Why is not necessary to succeed

Disclaimer - What’s in this article will require thinking out of the box. It took time for people to accept the world was not flat and leeches were not medical cures. What I discuss below is a huge step from the popular teaching for goal achievement. The process I outline here is beyond what great teachers like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn share. However, you will find foundations of what I present in the teachings of Wayne Dyer, mythology and in most scriptures.?

So if you’re not against learning something new, this can help you speed up the achievement of your dreams. And if you don’t want to move faster, you can still continue at your previous pace. So it’s win win for everyone.?

Maybe I’m a little odd. In my early 20s my life was juxtaposed. On one hand I could party very hard. At this time drinking two bottles of Vodka a day was not uncommon. I’d be at night clubs up on any stage swinging my hips, arms moving in choreographed precision until the sun came up. Maybe that’s why I could drink so much, as I sweated is straight back out. My favourite haunt was a club called DV8. It was high class. No jeans allowed. And best of all it had this really cool green bar top. If you put your drink or hand or anything on it, when you took it away there was a shadow that slowly faded away. And my favourite colour is green. Yes it’s the small things.

Then on the other hand I was obsessed with learning how the mind worked. My holiday leave was used to fly across the country and attend various seminars and educational trainings.?Yes there was Tony Robbins with thousands of cheering fans, jumping up and down, giving each other massages and things like that. Plus other speakers with firewalking and similar exercises to push your beliefs in to new territory. I learned hypnosis and studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming. From basic to master classes to train the trainer.?

It was never my desire to be a motivational speaker. However all through my life I found I’ve had an ability to help others improve the quality of their life. I particularly found I could help guys open up and share feelings and troubles they might be facing. Maybe it was because I kept things real. When teaching programs like project management, commercial management and other such courses, I’d relate the course material to other real life situations such as having an argument with your partner and how the material I was teaching could help in that situation.?

During my time as a leader in construction, I’d often talk with the guys about personal things. I’d relay some of my personal experiences which I think encouraged them to open up. I remember one time, a really rough and tumble guy came up to me and almost broke down crying. His marriage was on the brink of collapse. I asked did he love his wife? He said yes. He just had no idea how to re-connect. I suggested a series on YouTube that may help. I said, ‘Start watching it in a place you know your wife will walk past.’ I said, ‘Being a woman she’ll ask what you are watching.’ I said, ‘When she does, say I know we’re having problems but I really love you and a friend suggested I watch this as it may help bring us back together.’ I then said, ‘After you say that, shut up, don’t say anything more, if she’s interested she may watch it with you, if not don’t worry, you watch it and take what you can to help move forward.’ I bumped into him a month later. He was a changed man. He said all the passion was back in their relationship. There was romance and they were tearing each others clothes off like teenagers.

Part of my willingness to accept thinking beyond the expected came from my youth. Although originally Roman Catholic my mother lacked prejudice toward other religions. Growing up we attended various different churches, synagogues, temples and mosques. This coloured my life as an adult. I was never afraid to attend religious study groups when invited by friends. I would always find something I could learn from the principles being taught. Ironically I found many principles were similar across the different religions.?Plus I would amuse myself by looking up obscure references and quotations. I remember the look of scorn from a female friend when I showed her a bible passage that stated, ‘Better for a man to live in a hole in the desert than with a complaining wife.’ I just laughed as I felt the welcome of the sand and sun.?

My diverse knowledge of how the mind works, lack of prejudice to new ideas, mythology and wide religious experience lead me to question main stream thinking and look for better ways. I get very frustrated with inefficiency. Like really strong pain in my body frustrated with repetitive tasks that I don’t believe need to be there. I can’t help myself and start mapping out how to make the process more efficient.

One time while undertaking quality assurance of a 22 story high rise, I became frustrated using the Aconex Field software required for the task. I started making notes and ended up with a 43 page report detailing how this software could be improved.?

I wasn’t asked to do it. I didn’t know anybody from Aconex that I could present this to. I just needed to vent my frustration and show to myself that it could be done better.?

About two months later I’m having coffee with a friend. He’s a wealthy venture capital investor. I tell this story about Aconex Field. He stops me and starts asking detailed questions which I thought was a little odd but he’s a friend so I share. Then he says, ‘Ok I’ll set you up.’?

I’m confused. He explains he is one of the original investors in the company and he’ll set up a meeting with the senior leadership so I can present my report. I spend a whole day presenting my report to the company. Six months later most of what I presented is in their software. Later Oracle purchased Aconex for $1.6billion. I didn’t receive anything. But then I never asked, so I can’t complain.?

Like most of you, I have studied goal setting in a number of different settings. There is the SMART principle. Make your goals, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. Other goal setting courses talk about knowing what you want. Then ask why you want it to give you motivation. The principle being, the stronger your ‘why’ the more motivation you will have to get it. I even created my own version of this plan. I called it my 3WD plan. WHAT do I want. WHY do I want it. WHEN do I want it and what will I DO to get it.?

I’ve accomplished a huge amount in my life to date. Yet I’ve always struggled with goal setting. Deciding what I wanted and getting it was easy. I wanted to join the army to get out of school. I filled out the application form, sent it off and away I go. To avoid running around the bush with a rifle and backpack I decided to become a chef. I figured girls like guys that can cook. When in the army I wanted to learn advertising, so I approached advertising firms and got a job in an advertising company on my days off from the army. After the army I wanted to work in the mines because it paid very well. I sent an application letter every day and after two weeks I got a job. That’s just a very small snap shot of my accomplishments.?

