Imaginary Themes for Real Results

"Mentally rehearsing a new way that you might behave in the face of adversity activates the prefrontal cortex, and your imagined activities begin firing neurons and wiring them into brain patterns that can be activated whenever they're needed. Without attentive rehearsal, your brain will not mobilize in advance, and despite your best intentions you will act out old, counterproductive routines instead-or new counterproductive ones, fired not by calm effectiveness but by frustration, anger, and other emotions that can distract you from giving your best. When you prepare the prefrontal cortex to activate ahead of time, you will be better at calmly, effectively performing the right action." - Robert K. Cooper

Mental rehearsal, and visualization in general have a long history of use. During the pre-scientific period most visualization was tied to metaphysical, spiritual, and magical phenomenon. As far back as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which date back thousands of years before Christ various forms of visualization where practiced to enhance the development of consciousness.

Most recently visualization or mental rehearsal has made a leap into the realm of neuroscience. Modern technology allows us to observe neuronal function under varying circumstances. Although visualization and mental rehearsal have been in the daily regimens of people such as Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli, Carl G. Jung, and even Larry Bird, only recently has rigorous scientific study yielded detailed insight into the powerful effects of visualization.

The mere process of rehearsing movements such as exercises and performances has been shown do improve efficacy at near the levels of actual physical practice. Neuroscience shows that the very same neurons that partake in the actual physical movements are activated upon the mental rehearsal of the same movement. The question now becomes how can we use this information for self-development. Well, consider that any action that seems difficult, challenging, or warrants improvement can be dramatically improved through mental rehearsal. Here are some areas that can be improved by mentally rehearsing effective execution:

- public speaking
- sales pitches
- negotiations
- athletics
- interpersonal communication
- emotional management
- technical skills (engineering, programming, etc.)

This is simply a short list. Almost anything imaginable can improve dramatically by a consistent rehearsal. The key word here is consistent; like anything else consistency of purpose is the most essential ingredient for the utmost efficacy of any function.

Reality Check - Lets be Honest

"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." - Chinese Proverb

To get to where you want to go start where you're at. So where are you? Or, maybe a better question is what are you? The first step in any achievement at any level is to properly and accurately assess the current "state" of things. Individuals, businesses, and even governments are good at making generalized inaccurate assessments. Most of us can relate to this fact. It is very challenging to look at a part of us that holding us back, that is destroying our progress, or that is sabotaging our well-being. We like to use an elementary logic to justify or embellish areas of ourselves that we would like to change.

Businesses are similar to people in that regard. Many business managers and executives justify, excuse, or embellish results out of fear of exposing a weak point, or lack of efficacy in a certain department. Which leads us to the "choke-point" of the being honest theme. The fear of being exposed, and what it could mean.

There is a fear which overtakes some of us when we are forced to look at a limiting factor that could be in conflict with our identity. The interesting thing is that acknowledgment of a weakness or constraint does several wonderful things for us including the following:

- it allows us to search for precise solutions
- it conveys maturity to others (only capable and confident people will face a fear or limit and seek to overcome it)
- it opens opportunity to investigate how solving the problem/weakness will open doors of opportunity - thus indirectly feeding a compelling vision to see the solution through with optimism and expectation.

The danger of not properly assessing our current state are the following:

- we are thrown farther off track from our goals
- we become indecisive because of lack of accurate data
- we lack genuine confidence in our undertakings
- we lower our expectations, and stifle our most intimate desires

So how can we properly assess our state, and create a plan to fix what is wrong and strengthen what is right, and raise our vision? Several suggestions:

- What are your current results telling you? - results are accurate data, when properly interpreted.
- Feedback ( what do others tell me?) - seek input from others, both from your industry and outside of it to give the most compete info. possible.
- Actions (What actions do I habitually take? - actions are based on beliefs and give you insight as to what you really think of yourself and your business)
- Preparation (What am I preparing for? - complements beliefs: when something is wholeheartedly believed to occur in the near future, preparation happens.
- Comparison (How do I compare with others?) The best way to compare is not by guessing, but by probing, asking, and conversing with others to properly gauge our level of efficacy (we does this unconsciously anyway)- Even better is reading about others - biographies & autobiographies.

