on active earthquake zones in California have even the most minimal of preparations stored away in their closets or garages.
This means that the vast majority of the people living on top of destructive faults have no water, no blankets, no hand crank operated radios, and no food set aside for the possibility, or we should say eventuality, of an earthquake. And this is despite active programs of education and cajoling by various state and federal agencies with hefty budgets aimed at getting people to prepare. As we said, it’s not entirely rational.
A rational person would calculate the odds of an event, multiply it by its potential severity or catastrophic potential, and then calculate the amount of effort and money they’d be willing to spend to protect themselves and their family.
So in the case of people living on top of the San Andreas fault, the calculation might be (an unacceptably high probability) × (a catastrophic outcome) = (I should really do something!).
What would “doing something” actually cost? Not very much. To locate and purchase a 72-hour emergency kit for a family of four would require perhaps ten minutes online and $50 for a basic version (the deluxe version is roughly $150). Many people spend more money than this on coffee each month, and far more time on the Internet watching cat videos. So it’s not really the cost, in terms of time or money, which prevents them from taking action.
What explains it then? What prevents people from even taking minimal, prudent actions that could literally make the difference between life and death? If it’s not a rational calculation, then what is it?
Fortunately psychology helps us to understand what’s really at play. Social pressure it is definitely a big inhibitor to action, but we have to go a bit deeper to understand the rest.
PAIN AND INSIGHT
If you’re a dentist you’ll be quite familiar with this next part.
Most people resist change and tend to avoid anything that’s uncomfortable. These are not usually wise strategies, and they often backfire, but this is how most humans react. We remain in our comfort zone until forced out of it. The more uncomfortable the threat, the greater our willful denial. People easily ignore uncomfortable truths—bad health habits, mounting unpaid bills, declining 401k statements—even though the repercussions of this negligence can have a material and detrimental impact on the rest of their lives.
However, life rolls on and we cannot ignore everything forever, especially things with inevitable consequences. Sooner or later we have to either decide to change our behavior, on our own terms, or else run smack into reality’s hard limits. Said another way, there are two ways that people decide to change: by insight, and by pain.
It’s only after the heart attack, the divorce, the backing over the family dog while drunk—moments of extreme pain—that most people will begin to actively face the idea that they need to make different decisions in life. Change by the pain route is something that we all do now and then in life. It’s simply part of the deal and it’s very common.
But it doesn’t have to be the whole deal. Part of the beauty of being human is that we can learn from observation, reflection and experience, and can adapt. Someone buying a 72-hour emergency kit before the next earthquake strikes is acting via insight.
We wrote this book to help you make your life changes now, via insight. Hopefully, that’s why you picked it up.
The story told by the Three Es is loaded with the potential for plenty of painful moments over the next few decades. Sadly, a lot of people will not take precautionary steps far enough in advance to matter. They’re just not focusing on the risks right now. As a result, much of the world will be forced to change its behavior via the pain route.
Use this awareness as a sense of urgency to prepare now. To secure your future prosperity, as well as to help those regretting that they didn’t follow your lead.
THE COMMON REASONS ‘WHY NOT’
In our conversations with thousands of folks through our website and seminars, here are the most frequent excuses we hear for avoiding taking action today:
• Social Shame – My family and friends will think I’m ‘crazy’. (this is another way of saying “I don’t want to commit social suicide.”)
• Lack of Awareness – If I’m not familiar with these risks and if they’re not immediately apparent when I look out my front door, then maybe they’re not real. (This is the “Ignorance is bliss” defense.)
• Too Uncomfortable – I don’t like thinking about things that make me uncomfortable. (This is the “Don’t ruin my vibe” mindset.)
• Too Limited – I don’t have the time/money/etc. to focus on this right now. (This is the “Hey, I have a life, in case you hadn’t noticed” pushback.)
• Too Superstitious – If I give voice to my worries, then they’re more likely to occur. (This is the “He-who-must-not-be-named” defense.)
• Too Scary – I don’t want to live in fear. (This is the “Dear God, we’re all gonna die!” rebuke.)
• Not a Problem #1 – Humans are clever. Somebody smart will invent a solution in time. (This “faith in technology” meme is very prevalent in today’s culture.)
• Not a Problem #2 – “They” will never let that happen. (This “faith in authority” is a close second behind technology.)
• Not Credible – Well, I haven’t heard it from NBC News/ Oprah/my dad/[insert other trusted source here] yet, so how big a deal could this be? (This is the “Who the heck are you?” rebuttal.)
There’s one thing every one of these “reasons” share in common. Each is the product of a belief system.
In the previous chapter, we discussed the powerful influence of narrative and beliefs. Beliefs may be of either the enhancing form (I’m lucky!) or of the limiting variety (I’m unlucky!). Beliefs operate on an unconscious level although they play out in our lives every day in very real ways. They are immensely potent in shaping our decisions, far more than is commonly realized.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
—Carl Jung
Holding even one of the above beliefs (let alone several in combination) can be sufficient to stop any potential action dead it in its tracks.
At Peak Prosperity we spend a good deal of time understanding and helping people shift beliefs. Until and unless a blocking belief is removed or minimized, action is usually stymied.
SHIFTING YOUR BELIEFS
So how can you shift a limiting belief into an enhancing one?
Beliefs are something that we hold to be true and seem to be supported by daily experience and facts. While we may intuitively consider them to be entrenched and immovable elements of our psyches, we actually shift them all the time—raise your hand if you still believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter bunny, fairies, or Santa Claus?
Once
