Here’s an excerpt from the introduction of my upcoming book, Automatic Influence: New Power for Leading Change, coming September 2016. For an advance look at the whole introduction and chapter one, click here.
“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning boys, how’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” [i]
~David Foster Wallace, American Author
There’s a profound source of power inside us. I imagine it like a red button in the basement of our minds. This power energizes every emotion, drives every decision, and activates every action.
When we try to change our attitudes or our behaviors without triggering this power, change is hard. We grit our teeth, gut it out, lose steam and, usually, give up. But when we trigger the power, change is easier.
Profoundly easier.
Problem is, this power source is invisible. Even though it affects everything we want, everything we feel, and everything we do, we’re oblivious to it. We’re like the young fish, surrounded by water, asking, “What the hell is water?”
This book is a look at the liquid in which we live, the invisible and pervasive power that automatically influences every aspect of our lives. Once we understand the source of this power,
- We discover the secret of happiness, and why the pursuit of happiness can mislead us.
- We find ways to fight depression, recover our love for life, and boost our energy.
- We learn how to get along with everyone and build psychological immunity to relationship problems.
- We discover the secret of influence, and why one boss inspires loyalty while another boss, doing the exact same things, incites resistance.
- We also discover the root of evil—why some prostitutes are happy in their lives, why Hitler murdered six million Jews, and why every “senseless crime” is more sensible than we think.
What is this power? How does it work? How do we direct it to obtain our highest goals and best life?
My book is an answer.
[i] A 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College, Ohio, first published as “Plain old untrendy troubles and emotions,” The Guardian, September 19, 2008.