You Get More of What You Focus On | ActionCOACH Action Brief

The One Principle

Success and happiness are not accidents. They are created by certain ways of thinking and acting. At school we were taught what to think. The real leverage comes from learning how to think.

Start With Your Own Movie

Before you read another word about how this works, capture what you are running right now. You cannot recode a movie you have not named.

The situation

Something coming up that you are dreading, avoiding, or quietly expecting to go badly. A conversation, a pitch, a decision.

The movie you are running

Play it honestly. What do you see happening? What are you saying to yourself as it plays?

The Performance Equation

Everything you achieve is a result of your behaviours. Your behaviours are driven by your state. Your state is created by the pictures and sounds inside your mind — and your physiology. Click each step to explore.

Pictures & Sounds

Internal movies

→

Physiology

Body posture

→

State

Mind & body

→

Behaviours

Actions taken

→

Results

Outcomes

Pictures & Sounds

All day long, we are running movies inside our heads and narrating them with an internal dialogue. When someone invites you to a party, you instantly make a picture — you standing awkwardly in the kitchen, or you laughing with new people. That split-second movie determines whether you say yes or no.

The same principle applies to business decisions, sales calls, presentations and every interaction. The movie you run determines the state you enter, which determines how you show up.

Physiology

If you are tense in your body, it affects the thoughts in your head. After a massage, your mind feels calm because your body is calm. Nobody who is depressed walks in with their shoulders back and head high — depression has a physiology: looking down, slouching, shallow breathing.

Harvard research into "power postures" showed that holding certain postures for 30 seconds measurably changes neurophysiological state — and people who used them before interviews achieved significantly better outcomes.

State

State is the bridge between your internal world and your external results. Motivation, confidence, optimism, creativity — or apathy, fear, stress. These are all neurophysiological states created by the pictures, sounds and postures you are running.

The only way to feel good or bad is to either remember something good or bad, or to imagine something good or bad. That is it. You are always in control of the input.

Behaviours

Your behaviours are simply the things you do — or do not do — in the world. They are not random. They are the direct output of the state you are in when the moment of action arrives. A confident state produces different behaviour from a fearful one, even in the identical situation.

Results

Everything from boiling an egg to closing a six-figure deal comes down to behaviours. Change the movies, change the physiology, change the state, change the behaviours — and you change the results. The chain is sequential and each link is within your control.

Recoding in Action

The same external event produces completely different outcomes depending on the internal movie. Here are two real examples of how recoding transforms results.

✗ Fear Movie

"I imagine getting to the airport and I say, this is going to be bad. Then the door closes and I say, I cannot get out. Then I imagine the plane crashing in flames."

✓ Confidence Movie

"I think, I can sit back and relax. I can watch a film, eat a meal, think about where I am going. Different pictures, different sounds, different state, different behaviour."

✗ Avoidance Movie

"I imagine standing at this party in the kitchen, feeling awkward, not knowing anyone. I say to myself, not too sure about this. Result: I decline the invitation."

✓ Opportunity Movie

"I imagine meeting people, laughing, making connections. I say, this could be great. Result: I say yes and show up with energy."

"You cannot process the negation. If I say ‘do not think of elephants,’ you have to think of them first. Very often people focus on everything they do not want — and they are so good at it, they make it happen."

Now recode yours

You named the movie at the top of this page. Rewrite it the way the confidence versions above are written — different pictures, different internal dialogue, same situation. Write what you want to happen, not what you want to avoid.

The Physiology Shortcuts

Three evidence-based postures that alter your neurophysiological state in under 30 seconds. Use them before presentations, meetings or difficult conversations.

⚛

The Commander

Hands on hips, feet shoulder-width apart, chin level. Hold for 30 seconds. Signals authority to your nervous system.

▲

The Victor

Arms raised overhead in a V shape. Hold for 30 seconds. Triggers an immediate shift in confidence chemistry.

☆

The Anchor

Hands clasped behind head, elbows wide, leaning back. Hold for 30 seconds. Signals relaxed dominance and calm control.

Best used in private — before you walk into the room, not during the meeting.

Mental Rehearsal

Athletes rehearse success by running detailed internal movies of themselves performing at their best. As a business leader, you can use the same technique to programme your mind for the outcomes you want.

1. Watch the Movie

Imagine a more successful version of yourself. Watch a movie of you handling challenges, giving presentations, closing deals. Make the picture big, bright and vivid. Watch yourself looking healthy, confident, in control.

2. Step Into You

When the movie looks right, float over and into that more successful you. See through your own eyes. Hear through your own ears. Feel the feelings of confidence, calm and clarity. Run the movie again from the inside.

3. Rehearse the Obstacles

Imagine things that could go wrong — but see yourself handling them with composure. You forget what you are saying in a presentation but carry on. A client pushes back and you respond with clarity. Build resilience into the rehearsal.

4. Repeat Daily

The more you rehearse it, the more you reinforce it at an unconscious level. Start the day with mental rehearsal and it will affect everything that follows. Practice makes the internal movies automatic.

Set Your Direction

Imagine it has been an extraordinary year. Your health, relationships, career, finances and happiness are all thriving. Now back-engineer it — what must have happened at each stage? Use the timeline below to map it out.

12

12 Months From Now

The Vision

9

9 Months From Now

What Must Have Happened?

6

6 Months From Now

What Must Have Happened?

3

3 Months From Now

What Must Have Happened?

★

Right Now

Your First Move

Live by Values, Not Just Goals

Goals can frustrate when timelines slip. Values give you a daily scorecard. If you can tick the box each day — "Was I healthy? Was I creative? Did I make a difference?" — your life is rich, regardless of external circumstances. Select the values that matter most to you.

Health

Creativity

Family

Loyalty

Freedom

Growth

Adventure

Impact

Integrity

Recognition

Security

Connection

Learning

Service

Excellence

Joy

A rich life is one where you are living in alignment with the things that matter most to you. Rich is more than just money.

Geoff Fox

ActionCOACH Business Coach

Geoff works with business owners who are ready to stop running on autopilot and start programming their minds — and their businesses — for the results they actually want.

You’ll also get a fillable PDF worksheet — a companion to this brief — to turn what you’ve worked out into a plan you can act on.

Prefer to talk it through? Book a call →

fox.actioncoach.co.uk

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