Have you ever noticed that some people tend to run the same behavior patterns over and over, regardless of the situation they are in?

There are three types of behavior patterns that people tend to habitually run. The three patterns Tony Robbins calls the "the triad." Change any one of the three, and you will see a big difference. Change all three....and your life will never be the same!

The first of the behavior patterns I would like to discuss is the pattern of focus. We have all seen that people have a tendency to either see a glass as half full or half empty.

I have heard it said that whatever you focus on you feel. Whatever you feel is real. Therefore...your realty or I should say more correctly....your perception of realty is controlled by what you focus on. If you could control or change your focus... you could control or change how you feel at any given moment.

So...what controls or determines what you focus on?

What causes us to look at one half of the glass versus the other? What causes some people to habitually look for the good in a situation, and others to just seem to notice what is less than perfect? What specifically do you or I do that directs our attention in one way or another?

I'll give you the answer in a moment, but before I do...I have another question for you. How powerful would it be if you could have a tool to consciously re-direct your focus at any given moment in such a way that it would allow you to see the good or opportunity in almost any situation?

Now...I am not talking about just going around thinking everything is hunky dory when your house is on fire. If the house is on fire...you need to put out the fire or you are going to lose your house!

But I believe that in every adversity lies the seed of equal or greater benefit. You just need to be able to train yourself to look for and spot these opportunities.

So what specifically do we do to direct our attention or focus in any given situation? The answer has to do with the questions we ask ourselves on a regular basis. We have the ultimate computer between our ears...a computer that will give us answers to just about any question we might ask. However, if you ask a lousy question and you going to get a lousy answer.

When things don't seem to be going your way, and you ask yourself a question like "why can't I seem to get ahead?"

Your brain is going to search for an answer and probably come up with something that sounds like this...

Because you're a loser!

Because you're too young or you're too old, or because you're a woman because you're a man, or because you're black or because you're white or some other B.S. answer that is leading you nowhere good.

Ask a better question like, "What can I do different that would increase my chances for success?"

Or

"What lesson can I learn from what I am going through that would help me increase sales?"

If you ask a better question and you will get a better answer. Sounds easy...but if it is easy to do...it is easy not to do!

You have to consciously practice this in order to avoid falling into the same patterns you have been running for years. If you are looking for a different result you are going to need to do something different!

Can you see how changing the type of question we ask ourselves changes that part of the glass we focus on? And by changing our focus we can change how we feel? We all know that what we feel is real (for us).

Therefore...you can change your entire perception of your situation (and therefore your world) just by changing or improving the quality of the question you ask yourself on a regular basis.

Next week we will discuss the second behavior pattern that people tend to run and that will give you the power to put yourself in a powerful or "peak state" at a moment's notice.