MODIFY YOUR TIMELINE FOR MAXIMUM RESOURCEFULNESS
When as a child, you first constructed your perception of time, your
mind may have accepted the first representation that came to it;
perhaps it has not made any modifications since. It is also likely that
you didn’t design your internal representation of time to make you
as effective as possible.
One client saw her past and the future as the same line, which
explained why the changes she wanted had been impossible. An-
other person saw a gap between himself and the beginning of his
future. Changing this internal perception eliminated habitual pro-
crastination. Now experiment with possible alternative ways for
your mind to represent time.EMPOWERYOURPERCEPTION OFTIME
By now you are probably enjoying the benefits of doing the ex-
ercises as you read. Relax for a moment and imagine your past,
stretching back away from you. What direction does it go in?
Perhaps it is front of you or behind you; perhaps it goes off at an angle to
one side; perhaps it is slanted slightly up or down. However, you see it is152 Your Mind Is Not a Democracy
FIGURE 8.5 Timeline Examples