The Scrooge Experiment
I've been going deep on beliefs and identity of late.
Fundamentally beliefs and identity are at the heart of all change.
If we don't change our beliefs of who we are or what we believe, any changes aren't going to be long lasting.
Because that a seemingly innocuous habit isn't really going to hurt us? Right?
Enter The Scrooge Experiment, otherwise knowns as the Dickens Process or Pattern.
Based on the Christmas Carol story by Charles Dickens, this process identifies limiting belief/s you may have and carry them from the past, present and into the future.
Scrooge changed overnight from a bitter greedy old man by seeing what his limiting beliefs were when compounded over time and how painful they were and would become if he did not change.
This process popularized by Tony Robbins at his Unleash the Power within seminars which Tim Ferris added the process to his incredible Tools of the Titans which in the video and steps below.
Now a word a warning, this sucks. You are going to experience pain. But the pain is leverage over yourself to pick a different path and change your beliefs.
Note, what is missing from the video below is the follow up of selecting the new beliefs.
Step 1. Feel the Full Impact of Your Current Limiting Beliefs
You really feel the pain that your limiting beliefs are costing you now in your life.
Think about two limiting beliefs that have been holding you back.
Imagine how much they weight on your body. What are the consequences of having these beliefs? what are you losing? What are you missing out on? Feel how that feels to feel that loss. Create that feeling of pain in your body.
What is the financial cost of this belief?
Do these beliefs limit some of the choices you make that affect your finances? these beliefs affect your willingness to take some risks to invest?…to go for it?
What is this self esteem cost of this belief?
What about your confidence?
Does it create doubt or strength to have these beliefs?
How do these beliefs affect your energy level?…
Do they create energy or take energy away?
What do you think of when you think of yourself living by these beliefs?
What do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror and realize you’ve allowed these beliefs to control you? Say it to yourself. See it. How does your face look when you think about living with these beliefs and the weight of them pulling you down? Feel how it feels. What kind of a role model are you for your children if, if you have children? What kind of a role model are you for anybody?
How does it affect you spiritually?…your relationship with your creator?
Think of what all the costs are for you physically, financially, emotionally, socially, spiritually…all the areas of your life.
If you really feel the pain of your limiting beliefs, then you’re doing it right.
Step 2. See Your Future Self 5 Years in the Future
Transcript from the Tony video:
“Take the weight of all of these limitations, all the things you’re missing out on, and I want you to pull yourself into the future.
And as you go into the future, I want you to step 5 years into the future, and make sure you drag with you all of the limiting feelings and experiences and limitations that these beliefs will create for another 5 years stacking one top another, like a giant snowball getting bigger and bigger and bigger, pushing you further down.
And I want you to step into the future 5 years from now and with you bring all the things you’ve missed out on, all the pain, all the frustration, all the anger that these beliefs have generated through time.
All the things you’ve given up on.
Bring all of that with you.
Drag it with you now, 5 years in the future.”
Step 3. See Your Future Self 10 Years in the Future
From the transcript once more:
“Now step in the future, 10 years from now. Drag 10 years of disappointment with you.
10 years of one failure building on another.
10 years of all the limitations of these beliefs, all the things you’ve missed out coming with you.
10 years in the future, now look in the mirror and notice how you feel.
Do you feel older or younger?…More alive or less alive?…Does your body feel heavier or lighter?
Do you feel stronger or weaker?…What do you say to yourself as you look at yourself after living this way for a decade?
10 years.
What did you give up?…What did you give up emotionally?
How much frustration have you experienced for 10 years because of these beliefs?
How many things were you afraid of?…How many things did you not do?…
How many things did you give up on?”
Step 4. See Your Future Self 20 Years in the Future
“Step 20 years into the future, now and drag 2 decades, 20 years of pain with you, all the way, and feel all the things you missed out on for 20 years, culminating on your back.
Feel it.
Feel all the things you gave up on, all the things you missed out on, all the pain you’ve experienced because of these limiting beliefs.
Look in the mirror and notice what your face looks like, what your body looks like.
Are you healthy or not?…Are you fatter?…Do you feel lighter or heavier?
Stronger or weaker?…More alive or less alive?…More excited or totally depressed and disappointed?
Where are you?…What’s happened to you?…What price did you pay for these lousy beliefs?
What did it cost you in your relationships?
What did it cost you in your career?… in your business?
What didn’t you do because of these beliefs?…What didn’t you try?…What didn’t you go for?
What does it cost you physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? Financially?
What does it cost your family life?
What do you say to yourself after 20 years of living this way with these limiting beliefs?”
Step 5. Come Back to the Present
“Come backwards in time. Come back to today, and realize that none of this has happened yet, fortunately.
Come all the way back to today, and realize none of this has happened yet.
It doesn’t have to happen if you make some changes.
And as you do, you may notice that if you did this, and you really were feeling the feelings, you may have been bent over, as you got older, and felt more of the weight of those problems.
And as you come back to today, you may find yourself sitting or standing more upright…breathing more fully…feeling more alive.
And you might want to shake your body out and interrupt that pattern.
Get out of that state completely.
Change your physiology.
Change your state by moving your body around, bounce up and down, move around, breathe, and get completely out of that state.”
Step 6. Imagine a different Future
Imagine changing the way you do things now.
Imagine life without these limiting beliefs in your life.
Imagine what actions you can take today to get rid of this bad habit or limiting belief.
Take a step further and imagine yourself taking action and getting rid of that bad habit or limiting belief.
See yourself prospering in the future. Are you happy with what you see?
Associate with the massive pleasure you now have after changing your behavior.
The Scrooge Experiment is rough but it is one of the most powerful exercises to highlight and show the compounding effects of limiting beliefs or bad habits.
Cheers,