Last summer I grabbed a stockpile of books to read on our annual
voyage to China. One of them, BLINK, was so good, I’ve been telling
people about it ever since.
Incidentally, the author, Malcolm Gladwell, is the same guy who wrote
THE TIPPING POINT – another national best-seller.
So this book, BLINK, confirmed some things that I have been telling
people for the past 10 years – and it opened my eyes on a number
of other issues.
One of the things it confirmed was how someone of a high skill level
in martial arts, music, painting, and so on, can look at someone or
something, and INSTANTLY assess the skill level or value. I have often
told people that I can look across the room, see two people practicing or
competing, and immediately know if they’re the real deal or not.
How do I know this? I can’t really explain. It’s just a guttural instinct that
comes after three plus decades in the trenches.
I also loved the book because of how it revealed the power of face reading.
In Chinese this is called Xiang Mian. I’ve looked into it for over a decade
and find it to be most fascinating – as well as highly accurate.
One of the biggest ‘a-ha’s’ I got from BLINK, however, was how they have
scientifically proven that those who take a long time to make a decision,
usually make a WORSE decision than if they go with the gut feeling they
have from the get-go.
Back in 1991, I was made aware of a guy named Dan Kennedy, a master
marketer, copywriter and business coach. I read one of his books and got
great value. Then I talked to someone else about him, and he blasted him,
telling me he was no good, etc. etc. The person who told me this, now, was
a close relative, i.e. family member, so I took his comments seriously. Dumb
move. Very very dumb. I should have gone with my gut; with my instincts.
In 2001, some 10 years later, I hooked up with Kennedy via one of his seminars –
and do you know something. Halfway through the first day of the event I was kicking
myself for NOT getting involved with him 10 years earlier. My business soared to
record heights from what I learned – and part of what I learned I applied to the
Internet, with huge results.
Two years later, Kennedy hooked me up with Psycho-Cybernetics, which he owned
the rights to. I tell the story about the influence that Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Psycho-
Cybernetics had on me at http://www.psycho-cybernetics.com/zrlcourse.html – be
sure to check it out.
My point is simple: When I make my decisions quickly, I’m almost always right, just
as written about in BLINK. When I hem and haw and think, think, think – I’m not really
thinking at all. I’m preparing myself for what will probably be a dumb decision.
The message is clear: Learn to trust your internal instincts. Learn to believe in that
initial gut reaction or feeling you have about something. Chances are better than not
that what you think in a BLINK will be the right answer.
Best,
P.S. My October seminar is going to be sold out very soon. Learn what
I know about doing real business online and offline and your life may
take off like a rocket. Go to http://www.knockoutmarketing.com and
enroll NOW.