Fear not what might be exposed, but the consequences of not improving what should be exposed. The ultimate sign of maturity and competence is to observe with detachment. To allow your mind to analyze and execute a solution without being hemmed up by emotional flux.

Angel Armendariz

The Pleasures of Belief

"Men do not forego the pleasures of the moment to
say good-bye to all joy for evermore--no, this self-control is a
training, so that we may reap the fruits of a larger joy in the time
to come. A man will toil day and night to make himself an orator, yet
oratory is not the one aim of his existence: his hope is to influence
men by his eloquence and thus achieve some noble end." Xenophon, Cyropaedia

There exists a fundamental template that acts as a foundation for all action. As a business professional, knowing that their is a source, that when adjusted, changes the actions that are taken is of immense value. One of the variables of this template is what we call beliefs. Beliefs are not tangible things that we can hold, yet they have the ability to create life, to extinguish it; and to spur any action ever conceived. Beliefs are what tells us what is possible.

Most, if not all, businesses sell a vision of what is possible. They sell this vision to clients, employees, shareholders, communities, etc. If we connect the dots here we can see the correlation between beliefs and vision. What would happen if we don't believe in our vision? Would we be able to sell it? Well, not really. If beliefs tell us what is possible, and to sell we must believe the vision is possible, then businesses will not survive, much less thrive if belief is ignored. Frequently, what we call "unmotivated," "underachieving," or even "poor" employees are actually simply suffering from a lack of belief. Either of themselves, their company, their product/service, and usually a combination of some of these factors.

Beliefs are created by having experiences that tell us that something is possible. We need to experience a sense of certainty that if such and such is done, then x will be the result. If we have enough references that meet that criteria, then we effectively establish a belief. The majority of our beliefs are adopted from others, and built around our personal experiences.

With that in mind it becomes vital that we adopt beliefs from those individuals which we admire, or wish to model. It is also important to seek experiences which will help build and reinforce empowering ones. At the end of the day beliefs are under our control, and must be managed effectively to open the doors to the possibilities we seek to realize.

Interestingly enough we can read into someone's beliefs by their actions. We can tell if someone has a high self esteem or a low self esteem, simply by observing their actions. A person who believes that something grand is possible will forego immediate pleasures for future ones. Think about it. To say no to immediate pleasures requires a belief that the future rewards will outweigh the current offering. Those who don't believe they can have something better or do something better will try to get the quick fix.

Those who engage in discipline, even though to some it may seem like self-denial, are actually investing in future pleasure. These disciplined individuals have strong beliefs about what they want (vision) and have no doubt they will manifest, thus they more often than not produce the intended result. Management at all levels from self to business requires a continuous refinement and inspection of the beliefs structure to ensure that they are consciously driven to exceed expectations.

Angel Armendariz

How To Be Better Than Yesterday

"He only is a well-made man who has a good determination. And the end of culture is not to destroy this, God forbid! but to train away all impediment and mixture and leave nothing but pure power." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Do you believe it's possible to be 1% better today than you were yesterday? Think about it. What would it mean to be 1% better? You might say sure, of course! Or you might believe its not possible. Suspend judgment for now, simply consider the possibility and what it would mean.

To be better by 1% is not a literal concept I employ here, but more of a practical theme. The essence of "being better" would mean that if I am at least 1% more effective today than I was yesterday, then the challenges I faced yesterday will seem easier today. For example, if yesterday I was flustered and overwhelmed by client demands and objections to my product or service, then today I will be less so. Essentially my task becomes easier because I have become greater. Compounded over a period of days, weeks, and months you can imagine how powerful this principle can be.

Additionally, to be 1% better would mean that you can now extend yourself and take on greater challenges or aim at loftier ambitions. Because, we are better today than yesterday we naturally will want to be challenged, and will have an affinity to take on greater projects. The effects of the 1% better creed would create a "steady state" (to borrow a term from biology) were we would teeter between be overly powerful at handling yesterdays task, and not yet fully competent at dealing with the increasing demands of our evolving goals. This 'growth tension' is the optimal path which professionals should seek to continually create value for themselves and their respective endeavors.

