When you believe in things that you don't understand Then you suffer Superstition ain't the way' --Stevie Wonder, 'Very Superstitious'



Most cultures have their superstitions. Think about your knee jerk reaction when someone sneezes. "God bless you." This started in the Middle Ages when people thought that if your body was left unguarded, as in the midst of a sneeze, the devil could enter. Saying the magic words 'God bless you' in the moments after the sneeze assured that the devil would not take over the body of the sneezer.

Here's another good one. . . there is no thirteenth floor in many high rise buildings. You can walk right up one flight from twelve to fourteen. Why? There's a common fear called triskaidekaphobia. . .fear of the number thirteen. Superstition.

We've got fears about walking under ladders (dating back to early Christianity when the sides of the ladder and ground formed a triangle--the Holy Trinity, violating it putting you on the same level as the devil. No one really knows why this superstition exists nowadays, the just know it's "bad luck" to walk under ladders. It's possible this is practical, they don't want something to fall on them, but a bucket of paint is a little different from bad luck.

An acquaintance of mine believes all religion is superstition. In my opinion, he's wrong, but I appreciate his perspective nonetheless as just another example of how frames surround everything we think about and do.

Superstition is defined as 'an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.'

Helen Keller once said that, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." This is an example of how diverse we all are, and yet, we all believe in something irrational.

How can we use our prospect's and client's irrational beliefs to persuade them?

We're living in unstable times and the world can be a scary place. The more unstable things become, the more people search out stability. They constantly look for ways to explain why. For persuasion purposes, you have the ability to offer an answer, an explanation, to help them make sense out of the specific part of their life that you're involved in.

We can not only help people look for reasons to support their decisions, but we can look to explain their reality and assign blame, if need be.

One of my favorite terms born of superstition is "There are no accidents". This presupposes so much and can be used to maneuver. . .'Yes, you've had problems in the past, but those problems are what brought you to this point. And now you're here. And things can move forward for the good. You ended up with me for a reason.'

Is this true and verifiable? No. Absolutely not. But will you be called on it? Unless you're trying to sell my acquaintance, the cynic, who views the world through the frame that everyone is superstitious except him, I seriously doubt it.