Latest / The Impossible Life / 341. How to Win Every Argument - Dr. Robi Sonderegger's Foolproof Process
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: That's impossible let me tell you what i believe.
- 0:02Speaker 2: But your weakness is not your technique.
- 0:08Speaker 1: Don't think you are no you are the impossible life podcast.
- 0:14Speaker 2: I mean you're sitting on a winning lottery ticket an
- 0:17Speaker 2: idea that is fully formed fully understood that sticks.
- 0:22Speaker 3: This is the impossible life podcast because Nick and I
- 0:26Speaker 3: are attempting to live impossible lives. What we know is
- 0:30Speaker 3: that nothing is impossible. So instead of using impossible as
- 0:34Speaker 3: an excuse to not try, we'll use the pursuit of
- 0:37Speaker 3: impossible as an accelerant for greatness. If something's never been
- 0:42Speaker 3: done before, that just means it's unexplored. If they tell
- 0:46Speaker 3: you it's too hard, it's just waiting to be simplified.
- 0:50Speaker 3: Impossible is a default label used by uncourageous people unwilling
- 0:55Speaker 3: to take a risk. The real truth is this. The
- 0:58Speaker 3: solution to any impossible task starts with this question. If
- 1:03Speaker 3: I had to, what would it take?
- 1:05Speaker 1: What would it take?
- 1:06Speaker 4: What would it take?
- 1:11Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of the Impossible Life Podcast. I'm
- 1:13Speaker 1: your co-host, Nick Surface, and I'm looking across at a
- 1:15Speaker 1: man whose version of conflict resolution involves a round of 9mm.
- 1:19Speaker 1: That's right, friends, the FOMO ABC.
- 1:24Speaker 2: Garrett Unklebach, a man who knows.
- 1:26Speaker 1: Marksmanship is a form of communication.
- 1:29Speaker 3: Can solve this conflict with less than 99 cents.
- 1:33Speaker 1: Wow, what a guy. Can you come over and solve
- 1:35Speaker 1: some of my conflicts for me? It's a one-time offer, right?
- 1:40Speaker 1: All right. So we did not just stay in the
- 1:43Speaker 1: same clothes for a week. We, in fact, decided to
- 1:46Speaker 1: do a little back-to-back here because we had Dr. Robbie
- 1:48Speaker 1: and we're like, man, love Dr.
- 1:49Speaker 3: Robbie.
- 1:49Speaker 1: So this technically makes you a five-time guest. So you're like,
- 1:52Speaker 1: no one's even close.
- 1:53Speaker 3: Yes, five-time guest and Dr. Robbie is our first time
- 1:57Speaker 3: to ever have a guest for a Shortcast or a
- 2:00Speaker 3: Tools and Tactics episode and so poignant for that to
- 2:03Speaker 3: be Dr. Robbie who offers so many philosophical, intellectual devices
- 2:08Speaker 3: for us to use.
- 2:09Speaker 1: So love that we have Dr. Robbie today for Tools
- 2:12Speaker 1: and Tactics. Dude, and let me tell you, we've done
- 2:15Speaker 1: a lot of good Tools and Tactics episodes. I'm obviously biased,
- 2:17Speaker 1: but man, sit up and pay attention. Dr. Robbie is
- 2:19Speaker 1: going to give you, and when I say like a
- 2:21Speaker 1: conflict resolution framework, this is like step-by-step. And why am
- 2:25Speaker 1: I saying this? And she listens to every episode, so
- 2:27Speaker 1: I know I'm going to have this conversation. Love you, babe.
- 2:29Speaker 1: I use this. Dr. Robbie came a few months back
- 2:32Speaker 1: and gave us this exact conflict resolution framework. And my
- 2:36Speaker 1: wife and I, like I said to you before, we've
- 2:38Speaker 1: never had like a big knockdown drag out argument. But
- 2:41Speaker 1: you have your disagreements and things that there's tension on.
- 2:44Speaker 1: And it just so happened that the night after you came,
- 2:46Speaker 1: we were having a discussion and I was like, oh,
- 2:49Speaker 1: this is my chance. And I went right through the steps.
- 2:52Speaker 1: The conflict was resolved brilliantly. And I felt like I
- 2:55Speaker 1: actually knew what I was doing. It wasn't like, there
- 2:58Speaker 1: was no sort of like, oh, well, you know, maybe
- 3:00Speaker 1: I'll try. I was just like, we're on step two.
- 3:02Speaker 1: So I wanted to give this, I wanted to give this.
