Category Archives: Randomness

Are You At The Mercy of the Gods?

Cycles are everywhere.

On a huge galactic scale, all the way down to molecules.

Even the idea of Pi is pretty amazing.

There’s a theory that human history is not really linear, but circular.

Sure, we keep getting better inventions, both scientific and types of government.

But if you look back far enough, you’ll see there are always times of peace, growth, war, collapse, and rebirth.

Individually, we have “good days” and “bad days.”

In statistics, one of the “tests” for randomness is the presence of “runs.”

Like if you toss a coin a hundred times in a row, it would be EXTREMELY unlikely to get one each of heads and tails.

Instead, it’s HIGHLY LIKELY to a get a bunch of heads in a row, and then later on a bunch of tails in a row.

In fact, this is the heart of most Las Vegas style betting systems. When you’re hot, (lots of wins in a row) bet a lot. When you’re on a losing streak (lots of losses in a row) bet the minimum.

But for some reason, when we’re trying to improve ourselves, it’s VERY EASY to get discouraged when we have a few losses in a row.

Sales that don’t convert, people that aren’t interested in talking to us socially, business ideas that crash and burn.

One of two common responses is easy, but not very helpful.

One is to give up. That’s probably the most common.

The other is to just shrug your shoulders and figure “the world” is broken, and there’s not much you can do.

This certainly makes us feel better. Nobody likes to feel like a failure. It’s much easier to blame things outside of our control.

But if you do this, then you’re missing out on very VALUABLE information.

Because every time you do ANYTHING, you get feedback.

Information that you can use to do better next time.

This is easy when you practice daily journaling.

Just write down what you did.

Write down what happened.

Then write down what ELSE you could have done differently.

Something in YOUR control.

Then imagine what would have happened if you did THAT instead.

Like maybe approaching that person sooner, or trying to close the deal in a slightly different way, or maybe say something a little bit differently.

Then take some time imagining THAT, as if it actually happened.

This way, ever single thing you do, whether you got the result you wanted or not, will help you learn.

Help you improve.

Which will make you feel a lot more in control, instead of at the mercy of the gods.

Try this strategy with whatever you want to learn, do, or become, and see what happens.

What skills would you like?

Get Them:

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Jump Without Fear

Know Where You’re Going

When I was younger I had this girlfriend.

Often times we’d go out, but neither of us really had a plan. So we’d end up driving around, only to end up at some cafe or restaurant.

Of course, just being together was enough, but sometimes it felt pretty silly.

“What do you want to do?”

“I dunno, what do you want to do?”

The first time I went bungee jumping I was pretty terrified. Leaning over the edge was pretty scary.

The second time was a lot of fun, since I knew what to expect. I actually looked forward to doing something that almost made me pass out from fright earlier.

Whenever you want to do something scary or important, it’s natural to feel inner conflict.

Even if you’re really sure you want to buy something, part of you wonders if maybe you should wait until something better comes along.

In economics, they call these “opportunity costs.” If you do X, you CAN’T do Y.

One the deadliest things to have, both from an internal perspective, and an outward demonstration, is incongruence.

If you are an athlete, and you’re trying to “fake somebody out” but you’re not good at it, it won’t work. It’s clear to them you’re only “faking” left. They can read you like a book.

If you’re interacting socially, being incongruent can be the kiss of death. On the outside, you may appear to be friendly, but you’re sending out a creepy vibe.

Studies have shown that incongruence is the most devastating trait to have in sales and social relationships.

Clearly, it’s also a HUGE impediment to any kind of success. You’ll never get out there and do what needs to be done if you’re conflicted on the inside. Even when you DO take action, it will be half-hearted at best.

How do you get congruent?

One way is to make sure your goals are VERY clearly defined. Know what you’re getting. Know what you’re going to HAVE TO give up. Have a pretty clear idea of what it will take to get there.

The reason my second bungee jumping trip was fun was that I KNEW it was going to be fun. I had experience that I wouldn’t end up as a splat on the pavement.

But you can also do this by taking plenty of time to visualize your WELL DEFINED GOAL.

