Physiology and Psychology of Excellence
To achieve our desired results, we must run our minds and bodies
in a peak state. If you are depressed or lethargic, you will not
achieve your goals unless, of course, your goals are minuscule. Your
goals should be big and worth pursuing. Since your goals are big,
you must be in a peak mental and physical state in order to produce
the desired results.
Thomas Edison was a person who knew and used the five princi-
ples for achieving success. Known as the Wizard of Menlo Park, he
set the record with 1,300 patents registered in his name. He was an
entrepreneur. While in his 20s, he set up a laboratory employing 50
engineers. His best-known inventions include the phonograph, an
automatic telegraphy machine, the stock ticker machine, the kine-
toscope motion picture machine, and the incandescent light bulb,
all of which owed their success to his work in the storage and trans-
fer of electricity.
The invention of the light bulb was definitely Edison’s greatest
achievement. It also had the most obstacles to overcome. Edison
made over 10,000 attempts to invent the light bulb before he suc-
ceeded. Can you imagine doing anything over 10,000 times to pro-
duce the desired result? Most people would have given up long
before, but not Edison. After Edison completed his 9,999th attempt
to invent the light bulb, a reporter asked him if he was going to try
again and possibly fail a 10,000th time. Edison replied, “Son, I have
not failed. I have figured out 9,999 ways not to invent the light
bulb.” He used his failures as feedback to learn from. He used laser-
sharp focus and was always positive.
Edison was very clear on the outcomes he wanted to achieve.
He took constant massive action to achieve his outcomes; other-
wise he never would have won 1,300 patents and changed the
world. Edison had great sensory acuity, always observing what his
results were. No matter what they were, he recorded them in his
journal for future use. Then he used his behavioral flexibility to
make the changes necessary. He kept changing until he achieved
the outcome he desired. And last, he operated from a physiology
and psychology of excellence. If he didn’t, he would have given
up long before he ever achieved his greatest success, the light
bulb. Imagine what life would be like had he given up. How dif-
ferent would your world be if you use these principles as Thomas
Edison did?42 The Emotional Dynamics of Change