Accessing your non-rational mind to get better results.
I’ve been using my creative intuitive mind all my life. I guess most of us could say fairly confidently that we do that pretty well. We do, we know when we do it, and we value it when we do it well. Being creative gives us lots of options. It allows us to think outside the box. Come up with new angles. Jump to solutions quickly. Innovation and brave solutions come from this place. As do remarkable and exciting solutions that set us apart and help us compete effectively.
But when it comes to switching this facility on at will, well mmm that’s a bit more tricky. Sometimes even impossible. It seems that our judgements and analytical mind just don’t like to let go hanging on to a more cautious approach and worrying about giving over the freedom to roam to our intuitive mind. Makes sense in a way. After all the world is a pretty random place. By bringing some order into play, our critical and logical mind protects us very well.
Evenso, it’s always been self-evident to me that the world is doing just fine when it comes to being logical, critical and judgemental. But it’s not doing so well when it comes to the skill of intuitive and creativity. If it were, we’d see a much better world than the one we see now.
Ok, hold those thoughts for a moment. Recently I’ve managed to get my head around one of the key areas of understanding in relation to this really important issue. And it’s best explained through three exercises. The first is the connect your arm to your unconscious and multiply its strenght. Two is a story telling game to demonstrate how to recognise the zone when you’r in it. And the third one is a technique to open up the mind to intuitive opportunity around the problem you’re attempting to solve.
But first the point of this. Really this is about achieving our goals. I’ve written alot about visualisation techniques. These are where you use the power of the imagination to enliven the unconscious mind to focus on a task and ensure all the appropriate back-office resources get on target. In other words, when I have a clear picture of where I’m going, my unconscious mind is alert to seeing opportunities which my conscious thoughts won’t have time to pick up.
The final technique I’m going to describe demonstrate how to do this on the fly so to speak. But let’s start by understanding the principle. You may have come across this method before. It demonstrates the power of the unconscious mind to do things we can’t really explain. Start by focusing on hold your arm in a bent position and get a friend to try very hard to bend it using two hands. Concentrate on being really strong and powerful. Stronger than the other person. Don’t let them bend your arm. You must try to win. … ok, so they won. And it’s pretty hard to resist the might of another person using two hands. Ok, now do it again, but this time you’ll need to use your imagination. Something like this. Hold your hand in that position again. Now let’s not think about strength or comparison with our colleague. In fact don’t think about anything at all. Concentrate this time however, on using your imagination to focus on something that takes you away from your physical arm. For instance I imagined a steel like rod of light flowing out of my arm, through the wall, up into the sky and way out to space. Not too much effort. Just imagine it. Focus on making the picture and the sense of it as real as possible. Now when the attempt to bend is done, the resistance is much much easier. Why? Let’s not worry too much about the why for now. Let’s just accept it. it’s very tangible. This just demonstrates the difference that we can make by making a shift from the talking, judgemental, left part of our brain to the sensory, connected and visual side of our right brain. If you’re interested in knowing more about the structure of the brain, see the link on the right column for Jill Bolte. Awesome!
Ok, the next exercise demonstrates this fromthe point of view of stories. Two people share a story in this game. No rules about structure or reality. The story goes where ever, when ever and how ever. The one condition is that when it reaches an appropriate moment of tension, you pass the baton over to the other person to carry on and they must do precisely that. The challenge is for the person listening to stay in the zone. To enter the story and switch down the volume of the thinking analytical mind. What we normally find is that it’s pretty hard to quiet the mind. Knowing it has responsibility to take the story over, it’s chomping at the bit to add the next part of the story. Calm down I say. Let it be, get back into the story. If you do, you’ll be amazed how quickly you pick up and run with the tenor and direction of the story. No matter where it was or was going. The point of this exercise is that we’re now seeing the difference between being in and out of the zone. “In” is immersed in the pictures and responses generated by the story. “Out” is thinking thoughts, analysing, chattering, being clever, being worried, anxious and fearful too.
Ok, the third exercise. This one is awesome, and applying it to solving intractable problems is even moreso. In this exercise two people face each other and share their desires by starting with the words either: “I would really love to…” or “Ya know, I really love it when…” and expanding on this. The concept of loving to do something wakes up the imagination and non-rational mind. It’s like throwing something out there into the future and wishing for it. I’d love to do this and that. It can be anything. Again there are no rules in terms of content. Let your imagination fire on all four cylinders. Fly like a bird if you want. Just fire up the images and feelings. And see how exciting it is. We’re not really generally very used to this sort of talk. And yet it’s so invigorating.
