instructor Hood's Key Ideas from Lift Your Impact: Transform Your Mindset, Influence, and Future to Elevate Your Work, Team, and Life
by Richard Newman

To define your core values, start with what you want and work backward to discover why you want it. For example, if you want to earn more money, is it because you want to support your family or travel the world? If the former, you may value security; if the latter, freedom. In either case, write down why that value matters to you and how it has shaped your life.

Apply the same process to arrive at three core values. 

Then, use code words to turbocharge their impact.

Code words anchor your mind in your core values. 

After clarifying your core values, craft a vision story that engages your survival, emotional and logical mind. Start with what’s happening now. What makes you happy or sad? What events led to where you are now? What do you hope for in the future? 

1. Define your character – Write down a list of “I am” statements that describe how you see yourself. 
2. Understand your current challenges – Focus on your daily life and write down your current challenges. How do they affect you?
3. Identify your North Star – Craft a clear vision, derived from your core values, that guides your daily decisions.
4. Map out your journey – With your North Star fixed, write down three areas you need to work on to reach it.
5. Take your first step – Write down one small, specific and actionable step you can take to move toward your North Star. 

“This is your story, and even if you have been through some difficult times, or are currently in one now, you can always find a blank page in a notepad somewhere, write a new Vision Story, and become a new character in your future. You hold the pen.”

Archetypes are universal patterns of behavior you can use to harness your potential. Explore and embrace.

The Lift method focuses on six archetypes: 

• Shield – This archetype defends people and principles.
• Showtime – This archetype provides inspiration, motivation and momentum.
• Sprite – This archetype defuses tensions, connects playfully and builds friendships.
• Servant – This archetype supports and uplifts others.
• Sage – This archetype facilitates deep discussions.
• Sovereign – This archetype delegates tasks and leads decision-making.

“To lift your life, you must be willing to grow your identity.”

Use the five-step PRO system to inspire for action:

1. Problem – Engage the survival mind by focusing on problems, concerns and worries mentees find important
2. Promise – Unlock the emotional mind by using “what-if” statements to describe the promise of a better future
3. Process – Harness the logical mind by explaining how they’ll overcome current challenges to reach that better future
4. Proof – Use the logical mind again by providing evidence – case studies, testimonials, anecdotes – to show the process will work
5. Prompt – Deliver a small, simple and manageable prompt to get people to take one step forward

“If you want to build a deeper conversation and lift the other person, you must listen so thoughtfully that the barriers and armor of standard conversation disappear.”

• Personal – When crafting a message, make it personally relevant to the audience
• Images – People remember images remarkably well. In fact, a few days after being shown 2,500 images, people recalled them with 90% accuracy
• Tangible – Make your message more tangible by using language that elicits an image, such as “boots on the ground” to describe military action.
• Curiosity – Run engaging meetings that spark curiosity
• Headline – Craft a strong headline that sums up your message and guides your vision

To ensure people listen to and act on your message, emphasize congruence, emotional intention and body language. Congruence means aligning your words, tone, expressions and gestures to create a clear message. Or, as writers say, “show don’t tell” – if you say you’re excited, look excited. Emotional intention is understanding what you want your audience to “know, do and feel.”

“Good ideas are important, but you must deliver your message in the most compelling way for it to succeed.”

Breathing exercises –

• Diaphragmatic breathing – Place one hand on your stomach, exhale fully while saying “shhh,” pause for two seconds and then breathe naturally for a few cycles.
• 5552 rhythmic breathing – Exhale fully to release dead air from your lungs and hold for two seconds. Then, inhale for five, hold for five, exhale for five, hold for two and repeat.
• Physiological sigh – Take a full breath in through your nose, then breathe in a bit more, and exhale with a sigh through your mouth. Repeat two-to-three times for greater benefits.

To achieve long-term goals, consistent action is necessary, and the CAR method can help. CAR stands for commitment, action and repetition. Now that you have a vision for your future life that you’ve written down, make a commitment to reach a specific milestone on your journey and share it with others to hold yourself accountable.

Next, take immediate action through one small step, and establish repetition by creating routines and rituals. Routines should be non-negotiable and easy to do, and can be stacked on top of existing habits. For example, if you already drink coffee in the morning, reflect on your core values while it brews. Rituals pair sensory anchors with feelings of empowerment, such as listening to a favorite song, and should be portable, short and leave you feeling uplifted.

“When you choose routines that create and support your future story, you can shift your identity and become the person you want to be. ”

Finally, regularly visualize your ideal future and reflect on your vision story to maintain focus and help you reach your goals.