Pretend you’re being watched.
There was once a study to find out if the color of an office effected the productivity of those in the office. The workers were told and agreed to participate.
The room was painted blue and productivity actually increased. It was then painted red and productivity increased again. It was next painted yellow and productivity increased yet again. Each time the paint was changed, productivity increased.
Their conclusion? Color was not what effected productivity. It was the fact that they were being watched.
We perform better when we think someone is watching. So, as you go through your day imagine you’re being watched. What if a productivity expert observed how you spend your work time, how would it change? What if a customer service expert watched all your interactions with customers? What if a parenting coach could see how you are with your kids? How well would you wash your hands or brush your teeth if a personal hygiene expert was observing you? What if a marriage counselor saw how you speak to and interact with your spouse? What would that expert applaud, and what he/she correct?
True story, when I was about 14 I was standing on the high dive of our public pool. A girl I had a crush on walked by. Well, this time, instead of just running and jumping, I tried a full diver’s approach, a flip and… well, I belly-flopped. But the point is I tried much harder, I tried something new and I was much more brave… because I was being watched and the results mattered to me.
I actually do this now all the time. I wash my hands for the full 20-30 seconds, every angle as if someone were analyzing me. I try to imagine giving a full account of what I really said to my wife and how I said it, to a counselor. Am I kind? Am I respectful? Or am I being selfish or quick to judge?
It turns out we can improve in almost all areas of life by simply imagining we’re being observed by an expert, imagining what that expert would say, and adjusting our actions accordingly.
Now, if you REALLY want to take this to Virtuoso level, imagine that (or remember that) God knows your thoughts, positive and negative. God is watching and knows the old recordings you replay, the angers, the unexpressed feelings, the sentiments good and bad. What would God say about them? We have a control over what we think, that is clear. Why not adjust to what you know is right? It’s a lifelong challenge, but it’s also a practice that pays off immediately.
This is an awesome tool which has not just long term but immediate payoff.
This is how you make your ego work FOR you. Pretend you’re being watched and perform like it matters. Because… well, it does.
Peace,
Mike
I think what you posted made a bunch of sense.
But, consider this, suppose you wrote a catchier title?
I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but suppose you added a headline
to maybe get people’s attention? I mean Dance Like Nobody's Watching, But Live
Like You're Being Watched – MikeRayburn.com is
a little vanilla. You ought to glance at Yahoo’s home page and note how they create news titles to grab people interested.
You might add a related video or a related pic or two to grab people interested about what you’ve written.
In my opinion, it could bring your posts a little bit more interesting.
Thanks. I have some pretty provocative titles and this, the one to which you refer was written like two years ago. And, I honestly kinda like the title like it is, but I get and appreciate your point. My latest is “Write Bad Songs.”