What do you do when you want your computer to perform a task that is currently beyond its ability? We upgrade it, right? Sometimes it is a major system upgrade and sometimes it is just a matter of upgrading a single program. But one way or another we make some internal changes so it will perform better.
We all accept this concept; otherwise we wouldn’t be able to function online. In fact, we do this type of upgrading in many areas of life because technology moves forward and if we want to be a player we need to keep up.
The same principle applies to life
Anytime we raise the bar of expectations, in any area of our lives, we need an internal program upgrade. We can’t just stay the same and expect life to adapt to us. If we think that we can stubbornly stick to our old way of thinking, our old program, then we are imposing severe limits on our own personal growth.
If we want to accomplish something extraordinary the place to start is our internal programs and learned behaviors. The old ones got us where we are, and that’s what they were designed to do. But now we are ready to move on, to grow and expand our world. Before that can happen, we need to upgrade our operating systems.
Internal program upgrades
Emotions are one of the most powerful resources we have. When our heart desires something we will change whatever we need to in order to have it. That includes our learned behavior and our perception. We will find ways to overcome any obstacles and jump any hurdles that get in our way. That’s because once our heart gets involved we become emotionally supercharged.
Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself. If all it
does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying. ~Simone de Beauvoir
An internal program upgrade empowers us to make radical changes in our life and that’s why adjusting our programming on an emotional level needs to take place before we dive into some major, life altering pursuit.
Supercharge yourself
To accomplish extraordinary things, we need to find the passion required to change our thinking from “needing to” which is logical, to “wanting to” which is emotional. Logic is a great tool but it lacks the horsepower to change who we are on the deepest levels.
How many times have you tried to change yourself with logic?
How did things work out?
The point is, if we are not touched on an emotional level, we probably won’t be motivated to change. Our program will remain the same, and consequently, so will everything else in our life.
Embrace change and grow
At any point in life we all have a set of learned behaviors and response patterns that are based on experiences that have already happened. As valuable as these are to living our life the way it is right now, they are not necessarily advantageous to growth. If we just continue to rely on our old, learned behaviors and response patterns we will continue to produce the same old results and have the same old experiences.
Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as
deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be. ~Karen Ravn
Change is the driving force behind growth. In fact, the two are inseparable and real change always starts internally. You can’t have a meaningful adult relationship with a seven year old mentality and internal program anymore than you can have an exceptional life with a stuck in the past mentality and an outdated internal program.
Harness the power that lives inside you
The desire for growth motivates us to learn the skills that can facilitate that growth. Without the desire or passion to propel us forward we can’t sustain the needed motivation to make real progress.
Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid
only of standing still. ~Chinese Proverb
Growth is an inside job. We start by figuring out where we are and where we want to be. Once we identify the emotional anchors involved we can dismantle the ones that hold us back and harness the ones that can move us forward. That’s the true essence of an internal program upgrade.
Are you stuck or moving forward?
How do you feel about your current internal operating system?
The lines are open!
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Jonathan,
I LOVE the analogy of upgrading and especially this sentence: “Logic is a great tool but it lacks the horsepower to change who we are on the deepest levels.” Bravo!
I couldn’t agree more. Getting our emotions involved, really does supercharge us.
Hugs,
Melody
Dear Jonathan, I agree with Melody. That same line just JUMPED out at me and made me sit up and take notice. I LOVE it!!
…and this line: “…if we are not touched on an emotional level, we probably won’t be motivated to change. ” YES!! Absolutely.
I really relate to this post as I tend to be emotionally based, and am very comfortable being so. I thrive on it.
Powerful potent post!!
Hugs,
Robin
Thanks Melody and Robin, with such a powerful, motivating force at our disposal it seems like a natural move to learn how to harness it for positive change. Life is a much fuller experience when it includes passion and a sense of adventure.
Hi Jonathan,
You have hit the nail right on the head. Many people are still using “old ” habits & “old” belief systems that simply no longer apply. To Grow effectively we need to continually “upgrade”. I like how you have used this terminology to great effect. I see Life as continual renewal right up to the closing curtain call.
P.S I think I need to upgrade my mind RAM, tends to get a bit cluttered in here at times.
be good to yourself
David
I hear you on the RAM upgrade David, a good defrag wouldn’t hurt either. When our established beliefs and perceptions no longer serve us they become obsolete and hanging on to them will only hold us back.
I totally agree with the emotion being our drive for change…..I know for myself this is very true – love your analogies and keep up the great writing!
In living in the possibilities of life,
Nancy
Thanks Nancy, logic is a wonderful thing but combining it with passion gives us the leverage to accomplish amazing things.
Hello Jonathan,
I agree, so many people think when their circumstances change, their mindset will follow…..but that needs to be reversed to make any changes stick.
Kate
Nicely put Kate, all meaningful change starts internally and then becomes manifest as we take action accordingly.
Hi Jonathan,
I believe evolution is a fundamental force of nature, and applies to our own personal development. People in general have an innate desire to grow and evolve. Problem is many people have no clue as to what they want to evolve to, or how to do it. The starting point is self reflection – clarifying values and goals, then figuring out how to overcome the obstacles that will stand in the way of evolution.
