At a recent CSP (California Staffing Professionals) event, I had the pleasure of listening to Matt Payne, a long time disciple of Brian Tracy and now trainer in his own firm as he discussed the use of neuro-linguistics to program our thoughts into actions.   I remember learning about Maslov's Hierarchy of needs in college. Matt put it a little differently.  He posited that we basically have 6 core unconscious desires. (Not to be confused with obvious needs such as food, shelter and parental nurturing.) control, confidence, assurance

• control, confidence
• connection with people
• uniqueness, importance, a feeling of being special
• excitement, variety, stimulation
• personal growth
• a feeling that we contribute to something beyond ourselves

How does your job and your life contribute to these desires? Matt believes that we must have at least 2 of these desires met or we will not perform to our maximum potential because we will not be happy. We can affect even small changes in our environment and our lives that will help us meet these desires. 

Here are a few changes in my work day, by converting my changed thinking into action, that have affected not only my outlook, but also my daily performance and our bottom line results.

• I'm standing and walking around more. I stopped thinking of my desk as a ball and chain but rather as home base. My new headset is on order. Standing and walking while talking gives me a more of a sense of power and confidence, gives my brain more oxygen, and provides me with more "variety" in my work environment.  (Hoping that I might lose a few pounds, too.)
• I have increased my prospecting for new relationships. Notice I did not say "I'm making more prospecting calls."  Thinking of this as a means to meet and help serve more people serves my desire to connect, to contribute and also to grow by learning from others.
• I am getting to know my clients on a deeper level. This helps me understand how I can help them meet THEIR core desires so that trust me and will continue to buy from me. This also helps me feel unique because I know that a lot of my competitors do not really connect with their clients on this level.
• I am connecting with my staff more frequently. Involving them in marketing plans, training options, and integrating them into our company's future plans. This helps satisfy some of THEIR core desires and helps me feel more connected to them, too, instead of feeling like our survival and growth all rests on my shoulders.

As a result of the above, I am experiencing diminished of worry, fear and uncertainty about the economy - replaced with a sense of purpose and excitement.  I'd love to hear from others about what thinking they have changed and what they are doing differently to help meet their and their clients, core unconscious desires.