We recently had April Fools and it sparked my thinking about how our brains can play tricks on us.
One headline I read two days after April 1st was something about Vail Resorts banning the sale of alcohol at all of its 19 properties. My first reaction was, “Really! Hmm. I guess I could see why they might do that—I suppose it would make skiing safer.” I’m embarrassed to say it took me a minute or two to recognize that it was an April Fools headline. But pretty clever nonetheless.
Why would my brain fall for that?
- It was supposedly a news headline, but at second glance the news header said “Unofficial Networks.”
- I could see a good reason for it, meaning there was a possible safety factor behind it.
- I was skimming my phone, so not thoroughly paying attention.
But, my brain believed it, at least for a minute … cuz I found a good reason for it.
So what if we could coax our brains to believe something if even for a minute, that might help get us where we want to go in our career, life, or leadership?
If you were to write a news headline about YOURSELF that COULD possibly be true,
For example,
- Local leadership coach interviewed by Forbes, sharing secrets for equity and inclusion.
- Coach Jane Doe puts a fresh spin on retirement, launching new Second Half Career Coaching.
- Coaching guru sees clients land huge raises in their leadership trajectory.
- Motivational speaker Jax Dokes draws a crowd of 500 for secrets to getting unstuck.
- The business school career coaching team sees 100% placement for students just six weeks from graduation.
So go for it! Write your own headline. And give yourself a good reason why it could be true. See what happens!