The 1% creed can and should become part of your daily due diligence. Some of the ways to guarantee investment into your 1% daily growth are as follows:

- improve your vocabulary
- improve the sound of your voice
- improve your ability to articulate what you think and feel
- focus on listening to how people say things, not just the content
- learn to read a new, previously ignored, non-verbal communication from people
- learn about properly managing a certain emotion
- learn 2 new questions that can help close a sale
- learn how to play a different interpersonal role
- make 1 new friend and learn something interesting about them
- learn to 1 new way to harmonize your body
- eat a healthy meal instead of a your usual non-healthy one
- do something that frightens you, but that you know is worth the effort
- give more of yourself to others
- learn 1 new thing about your profession
- learn 1 new thing about self-management...

This list can go on forever, but you get the point. Everyday you can even break it down to getting a 1% fix for your body, mind, and profession. Before retiring for the day ensure that the 1% marks are hit. The principle is so subtle, yet so powerful that it could ultimately be the biggest difference in success or failure. Think about the cost of not becoming better. If we don't become better, by default we become worse. In biology and science they call it entropy. A system that does not absorb new information will only lose information and decay into inert energy-less matter. What makes us different than a mere inanimate system is that we have a choice. The choices are 1) gather new information and grow; or 2) lose information and decay.

Angel Armendariz

The Powerful Influence of Velocity

"Speed...is not only a powerful influence on those on your side. Frederick the Great noted that an army that moves quickly has higher morale. Velocity creates a sense of vitality. Moving with speed means there is less time for you and your army to make mistakes." Robert Greene, 33 Strategies of War

There is something powerful about speed. It is valued at many different levels. Speed in and of itself gives a rush. Think about sports, cars, and even business. I find for instance, that when making business calls, going at an accelerated rate creates a sort of "flow." This flow was well documented in the book "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is a transcendent property of execution. When one extends and challenges oneself for an extended duration a sense of well-being, union, and transcendence is experienced. It is as if we are partaking in our best execution, call it - 'spontaneous right action'.

To build our capacity to accelerate on call, preparation must be sought. The more well prepared we are in whatever activity we want to accelerate the easier and speedier we create this flow. If we are inadequately prepared for a task we wish to be fast in we will stumble and go slow. However, if we are well prepared by practice, training, and simulation; we will have a greater ability to use speed to our advantage.

One of the greatest military commanders of all time Fredrick The Great noted that speed was not only a strategy to win battle, but also helped boost morale of the soldiers. Speed has processional effects. It makes us feel good, it makes us perform good, and it makes us experience a result sooner. The paradox to becoming effective speedsters is the arduous underpinning of preparation. Preparation takes time. Preparation involves a large investment of time and rehearsal to simulate live action. The more we engage in time consuming preparation the more we will win come show time' and the faster we will be able to use speed as a leverage factor.

Succinctly we can say - slow down (prepare) to speed up!

Angel Armendariz

The Courtship of the Masses

"You can have brilliant idea, but if you can't get those ideas across, they don't do anybody any good." - Lee Iacocca

From the archives of psychological literature we further our understanding of human nature. Even though we know a tremendous amount about human behavior - how to change, how to influence, how to become; we seldom make complete use of such information. What's even more difficult is communicating the vast amount of knowledge we have of psychology to others for their practical use. This dilemma is the proverbial Gordian Knot that must be cut with effective communication.

Any idea, any information, and any solution for that matter is worthless unless properly communicated in an understandable format to our audience. Whether we're dealing with a client in business, or constituency as a politician, a teacher to a student, or a parent to a child; we must acknowledge and effectively deal with this problem. An effective communicator is first and foremost adaptable.

That is, he/she able to find common ground with whomever they communicate with. For example, the most effective way to build rapport and communicate with a child would not be to act professional and proper. The best way would be to play the games they play. The effective communicator can enter the child's world and play whatever a child plays.

From this example we can see that the limiting factor in being able to communicate effectively is one's ability to enter another's world. To learn the "reality" they inhabit, and to be curious and interested in learning more about it. Too often, our laziness forces us to try to impose our reality on others. This is by far the worst way to effectively communicate, and is a sign of a limited communicator.

By definition an effective communicator is versatile, and thus is supposed to be the most flexible in his/her ability to communicate. Legendary psychotherapists of modern times such as Fritz Perls, Milton Erickson, Virginia Satir, Richard Bandler, John Grinder, and Anthony Robbins all share this flexibility in common. A common definition associated with "pathological" individuals is the inability to see outside their own reality. In essence, the extreme form of this inability to see other people's maps of reality is thought of as pathological. In fact, Timothy Leary's model of Interpersonal Dynamics is based on such a principle, and has been used widely as a psychometric.

