Turns out that’s not quite true. In fact, people can change quite dramatically. Recently, I read about a psychological study on people in their 70’s. If any generic group would be set in their ways, surely it would be those people past retirement, yes? So this is what researchers did:
The year was 1979, but the researchers set up a house to look like it was 1959 – the décor, the radio, the tv, the shows playing on the radio and tv…everything was set to look and feel like 1959. Then, they put a group of 70-somethings into this home and told them to go and live for five days as if it were 1959 — as if they were whatever age they were in 1959. When you talk about your family, talk about them as they were in 1959. When you discuss politics, discuss the politics of 1959. Watch the shows and dance to the music of 1959…
And they did.
Now, when they entered the house, they were in varying levels of health. Some used canes and couldn’t carry their own bags; others had heart or vision issues or high blood pressure. The catch for these five days was that they were told they would receive no support from the facilitators. If they had canes and couldn’t carry their bags upstairs, they had to figure it out — carry one shirt at a time if you must, they were told. They just had to manage. For five days — just five days. Can you guess what happened?
Remarkable and measurable improvement was made with ALL residents! Some who entered with canes walked out on their own accord! There was physical and mental improvement for all residents, including improved vision and blood pressure, to name just two. IN JUST FIVE DAYS!!! Isn’t that amazing?!
The power our mind has over our body is truly boggling.
What this tells me is this: Any time someone tells you change is impossible, that your team, however dysfunctional, simply can’t get better, that they’re set in their ways —that is total crap. More accurately, that is a mindset. An acceptance of one’s current circumstance or surroundings. Choose to see yourself differently. Choose a shift in environment. Choose to actively recall a mindset when you were stronger, braver, more patient, wiser, and things WILL change. The power that we have with our mind to affect our health, our perspective, our engagement, our teams and every aspect of our life, is awe-inspiring. Change is, in fact, inevitable — you are constantly changing, for the better or worse. The only question is: which direction will you chose? What mindset do you want to lock in? Old? Or powerful?!
If you want to direct your own change, email me today to set up a free coaching session.
