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  THE 180 Rule What is it?

  Did you ever wonder why, when a new idea or concept is introduced, there is always an abundance of negative or discouraging feedback? Just mention an idea for a new business process, or a plan to move your life in a new direction, and it’s as if out of the woodwork, people respond with a barrage of reasons why your new endeavor will never work…as if they are on a mission to sabotage your ideas and dreams.

  The 180 Rule embraces this reality and puts it to work in both your business and personal life to help you achieve great results. Commitment and engagement to the mission are more easily achieved because the door is open to candid participation. The 180 Rule achieves results using our natural tendencies and abilities. Its root principles are based upon scientific studies of how our brains operate and how we can take advantage of that naturally occurring negativity – self-sabotaging thoughts. The 180 Rule, although simplistic in process, delivers exceptional results from the awareness of problems to successful solutions. It’s time to stop retraining ourselves and fighting our natural behaviors in an effort to be successful, and turn to the power we all have within.

  Before we dismiss this as just the product of other people’s discouraging or toxic leanings, consider that it also occurs within our own minds. Many courses of action have been abandoned within our own thinking as we ourselves create a mental list of reasons why we should just give up. Schools of positive thinking teach us that we should turn away from such thoughts. But the magic of the 180 Rule is channeling that negative energy into positive action and results. Where do these thoughts originate and why are they so powerful and common in all of us? This has been the topic of scientific study that originated back in 1948 and continues today. It is called the Negativity Bias. These studies set out to determine why we come up with negative thoughts with greater ease than positive ones. Is this a behavior trait that is learned during our development as we grow up or is it a natural tendency that depicts how we are wired as humans? While this question continues to be debated, the 180 Rule process brings results, regardless of the negativity bias origin.
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  The Negativity Bias

  The concept of the Negativity Bias is based on the works of psychologists Roy F. Baumister, Ellen Bratslavsky, Kathleen Vohs and Catrin Finkenauer. Their findings concluded that the Negativity Bias is a natural tendency in human behavior. Those findings were published in 2001 in the Review of General Psychology. In essence, these psychologists discovered that negative experience (fear of bad events), has a far greater impact on people than do neutral experiences or even positive ones. As a result, humans are biased toward behavior that will avoid negative experiences. They are much more likely to recall and be influenced by negative rather than positive experiences in their past.

  When you think about your own life experiences, you can see Negativity Bias influence. Try to remember a compliment you received in high school and then try to remember an insult. Often people will more easily remember the insults than the compliments.

  The Negativity Bias might also help explain the outcomes of political smear campaigning. People remember the negative comments which tend to influence them to vote against a candidate. This powerful concept has been known to overpower the person’s voting action despite their admiration for a particular candidate.

  Parents can benefit from understanding the Negativity Bias because it can influence and shape parenting experiences. Most good parents provide children with many positive and neutral experiences. However, the day mom or dad loses it and screams at the kids is the day that kids, long into adulthood, will remember. Knowing that a negative act toward a child is likely to become much more prominent in a child’s memory may help us to remember how important it is to try to keep our tempers.
• About the Author
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  Rich Lucia is the original creator of the 180 Rule and has held many top level executive positions before deciding to “spread the word” to thousands of organizations. Rich gained his solid leadership foundation while in key positions at IBM, Sprint, ExxonMobil, Unisys and Wang Laboratories. In addition his books and articles have featured the 180 Rule as a center piece for effective problem solving and leadership.

  Rich is a seasoned presenter and consultant who uses these skills to both motivate and help organizations take steps in the implementing ideas and achieving results.

  Al Lucia CSP is a nationally known speaker, consultant and author who specializes in the people side of business. Al has utilized the 180 Rule in his presentations and workshops for several years and his clients have found value in the concept. It has been especially effective when seeking maximum team involvement in solving a problem or reaching an objective. Both large and small companies benefit from his down to earth, no nonsense “Street Savvy” approach and the 180 Rule fits perfectly. Any one of the ten books Al Lucia has written connects with the 180 Rule showing its broad based application and universal value.

  One more thing… Al and Rich are brothers who have consulted with each other throughout their careers. They have pooled their talent and experience and now want to share this creative and successful 180 Rule concept.

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