagues over the course of that ‘defining moment’ weekend that shifted our worlds.

Postscript: That Saturday night at the conference Gala Dinner, like a little kiss from God saying, “I’ve got your back”, the Professional Speakers Australia Association (PSA) announced that I was the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award. I was completely humbled. Then, within 15 minutes, I was back on stage having been named the 2020 Nevin Award winner. Named after the PSA founder John Nevin, this is the highest honour in the Australian speaking industry citing that the recipient has made an outstanding contribution to PSA and to the speaking industry over the years, having earned the utmost respect, honour and admiration in the association and the profession. I was almost speechless. Nearly.