Chris
Hi Chris, that about sums up the process alright. Being able to help others gain the clarity and learn the skills that allows them to do something remarkable with that innate desire to grow is one of the reasons I love coaching so much. That’s how real breakthroughs happen.
Great analogy! From time to time we need a program upgrade and sometimes even an update to a whole new program. I believe our internal programs running our life are based on our beliefs. If we change our beliefs, we can change our life. By changing our beliefs in the good way we can remove the unwanted emotional anchors and replace them by more useful ones.
At this moment in time, it is still new technology, but I can imagine a time in the near future that we could go to a belief doctor and ask for a program upgrade
Hi Marc, I happen to agree with everything you said, in fact I have built my work around it. The only exception is the new technology point. To the public at large perhaps, but for at least the last twenty years pioneers in the coaching industry have been helping others dismantle their limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering one. This process is actually the subject of my book TRUE SELF where I walk you through it step-by-step. Not surprisingly, a lot of coaches buy the book so they can use the information to help their clients.
If you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, identify and harmonize your deepest values to realize your most desired goals TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.
This is great! I have used the same term “upgrade” in almost the same way. I like to think of upgrading our homepage, or default setting, through developing habits and thought patterns that ground us in joy. I think this is an image that most everyone can understand and relate to. Great article!
Thanks Galen, thanks to computers and the internet the concept of upgrading is now a familiar reference in our practical experience. That makes it an appropriate and easy to use metaphor for our own internal systems.
Great quote by Karen. I think the depth of ones vision in life is as far as one can go. You have to see it to believe it. You have to see it before you can achieve it. You have to see in first in your mind FIRST before you can reach it. It starts with vision and removing limiting beliefs, start to having a different out look on life and start that NOW!
– KING AUTHOR
It’s easy to talk about removing limiting beliefs but in reality most people are not consciously aware that they even have such beliefs. First they need to be exposed and then walked through a dismantling process. It’s not a particularly difficult process, but it does require certain advanced life skills to do it correctly and with lasting results.
Reminds me of that quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” by Ben Franklin or Albert Einstein depending on who you ask. Anyway, very good post. It’s true that if we want things in our life to be taken to another level then we must first take ourselves to another level. To develop one’s life, one must first develop one’s self.
So true Matt, meaningful, positive change is an inside job followed by outward expressions (actions).
Hi Jonathan,
This is some really great stuff! I completely agree that without finding an emotional anchor, we really can’t affect any kind of serious change. I have found that releasing techniques like EFT and the Sedona Method help with this because they uncover the emotions that lay behind our behaviors and results. When we release or just become aware of them, something wakes up within us and then we have a motor within us that will drive us to change & grow.
Awesome post, with a really interesting perspective on things!
Have a great day:-)
Josip Barbaric
Hi Josip, I have some experience with the Sedona Method and The Release Technique (almost identical) and would agree with you completely. When we have a way to systematically let go of the negative emotional anchors that limit up, amazing things begin to happen seemingly without effort.
Jonathan,
I hope you are going to write more about emotional anchors! I found this fascinating: “The point is, if we are not touched on an emotional level, we probably won’t be motivated to change.”
I’m definitely going for an internal program update this summer. I have a 6 – week break and have big plans including an aimless week, a week working with my deceptive brain messages, and a week in meditation retreat. Can’t wait! Now, about those emotional anchors…
Hi Sandra, looks like you have linked learning what’s behind human behavior to a strong, positive emotional anchor (me too). And this emotional connection brings you a great deal of joy while also motivating you to continue the process. All of this creates a powerful positive neurological feedback loop that is self perpetuating in an upward spiral direction. How’s that?
When I first read this article Jonathan, I was reminded of the works of Steve Pavlina, and how he uses the analogy of upgrading ourselves, comparing ourselves to computers. Probably due to his background as a software designer!
Another thing to do with this comparison is removing the old programs that don’t work any more, or have since been replaced by newer, more efficient models. This is the way of “out with the old, in with the new”. What no longer serves us, we must refuse to avoid being cluttered, and to keep ourselves running smoothly and efficiently
Hi Stuart, this analogy could go on and on, that’s for sure. In light of your comment I started thinking about major program upgrades that uninstall the earlier version before they do the upgrade. Why? To avoid the unavoidable system conflicts that would result from the corrupting influence of the outdated program. Works for me!
Hi Jonathan,
Really enjoyed the post. Many left-brained dominated analytical thinkers (I plead guilty to being one) have to learn how to get out of our brains and into our hearts.
Riley
Hi Riley, being overly analytical can easily become a liability. One of my most popular articles of all time called Has your Analytical Mind Taken Over Your Life? talks about this very challenge. I thought you might enjoy reading it.
Hi Jonathan,
I completely agree. We tend to assume that big changes take long, but in fact there is no limit how much we can change within one instant, IF we are determined and fully aligned.
The challenge that I see is that we are creatures of habit, we seek familiarity and often we prefer the familiar suffering over the unknown well-being. What needs to happen to overcome these habits is a supreme clarity of purpose, goal and intent across all neurological levels (environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs/values, identity and purpose).
Thanks for a great, thought-provoking post,
Jonas
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