- 3:04Speaker 3: No, this is such a powerful tool. This is, and
- 3:06Speaker 3: you know, we give away a lot of tools here.
- 3:08Speaker 3: Some of our tools are, I wouldn't say obscure, but
- 3:11Speaker 3: it's like, I don't use that all the time or
- 3:13Speaker 3: the very specific situations. You know, what Dr. Robbie is
- 3:16Speaker 3: about to give today, this is a, This is a
- 3:18Speaker 3: set of pliers. This is a screwdriver. This is a
- 3:20Speaker 3: pocket knife. This is one that you're going to use
- 3:22Speaker 3: all the time.
- 3:23Speaker 1: It has a very specific use case. I mean, I
- 3:25Speaker 1: know everybody else's marriage never has any conflict, and everybody
- 3:28Speaker 1: else's relationships are perfectly smooth. So they're not going to
- 3:31Speaker 1: find this as useful as perhaps I did. But yeah,
- 3:34Speaker 1: I don't want to dress it up anymore.
- 3:36Speaker 2: Dr.
- 3:36Speaker 1: Robbie, please give us that brilliant conflict resolution framework that
- 3:40Speaker 1: you have.
- 3:41Speaker 2: So the question is, how do you win an argument?
- 3:43Speaker 2: First time, every time, hands down, guaranteed. And everyone's like, okay,
- 3:47Speaker 2: turn the volume up.
- 3:50Speaker 1: There's a saying in the SEAL team, it's the first time,
- 3:52Speaker 1: every time. Sorry.
- 3:53Speaker 2: But it's premised on the understanding that if one person
- 3:56Speaker 2: wins an argument and the other person loses, consider yourself
- 3:59Speaker 2: tied by a rope and you're climbing a mountain together.
- 4:01Speaker 2: If one person falls, both will fall. And so the
- 4:04Speaker 2: target is absolutely actually both have to win in order
- 4:07Speaker 2: for you to succeed. And there is a formula that
- 4:09Speaker 2: you can use. And I like to think of it
- 4:11Speaker 2: like cooking. So most cooking has a recipe and in
- 4:16Speaker 2: a recipe, there is two columns. There is the ingredients
- 4:20Speaker 2: list and there's the instruction list. You know, what to prepare,
- 4:23Speaker 2: grease the oven, put it on 190 degree. I don't know,
- 4:25Speaker 2: whatever your Fahrenheit tempered.
- 4:27Speaker 3: What do you cook?
- 4:29Speaker 2: 350, 400?
- 4:29Speaker 1: 190? You're not going to get my chicken cooked for that. Yeah.
- 4:34Speaker 2: So there's only three ingredients. And so I call this
- 4:37Speaker 2: the three-step problem-solving plan. So pretty much any bloke should
- 4:40Speaker 2: be able to pull this off.
- 4:42Speaker 4: Women.
- 4:42Speaker 2: You've got this nailed already before we've even started. So
- 4:45Speaker 2: here's the deal. First step is to simply inquire why. As,
- 4:51Speaker 2: you know, the seven habits man, as I like to
- 4:53Speaker 2: call him, the secrets that are attached to good habits.
- 4:57Speaker 2: What's the author's name?
- 4:58Speaker 1: Atomic Habits, G.
- 4:59Speaker 2: No, not Atomic Habits. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
- 5:03Speaker 1: Stephen Covey.
- 5:03Speaker 2: There he is. As he would say, so poignantly, seek
- 5:07Speaker 2: first to understand before trying to be understood. So all
- 5:10Speaker 2: we have to do is ask the question why. But
- 5:12Speaker 2: the way in which we ask it, so that's ingredient
- 5:15Speaker 2: number one, but here's the instruction on the other side
- 5:17Speaker 2: of the list. No negative emotion. If there is any
- 5:22Speaker 2: hint of negative emotion in your voice, you've already failed.
- 5:26Speaker 2: So instead of why do you, no, no, no. Help
- 5:28Speaker 2: me to understand why it is that you feel so
- 5:31Speaker 2: strongly about whatever the topic is that you might be discussing.
- 5:35Speaker 3: It's not what you say, it's how you say it.
- 5:37Speaker 1: I often ask you why you're the way that you are.
- 5:39Speaker 1: But like, I think there's too much emotion.
- 5:42Speaker 3: The no negativity piece is, that is the linchpin there.
- 5:46Speaker 2: So here's the key to this question. Please note, I
- 5:49Speaker 2: didn't say, help me to understand why it is that
- 5:52Speaker 2: you think. Rather, here's the instruction on the instructions list.
