What does it mean to become a PERSON OF PERSUASION? What does it mean to become a PERSON OF PERSUASION? Do you realize that many people today are PERSUADING others to follow the wide path that leads to a LACK in most every area of life? They have become so NEGATIVE in their thinking that, in many cases without even realizing it, they have become PERSUADERS on how to GIVE UP. They influence those around them to THINK SMALLER, STOP DREAMING, COMPLAIN TILL SOMEONE LISTENS, and so many other messages that take impressionable minds down the wrong road. Would it be fair to say that for the most part, we live in a “Negative is NORMAL” society? That means that the majority of individuals we encounter every day are immersed in bad news, negativity, skepticism, doubt, fear, etc. NULL
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase many times, “That just sounds TOO GOOD to be TRUE.” Interesting isn’t it, that no one ever talks about something being TOO BAD to be true. We could hear someone telling the most awful story (one that they heard from someone, who heard it from someone) and inevitably somebody speaks up with “You think THAT’S BAD…listen to this!” Like they can’t wait to share the terrible news and take your thinking to a whole new LOW about what’s possible.
The great news is that this works the same way in the other direction. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that you can grow your thinking. You can expand your belief in what’s possible. And it is absolutely OK to be SKEPTICAL.
That’s right. SKEPTICAL is OK. However… Be on guard that you don’t cross that fine line from skeptical to CYNICAL. Skeptical is healthy, it’s being open to PERSUASION and open to finding and understanding the TRUTH. But CYNICAL means you’ve crossed over into a dark place, a place where OPPORTUNITY cannot abide. Eventually the clenched fist of CYNICISM can’t (or won’t) open enough for the handshake of OPPORTUNITY to get in. Opportunity will actually BE REPELLED. I hear over and over about how individuals TRIED this or that and it didn’t work out, so that puts them into the frame of mind that it will NEVER WORK OUT. And that is sad. I remember how Jim Rohn persuaded me with his philosophy of “UNTIL.” His question was “How long would you give the average CHILD to learn to WALK?” You know, before you just shut them down and told them to give up. It’s never going to happen for you. How ridiculous! You never give up. He said we would take on the mindset that “my child is going to keep trying UNTIL… they learn to walk.” UNTIL is powerful. That’s the kind of resolve that says you’ll never give up.
Make that promise to yourself, that you’ll never stop trying, never stop BECOMING.
Mr. Rohn PERSUADED me to adopt that kind of thinking and after all these many years that PERSUASION has convinced me to become a bigger THINKER, a bigger BELIEVER, and to ATTEMPT EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGES! Persuasion comes in many forms and is a process that can take many paths to arrive at the same destination. What are some of the keys to becoming a person of persuasion? Dale Carnegie once wrote, “It is USELESS to try and sell an individual something UNTIL you have first made them want to LISTEN.” Who made YOU want to listen to the ideas and information they were selling? Who was a GREAT PERSUADER in your life? Think about the reasons that made you WANT TO LISTEN? Think about WHY YOU DECIDED to not just hear, but to begin to TAKE ACTION. That is the power of persuasion. How sad the message from the old church hymnal “ALMOST PERSUADED.” What a disappointing day for the messenger to be at the point of conversion and not to have the message received. Almost persuaded… but not today. So here’s my short list of HOW you can improve your PERSUASION: RELATIONSHIPS How do you build EQUITY in your relationships? Who are you hanging around? How do they THINK? How can you become someone that others look up to or respect your opinion or have curiosity about what you’re doing? Build RAPPORT before you try and persuade or SELL your ideas. Build “equity” or value in a relationship, then share your ideas. It’s not just “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” as we’ve always been told, it’s more about “SO WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?” Consider the possibility that it might be time to GROW NEW RELATIONSHIPS. It might even be time to get some new friends. MINDSET I speak to many audiences about a MILLION DOLLAR MINDSET. I’ve had the privilege to meet a handful of exceptional individuals in my lifetime. From MILLION DOLLAR AUTHOR Jack Canfield to BILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEUR Donald Trump, to BIG SUCCESS individuals maybe you’ve never heard of. Talking with and learning from these powerful people PERSUADED me to THINK BIGGER. It stretched my belief level and what I thought was possible. It challenged me to set goals and bring a RESOLVE to rising above the negative is normal thinking that surrounds us.
It’s not enough to have a GOOD ATTITUDE it’s about having a MINDSET that you dial up like a thermostat to a desired level.
LEARNING Another of my mentors and teachers once said “Michael I don’t CARE what you’ve LEARNED! I want to know, “WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING?” What are you IN THE PROCESS of learning or acquiring or studying? What SKILLS or IDEAS are you pursuing? You can absolutely become a student of anything and learn how to do it better. PERSUASION is no different. Become a person of LEARNING PERSUASION. ENTHUSIASM Be excited. Or if you aren’t, the good news is you can still BECOME EXCITED! It’s not so much the old success adage “to be enthusiastic you must ACT enthusiastic.” But that’s not a bad experiment for anyone to try. Try ACTING ENTHUSIASTIC and see what happens. See if you SMILED more could it actually make you SMILE MORE? I don’t like the phrase “Fake it till you MAKE IT” either. To me it’s not about FAKING anything, but what if you LIVED LIFE like you were already there? Like you were already EXCITED? Like you were ALREADY SUCCESSFUL? That’s genuine ENTHUSIASM! EDIFYING OTHERS Edify just means to “LIFT UP” or “TALK GOOD ABOUT” another person. This can put someone in position to ASSIST you in the PERSUASION of another. Persuasion is not something we do alone. In many cases, persuasion is not FLYING SOLO but bringing another person into the conversation and EDIFYING them as an expert or successful or powerful, etc. ATTRACTION Become an ATTRACTIVE person. That means simply becoming a person that others want to be around. Become a STUDENT. Become ENTHUSIASTIC. Create a MILLION DOLLAR MINDSET that flashes an ATTRACTIVE SMILE and tips off your POSITIVE personality. Cultivate NEW RELATIONSHIPS and get around people who make things happen. Chances are you’ll notice more things happening for YOU and you’ll be excited to share them with others.
What are YOU BECOMING? This is the PROCESS of PERSUASION.
To Your Uncommon Success, Michael
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He has been called “Mr. Mastermind” for his ability to bring together individuals and ideas that radically change personal and business PROFITS.
He is a business and marketing consultant who speaks to over 50 audiences each year on Winning in the NOW Economy and Top Performance in Life and Work.
Michael’s most recent work revolves around the study of wealth, rich strategies for life, and what he refers to as “MONEYSHIFTING” in a constantly changing marketplace.
His columns appear regularly in national publications and online as well as in his monthly E magazine available at www.MichaelYork.com
Michael wrote the book on Becoming Uncommon (2003).
In 2009 he was named The International Business Coach of the Year.
He is a business owner, author, entrepreneur, consultant, coach and professional speaker and has delivered “critical messages” on personal and professional development to over 1000 live audiences since 2001.
His columns have appeared in The Network Marketing Magazine since 2007.
**EDITORS’ NOTE: Michael’s book The 10 Commitments is available at www.MichaelYork.com Or contact him directly at [email protected]
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