Rules of the Game (6 page)

    
my
will increase/improve/come true.

   my
will increase/improve/come true.

There's another step you can take to reinforce your personal mission statement and strengthen your subconscious intent: self-hypnosis. I've commissioned a charismatic mind-shaping exercise specifically for the Challenge, which I've made available for you online at www.stylelife.com/challenge.

After you download it, find a comfortable place free of distraction. Dim the lights, take off your shoes, and sit or lie down. Relax. Then put on headphones, play the audio, and take the journey.

Make sure you listen to the entire recording without interruption. It's more important to
feel
this experience than to see it. Try to listen to the recording every other day during the Challenge: The more you repeat it, the better the result.

Your field assignment today is to go out and make small talk with five more strangers.

But, this time, there's one more thing you need to do: make eye contact with each person. Record his or her eye color in the space below:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

In the first small-talk exercise, the purpose was to develop the ability to talk to anyone without fear. Meeting people eye to eye (being careful not to stare) will not only increase the likelihood of a response, it'll help you connect with them on a more personal level.

If you'd like to develop this crucial but subtle skill further, here's an extra-credit exercise: Try to hail a cab, get a bartender's attention, or call a waiter to your table without speaking or gesturing—instead, use nothing but eye contact.

Be sure to read tomorrow's assignment the moment you wake up—before you shower, shave, or check your email.

This next mission may make you a little uncomfortable. And that's a good thing. The reason will be made clear tomorrow. But for now:

Do not shower today.

Do not shave today.

Chances are, no one will notice—most people are too busy worrying about how they look. If they do, tell them you're trying to win a bet or participating in a highly compensated study for the deodorant industry.

When I was learning the game, I had trouble meeting new people because I talked too fast, too softly, and swallowed my words. In a loud club, it made meeting women practically impossible. So I went to a vocal coach named Arthur Joseph.

“Your voice is your identity,” he teaches. “It can tell people everything about who you are, how you feel about yourself, and what you believe in.”

So today we're going to work on your voice.

There are five common speech mistakes people make. These errors are outlined, along with an exercise for each, in your Day 3 Briefing.

Your task is to read the article and do at least three of the exercises, even if you don't think you need to. You may be surprised.

For today's field mission, stay home. You're going to use only your voice.

Your task is to dial a local number randomly on your telephone. When
someone answers, try to get him or her to recommend a good movie. That's all.

The point isn't just to talk to more strangers. It's to learn how to change the course of an interaction without making the other person feel uncomfortable.

This skill will help you take control of conversations in real life and direct them toward the outcome you want.

A few hints:

Rather than just dialing random strings of seven-digit numbers, look through a residential telephone book and select numbers at random. Or use the first three digits in your own number and make up the last four digits.