Learn how to use Visual Psychological Triggers in your environment to program your subconscious for greater success.
Not long ago I read a story about Arnold Palmer where early in his carer he had a table where he would inset the various medallions he won at the golf tournaments he played in.
But he also did something interesting – when he finished mounting the tournament medal he just won he would always carve out an empty circle for the next medallion.
This is an excellent example of using a Visual Psychological Trigger for self motivation.
How can you use VPT’s to your advantage?
There are many ways.
You can emulate Arnold Palmer by putting up a medal (or certificate or picture) each time you secure an A-List client.
Another example is to put yourself on a magazine cover.
I also read of a noted network marketer who “mocked-up” his picture on Success Magazine and in a little less than a year he was actually featured on that very same cover.
Here’s a site that can help you with your own magazine cover:
http://www.magmypic.com/
You can also do this with other meaningful pictures, trophies, plaques – really anything that will help trigger you in a positive way.
So take the time to set up your environment(s) with some VPT’s where you can subtly re-program your subconscious for greater success.
Notes: Make sure the VPT’s are in your normal path of site throughout your day. It does no good to put them in a back room which you never visit or see.
Also, to add prestige and importance you might want to mount, frame or create some type of display to your VPT.
Doug Farrick
Learn how to use Visual Psychological Triggers in your environment to program your subconscious for greater success.
Not long ago I read a story about Arnold Palmer where early in his carer he had a table where he would inset the various medallions he won at the golf tournaments he played in. But he also did something interesting – when he finished mounting the tournament medal he just won he would always carve out an empty circle for the next medallion.
This is an excellent example of using a Visual Psychological Trigger for self motivation.
How can you use VPT’s to your advantage? There are many ways.
You can emulate Arnold Palmer by putting up a medal (or certificate or picture) each time you secure an A-List client.
Another example is to put yourself on a magazine cover.
I also read of a noted network marketer who “mocked-up” his picture on Success Magazine and in a little less than a year he was actually featured on that very same cover.
Here’s a site that can help you with your own magazine cover:
You can also do this with other meaningful pictures, trophies, plaques – really anything that will help trigger you in a positive way.
So take the time to set up your environment(s) with some VPT’s where you can subtly re-program your subconscious for greater success.
Notes: Make sure the VPT’s are in your normal path of site throughout your day. It does no good to put them in a back room which you never visit or see. Also, to add prestige and importance you might want to mount, frame or create some type of display to your VPT.
An important part of any business is understanding and anticipating trends. What will be the next big digital trend? What are some of the latest design trends that can give you competitive advantage. Read the article to find out more and check out some resources you can you in your trend research.
“The Trend is Your Friend” is originally a phrase from the financial markets where you can SEE in graph form which way certain markets are trending. It makes trends very evident.
And a large part of any business (including design) is being aware of and anticipating trends in your particular marketplace.
Being aware of trends can really give your business competitive advantage by positioning your company (and yourself) in line with the trend and not against it.
As in the financial markets, the most important thing is not really to get in on the very beginning of trends (as that is just sheer timing) but to capture the “meat” of a market trending upwards.
For example, if you notice in your trend research that web designers are using Adobe Flex to develop and build apps it might be a good idea to schedule time to research and possibly implement it in your design business.
Here are a few resources that can help you in your trend research:
Million dollar ideas come to a lot of people — so why not YOU. The trick is, you need some type of system to capture these elusive “slippery fish.”
There was an article in Wired magazine titled, “Eureka.” It profiled a number of prominent people and where and when they received their breakthrough inspiration.
For example, J.K. Rowling received the idea for Harry Potter almost immediately on a stalled train on route from Manchester to London.
Authur Fry received the idea for sticky notes while singing in a church choir. And Reed Hastings came upon the idea for Netflix while upset over a late fee in his local video store.
The lesson here? You never know when inspiration might strike — so you need to be prepared to catch these often elusive and fleeting ideas.
One of my favorite (and I guess old fashioned) ways is to record notes in one of those moleskin notebooks. I like the fact they are fairly small, hard-bound and portable. I take it everywhere.
Other folks prefer to use a voice recorder which can capture your ideas quicker than writing.
Keep in mind, ideas do not often come fully formed. They often arrive in bits and fragments — so be sure to record them anyway. A key in this process is not to be too judgmental about your ideas. If you have one worth noting just write it down and forget about it.
Note: for those just starting: it’s a good idea to try to make notes at least 3-4 x per day. Even if you have nothing *seeemingly* noteworthy to jot down just put something down anyway.
The important thing is that it “programs” you into the HABIT of physically accessing your notebook and writing (or recording).
Who knows, your million dollar idea could happen TODAY while picking up the newspaper or a quick walk around the block.
So why not create a “Super Bowl-like” event for yourself or your firm?
Now an event can mean many things, like: a gathering, a parade, a book signing, a contest, a conference, a seminar, an awards presentation, or an online event among others.
