Being Aware of the Multiple Mental Pathways
I have written before about the conflicts we feel when we are stimulated by multiple mental pathways, and that realizing this helps resolve the issue. And I know that it can be hard to remember this in the moment.
One Such Moment
I had such a moment recently. I've created a video course on learning how to acquire an Inner Guide and how to learn and practice self-hypnosis; and the initial group that I would like to offer it to is nurses. I plan to try to sell it with webinars, the first of which will occur soon. (Yes, I have become a novice businesswoman.) My associate has simultaneously been contacting nursing organizations to see whether they might make mention of my course in their websites or newsletters. One organization is interested but asked if we would give a discount to their nurses.
My Conflict
My associate, who is an experienced businesswoman, said that providing a discount is a known strategy in marketing because it gives an initial boost to sales. But a different marketing strategy, which I learned from other sources that I think highly of, cautions not to do this. My associate suggested that I make an exception and offer the discount for a limited time, with the rationale that it is because of nurses' heroism in the current circumstances. This appealed to me; I know how much nurses are suffering right now, I really want them to get the benefit of my course, and I wanted to give to them. But I felt the tug of the other strategy; I had a nagging feeling that offering the discount wasn't right.
How I Resolved It
This conflict caused me some distress until I remembered to think about it as two opposing mental pathways. In one, I wanted to be generous and to honor the nurses. In the other, I wanted to take care of myself. Was I being selfish? Then I thought about all the hundreds of people I had taught this to without charge (friends and their friends, colleagues, at book talks, at retreats, etc.) and about the large sum of money I had spent creating the course. I came to the conclusion that I should not offer the discount.
And You Can Resolve Your Conflicts
Perhaps some of you might not have found this particular issue conflictual, but you probably, from time to time, have other issues that are. So when a conflict arises, remember! Identify your different mental pathways, think about their origins, and you will find the solution. It really helps!