A recent sales book I read dismissed the idea of trying to find commonality and to enter into the world of the buyer. Though it might work effectively for some, that does not mean it is the most effective. And based on boatloads of research from business schools, psychology departments, and optimal sales forces, the consensus stand on the value of increasing adaptability and using it to enter the world of our audience. I caution, however, that to enter does not mean to mislead, or to become a copycat. It means to surrender your rigid views for moments in time to expand your awareness of others, and thus be able to understand and provide value to those you wish to engage with. Ultimately the end result will be the ability to effectively sell your product, service, idea, reform, or what have you.

Angel Armendariz

What is a System of Profound Knowledge?

"The first step is transformation of the individual. This transformation is discontinuous. It comes from understanding of the system of profound knowledge. The individual, transformed, will perceive new meaning to his life, to events, to numbers, to interactions between people." - W. Edwards Deming

W. Edwards Deming was an iconic figure in 20th century business management. I figurehead whom the Japanese regard as the symbol their industrial rebirth, and economic worldwide success. Deming advocated what he termed "A system of profound knowledge." His system of profound knowledge was broken down to the following 4 principles:

1) Appreciation of a System
2) Knowledge of variation
3) Theory of Knowledge
4) Knowledge of Psychology

Deming observed that an organization that is governed through a system of profound knowledge, purposefully and consistently, will thrive off of the continual improvement that is nurtured through such a system. He believed that an organization must begin with each individual and in a sense allow them to see their meaningful impact on the development of the whole organization. The opposite of which would be what most of us know as "compartmentalization" - that is, where we only see and know what we must do, and know nothing else of how we interrelate with the whole of the enterprise.

Deming insisted that employees where to a large extent constrained by the system they worked in. Management's role as such, must revolve around maximizing the development of the system, and the proper role of each employee for the proper functioning of the system. And, that each employee possessed a unique endowment that must be understood by management to properly engage the individual from his area of strength.

The thorough understanding of the intricacies of systems, control processes, and meaningful variables allowed Deming to contribute his theories not only to businesses, but also as a template for education and government reform.

One Deming's most famous dictum is that of "continuous improvement" or kaizen in Japanese. He advocated a purposeful consistency based on continuous improvement. The reasoning involved not only enhanced capacity and innovation, but accordingly costs would ultimately lower as a side-effect of a focus on quality and continuous improvement.

A debt of gratitude to an individual who took profound knowledge to a new level.

Angel Armendariz

Tuning Your Mind State For Ultra Communication

"Every enhancement of life enhances man's power of communication, as well as his power of understanding."
- Friedrich Nietzsche, Will To Power

Choose the most effective states of mind, as you awaken, as you go about your day, as you face challenges, as you go to bed. Your state of mind will decide what opportunities you seize. It will decide how resourceful you are and it will allow you to spot meaningful coincidences.

By having a list of questions to ask you actively choose to create the most powerful mind states to accomplish your moment-to-moment intentions. Your state of mind can be thought of as your intensity of mood plus your expectation or outlook. As you rehearse your list of questions on a daily basis, they will soon enough become habitual. After all we continually ask ourselves questions throughout the day that create a mood for us. The problem, is that we usually ask the same questions, and repeat the same moods, or worse, we ask dis-empowering questions that prevent effective action.

Choose questions that will allow you to experience the successes you've had
and what you're most happy about currently. You can ask, "What am I most proud about right now?", or "What possibility most excites me right now?" Once you have a powerful mind state you become open to bountiful possibilities.

An interesting metaphor to consider is a communication device, like a radio or cell phone. A communication device is a "receiver" and "transmitter." However, to properly "receive" or "transmit" the intended message the device needs to be properly tuned. That is, noise has to be eliminated, and the channels need to be open and calibrated. We naturally wish to communicate or transmit ourselves to others congruently. We also wish to be able to "receive" or understand the messages that are being sent to us.

