A few weeks ago, Seth Godin (did you hear he'll be presenting at the No Kill Conference this year?) noted on his blog some new research about Placebos. Placebos work -- even if the patient is told there is no real medicine in it. According to Godin:
"We've come to understand that the placebo effect is real. If we believe we're going to get better, perform better, make the sale, etc., it often occurs that we do. That's because the brain is the single best marketing agent when it comes to selling ourselves something. If we think we're going to get better, we're much more likely to actually get better."
Sounds like the mere belief that you will get better, can actually help you get better. But how? Why would even pills that we know don't contain any medicine make us better? Again, from Godin:
"Because of the process. The ritual. The steps we go through to remember to take them, to open the bottle, to get the water, to swallow. Over time, we don't remind ourselves so much about what's in the pill and remind ourselves a lot that we're taking significant action."
Is it any wonder then, why high kill shelters fail to make progress?
Too many shelters continue to do the same things every day that have made them broken. They continue with their mantra of "there are too many dogs, and not enough homes", eliminating any hope (in their minds, and thus in reality) of fixing the problem. Without hope in fixing the problems, there are no significant actions taken to change the killing. And with the attitude that they can't save them all, regardless of how hard they try, many fail to even make basic changes that would allow them to save more.
The power of the mind to drive success based on the belief of success is nothing new. Leadership and entreprenuership courses for years have focused on the importance of believing you will succeed. But is it any wonder then that shelter that make significant changes to become No Kill so often succeed at doing so? And shelters that believe that the killing is inevitable because of the "irresponsible public" take no action and continue with their failure?
The movement based on hope, the power to make changes and succeed, will always win out over the one based on a broken status quo. And believing that you will fail, regardless of how hard you try, is a sure-fire recipe to meet your expectations.
Embrace change, and believe in its power to end the killing.
what an awesome post. We all should print this out and carry it in our wallet for those moments in the future when we will need to remember the message.
Posted by: Sue Heublein | March 02, 2011 at 11:18 AM
Automotive and assembly line industrialist Henry Ford said "Whether You Think You Can or think you can't, You are Right"
In other words, if you think you can't, it will stop you from succeeding. If you think you can, it will drive you to success.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_said''whether_you_think_can_or_think_you_can't_your_right#ixzz1FTpk1T50
Posted by: MichelleD | March 02, 2011 at 03:31 PM
The No Kill Movement gives people hope and whit hope comes action. With the right action repeated comes success.
As more and more people learn about No Kill more action is taken and more pets saved.
Posted by: Joni | March 02, 2011 at 08:27 PM
In the old hippy days it was called "Act as If." So if you "act as if" you are brave, you will be brave.
Posted by: Dianne in DC | March 04, 2011 at 03:59 PM