Ok, this final exercise is the really important one. When we use this techique it instantly calms the voices inside. It has the affect of quelling any further discussion as in linear, judgemental, critical faculties. It lets you imaginatively play with the possibilities. But the really interesting thing is, that when you do this in the context of a problem that you’re solving, you’ll find that new ideas will pop into your head that you just would be able to “think” of.
For instance, I used this when I was preparing for a meeting. I was worried that I would fail. Uh oh, left brain thinking. Failure. Referal back to past experiences. Oh boy, think think think my way out of it. And if I can’t, bummer. Feelings of fear and anxiety start to slowly kick in.
Now it is at this point that I stopped and took a bit of time out and caste my mind into the future. Any time, as long as it’s after the event. And I started saying stuff like “wow, I’d really love to be working with these people for a long time into the future”, and I’d love to manage to make the meeting go really smoothly so that everyone feels like the outcome was in line with their expections”, and “I’d so love it if I managed to capture the mood of the day etc”… you get the idea. I also did some back filling too, for instance “I love it when I manage to get the client’s eye’s sparkling, I love that” and “I love it when the customer is very appreciative of my preparation etc.”
Each time I’ve done this, I was really amazed how before long new highly relevant solutions were popping into my head.
What I’d effectively done is turned the volume down on my serially processing mind, and up on my parallel processing mind. Or down on thoughts and feelings and up on intuition and creativity. Or down on the left brain and up on the right brain. The result was astounding, and now I’m developing other strategies for flexing these amazing muscles of ours!
An introduction to branding
Branding is not rocket science. It’s something we practice every day. It’s in our nature and is fundamental to survival. Branding is a huge force behind our behaviour and how we present ourselves. Sometimes we set ourselves apart from the crowd so as to attract attention and be noticed. At others we offer our services hoping to gain favour and opportunity from the community we want to impress. For better or worse, our brand is what we project. It follows that a better understanding of how brand works will unlock new opportunities and strategies. These in turn lead to improved performance and higher levels of achievement.
This introduction outlines the key principles behind the art and science of brand development.
Brand gives many benefits
Brand is more than just a logo or product on the high street. Branding is well established as the cornerstone activity of successful businesses. When the best principles and practices are applied it gives many benefits. Brand:
>> Influences behaviour
>> Helps people belong
>> Affects the choices people make
>> Achieves loyalty
>> Creates expectation
>> Clarifies the difference
>> Makes you more profitable
The problem – incoherent thinking
In the context of rapid change, we all find it difficult to have anything more than a pretty good idea of where we are going. With a vaste array of options and worries, it’s no wonder we struggle when it comes to deciding what to do next, and then again after that. Without clear direction, and without clearly aligned values, businesses end up with incoherent thinking. Incoherent thinking leads to inconsistency, confusion and poor results.
Try applying the MAGIC test to see if your brand is working for you:
>> Meaningful. Is your brand coherent? Does it make sense to your target audience?
>> Applicable or appropriate. Is it entirely consistent with what you stand for and your purpose?
>> Got legs. Does your brand have an idea that is likely to go the long distance? Will it travel?
>> Irresistible. Is it infectious or something that people easily pick up on and want to share?
>> Creative. Does it engage people with a touch of fun, curiosity, innovation, or difference?
It’s all in the mind!
A brand exists in the mind and emotions as a halo of association and perceived benefits. It’s helpful to think of branding in terms of the human condition, that life-long journey to define who we are and how we go about achieving our hearts desire. Have you ever noticed how some people are totally clear about these things? These unique individuals have an amazing ability to generate awesome reputations and wealth. Think of Richard Branson or even James Dyson. Then there are towering figures like Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela. Now think of Virgin, Lush or M&S. What can we learn from them?
Align values & apply consistently
Successful brand development depends on three things above all else: >> Singularity of purpose >> Coherent unifying idea >> Consistent application. Organisations that have the most clearly articulated and applied purpose are the ones that capture the hearts and minds of stake-holders and customers. These model organisations find no trouble attracting new and sustainable business. The best ones achieve the best success when they apply their values consistently across all communication touch points.
Trust the process
There are three phases in the brand journey: 1. brand discovery 2. brand design and 3. brand implementation. By following this process you can uncover the true purpose of your brand.
For an established business struggling to adapt or focus, you might think of it like restoring something special like a garden. After a period of neglect, it’s original purpose is hidden by decay and dissorder. The brand process starts by seeking out your hidden potential. By looking at the surface, and then digging deeper under the skin of your business the original pattern, colour and form take shape again. From here it becomes self evident what’s needed to bring things back to their original glory or purpose. If you’re business is new, the same principle applies. In this case, the same process helps crystalise and make tangible your vague and uncertain objectives. Either way, your purpose and how it can be achieved is revealed.