The point is I never had a problem achieving things. Yet I always struggled with the ‘why' question. You’re supposed to understand why to give you motivation. This is the philosophy we’re taught. The thing was I never lacked motivation. When I wanted something, I just did it. It was clear in my mind what I wanted. I’d think about it all the time. I’d think about what it would be like to have it. Imagining what I needed to do to get it. Why didn’t seem to be relevant. I didn’t care why. I just knew it was right for me. I wanted it and I was going to have it.?

But this question of why plagued me. There must be something wrong with me. Why didn’t I get it. I fell like a rock. Why, why, why didn’t I get it. I’m a smart guy. I’ve done heaps. Accomplished massive amounts. I’ve studied all the courses. I should understand. I should know my WHY to get me motivated. The irony for me was that I was motivated already.?Why even bother asking why if I'm already motivated?

I’m really glad I had the upbringing I did. That I got to see such a variety of different points of view. It allowed me to question the common way of thinking. I started to ask, why do I need to know why? This opened the filter of my Reticular Activating System (RAS) to new ideas. To new information.?

As I’m sitting in my car one day, a thought pops into my head. I understand the principles of internal combustion engines but I really don’t know why my car works. That doesn’t stop me driving to my destination. I don’t understand why the economy works, yet I’ve had many jobs and earned lots of money. I don’t understand why the earth spins around the solar system, yet that doesn’t stop me living my life. I don't understand why my air pods connect to my phone, yet I can still listen to music on my phone.

Then I remember teachings from a peak performance course I studied a long time ago. I had learned the difference between conscious understanding and unconscious performance. The conscious mind cannot think fast enough to act. Action must come from your unconscious mind.?

Let’s say your mobile phone is sitting on the desk in front of you. You can’t consciously pick it up. Consciously you can choose to pick it up. The steps that happen after that must be unconscious. There are way too many muscle movements for you to consciously control to enable you to pick up your phone. After you choose what you want, your unconscious mind takes over and does the rest.?

Take another example. Have you ever thought you understood how to do something, then when you tried it, you performed terribly? What about the opposite? Have you ever thought you didn’t understand something then surprised yourself with how well you performed. So what does conscious understanding have to do with performance? Very little.

To know and understand is a conscious function. To perform is an unconscious function. This is where you need to make the distinction. Do I want to understand or do I want performance??

As I’m wrestling with the why question I think over my past accomplishments. The consistent part was I was choosing what I wanted. I held that very clear in my mind. Then I’d think of the actions I needed to do to get the thing I had chosen. All the while in my mind I was picturing me with the outcome I wanted.

Why did I want it? I didn’t know. I didn’t care. Inside it felt right for me.?

In a Time Magazine interview Nigella Lawson was asked what was her inspiration. Her response was that she doesn’t know why but when she was 16 years old she had this vision of herself as an Italian cooking Goddess. She didn’t know her why yet she has accomplished so much.?

One of my favourite audios is Wayne Dyer’s, How To Be A No Limit Person. I’ve listened to this over and over for years. Now my RAS was open to the possibility that to know why was not necessary, I noticed a particular story I had missed before.?

Wayne talks about how a neurotic person needs to know why, whereas a fully functioning person will know from within.?

He talks about walking on beach and a neurotic comes up to him. Neurotic: Why are you walking on the beach? Wayne: Because I want to. Neurotic: How far do you think you’ll walk? Wayne: Until I don’t want to walk any more. Neuirotic: Well, what if you get all the way down there any you don’t want to walk anymore? Wayne: I’ll take a taxi home.

For those looking for a spiritual connection, in the bible it says, 'Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'

Finally I let go. Why is a conscious function. It is useful if you want to consciously understand how things work. But understanding why has little to do with taking action and motivation.?

In the same way you can’t consciously pick up your phone, you can’t consciously achieve your goals.

Action is an unconscious function.?

Motivation comes from you believing in your mind you are already the person you need to be.?

As I write this it is 2:30am in the morning. I’m not tired. I’ve been up since 5:30am the morning before. Yet I feel great. Right now in my mind I see myself as full of energy and completing this article before I go to bed. I see this because it is what I Choose. I see myself as the person I Choose to be.?

I’ve faced and overcome my Supreme Ordeal. In my mind I’ve already become the person that successfully completes this article. As such, I’m driven from inside to do it. My unconscious mind is taking care of the action and the motivation for me.?

If you want to achieve great things very quickly, you can skip why.?

Choose what you want. Picture that clearly in your mind. Think about you already being that person. Look forward. Be defined by a vision of the future.?

If you find yourself procrastinating notice what you are thinking. Can guarantee your thoughts have shifted from what you previously had chosen. Switch your thoughts back to that vision of the future. Of you already being that person you need to be. Notice the rush of energy filling your body.

If this process is new to you then start with something small. Think of something you want that you can achieve quickly. Say I Choose to do ….?

Try it now. Say I Choose to get myself a drink. Picture that in your mind. Think about the flavour, how refreshing it is. Feel the cool liquid in your mouth.?

How many of you are feeling a little thirsty right now? Notice the power of Choosing what you want.

Remember that going forward.?

If you want to understand how things work then spend time with why.

But you can completely skip that step. It removes a huge amount of time that is not needed to get what you want.?

Choose what you want and get that clear in your mind. Picture yourself as a person who has already achieved that outcome. Make it clear. Be the person in your mind first. As that person you’ll take action because you are driven from inside. Because that is who you are.?

Choose what you want.

Imagine yourself as the person who has already done it.

Now you have faced and overcome your Supreme Ordeal.

Now you are using Exceptional Effort.