- 5:56Speaker 2: focus on the feeling. And here's your takeaway principle. No
- 5:59Speaker 2: argument is ever about the topic. It is always about
- 6:04Speaker 2: the emotion that fuels the topic. So if you can
- 6:07Speaker 2: address the emotion, you will successfully navigate your way through
- 6:10Speaker 2: the conflict. So help me to understand why is it
- 6:13Speaker 2: that you feel so strongly about this? And let's just
- 6:15Speaker 2: say the party that you're having an argument with gives
- 6:18Speaker 2: it to you both barrels and lets you know in
- 6:20Speaker 2: no uncertain terms why they're upset and all the rest
- 6:22Speaker 2: of it. And our response is not to argue back.
- 6:25Speaker 2: It is to simply, ingredient number two, ready? Write it down.
- 6:30Speaker 2: Simply paraphrase back. So paraphrase comes from the word parrot phrase. Maybe,
- 6:34Speaker 2: maybe not, but let's just pretend. Because if you ever
- 6:37Speaker 2: say to a parrot, cocky want a cracker? It never
- 6:39Speaker 2: answers the question. It never says.
- 6:41Speaker 1: Yes, please.
- 6:41Speaker 2: It just repeats the same thing back to you.
- 6:44Speaker 1: Cocky want a cracker?
- 6:44Speaker 2: Cocky want a cracker? And so we just simply repeat
- 6:46Speaker 2: back in our own words, paraphrasing what it is that
- 6:50Speaker 2: they said. Now, it doesn't look as though we are
- 6:52Speaker 2: winning the argument, but we end the paraphrase with, is
- 6:56Speaker 2: that right? So we're seeking... to understand. I want to
- 7:00Speaker 2: make sure that I actually got this right. Now, if
- 7:01Speaker 2: it's not right, they'll clarify it for you and then
- 7:04Speaker 2: paraphrase again. Just, okay, so if I've understood you correctly,
- 7:07Speaker 2: what you're saying is that you feel da-da-da-da and we
- 7:09Speaker 2: fill in the blanks, is that right? And they say, yes,
- 7:13Speaker 2: you finally got it, Nick, through your thick skull. Yes,
- 7:16Speaker 2: that's exactly why I'm so upset or why I want
- 7:18Speaker 2: my way or whatever it might be.
- 7:19Speaker 1: It's like you're in my house, yeah.
- 7:22Speaker 2: But in so doing, we have now just changed the problem.
- 7:27Speaker 2: As we said before, it's not about the topic. It's
- 7:29Speaker 2: about the emotion. So as I say to you, help
- 7:32Speaker 2: me to understand why it is that you feel, and
- 7:34Speaker 2: then they tell you why they feel so strongly, and
- 7:37Speaker 2: then you paraphrase it back. So if I understand you correctly,
- 7:40Speaker 2: what you're saying is you feel really anxious about about
- 7:42Speaker 2: this situation because blah, blah, blah, or you feel really
- 7:45Speaker 2: upset about, and we are now naming and claiming the feeling.
- 7:49Speaker 2: And in so doing, we've changed the problem. The problem
- 7:52Speaker 2: is no longer about the topic. The real problem is
- 7:54Speaker 2: that you're upset or that you're anxious or that when
- 7:56Speaker 2: we name and claim the feeling, now we're able to
- 7:59Speaker 2: solve it. Because if one person wants to go left
- 8:02Speaker 2: up the mountain, one person wants to go right up
- 8:04Speaker 2: the mountain, well, if one person gets their way, well,
- 8:07Speaker 2: the other loses. And so a lot of people say, well,
- 8:09Speaker 2: just compromise. Go up the middle way. No, that's where
- 8:11Speaker 2: both people don't get their way. What you ultimately want
- 8:14Speaker 2: is the party that you're having conflict with is to
- 8:16Speaker 2: say to you, well, how about this? And they give
- 8:19Speaker 2: you a solution that is right out of exactly what
- 8:22Speaker 2: you were thinking. So they give you what you want.
- 8:25Speaker 2: And now because they're giving it to you, do you
- 8:27Speaker 2: think they're going to go with it? Absolutely. Why? It's
- 8:29Speaker 2: their idea. So our number three ingredient is simply find
- 8:33Speaker 2: a win-win solution. In other words, both have to win.
- 8:36Speaker 2: But here's the psychological principle. The person who bargains second
- 8:41Speaker 2: is always more powerful. So men, listen up now, never,
- 8:45Speaker 2: ever offer the first solution. Because we are Mr.
