The Resource Triangle (Part 1)

We’re now moving into creating a valuable new habit involving some really hot sorting principles for dealing with situations as they come up.

You see, as you begin to focus on becoming aware of what you are doing, you then have to start applying a different set of filtering principles to find what you are looking for.

We want a more resilient, self-reliant, happier and opportunity filled life experience than before.

One where we can go to a place of inner strength and deal with problems, challenges, or obstacles as they arise.

If you’ve heard about the resource triangle before, hang on…

If you haven’t made it a habit of using as a search function within your range of mental hacks – then although you’ve heard about it; you don’t know it yet.

We have to get it working in your mind as a habit, and this doesn’t happen just by hearing about it.

The Resource Triangle is a minimum set of mental strategies that need to function if you want a goal, objective or task to be immediately made actionable.

If any one of the three corners or angles of the Resource Triangle is missing or deficient; you will not be able to take immediate action.

Almost all of the issues and challenges we face with getting going, developing momentum and persisting to the end can be resolved by what you discover using the Resource triangle.

It is a power tool for coaches and counselors but it becomes a SUPER SELF-MIND HACK when you get it to work automatically in your own life.

It’s like automatically being able to debug your own system when you get stuck.

It’s how to get back up when you are knocked down. It’s like a microscope to zero in on the details missing from your thinking and goal planning.

Today, we are going to work on the top angle or corner of the Resource Triangle.

We will look at whether you have sufficiently thought through what you want to generate mental, emotional and physical energy to get going and take action.

Here’s the deal:

If you have thought through what you want in sufficient detail… with the achievement or result of what you say you want to accomplish being clear; clear enough to generate a sense of desire, repulsion, or fear strong enough to feel the emotions… then you have fulfilled the requirement for motive force in the Resource Triangle.

The Motivation angle of the Resource Triangle asks the question:

“Is there sufficient desire for…, or fear of…, to generate immediate action?”

If the answer is ‘no’; then you need to expand thinking about the results to include additional scope and depth.

If the answer is ‘yes’; then… you’re ready to move ahead.

Without strong enough emotional connection with your thoughts on results, there is nothing for the brain to use as a trigger for further activity.

An intellectual “understanding” of the importance of doing something has NOTHING to do with whether a specific person will act on that understanding unless the personal payoffs or risk avoidance are strong enough and clear enough to that person and WITHIN their map or model of the world. You can’t push your feelings of motivation into someone else and have them work. That’s why trying to make other people feel things the way we do does not lead to change. Think of the struggles between parents and teenagers, managers and staff, governments and citizens, etc.

The first resource to acquire, and polish, and make vivid in your mind is the ability to create an emotional connection in your mind to the powerful, meaningful impact in your life, of the desired results. This means feeling how it will affect other areas in your life, people, future events, etc. – the impact on other contexts.

Notice what happens as Mark expands his goal statement to include the effects of achieving his goal in other areas of his life:

1. “I want to finish this report tonight.”
2. “I want to finish this report tonight so that I can hand it in tomorrow morning and have it out of the way.”
3. “I want to finish this report before 6:00 pm so that I can have an enjoyable evening, and I can hand it in tomorrow morning with my day clear.”
4. “I want to finish this report before 6:00 pm so that I can enjoy a lovely evening with my wife, and then hand it in tomorrow morning with my day clear.”
5. “I want to finish this report before 6:00 pm so that I can romance my lovely Mrs. this evening, whisk her off to the bedroom and…and then…. and then hand in my report to my boss tomorrow morning with the biggest smile on my face that will leave him wondering, and I will then be able to enjoy a nice clear day.”

Get it? It makes a difference when you put things into context.

Do you think it changed Mark’s state while working on the report?

You bet it did.

Do you think he got it done by 6:00 pm? It was 5:30 pm actually.

In #1 – it’s just an item on a list. By #5 the task is a hurdle to be leaped over in pursuit of… um… further goals and outcomes.

It works the same for things we want to avoid, except we build the images of negative impacts and less enjoyable futures.

Do this:

1. Take three action-oriented goals and write down the result you want to create or achieve.
2. Re-read what you wrote. Think about how the goal or result will impact other areas and people in your life. Rewrite the statement into something better and more comprehensive.
3. Repeat steps 1. & 2. as many times as necessary (“loop” the questions) UNTIL you not only feel very good about TAKING THE NEXT STEP RIGHT NOW (and then take it), or you feel that the consequences of not taking the action are just not acceptable to deal with RIGHT NOW (and take the appropriate actions).

This is such a crucial skill to develop and use – too many good people get hung up not knowing how swiftly to increase the intensity of their feelings of desire for or repulsion to so that they can get moving quickly.

It’s a useful strategy, and it needs to be used over and over again for your brain to understand what it is you want, habituate to it, smooth it out and then streamline it.

This is one of those “learn one; master many” patterns. Do this, and many areas of your life will improve.