The only way we can tune ourselves, is by first calibrating our mind state to a positive one. One that is receptive to receiving, and one that is capable of transmitting effective and efficient signals. A state of mind that expects success, that feels free, that extends love, that anticipates a win, is an example of a powerful empowering mind state. If our mind state is negative, then effective transmission of our signals is cut off, regardless of how much we desire to communicate the message. Additionally, if our mind state is negative, we become rigid and incapable of receiving a message, regardless of how beneficial or important it might have been for us. Our specific dependence on this continual communication implores us to master our mind state and habituate them to properly enhance the grandeur of our lives.

Angel Armendariz

Playing The Role - a Lesson from a French Emperor

The effective use of your body is extremely extensive. Actors for instance learn the necessity of adjusting their bodies to convey or communicate roles and status. For instance wide stance with an elevated forward chin enhances status. It tells the audience that you're somebody. On the flip side by adjusting your feet to be pigeon-toed, keeping your head tilted down slightly, and collapsing your chest signifies lowered status.

These are two extreme forms of using your body to convey status, but the discrete use of such subtleties allows you to adjust your role accordingly. For instance if you are meeting with a high powered attorney to discuss tempered litigation, and you want to show dominance and status, then you can act in a more dominant matter by allowing your chin to be forward, head high and standing tall. Additionally you can take up more physical space; this is a signifier of status and importance, typically used in acting scenes to make the actor appear larger than himself.

If on the other hand, you want to play a submissive role strategically, then you can consciously close in your space a little. You can narrow your space and bring in your shoulders slightly. A leveled or slightly below level chin will suffice to show submissiveness. Acting submissively does not mean you are, or that you will allow yourself to be steamrolled. It is used as a strategy to engage the other party on their own terms, giving you the ability to position yourself in a more subtle fashion. Additionally, playing a slightly submissive or cooperative role is one of the best ways to disarm whomever you are dealing with.

Napoleon, the infamous French emperor, used such a strategy against the Austrian and Russian armies in the battle of Austerlitz. After having received intelligence that Napoleon appeared confused, and had assumed a defensive position, the Austrain/Russian forces descended for the kill. Napoleon had staged a perfect submissive role, and by making the enemies believe he was submitting, he made them fall right into his trap. The outcome was one of Napoleon's most impressive victories.

Keeping the Grand Strategy in mind, that is, by keeping the end in mind; you can choose the appropriate strategy to gain advance towards your preferred outcome.
(excerpt from upcoming book on Communication)

Angel Armendariz

The Result of Creating Patterns of Success

Confidence - the result of creating patterns of success over time.

Confidence is the state of mind necessary for effective action, courage, and execution. The degree of confidence someone has is directly proportional to the sum of successes one has had. The more successes the more confidence. Recency also plays a role; if we've had great success recently our immediate confidence skews high. If we've had recent failures our confidence skews low. Though we tend to let personal experiences and random circumstances decide our confidence, we must realize that confidence is a variable under our direct control.

I've seen first hand what the damage in personal confidence can do to individuals. I've witnessed top sales performers flipped into vulnerable incompetents because of the inability to properly refine their confidence. In relationships loss of confidence tends to lead us backwards and we may seek to rekindle half-hearted romances that were never really what we wanted. Confidence is a very real and very powerful quality that must be managed and developed as much as other crucial faculties for personal, business, and social efficacy.

There is a huge tool at our disposal that we rarely make use of. That tool is our minds. More accurately, our ability to experience a scenario in our minds. Countless studies, and anecdotal reports from high performers, has confirmed that actively experiencing a success in our minds is almost equivalent to actually having the experience. Neurological studies have confirmed that through active imagination the same areas of the brain become active that become active during a real experience.

The thing to realize is that we all have different ways of visualizing. Some of us "feel" experiences. Others "hear" or "see" experience. Usually it's a mixture of all three. To properly calibrate your most effective form of visualizing you can simply recall, as vividly as possible, a time when you experienced supreme confidence. Analyze the way your recall this experience, and re-experience it in detail. Use that template to craft new experiences of success in your mind.

Napoleon Bonaparte for example, visualized his goals in intense details. In the beginning of the campaign he could see its last battle clearly in his mind. He would point out the exact spot it would end, his predictions proved uncannily correct on an ongoing basis.

Create the patterns of success in your mind, repeat it, and perfect it in your mind as well as in reality.

Angel Armendariz