- 8:48Speaker 1: Fix-It.
- 8:49Speaker 2: We've got the solution already before we even the argument started. Like,
- 8:52Speaker 2: I know what you need to, you just need to stop,
- 8:54Speaker 2: time out for just a second. And we simply say,
- 8:56Speaker 2: so what kind of solution do you think we can
- 9:00Speaker 2: come up with That would help you feel less anxious,
- 9:03Speaker 2: less upset, less whatever the name and claim the feeling
- 9:05Speaker 2: once again, but that will also help me. And then
- 9:08Speaker 2: you name what it is that you want, what your
- 9:11Speaker 2: win is. And so the person, when you're negotiating, when
- 9:16Speaker 2: you're over something that you're trying to purchase, you never
- 9:19Speaker 2: say to the person, I'll give you 30 bucks for
- 9:22Speaker 2: this thing.
- 9:23Speaker 1: Right, don't be the first to give a number.
- 9:25Speaker 2: Never give the number first. Always ask them, how much
- 9:27Speaker 2: for this? And then they might say, 30 bucks. You go,
- 9:29Speaker 2: 30 bucks? No, I'm not paying 30 bucks. I'll give
- 9:31Speaker 2: you 15. Because the person who bargained second is more powerful.
- 9:34Speaker 2: So as we come up with whatever solution, whatever situation
- 9:39Speaker 2: that they are proposing as a resolution... Well, when I
- 9:43Speaker 2: receive it and I want to validate them and say, wow,
- 9:45Speaker 2: I really see that you're trying to make inroads and
- 9:48Speaker 2: come to a solution. I really like that. But what
- 9:50Speaker 2: if we did this? And because I'm arguing second now,
- 9:54Speaker 2: I'm actually arguing with somebody who has had their feelings validated.
- 9:59Speaker 1: Right.
- 10:00Speaker 2: One, help me to understand why it is that you
- 10:01Speaker 2: feel so strongly. Number two, so if I've understood you correctly,
- 10:05Speaker 2: what you're saying is that you feel like this. Is
- 10:07Speaker 2: that correct? Validated feelings. And now when it comes to
- 10:10Speaker 2: the win-win solution, you're in a much better position to
- 10:13Speaker 2: actually come up with a rational, logical, reasonable solution. But
- 10:17Speaker 2: because they're arguing first and presenting a solution, well, great.
- 10:21Speaker 2: All I need to do now is make sure that
- 10:23Speaker 2: whatever solution I come back as a second validates the
- 10:27Speaker 2: emotion or solves the emotional problem. So you're saying to
- 10:30Speaker 2: me that if we did it like this, this could
- 10:32Speaker 2: actually make you feel comfortable. All right, great. Would it
- 10:35Speaker 2: also make you feel comfortable if we did it like that,
- 10:36Speaker 2: but also with this twist or this diviate or this
- 10:39Speaker 2: addendum to it? And if they come to a place
- 10:42Speaker 2: where they go, you know what? Yeah, it seems pretty reasonable.
- 10:45Speaker 2: then congratulations, you have walked away with a win-win outcome.
- 10:49Speaker 2: But here's one final little tip. If the conversation gets heated...
- 10:54Speaker 2: Once emotions rise, once your heart is beating more than
- 10:56Speaker 2: a certain number of beats per minute, it's virtually impossible
- 10:59Speaker 2: to resolve an argument. So either stop the argument and
- 11:02Speaker 2: come back to it. Because I said, hey, this is
- 11:03Speaker 2: first time, hands down, every time guaranteed. But if it
- 11:06Speaker 2: didn't work for you, then go back to the list
- 11:08Speaker 2: and say, well, hang on, what did I miss? Did
- 11:10Speaker 2: I do all of the things? Or did I talk
- 11:12Speaker 2: about the topic instead of the field? Go back and
- 11:14Speaker 2: then come back in a little while when everything's calmed
- 11:16Speaker 2: down and try again. Or better yet, go for a walk.
- 11:20Speaker 2: And 15 minutes into the walk, start the conversation. Hey,
- 11:24Speaker 2: I've been thinking, why is it that you feel so
- 11:25Speaker 2: strongly about blah, blah, blah? Walking helps to release endorphins.
- 11:30Speaker 2: Endorphins are happy chemicals, sounds like dolphins, and you've never
- 11:33Speaker 2: seen a depressed dolphin. You've got these happy little critters
- 11:37Speaker 2: swimming in your bloodstream. And so it's hard to feel
- 11:39Speaker 2: bad when you feel so good. So when you're having
- 11:42Speaker 2: to resolve a difficult situation where there's heightened emotion, Do
- 11:47Speaker 2: it while walking, and you've got a much better chance
- 11:49Speaker 2: of walking away with a great outcome.
