John McGrath, CEO of McGrath Estate Agents - Australia's fastest growing real estate company, once said "Remember, there's always going to be some pain in life. I choose the pain of discipline, to create a balanced life that I love living". Donald Trump is another successful entrepreneur who links so much pain to the prospect of being second-best that the thought alone motivates him to be as successful as he is - it's not the pleasure of success that drives him.
Everything we do is either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure, and these choices are what ultimately shape our lives. More interestingly, we will generally do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure. Take smoking for example - people who smoke typically link a lot of pleasure to lighting a cigarette and smoking it. They also associate a lot of pain with giving up smoking, and as they'll do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure, they continue with their bad habit. That is until the pain of smoking far outweighs the pleasure. Being diagnosed with lung cancer and going through chemotherapy would, for most, outweigh the pleasure of smoking. For some the pain needs to be more intense whereas others may find that financial implications, or bronchitis for example, are 'enough' to satisfy their desire to avoid pain.
Obesity is the same - the pleasure of over-eating is more enjoyable to many than the prospect of feeling hungry or the exertion of exercise. That is until obesity starts to effect their life to such a extent that what used to be pleasurable becomes painful, and when the scales tip and the pain outweighs the pleasure, then and only then, will their behaviour change.
The critical point here is that often people think that our intellect drives our behaviour. That's clearly not the case as even though we know the cigarette or double cheeseburger is bad for us we still reach out for it, because we're driven by what we've learned to link to pain and pleasure, and not by what we know is right or wrong.
So how can you change what you link to pain and pleasure? Firstly, just by having an understanding of how Pain vs Pleasure determines your behaviour put you back in the driving seat of your life. Focus on long-term pleasure and realise the need to break through short-term pain to achieve your ultimate goal. Pick an area of your life that you want to change and ask yourself these simple questions:-
* What pain have I linked to making that change?
* What pleasure have I gained from NOT making the change?
* What will it cost me if I don't make the change now?
* What pleasure will I get out of making the change now?
Take some time out to answer these questions fully and really turn up your emotions behind the answers. Only when you have a strong enough neuro-association with the pain and pleasure linked to an action will you make that all-important change.
To find out more email us today at info@outshineconsulting.com.
Showing posts with label Stop Smoking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stop Smoking. Show all posts
Pain or Pleasure?
John McGrath, CEO of McGrath Estate Agents - Australia's fastest growing real estate company, once said "Remember, there's always going to be some pain in life. I choose the pain of discipline, to create a balanced life that I love living". Donald Trump is another successful entrepreneur who links so much pain to the prospect of being second-best that the thought alone motivates him to be as successful as he is - it's not the pleasure of success that drives him.
Everything we do is either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure, and these choices are what ultimately shape our lives. More interestingly, we will generally do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure. Take smoking for example - people who smoke typically link a lot of pleasure to lighting a cigarette and smoking it. They also associate a lot of pain with giving up smoking, and as they'll do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure, they continue with their bad habit. That is until the pain of smoking far outweighs the pleasure. Being diagnosed with lung cancer and going through chemotherapy would, for most, outweigh the pleasure of smoking. For some the pain needs to be more intense whereas others may find that financial implications, or bronchitis for example, are 'enough' to satisfy their desire to avoid pain.
Obesity is the same - the pleasure of over-eating is more enjoyable to many than the prospect of feeling hungry or the exertion of exercise. That is until obesity starts to effect their life to such a extent that what used to be pleasurable becomes painful, and when the scales tip and the pain outweighs the pleasure, then and only then, will their behaviour change.
The critical point here is that often people think that our intellect drives our behaviour. That's clearly not the case as even though we know the cigarette or double cheeseburger is bad for us we still reach out for it, because we're driven by what we've learned to link to pain and pleasure, and not by what we know is right or wrong.
So how can you change what you link to pain and pleasure? Firstly, just by having an understanding of how Pain vs Pleasure determines your behaviour put you back in the driving seat of your life. Focus on long-term pleasure and realise the need to break through short-term pain to achieve your ultimate goal. Pick an area of your life that you want to change and ask yourself these simple questions:-
* What pain have I linked to making that change?
* What pleasure have I gained from NOT making the change?
* What will it cost me if I don't make the change now?
* What pleasure will I get out of making the change now?
Take some time out to answer these questions fully and really turn up your emotions behind the answers. Only when you have a strong enough neuro-association with the pain and pleasure linked to an action will you make that all-important change.
To find out more email us today at info@outshineconsulting.com.
Everything we do is either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure, and these choices are what ultimately shape our lives. More interestingly, we will generally do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure. Take smoking for example - people who smoke typically link a lot of pleasure to lighting a cigarette and smoking it. They also associate a lot of pain with giving up smoking, and as they'll do more to avoid pain than to find pleasure, they continue with their bad habit. That is until the pain of smoking far outweighs the pleasure. Being diagnosed with lung cancer and going through chemotherapy would, for most, outweigh the pleasure of smoking. For some the pain needs to be more intense whereas others may find that financial implications, or bronchitis for example, are 'enough' to satisfy their desire to avoid pain.
Obesity is the same - the pleasure of over-eating is more enjoyable to many than the prospect of feeling hungry or the exertion of exercise. That is until obesity starts to effect their life to such a extent that what used to be pleasurable becomes painful, and when the scales tip and the pain outweighs the pleasure, then and only then, will their behaviour change.
The critical point here is that often people think that our intellect drives our behaviour. That's clearly not the case as even though we know the cigarette or double cheeseburger is bad for us we still reach out for it, because we're driven by what we've learned to link to pain and pleasure, and not by what we know is right or wrong.
So how can you change what you link to pain and pleasure? Firstly, just by having an understanding of how Pain vs Pleasure determines your behaviour put you back in the driving seat of your life. Focus on long-term pleasure and realise the need to break through short-term pain to achieve your ultimate goal. Pick an area of your life that you want to change and ask yourself these simple questions:-
* What pain have I linked to making that change?
* What pleasure have I gained from NOT making the change?
* What will it cost me if I don't make the change now?
* What pleasure will I get out of making the change now?
Take some time out to answer these questions fully and really turn up your emotions behind the answers. Only when you have a strong enough neuro-association with the pain and pleasure linked to an action will you make that all-important change.
To find out more email us today at info@outshineconsulting.com.
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