by associating with like-minded individuals who drain your energy
and complain to you about their plight.
Use the words “always” and “never” frequently in your conversa-
tion and in your own internal dialogue.CONSIDER IT PERMANENT
Make all of this permanent by thinking it will never change—or by
thinking you are too old to change or you will change after you
have more education, a better job, get married, get divorced, have
children, move to California, or the children grow up. In your rela-
tionships, refuse to give other people what you know they want until
you get what you want from them.
These three p’s are an excellent strategy to follow ifyou want
to become broke, depressed, and upset. Surely all of us engage in
the three p’s some of the time. Now that you understand the p’s
you can catch yourself engaging in these behaviors more quickly
than before.Learning More Effectively—The Optimal Learning State
Being a good learner is far more valuable than being a good stu-
dent. A good student can repeat back on the exam paper what he
or she has been taught. A good learner applies lessons in life for
maximum benefit. Become the best learner possible before going
any further.
The Optimal Learning State increases your awareness of every-
thing that is going on around you while you are learning. This very
useful strategy takes advantage of the photographic memory that
you may not realize you have. The Optimal Learning State uses
both the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. Learning oc-
curs when new information enters the mind through our five
senses. Then we contrast and compare the new information to in-
formation already stored in the unconscious mind and add the new
information. Optimizing your learning state increases the access
that your conscious mind has to your unconscious mind. Doing this
produces two highly valuable results:- Your retention is greatly increased.
- Your mind naturally absorbs more because your senses are
keener.
The conscious mind is the part of your mind that reasons and
thinks logically. The unconscious mind is where everything is stored
36 The Emotional Dynamics of Change