About me
My passion is to facilitate an understanding of brand and identity as it applies to extraordinary performance and wealth generation. My goal is to give you a new set of tools and skills with which to find your true bearing. My customers are entrepreneurs and visionary individuals who value learning new strategies for success. I’ve had the huge privilege of working with and being mentored by great people and have over 30 years experience in the creative marketing industry and it’s my aim to share the tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way. I am founding owner/director of Reading brand consultancy Designation since 1990 and founding director of London arts coaching and brand management business, Chordian Angels. I speak publicly on the subject for organisations like the Chamber of Commerce, Institute of Directors, Thames Valley Hub, Chartered Institute for Personnel Development and Schools and Universities here and abroad.
Arthur op den Brouw
The big idea is your guiding star
Christine Wilkinson, Ed Harcourt and I are currently running a six month programme to re-brand a Larkmead secondary school. It’s been an exciting project from day one. Especially so for the energy and fullsome participation of our brand agents, the 90 students we had the huge privelege of working with. It was a huge test of my belief that branding is not rocket science. Our challenge was to make branding understandable and relevant to 11 to 14 year olds, and then engage them in a programme where they would be key decision makers in the brand development process.
After running a series of five sessions where we uncovered the highest values and purpose behind Larkmead, we came to the challenge of deciding on the big idea. The thing is, that a big idea is something which is really hard to explain in words alone. It’s just not measurable. The best examples of great brand propositions are usually the ones that result from equal quantities of a lot of expertise, experience and gut instinct.
So there we are. Christine and I have gone over this final session time and time again, knowing that in the end we had no other choice than to figure out a way to give the kids a really simple way to think about it, when we hit upon the idea of Magic. Magic is beautifully placed to help explain how a big idea can be tested. The thing about magic is that we all know it’s a trick of the eye or slight of the hand, but when done brilliantly it does something which seems impossible to explain too. We realised that if you take the letters of this word, we could connect that to one of the key stages in creative process, to make an informed choice. Meaningful. Applicable. A Goer. Irresistable. Creative. (See previous blog for more on this subject.)
This was great, as it helped get the idea of how you need to think laterally when validating something that is ephemeral like the creative process. But we still needed to bang it home all the way. So we got to thinking and developed a beautiful metaphor that anyone can use to help them understand the power and importance of the big idea or brand proposition. It’s the notion that the big idea or brand proposition is like a star, the symbol of hope and opportunity that goes back thousands of years. A star is packed with the right attributes, yet also has that ethereal or mystical quality which can not be explained. The thing about a big idea is that it has to be big enough for people to get underneath and yet applicable to us at a human level so that it feels like we can relate to it.
A star is the perfect metaphor for the big idea. It’s Meaningful and easy to understand. Even a child can understand how a star can guide us to our destiny, that it represents hope and destiny. Our culture is full of childhood references to this symbol of good fortune and good tidings. As such it Applies beautifully to the power of branding. It’s got lots of angle and opportunities for stories to carry it. It’s a real Goer. It’s inherently simple and Infectious, and so can easily be remembered and passed on to other people to explain our understanding of the idea. And finally, it’s a beautiful and Creative way to express how a big idea works for us.
The star fulfils our MAGIC test, and so we went for it. To make it a bit of fun we made up an exercise where the kids made five sided stars out of paper and actively explored each of the five MAGIC criteria until the group had experienced a level of understanding that they’d never forget. They then used this new found language to help us make an intelligent and well informed decision on which big idea to choose.
MAGIC
Let me share a recent insight into the idea of magic. It relates to the validation process when you’re trying to decide your brand proposition. It goes like this:
You’ve d0ne the discovery process and you’ve identified your purpose and vision for where you want to be. You’ve also managed to identify a set of coherent and meaningful values. You’ve reduced this further and got the one key value, or idea that really is at the heart of what you stand for. Everything feels great. The brand essence, or DNA is starting to take shape. It feels good. Things seem to be going well.
Now the tough part. Developing the core or central idea that is to become the verbal expression or tangible embodiment of all this hard work. Some call it the Big Idea. Others the Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Others still may call it a positioning statement, or point of difference, or even just plainly your tagline. Technically this is your brand proposition. It’s a bunch of inspiring words framed in a way that is meaningful and consistent with your purpose and values.
What ever it is it’s the central idea that is going to carry and hopefully grow your business. How are you going to decide on this? Well… there are two part to this answer and I’d like to explain the second part. The first part is the creative process. Trust the process. Go through the process methodically, starting with the adventure of brainstorming, then determine your heirarchy of needs. Research research research. The idea will start to pop out of the process. Trust it.
Ok, out of this process you’ll reach a place where you have several options. The trouble is, you’ll need to decide on which one you’re going to fly with. The question is how do you decide? Against what criteria can your brand be properly checked. Try applying the MAGIC formula to see if your idea will fly.
