It Takes Awareness

It is very easy to slip back into focusing on what you don’t want. To turn things around, you have to catch yourself when your thoughts, actions, and words don’t line up. To illustrate:

No one would say: “What I want is to engage in a conversation and say something offensive so that the other person says something that is equally or even more offensive. I’ll then respond in kind and storm away from the conversation steaming mad.”

We would never say that, and yet it happens.

Let’s say the same person has created an “I want” statement with a mental and emotional image to support that statement.

The “I want” statement is: “I want to effectively manage conversations so that I bring out the best in others and create trusted and open communication.”

This person has thought of a mental image of herself and what she is thinking and feeling when she is engaged in an effective conversation, and she can recall the image, her inner feelings, and the associated thought process at any time. When she is in a conversation and happens to say something the other person perceives as offensive, she immediately recalls this image. Suddenly, she responds in a creative way that brings out the best in the other person and creates trusted and open communication. Without the guide of the “I want” statement and its mental and emotional image, these moments all too often head south.

I have had so many clients report a dramatic improvement in conversations and relationships, both personally and professionally, with “I want” statements and visualization of what they want. Additionally, once you see it clearly in your mind, you’ll naturally begin taking action toward what you want.