The bigger and brighter it becomes, in your mind, the more certainty and inner congruence you’ll develop.

Spend plenty of time DEFINING your goal, and plenty of time CHARGING your goal with your emotions.

These will help:

Mind Persuasion

The Blackjack Life Strategy

Take Advantage of Runs

In statistics, one of the tests of true randomness is “runs.”

Meaning if you flip a coin a hundred times, there HAS to be periods where you get a bunch of heads in a row, or a bunch of tails in a row.

When scientists or mathematicians are studying unknown phenomenon, if it doesn’t show runs, it’s not random. If it’s always back and forth, or at most twice one way or twice the other way, there’s something else going on.

In fact, one good strategy for playing blackjack is to follow the rules, so you’re getting close to 50% payouts, and bet bigger and bigger once you start winning.

Then you go back to your smallest bet when you’re on a cold streak. The logic is when you are on a winning streak, you’re betting big, but when you’re cold, you’re betting small.

Of course, this is why they have scantily clad waitresses giving out free booze!

No matter WHAT you’re going after, you’re going to have runs as well. Strings of good luck, and strings of bad luck.

Not really luck, just stuff that happens that’s out of your control.

The big mistake is to assume EITHER ONE is normal. If you think you’re going to be “on” all the time, you’re in for a surprise.

If you’re halfway through a “losing streak,” or worse, one’s almost over, then you may quit.

The trick is to apply the Blackjack philosophy. When the going’s good, go big. When you start to slow down and hit some rough spots, slow down a bit and wait for things to get back to normal.

Because they ALWAYS will.

Once when I was in college I had a TON of bad stuff happen at once. I was in a pretty dark mood for a couple weeks, but then I stepped back, focused on a couple of really important things, and let the rest slide.

Having a core set of goals is really helpful. If you don’t know where you’re going, and you hit those rough spots, it can be tough to get back on track.

But when you’ve got a collection of HIGHLY DEFINED things way out in the future you’re going after, it’s easy to stay on track.

That one job, one girl or one situation may not work out. But if you’ve got a BIG GOAL (ideal career, ideal relationship, etc) off on the horizon, it’s easy to pick up the pieces and get moving.

If you don’t have any highly defined goals, that should be your first goal.

Get some big dreams, and define them.

Do that, and you’ll have true purpose in your life.

These tools will help you get there:

Mind Persuasion

How To Practice Spontaneity

Program In Flexibility

When I was in high school I was a wrestler.

One thing the coach drilled into us was having three or four moves drilled deep into our brains.

So when the match started, we’d do those three or four moves, in quick order.

And then we’d have to have a backup plan if we ever met the same opponent. Otherwise, they’d know what we were going to do.

Once I sat in a baseball dugout with a friend who was a high school coach. I was amazed amount of stats they had on every single player on the opposing team. For each batter, for example, they knew which percentage of the time he’d swing at the first pitch, regardless.

So if they had a guy that ALWAYS swung at the first pitch, for example, they’d throw a sinker or something that looked like a fastball but wasn’t.

In sports, when the rules are clearly defined, it’s pretty easy to develop a specific step by step strategy.

In life, on the other hand, having some general rules is about is close as you’re going to get.

When you talk to somebody new, for example, it would be great if there were a set of memorized lines that would get you the right response. But for every person you talk to, you’ll need to come up with a slightly different combination of words and ideas.

And since most of the things we want in life involve other people (relationships, incomes, etc.) we have to have a lot of flexibility and creativity.

But how do you practice flexibility and creativity? Sure, you can practice something simple and repeatable like free throws and piano scales.

Is it possible to practice being in the moment and being spontaneous based on the situation?

Sure it is.

Just try something, and see what happens. Daily journaling is a great way. Every night, write down whatever opportunities came up, and what you did.

Then think of a couple of things you might have done differently, and write those down.

This means every single opportunity is worth twice as much. It’s worth something simply because it’s an opportunity. But it’s also worth something because it can help you figure out what to do better next time.

Keep this up, and whatever you want in life will get easier and easier.

It is up to you, however, to get out there and get in the mix!

These tools will help:

Mind Persuasion