Anchoring Experiences – get the freedom you deserve!
So this post is quite timely given that we just had Independence Day…..ahhhh let freedom ring.
Must be nice….
I am sitting here listening to my ipod, and a certain song came on, that literally made my heart ache and stomache hurt. I felt a little light headed. Freedom? Yeah right….it’s like getting raked over coals. Granted, I just got back from yoga…but that wasn’t the reason. It had so happened that the past three or four times I’ve listened to this song I’ve been a pretty emotionally charged state. I won’t go into the details…let’s just say that it had to do with a woman 
Some of you may know that I am very big fan and student of Tony Robbins. Yes, the late-night infomercial guru. Through his seminars, books and audio programs he talks at length about a process for anchoring emotions to real-world cues. These anchors happen to us every day of our lives, often without us even being aware. For example, let’s suppose that every day when you come home from a long day at work, the first person you see is you wife or girlfriend. Let’s also suppose that when you come home from work, you tend to be in a terrible mood.
After a few days of this routine, you notice that whenever you see your wife or girlfriend, you tend to get a little irritated. You start arguing for no reason and just feel lousy whenever you are around her. Has she done anything to warrant this behavior? In this example, the answer is no, but you have psychologically anchored your poor day at work to a person you truly love and care for. The relationship starts to sour. A negative anchor has been formed.
Alternatively, let’s suppose that whenever you are hanging around with your buddies watching football, you high five whenever your team scores and everyone just goes bizerk and has an amazing time. After a few weeks of watching the games with your friends you notice that whenever anyone high fives you (for anything, even something stupid like eating all your vegetables at dinner time!) you tend to get that rush of excitement. A positive anchor has formed.
So as I type this, the song that prompted me to write this post is coming to an end (I played it three times ). I am going to replay the damn song and break this anchor for once and for all. I am going to replace it with a more powerful and energizing emotion. While the song is playing, I am going to do some pretty ridiculous stuff. Clapping, jumping up and down, remembering some very powerful and positive memories, and just being grateful that I am in control of my own mind and that how I feel is really up to how I want to feel. Thank god I don’t have a roommate now to laugh at me….though I’m sure the folks across the street will think I’m a little insane!
Third Eye Blind can eat their hearts out
