Shortcut to Power

"Compelling reason will never convince blinding emotion." Richard Bach

Imagine if there was a simple and easy way to significantly enhance your ability to connect, convince, and inspire other human beings. Brain research shows something very interesting that can affect all of our lives. As psychologist Drew Westin advances in The Political Brain, by appealing to another’s emotions rather than their intellect, you are much more likely to trigger a response. For instance, think about the difference between a good movie and a great movie. A good movie engages your mind enough to keep you in the cinema for 2 hours. But a great movie makes you feel intense love, despair, anxiety, fear, hope. In much the same way, a human being that makes you think is an interesting human being. But a human being that makes you feel enough emotion to stand up and act, or keel over in laughter, or wipe the tears from your eyes…that is a truly powerful human being.

We all have the ability to be appeal to another’s emotions. But to really tap into that power, you want to first get in touch with your own emotions. Why? It feels good to be around a human being at peace with herself. We all know such a person who has come to grips with her emotions and tells it how it is. They are disarming and thus, much more likely to appeal to your heart and soul. Meanwhile, it doesn’t feel good to be around a human being stuck in inner turmoil. They make you feel stressed and uneasy and thus have little chance of intriguing your mind let alone touching your heart.

One who is emotionally aware is a force to be reckoned with. Here are some tips how to sort thru your emotions and become more powerful:

1. Rock out

Have you ever had the experience where you love a song and you play it for your friend who absolutely hates it? Why does that happen? Musical notes hook on to emotions and spin those emotions in patterns. If you have a lot of angry emotions, you are more likely to enjoy Ozzie Ozborne. If you have a lot of loving emotions, you are more likely to enjoy Bob Marley. Whatever emotions are prevalent in you, a great song can do for those emotions what a brush can do for your hair: sort out and create order. Tolstoy said, “Music is the shorthand of emotion.”


2. Sniff Around

David Borenstein said, “Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions.” In order to sense emotion, one must first quiet the monkey mind. There are many tried and true methods to quiet the mind. But there is one great shortcut. Scent is the only one of the five senses that bypasses your thinking brain and connects with your emotional brain. Think about it…when you smell something powerful, it has the ability to transport you to some childhood moment or teenage party. By infusing the home with a soothing scent, you create an atmosphere much more likely to evoke an emotional state that might otherwise be drowned out in thought.

3. Take an Interest

In the increasing pace of today’s world, we have less time to enjoy a conversation. On the rare occasion that you’re in the midst of a busy day and someone takes the time to really stop and ask how you’re doing, it feels so good. In such a moment, you remember there’s something more important in life than powering thru the day. As Maya Angelou said, “People never remember what you say and they never remember what you do. But they always remember how you make them feel.” Try it. When you're at the coffee shop making your order, ask the person at the register how they're doing and really listen to their response. You might just provide the brightest moment in their day. If providing a highlight to another's day is not TRUE POWER, I say smoke another banana peel.

• The Long Road Eddie Vedder & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
• Fast Car Wyclef Jean
• Roots, Rock, Reggae Bob Marley
• Million Voices Wyclef Jean
• Hope Jack Johnson
• Loser Beck
• Have a Cigar Pink Floyd
• Is There A Ghost Band Of Horses
• Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead
• Fast Enough for You Phish
• No One's Gonna Love You Band Of Horses
• Sleep Through the Static Jack Johnson
• Shape of my Heart Sting
• Just Like a Woman Bob Dylan