Mitch Matthews speaking at TEDx
Recently… I had the honor of speaking at the TEDx event in Iowa City, Iowa.
If you’re not familiar with TED… you need to be. Basically, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conferences are designed for the express purpose of sharing of big ideas.
So yeah, I was wildly excited and honored to be a part of this.
What did I speak on?
Well… I had 9 minutes to talk about a phenomenon that I’ve seen occur over the years I’ve spent training… speaking and coaching. It’s something that gets in the way of implementing BIG ideas and goals.
More accurately… it’s also something I’ve experienced personally… when I’ve been on the receiving end of great ideas that I wanted to implement… but didn’t.
The phenomenon is what I call the “Intellectual Immune System.”
Fancy phrase. Simple concept.
Here it is… I believe that our intellect has a immune system… much like our body’s immune system. Now, it doesn’t work the same way… bio-medically, but it does work the same way metaphorically.
The short version of the story is that our body’s immune system is designed to attack things that come from outside it. That’s good when we’re talking about flu bugs and viruses. That’s bad when we’re talking about a much-needed valve or organ transplant. Right?
Well… I believe our intellect has a similar system that rejects ideas that come from outside of us. That’s good when we are teens and one of our friends comes up with one of those crazy ideas… but it’s bad when our intellectual immune system rejects concepts… strategies… or solutions that we actually need.
Don’t just take my word on this. Test this concept with me.
Have you… in the last few years… read a book on 5 principles or 3 strategies… and you thought…
“WOW! This is exactly what I needed! I’m so doing this!”
Or maybe you attended a program and you wondered if the speaker had a video camera in your office at work because they seemed to know your world so well. Then… when they rolled out their suggestions or solutions… you said to yourself…
“This is the answer I’ve been looking for! I’m so doing this!”
But then… whether it was 2 days or 2 weeks later… you couldn’t remember what the 2nd, 3rd and 4th principles were… OR… you couldn’t remember exactly what that speaker had suggested after all.
Sound familiar?
Have you experienced this?
I bet you have. I sure know I have.
And I can tell you that your current and/or future life coaching clients have too!
Well… that was your Intellectual Immune System kicking in. Rejecting those ideas because they came from outside you.
BUT… the good news is… there is a solution.
And the solution… ownership.
That’s right!
Ownership.
See… when you “own” something… it comes from you. As a result… your Intellectual Immune System doesn’t kick in because the answers are coming from you… instead of outside you.
So how do you get to OWNERSHIP?
More importantly… how do you help your life coaching clients get to OWNERSHIP?
Well… you ask them questions to help promote ownership.
For example… you can ask questions like…
- How can I own this concept?
- How can I adapt this solution to better fit me?
- How could I experiment with this strategy over the next 2 weeks to make it work in my world?
These types of questions promote that sense of ownership. They help your coaching allies (our word for clients) to give themselves permission to get started… and implement their big ideas… or modify someone else’s idea to fit their word.
And… that’s what helps to get big ideas… done.
In our training… we go in depth on how to overcome the Intellectual Immune System for yourself… and your coaching allies (our word for clients). Plus, we’ll be sharing more on this idea in the weeks to come. So stay tuned.
By the way, what question might you use to overcome your own Intellectual Immune System… or help your allies to do the same? Click comments and let us know!
Oh and keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,
Mitch
Click here to find out more about IGNITE!
PS – I talk about the Intellectual Immune System a little in my book… IGNITE. So… you can always check out there too.
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Wonderful info in simple to understand language. Every Entrepreneur should take these lessons. Somehow, we all know this info inside, but put off putting it into action. This makes me want to take it out of my unconcious closet & put it to work. If you are a sub -concious coach, who knows it, put it to work. We are on this planet to put people first. It’s what makes great sales people & what makes a perfect coach
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