For example, not long ago I held an Arbor Day event. I ordered a few hundred “trees in a tube” and gave them out on Arbor Day. it was a smashing success with nice publicity to boot.
There are a number of odd and unique holiday calendars
on that you can revolve an event around.
What about an event for “Thomas Crapper Day” or “Squirrel Awareness Month” or “Elvis Week” – the possibilities are endless.
Most importantly, these “events” do not just happen but take a good deal of planning so take the time to plan them correctly and put them on the calendar.
Suggestion:
Plan to do a number of these for your design firm. Perhaps try to do 1 per quarter.
These “events” can pack an amazing punch. Not only do you get new customers, new friends, publicity, good-will in your community, camaraderie with your design team, you will also have a boatload of fun.
Think about this: How often do you encourage your design staff or those that report to you? What about someone who sends you a portfolio link, or kind phone message or writes you a thoughtful note or email.
What do you do? Blow it off? Give it to someone else to do?
I found this little blurb a while back by Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group, who addresses these various questions:
“I turn people down with extreme difficulty sometimes, because the people I’m saying no to are people I don’t want to discourage. And it should be difficult. Saying no shouldn’t be an easy thing to do, and you have to be good at it.
I often used to dodge doing it myself, and hide behind other people and delegate it, but if you’re the boss, that isn’t the right thing to do.
I remember I was a 15 year old asking Vanessa Redgrave or James Baldwin for an interview, and the fact that they took the time to respond meant an enormous amount to me. It inspired me. So it’s extremely important to respond to people, and to give them encouragement if you’re a leader.
And if you’re actually turning people down, if you must say no, whether it’s for a job or a promotion or an idea they’re proposing to you, take the time to do it yourself.
I met two big San Francisco entrepreneurs recently, and they said they get e-mail like this too, but they just dump it all in the dustbin. They don’t try to answer at all. I asked them why, and they said, “The time we spend responding could be used to create something of value for our business.”
That may well be pragmatically right, but I still think it’s morally wrong, and I suspect that anything that is morally wrong is ultimately bad for business”
Take the time to inventory your current skill set at least every 6 months. Then make a plan to upgrade and/or learn new skills. Here’s a few suggestions to help.
What skill set do you currently have a designer or design manager? Are your skills up-to-date with the latest Adobe Creative Suite? Do you have skills with Flash and other multimedia applications? What about presentation skills?
In my opinion, you really need to be *constantly* updating (and upgrading) your skill set.
Best way to do this is to make a written list of all the skills you currently possess. Then make a list of the skills you would like to learn/improve in the next 6 months.
It could be learning/improving in any number of areas including: presentations, public speaking, persuasion, video, advanced Photoshop, CSS, mobile design or others.
I believe it is important to give yourself a time frame to complete. It really helps to focus and increases your motivation.
Most importantly do something TODAY to start moving in that direction. Whether it is calling a local college for a course schedule, ordering a book from Amazon.com, taking some online training modules from Lynda.com or something else. Movement is key.
I always like to think that you get somewhere in 6 months anyway so why not improve/learn along the way.
You’ll look back 6 months from now and be pleasantly surprised at the progress you’ve made.
I wanted to share a number of sites/products that might be worth looking into. They are in no particular order, just a scattering of things that have caught my attention.
ColorIris – http://www.cooliris.com/ – transforms your browser into a full-screen, 3D experience for photos and videos across the web. Media comes to life via a cinematic presentation that goes beyond the confines of the traditional browser window. Available for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari
Searchme – http://www.searchme.com/ – Searchme lets you SEE what your searching for in an iTunes-like panoramic view.As you start typing, categories appear that relate to your query. You’ll soon get addicted to this – promise.
Visuals of the World – http://www.visualsoftheworld.com/ – Want visual inspiration? well, then check out what they claim is the “longest inspirational website” If you are looking for visual ideas you should definitely check this out.
Book – http://tinyurl.com/6mxuow – Check out Dan Kennedy’s new book titled, No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Really Getting Rich (No B.S.) (Paperback) If you want some eye-opening no B.S. insights into the contemporary employer/employee relationships then this is mandatory reading.
DVD – Transformation: The Life and Legacy of Werner Erhard – http://tinyurl.com/6p5dwy – You may (or may not) have heard of Werner Erhard but he is really THE guy who helped launch the personal development (transformation) seminar business with his EST trainings. It is a truly riveting film of this dynamic and charismatic individual.
ConceptShare – http://www.conceptshare.com/ – ConceptShare is a simple, more effective way to manage feedback and review on creative content built for designers and their clients. I have used a number of times and have been quite impressed with it. Check it out.
280 Slides – http://280slides.com/ – Create beautiful presentations, access them from anywhere, and share them with the world. With 280 Slides, there’s no software to download and nothing to pay for – and when you’re done building your presentation you can share it any way you like.
