Dateline: Tulsa, Oklahoma, World Headquarters 
Hilton Branch Office.
The following strategy will change your life. Only read further if you think your friends and family can take the new you.
Strategy: The REVERSE, Pt. 1
Okay. If you completed your assignment (See: Intrigue Your Friends! Frighten Your Relatives!)…and gave up one automatic, annoying negative response to a feature in your world you were previously unable to keep yourself from commenting on.…. you’ve progressed. At least for one day. I can’t advise going more than one day at a time squelching those automatic negative responses….That could cause some kind of brain implosion.
Thus, it’s safe to say: You are no longer allowing your Emotional Guidance System to determine your response to _____________. I cannot honestly say I have accomplished my goal….I could fake it, but there were quite a few witnesses to my comments aimed at the gate attendants WHO WERE NOT EVEN AT THE COUNTER 12 MINUTES BEFORE THE FLIGHT. The gate attendants who returned to the counter….after they closed the flight…and CLAIMED they had not left the counter until 5 minutes before departure time. But that unfortunate encounter is in the past. Letting it go….
Note: “But, wait, dear Mysteryshrink, the other people out there need to know what I think. My friends and family appreciate my astute analysis of the flaws of others and my sharp description of what’s wrong with the world today.”
Trust me. No one misses our negativity. I’m in no way advocating giving up efforts to change what we believe would benefit from change. Go for it. Sign up for the 5K, add your favorite charity or political party to your monthly bills. I’m not talking about doing; I’m talking about talking.
You’ve learned to silence your automatic response. (Or at least you recognize the concept.) But what now? Now you’re ready for an advanced strategy. You’re ready for an even more powerful way to stun those friends and relatives who think they “know you.” Who think you are a completely predictable person.
You’re ready to take on THE REVERSE.
The Reverse is a simple skill…simple like downhill skiing without lessons, poles, or a soft place to land.
Start by once again identifying which subject which, when it is mentioned, or when you are reminded of it by billboards, television ads, or some little random, nagging thought squiggle zipping through the private world in your head….your Emotional Guidance System perks up. An old adage in clinical practice is: What makes a person happy is the same for most all of us. What makes a person unhappy is unique to that person.
So, what is your trigger? Right-wingers? Left-wingers? Immigration? Sarah Palin? Francisco (Pancho) Villa? The Yankees? Trailer Inhabitants? Mansion Inhabitants? Taxes? Healthcare? Nancy Grace? Letterman? Cellphones? White/Black/Brown People? Racists? Bicyclers? Soccer? Professional Athlete Salaries?
Only last week I shared my genius by remarking to a cashier at the neighborhood grocery: “Does it really seem like such a good plan to have sale displays taking up the middle of every aisle, then provide miniature, double-decker SUVs with steering wheels and squeaking mobiles for people with kids?”
The grocery store clerk was as impressed with my store arranging ideas as the American Airlines gate attendants were impressed with my suggestions for changing their flight readiness systems.
You accomplish the REVERSE when you examine that negative remark before you share it with the world…and then you say something which is the opposite of your automatic response. I could have said to the cashier, “It’s so nice of your store to provide basket vehicles for parents with small children. Keeping the kids safe and occupied must help the parents get through a tough task.”
Okay, that’s as far as I can go with Part One of the Reverse Strategy. Just writing the above words has made me a bit queasy. Next entry attends to all the questions about being authentic, real, and the rest of the treasured bunk we have left over from our viewing the world as a child.
