Here’s an interesting question from a reader:
“Can you talk about Steve Jobs Reality Distortion field if you have any knowledge about and how one can create a similar effect?”
For those who are not aware of it, here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:
“In Chapter Three of Steve Jobs, biographer Walter Isaacson states that around 1972, while Jobs was attending Reed College, Robert Friedland “taught Steve the reality distortion field.”
The Reality Distortion Field was said by Andy Hertzfeld to be Steve Jobs’ ability to convince himself, and others around him, to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement and persistence. It was said to distort his co-workers’ sense of proportion and scales of difficulties and to make them believe that whatever impossible task he had at hand was possible.
Jobs could also use the reality distortion field to appropriate others’ ideas as his own, sometimes proposing an idea back to its originator, only a week after dismissing it.[1]”
In our own Charisma School terms, this is nothing more than 3 elements put together:
1) (Very) strong and clear intention
2) Powerful Will State
3) Good projection ability
All fascist dictators had the same type of “reality distortion” effect and Jobs was already characterized by his strong Will and often authoritarian style of leadership where he was the sole decision maker and ordered his subordinates to what he wanted to be done.
Once there’s a clear and strong intention, joined with a powerful Will State, and a good projection ability of this state, then you can also achieve the same effect.
But is it a good thing? Is this something that you want to achieve?
Personally, I don’t see myself in “appropriating other’s ideas” as my own or doing many other things that Jobs did to his employees. We need to model the many other good qualities and traits he had, not the bad ones.
With that said, of course this effect can have its advantages and you may use it in different life situations. It can be very helpful in anything that requires leadership, sales, negotiation.
You are creating your own reality in that particular situation that brings people along with you. The problem is often getting drunk with this power.
Once you realize how strong this is, you may get accustomed to constantly having your way and become very inflexible in many parts of your life. As you can imagine, this won’t have a good result.
But, when used with awareness and reflection, it’s a great tool at your disposal!
In short: you have everything to gain in having a strong intention, a powerful Will state and projection ability. As always with magnetism, it’s a matter of HOW you are choosing to use it.
