Anchors and Lies

All the go-go encouragement and ‘you can do it’ stuff is not really for me. Greetings Everyday Spy, All the go-go encouragement and ‘you can do it’ stuff is not really for me. I prefer to use more practical tools for success. When field operators have to make behavioral changes fast -- like learning a language, creating an alias persona, or gaining/losing weight -- we focus less on external motivation and more on internal threats. And when it comes to behavioral changes, the biggest threat to your success is your own thinking. Every thought, habit, and experience you have programs a set of preferences into your mind. It’s not that different from a programmer coding a computer to do something over and over again. And similar to changing the code in a computer, changing a programmed behavior is not always a simple task. Jihi and I were living in a high-end apartment in Southeast Asia in 2010 serving undercover together. The apartment had a great gym on the ground floor. I would use the gym almost every morning at about the same time (my own programmed pattern... it happens to all of us). Like clockwork, I would see the same fit 20-something girl running on the treadmill every day. Turns out that the girl was married to a foreign diplomat and taught English in a local international school. We became friends with her - and her dip husband, of course - and came to find out that her morning running routine was VERY well established. For the previous 3 years the girl would wake up at 6:30am, drink a half liter of water, and run 6 kilometers on a treadmill at a 7 minute/km pace. She ran everyday except Sunday, only missed a day if she was sick or traveling somewhere without a treadmill, and never changed her distance or pace. I wanted to be impressed, but one thing didn’t make sense to me -- why was she ONLY running on a treadmill? As an avid runner myself, I know part of what makes running great is the outdoors, the different terrain, and of course running with other people. Treadmills don’t offer any of those benefits. Then one day she told us that she used to be much larger, and that nothing had helped her lose weight except the treadmill. Even worse, for the last year or so her weight had slowly been creeping back up. She was convinced that the treadmill was the reason she lost weight 3 years ago and thought it would work for the rest of her life. She believed it with all her heart, and she refused to change any aspect of her routine. That kind of mental programming is known as an ‘Anchor problem’ - and it’s a common cognitive lie that happens to all of us. Anytime you try to change a behavior - sleep, diet, exercise, etc. - you will run into a cognitive ‘anchor.’ An ‘anchor’ is a requirement/ideal that you tell yourself must be in-place for you to succeed. For example, if I wanted to start cooking my own Chinese food, I might tell myself I need a good wok for stir-frying. So I look for a wok online but don’t like any of the options I see. Every day I don’t buy a wok, I don’t cook Chinese food. So what is the problem? Nobody sells a good wok! Of course… or not. The problem is that I decided one specific thing must happen before anything else - and that decision is the real block. Not the wok. If you’ve ever cooked with a wok you know that the best woks are thin, cheap, and light anyway! Only amateur cooks worry about a ‘nice wok’ - real Asian cooks know that cheap woks cook faster and hotter! Anchor problems happen when you put an unnecessary requirement in your own path to success - like my friend and her treadmill or our new cook and their wok. If you want to lose weight, use every means possible! If you want to learn how to cook Chinese food, grab any pot you can reach! If you want to start writing, playing music, or hiking, taking ACTION FIRST is the best way to start reprogramming your mind fast. Be ready for your mind to create anchors that hold you back this year. And then cut the line and keep sailing! Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. - [CIA gives you the absolute best mental and physical edge in the world. Unleash our potential with proven skills that give you control over the world around you!]( Follow @EverydaySpy on Social Media! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043