In the previous post I introduced the technique of anchoring. This involved associating an iconic image of a personal hero with an inner trait you’re trying to access – such as determination.
The best part about this system is that you can find strength by being your own hero. In fact, it works just as well if not better if you are your own hero. Let’s take a look at how we can do that.
As you recall I use this image
Courtesy: National Hockey league
Of diabetic hockey player Bobby Clarke as a way to remind me that physical challenges can often be overcome through determination and perseverance. There’s also another image I sometimes conjure up that reminds me that I can win on our own terms, despite fierce competition, through teamwork and being true to myself.
Before I show it to you, let me give you some background. I graduated journalism school at a very bad time in Canadian broadcasting. A recession was full-on and the country’s public broadcaster had just shed about a third of it’s journalism jobs. For a while I worked as an editorial assistant in the biggest national newsroom in the country – fetching newspapers, changing leaky old printer cartridges and any other dirty and unseemly jobs that needed to be done. I was turned down for promotion time and again. It was a cutthroat atmosphere of competition and one that didn’t suit my own personality.
I left TV journalism a couple of years later, burnt-out and discouraged. After some years of freelance writing I eventually got a job writing at a small specialty TV network. The network didn’t have much money but they did value teamwork, respect for co-workers and an easy-going creative atmosphere. I stayed on there and moved up the ladder. Eventually I became head of the news department. The department was also small and underfunded considering the huge size of the country it served. However, it was also populated by a small but talented and unrecognized journalists and camera-people.
I was convinced our team was good, so I decided to do something bold. I would enter a couple of our news stories to a network television award panel. The stories we entered were done on a skeleton staff over a couple of days with no extra money. They were done like any of our other stories with a minimum of fuss on a tight deadline. The problem was that we were up against the biggest networks in Canada who had massive budgets and may spend weeks on their most important stories.
The winner was announced at a gala dinner in honor of the same famous broadcaster I used to fetch newspapers for. To add to the prestige, the person presenting the award was Adrienne Clarkson, a renowned journalist and former Governor General of Canada.
All the big names in Canadian Broadcasting were there – and they all wanted the award. When our little network was declared the winner there was an audible gasp in the crowd.
This image of reporter Shelley Steeves and I receiving the award symbolizes so many positive things for me, but I only have time to explain a few.
Shelley Steeves, Adrienne Clarkson, Jason Reid
This moment helped redefine my view of success. I had been a leader and a story editor on the award-winning stories, but the real hard work and talent came from Shelley and our camera-person/video editor Jeremy Chipper. I found my pride in winning the award came not from any personal accomplishment, but the fact I helped give two talented, like-able and under-rated journalists the recognition they deserve. To me this images symbolizes that:
- nice guys can finish first
- talent and creativity are more important than money and resources
- to be truly successful, you need to help others be successful too.
In the course of our lives, we can all come up with a scene or two of personal triumph. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic or as public as the one I have chosen. It can simply represent a time when you accomplished an important personal goal or overcame adversity.
When you need to summon your inner resources, access that image from your memory. Try to remember not only the sights, but the sounds and even the smells. The better you can remember your triumphs, the more resourceful the state you will be in to tackle your new challenges. Be own hero and you can become a hero to others.
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