The Power of Predicting, Not The Pain of Reacting

By Tony Robbins
How A New Trend Is Created 1. Significant Pain or Pleasure 2. Question the Status Quo 3. Search for Alternatives 4. Adopt New Rules 5. A New Trend Is Created
What are some significant behaviours, beliefs, thought patterns, lifestyles that a significant number of people are beginning to question that used to be unquestioned? In other words, what are some significant questions people are asking that are challenging what used to be accepted? You see, whenever people start creating a challenge, when they start challenging what was accepted before and they start to do that consistently you can very often anticipate a trend thats going to come out of that, because out of the questioning they are going to go to step 3, a search for alternatives. So thats another place to look. In the 4th area, ask yourself, What rules are being broken? The rule-breakers of our society are the trendsetters. The people that go out and break the rules are the ones that create the trends! But again, these rule-breakers are doing so because they have got a significant amount of pain, they questioned the old system. They just didnt accept it. They looked for an alternative. They broke the rule by seeking an alternative. Whos breaking the rules? What rules are being consistently broken and by whom? How often are they breaking those rules? Are the people breaking the rules people of influence in our society? If they are, that is the final step before a trend is created. Now if a critical
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mass of people is willing to break the new rules, a new trend will be in force. Use these five elements as a way to anticipate change instead of being struck by it. And you know what? Apply this to the areas of your life that matter most. Apply it to your career. Ask yourself what kind of pain is your company currently under? Is the pain going to continue or get worse? There are major shifts going on in our society. What youve got to learn is to be a leader by making your ability one of your most valued assets. If you value it, if you constantly focus on it and improve on it, you will absolutely have the edge! You can have the edge in your company. You can have the edge in the quality of your relationships. You can have the edge in how you raise your children, because you will be able anticipate problems before they occur and solve them before they come up. Thats powerful! In fact, in business a good manager is somebody that can solve problems consistently and they are able to do it, no matter what. But thats reaction! A leader is someone who envisions potential challenges in advance and solves them. Anticipating trends in human desire and human behaviour will also then give you peace of mind because you wont be one of those people who lives in fear. You will be living in a state of certainty, knowing whatever comes up youre prepared for it, and that preparation gives you the edge. So really you have 3 choices. Either, one, just wait for things to happen, and try to react to them and lose the edge and experience lots of pain, or two, anticipate changes and trends by noticing whats going on around you, becoming sensitive, making it a priority and of course utilise that information to improve the quality of your life. It is not enough to just anticipate. We are taking for
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granted one thing, youve got to use your personal power. Youve got to utilise what you know to create some quality change. There is a 3rd option. And that is not just notice trends, but to become a trend creator. Become a paradigm shifter rather than someone who just studies them. How do you become a paradigm shifter? Well, first of all you dont have to do that to succeed. But if youre the kind of person that wants to help shape whats happening in our society then, one, understand whats going on around you, and, two, develop or define a vision that inspires not only you but the people around you. This is how you can begin to create a paradigm shift. This is what Bill Gates did when he was just a young kid that most people thought he was crazy. He built a core team around him who shared his vision. So step number one to becoming a paradigm shifter is get clear about your vision! Something that inspires you and people around you. The second key to being a paradigm shifter again, ask questions no one is asking. I have said this 3 times because this is the foundation to creating a change. You cant just feel pain. Youve got to ask new questions. Thats how you get new answers. Here is the 3rd key to becoming a paradigm shifter, not just a paradigm observer or utiliser, but someone that makes it happen. Step 3, if it makes sense then break the rules. If you see that your common sense says that doing something completely different than anyones ever tried before might make sense, then go and do it! Break the rule. Make it happen! Thats how most success happens in business. Thats how most success happens in our world! If you are trying something right now. Youve been trying to make a change in your life. You try to make it in incremental improvements.
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Little improvement here and a little improvement there and its not working, maybe you need to make a whole paradigm shift. Maybe you need to change the entire game. The entire way you look at your life. The entire way you approach your physical body. The entire way you approach relationships. What it means to you. How you spend time. Where you go. Where you live. Sometimes making that kind of radical change is enough to create the jolt that you needed to take your life to a whole new level immediately. Thats really what you might want to pursue. By the way, I can give you powerful examples of this. You know, traditionally companies, like individuals, developed their paradigms. This is how we do things. Weve always succeeded and we live by these rules. Heres what were always going to do in order to be successful. But the environment is changing. They dont change, and what made them successful makes them fail. The 4th key is to search for new answers in unlikely places. Broaden your experience of references from a familiar industry to an unfamiliar industry and relate it back to the familiar industry. Step number 5 of being a paradigm shifter, after you have gathered and consumed all your key information you cantrust your gut. Anyone who has ever been a successful paradigm shifter knows that as soon as you come up with it youre going to be attacked and the only way you are going to hang in there is if you trust yourself. If you trust your intuition, that sense of certainty inside you that says, Hey, I believe this is right. There isnt enough evidence to support me, but I know its right. Step number 6, Prepare for pain. If you are going to be a paradigm shifter get ready for some pain. Very few people like someone coming in saying, Everything up to now is garbage and were going to do it a brand new way, or Ive got a better way than anything youve ever done even though youve worked on it for 10 or 15 years.
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Plus you have got to remember that most of these paradigm shifters come from outside the system, so people dont like that. They attack these people, they are afraid of them. No one whos invested in the current paradigm wants to hear that theres a better way that they arent doing that requires massive change. Theres a great quote that says that all truth goes through 3 phases: All truth goes through 3 phases, first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third is accepted as self-evident. Thats the normal process that paradigm shifters have to go through. The last point, seven, prepare for pleasure as well. If you are willing to consistently pursue your vision, to not give up, to keep that sense of certainty and to flexible in your approach, then you can prepare for ultimate pleasure because one day your vision will be realised and when it is it will change mass number of how people think about you and your business. That requires tremendous internal faith, but that faith will be rewarded at a level that you cant even imagine. When you create a path or a path that never existed before, just remember this. Life rewards those who contribute on a massive scale. If you are will to challenge the paradigms that currently exist and bring an alternative that enhances the quality of life and you are willing to stick with it till it comes to be then all of the pain will be worth it because you will have the pride of knowing that what you did has truly made a difference.

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