By Michael Walsh
As an entrepreneur, do you ever go through high stress levels? Ok, not you, no way, never, uh uh, life is grand, no problems, no worries, no concerns.
For the rest of us who do encounter stress, then you may appreciate a tool that is designed to reduce your stress levels and allow you to gain more control of your faculties, generating more productive results. All this, despite whatever stresses you may face.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor (that’s my Dad’s job, and I don’t want it). I am not a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. I am merely an entrepreneur who notices stuff. When I notice stuff, I often research it. Then I make my own impressions and add my own interpretations into the mix. If you encounter stress at other than the "normal" levels (whatever that is) you might want to discuss it with someone more qualified than me.
What you are about to read is not some "universal truth" (though I will probably write it as if it is). Actually, that is rather unfortunate. Think what I could charge for this if it WERE some "universal truth". Oh well. On with our story.
Stress
So what happens when a stress suddenly enters our system? A number of things. We sometimes get a surge of adrenaline and nor-adrenaline, often known as "fight or flight" syndrome. This is where the body releases chemicals (namely adrenaline and nor-adrenaline) into your system to slow down the blood flow to less immediate areas of the body in order to divert blood and energy to large muscle groups. This allows us to either fight or flee as the case may be, with the additional energy available to support us.
This is quite a useful survival mechanism if you think about it. After all, it has only been about 35,000 years ago when we "dropped from the trees" in our evolutionary quest (for those who believe in evolution). The more energy you could divert to your legs when it was time to run, the better your chances of eluding those that might add you to their menu on the food chain.
Other responses to stress include fear, anger, anxiety and aboulia. For those of you who do not know, aboulia is a condition which occurs when you have chronic indecision by making decisions about everything else than that over which you need to make a decision. In other words, doing other stuff to avoid something. Ever notice how clean the garage, the basement, and maybe even your desk get when it’s time to do your taxes? Everything gets done except the taxes. That’s aboulia.
ORJI: Observation, Reaction, Judgment, Intervention
When stress hits us, we tend to react. Then we immediately jump into an intervention. 99.997% of all non-life threatened, reaction-based interventions are inappropriate and dysfunctional. The other 0.003% are coincidence. (Did you know that 44% of all statistics are made up?)
Have you ever seen someone get cut off in traffic, and then start passing back unpleasant hand gestures? For a while in Los Angeles, they were just as likely to shoot you. Now that is clearly a case of reaction-based intervention!
What if you could stay in "observation" long enough to work past your reactions? That way, instead of intervening in an inappropriate manner, you could make further judgments that lead to more productive outcomes.
Staying in Observation (or staying in "O" as we like to call it) is easier to say than to do. Yet by slowing down, and not jumping in, the results are often quite remarkable. When there is anxiety in a sales situation, often people over-talk in a nervous reaction to an objection they are surprised by. What might happen if you were to stay in "O" and get some additional information? Stopping yourself from over-talking as a reactionary response to an issue is almost always the preferred route to take. How do you get into (and stay into) "O"?
Safety Tip: Getting into, and Staying in "O"
One of the best ways we have found to get into "observation" mode is to ask yourself a question. Now there are effective questions and there are ineffective questions. Your sub-conscious brain does not know the difference. If you asked yourself, "Why am I so stupid?", your brain would actually get to work on this issue. "Maybe you fell down the stairs as a child" it might speculate.
WITPO and WITCO
However, if you ask yourself a productive question, such as "What is the purpose of . . ." (or WITPO for short) or "What is the Cause / Cost / Consequence of . . ." (WITCO), then your brain would get to work in a far more productive manner.
By asking yourself a question (preferably a "What" or a "How" type question rather than a "Why" type question), you slow down long enough to move past the initial reaction, thereby increasing the likelihood of a productive response.
As an exercise to practice this tool, notice over the course of the next week, other people who react to stressful situations. It is generally easier to see it in others first. Notice who moves into a reaction-based intervention, and who stays in "O".
The more awareness you can generate with this tool, the more effective you will be as an entrepreneur, and the more enjoyment you will gain in life.