- Meaningful. Your big idea should be sensible and coherent, or make sense to your target audience.
- Applicable or appropriate. It should be entirely consistent with what you stand for and your purpose.
- Goer or Got legs. It should be an idea that is like to go the long distance, not a fad. Something that will travel.
- Irresistable or Infectious. If its something that people want to share, is catchy, then great… less effort.
- Creative. It won’t go anywhere if it’s missing this key ingredient. Fun, curiosity, innovative, different.
You can use this easy to remember formula for checking any subsequent idea too. The higher the score, the greater your confidence. The greater your confidence, the more you can concentrate on the other things that need doing to service your new business.
If it gets your approval on this front, you’ll need to do a more technical check too, which is more to do with defending and protecting your brand. Depending on the requirement, this may include getting legal protection to ensure the idea is yours for keeps.
Ideas about congruency
As I come across them, I like to jot down thoughts and learnings relating to the idea of gaining congruency. Here’s a few that strike me as really valuable.
On being authentic
Magic happens when we are truly authentic. Being authentic means living your life in true alignment with your values. Not being swayed by the dreams and purpose others appear to have for you. No conflict within. No doubt, fear, guilt or infatuation. Just neutral. In a state of grace. Knowing that you are perfect. A clear conscience. Seeing things in balance. Knowing that you have everything it takes to be your perfect self. A divine being. At one with the universe.
The voices, my sabateurs… Actually exist to guide me. Listening to them and understanding their concerns helps to address real issues, and also resolve the conflict within. Not more fighting on the one hand, and clarity about a solution on the other. It’s similar to congruent arguments, where you learn to properly listen. Adam inspiredme to think this.
Doing things differently
If you’re wanting to change, then you have to do something different. Do it the same, and you’re bound to get the same result. If you’re not happy with that, then the only option is to do it differently next time.
Creativity
Every way I look at it, whether from the point of view of the arts or accounting, being creative is about using these really important aspects of our humanity:
- Being incredibly curious
- Wanting to explore and discover
- Finding joy and appreciation in pure play
- Not judging and having an open heart
- Getting totally passionate and inspired by the problem
Magnetism or the law of attraction
Magnetism is a huge idea. Also known as the law of attraction. I think of myself as a huge magnet attracting what I need (whether I like it or not!). However, the problem is that in my disfunctional state of ‘normal’ I can certainly attract some pretty unhealthy stuff. And so what I’m hoping is that if I can get aligned and are truly resonating as myself, then what I attract is also more distinctive and complete. Instead of garbage in garbage out, I hope to get some clarity and purpose. What I currently attract reflects my inner state. The world around me reflects this too.
Patience and determination
The principle above takes time to manifest. Especially when I start from a place of multiple personality or conflicting values of which there are numerous! In fact in this confusing state it feels like I’m going nowhere. I’ve noticed however, that when I consistently apply myself with determination, and focus all my attention on becoming integrated or congruent, the clarity with which I attract my destiny becomes more obvious to me.
Patience
This has to be one of the hardest principles. I’m always making the change then expecting results and when I don’t get them immediately, whamo! Off track again. And that’s how it works. It simply takes time. Just like the seasons. In the middle of winter it feels like we will be there forever. Eventually however, the transition from winter to spring picks up pace. All the looking forward with hope and antipation in the world makes no difference. Just be patient.
Get some perspective
It sometimes helps me to step back. I imagine myself floating above, further and further away until I’m just a tiny speck on the surface of a beautiful marble floating in space. This calms my spirit. Things are just as they are meant to be.
Doubling up
This is probably the most powerful tool I know. To double up everything I do. It’s simple. When I’m asked to make a choice between doing one thing and the other, and for all intents and purposes they have the same value to me, I then ask which is more likely to impact more areas of my life. Or, how can I make this particular choice impact on other areas of my life too. I choose to do the one that will double or trebble the impact. That way I feel inspired by the activity. I can see lots of ways in which it’s going to make a difference to me.
I’ve tried this with things I had no choice about too, and it releases the natural resistance I have to doing that thing in the first place. For instance, doing the dishes and chatting with my sons… brilliant.
Some nice quotes:
“To resist the influence of others one must know ones own mind.” Teelk sg1
“In an office there’s no such thing as common sense.”
“By infatuating and allowing ourselves to fall into addictive and compulsive behaviour we minimise ourselves.” John Demartini
“Congruency is where there is harmony within. To get to this place one needs to calm the raging battle within.” John Demartini
The battle goes deep, sometimes to the very DNA of our being. Once balanced, we reach a place where we were all along! The only difference being that we now see things without the turmultuous battle within.
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