Article Details

Positive Pressure

What you will get: Reflections on why positive pressure is a good thing.

 

“3 frogs are sitting on a lilypad…”

 

And one of the frogs decides to jump off.

 

How many frogs are left on sitting the lilypad?

 

3

 

Why?

 

Because deciding to jump off is not the same as actually jumping off!

 

We’ve all done it…

 

Been to a great training course.
Read a great personal development book.
Heard a great idea.

 

Then we make a promise to ourselves to make changes.

 

But somehow, we don’t.

 

We forget.
We procrastinate.
We lose focus.

 

In fact, a recent study showed that the chances of people completing a personal development action (providing it is a realistic one) if they just mentally decide to do it is around 40%.

 

So how can you make your success chances higher?

 

First of all, you need to make a step by step plan…

 

Visualise the end result and see, hear and feel how you have changed.
Then write down the small, realistic steps you will take to get there.

 

If you do this, your chances of succeeding go up to around 60%

 

Still not great, I hear you saying…

 

So how can you take your personal development aspirations to the next level?

 

This is where you need others.

 

You see…

 

If you make a promise to others that you will do it, and then you make a specific accountability appointment (a time, method and place) to share your success with them, you increase your chances of succeeding to around 90%.

 

In other words, a little positive pressure helps you to stay focused.

 

In fact…

 

I once used this principle to write one of my books.

 

For a while I had an idea that I should write a leadership book by interviewing children, and sharing the lessons we can learn from children with adult business leaders.

 

But for some reason I did not start writing.

 

So I decided to use social media to help me.

 

I posted an online message that the book launch event would take place in Vilnius in a day in September and invited people to come along for free.

 

I soon had over 100 bookings.

 

Did that give me enough positive pressure to write the book?

 

You bet it did.

 

3 months later (only 2 days before the launch event) “Leadership through the eyes of a child” was published!

 

(Check it out here if you are curious about the 11 key lessons business leaders can learn from children:“http://stevenealeinternational.com/products/leadership-through-the-eyes-of-a-child/”)

 

 

Not that I always recommend putting this much pressure on yourself – but it sure did work!

 

So are you off to make a promise to others about the personal development changes you will make?

 

I know I am.

 

To your success.

 

sign_steve

 

 

 

 

Steve Neale
“Europe’s Leading Expert on Personal and Professional Growth”

 

Psychologist, Executive Coach, EI Practitioner, Award Winning Trainer, International Author, Psychodynamic Therapist, Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness Instructor, International Speaker, Creator of the LPS, Creator of the Accredited Masters in High Performance Leadership

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