When people take action, they are mostly driven by three triggers:
- A strong inner desire to do something
- Tension resulting from external pressure
- Fear
When you understand these three triggers, you can use them to affect your own as well as other people’s actions.
A word of caution: Be careful in how you use these triggers to influence others’ actions. An action trigger that creates a positive behavior transformation is good. But if the trigger is deployed for selfish and negative motives, it’s iniquity. Don’t use the action triggers to do something you wouldn’t be proud of.
Imagine a salesman selling home insurance. Why does he build conversations with people that increase their desire, tension, and/or fear?
Now imagine your manager and/or your organization. Why are processes and systems set up so that tension and sometimes fear are triggered in the employee’s mind?
Being mindful of the core emotions that trigger our actions is useful in three ways:
- To manipulate ourselves into action
- To maneuver others into action, and
- To look at manipulations around us and avoid unnecessary action.
If we acknowledge and learn to use these triggers on ourselves, important changes can occur. We can put simple processes and systems in and around us that produce any of the three triggers, and in turn spur ourselves to action.
What’s more, we can also build mental narratives that help us stay away from unnecessary actions, actions that arise from false triggers created by the people and environment around us.
The need to stay away from distractions and unnecessary actions is as equally important as making decisions, staying focused, and carrying out the required actions.
Understand and make the right use of your—and others’—action triggers!