ORLANDO–There are ways to train your brain to get what you want, according to one person.
Writing on Inc.com, Dr. Benjamin Hardy shared that in 2015 he got serious about my goal of becoming a professional writer. He had written an e-book, Slipstream Time Hacking, and was “anxious to know how to traditionally publish it. At that time, I had just barely put up my own website and had a subscriber base of zero.”
Hardy said he decided literary agents would be his best source of advice, assuming they knew the publishing industry best, but after talking to five to 10 agents about their coaching programs, it became apparent his questions would need to be answered elsewhere.
“One particular conversation sticks out,” Hardy shared. “To be even considered by agents and publishers, writers need to already have a substantial readership (i.e., a platform). I told one of the agents my goal was to have 5,000 blog subscribers by the end of 2015. She responded, ‘That would not be possible from where you currently are.’ These things take time. You will not be able to get a publisher for three to five years. That's just the reality.’
"Reality to who?" I thought as I hung up the phone, wrote Hardy.
Never ask advice from ...
Hardy noted that in his book The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy (no relation), wrote, "Never ask advice of someone with whom you wouldn't want to trade places."
“As I pondered Darren Hardy's words, I realized I was asking the wrong types of people for advice,” Benjamin Hardy wrote on Inc. “I needed to turn to people who had actually walked where I wanted to walk. Anyone can provide nebulous theory. We spend our entire public education learning theory from people who have rarely walked the walk.”
According to Hardy, contrary to theory, “which cannot get you very far in the end, people who have actually been ‘there’ provide practical steps on what you need to do to get there, too.”
Hardy offered these seven things to focus on, and urged people to “forget everything else.”
Why You Need to Know What You Want
“This is a fundamental irony of most people's lives. They don't quite know what they want to do with their lives. Yet they are very active. -Ryan Holiday
People who know what they want in life see the world differently, according to Hardy.
“All people selectively attend to things that interest or excite them<; he wrote. “Our brains are constantly filtering an unfathomable amount of sensory inputs: sounds, smells, visuals, and more. Most of this information goes consciously unrecognized. Our focused attention is on what we care about…When you decide what you want, it's like buying a new car. You start seeing it everywhere -- especially your newsfeeds!
What are you seeing everywhere? This is perhaps the clearest reflection of your conscious identity.”
Magical Things Happen When You Begin Paying Attention
How can you achieve your 10 year plan in the next 6 months? -- Peter Thiel
Wherever it is you want to go, there is a long and conventional path, and there are shorter, less conventional approaches, noted Hardy. The conventional path is the outcome of not paying attention. It's what happens when you let other people dictate your direction and speed in life, he added.
“However, once you know what you want -- and it intensely arouses your attention -- you will notice simpler and easier solutions to your questions. What might have taken 10 years in a traditional manner takes only a few months with the right information and relationship.”
Get Bigger Advice
When the student is ready the teacher will appear. -- Mabel Collins
“When I decided I was serious about becoming a writer, the advice from the literary agents couldn't work for me. I was ready for the wisdom of people who were where I wanted to be. My vision was bigger than the advice I was getting,” said Hardy.
When your mind takes hold of an idea, you do everything in your power to manifest it, he wrote, and added, “Before each article I wrote (and continue to write), I pray that the work I produce will be beyond my own capability; and I visualize my work reaching the people who need it.”
Just Because Other People Have Limiting Beliefs Does Not Mean You Need To
“Again, the advice you take and the people you emulate matter,” said Hardy. “You are being influenced, especially subconsciously, by the influences you take to heart. There are people out there operating at brilliantly high levels. If you're serious about getting results, find those people and begin thinking like them. You'll be stunned how fast your life can change.”
Your Mindset & Desires Determine How Big You’re Willing to Play
To quote Peter Diamandis, founder of Xprize and author of Abundance and Bold, "The challenge is that the day before something is truly a breakthrough, it's a crazy idea. And crazy ideas are very risky to attempt."
Courage Doesn't Just Involve Saying Yes, It Also Involves Saying No
“But how could you possibly say no to certain opportunities if you don't know what you want?” asked Hardy “You can't. Like most people, you'll be seduced by the best thing that comes around.
But if you know what you want, you'll be willing to pass up even brilliant opportunities because ultimately they are distractions from your vision…
‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunities (i.e., distractions) pop up every day. But the right opportunities will start popping up only when you decide what you want and start selectively attending to them. Before you know it, you'll be surrounded by a network you love and by mentors showing you the fastest path.”