- 11:51Speaker 1: That's so good, man. And like I said, I've used this. Now,
- 11:53Speaker 1: here's what I want to ask you, because I remember
- 11:54Speaker 1: I take copious amounts of notes on my phone. You
- 11:58Speaker 1: gave us an example of trying to take your daughter
- 11:59Speaker 1: to a war-torn country where you use this. Can you
- 12:02Speaker 1: tell that story of how you use this exactly? I
- 12:06Speaker 1: like sometimes you're like, there is no way that that's
- 12:08Speaker 1: ever going to happen because it's when you put it one, two, three,
- 12:10Speaker 1: I think for the, you know, the common person is
- 12:12Speaker 1: an optimist. Like myself, it's like, awesome. Let's just go
- 12:14Speaker 1: use it. And then you get in there and you're like,
- 12:16Speaker 1: Oh wait, I like, this is, I didn't think about this.
- 12:19Speaker 1: Can you give that example? Cause I thought you just,
- 12:21Speaker 1: when you, when I heard that story for whatever that,
- 12:23Speaker 1: that helped me click, I'm hoping it helps a few
- 12:24Speaker 1: other people click.
- 12:25Speaker 4: Yeah.
- 12:26Speaker 2: So look, you know, I travel a lot and I
- 12:28Speaker 2: don't want to be the expert on family who's away
- 12:30Speaker 2: from their family. And so wherever I go, I usually
- 12:32Speaker 2: line up the kids and I've got five of them.
- 12:34Speaker 2: So there's plenty to go around. So right here in America,
- 12:37Speaker 2: I'm here with my youngest daughter at the moment. And
- 12:39Speaker 2: so wherever I go, I like to take a kid
- 12:41Speaker 2: with me and they've been traveling with me since the
- 12:43Speaker 2: age of five. And so it was my daughter's turn
- 12:46Speaker 2: and she was all of five years of age and
- 12:48Speaker 2: I was heading to Ukraine. And it was a little
- 12:51Speaker 2: while ago. It was actually before the war. But I
- 12:54Speaker 2: was going to work with organizations who rescue young girls
- 12:58Speaker 2: out of human trafficking. And at that time, Ukraine was
- 13:00Speaker 2: one of the human trafficking capitals of the world where
- 13:03Speaker 2: kids are trafficked from. And so my wife was like
- 13:07Speaker 2: over my dead body.
- 13:08Speaker 1: Well, because you asked. I was laughing. If you were
- 13:11Speaker 1: watching the video, I'm not laughing at what was going on.
- 13:12Speaker 1: I'm laughing because of the absurdity of going to your wife, hey,
- 13:15Speaker 1: I'm going to go help some people in sex trafficking.
- 13:16Speaker 1: Can I bring my daughter? I don't know that many
- 13:18Speaker 1: would be like, yeah, great. See you next week. I mean, that's,
- 13:21Speaker 1: you know, I don't know that you could ask for
- 13:23Speaker 1: make a worse ask.
- 13:24Speaker 2: And I think to any mother who might be listening
- 13:26Speaker 2: to this, like right on, she's spot on. Like, why
- 13:28Speaker 2: would you do that? That's irresponsible. And, you know, fair, fair,
- 13:31Speaker 2: fair call. But, you know, shout out to that amazing
- 13:34Speaker 2: mother of my daughter who, you know, at least had
- 13:37Speaker 2: the willingness to have the conversation. And so I started with, okay,
- 13:41Speaker 2: so help me understand why it is that you feel
- 13:43Speaker 2: so strongly about me not taking our daughter to, you know, Ukraine.
- 13:48Speaker 2: And so she gave me all of the reasons, which
- 13:49Speaker 2: are fair and reasonable, that any mother would have. And
- 13:52Speaker 2: then I simply said, okay, so if I've understood you correctly,
- 13:55Speaker 2: what you're saying is that you feel anxious that, you know,
- 13:58Speaker 2: one of the best ways that human traffickers would love
- 14:00Speaker 2: to get back at our family would be to abduct
- 14:02Speaker 2: our daughter. Is that right? And she's pretty much spot on. Okay,
- 14:06Speaker 2: so what kind of solution do you think that we
- 14:08Speaker 2: could come up with that would help you feel safe
- 14:11Speaker 2: and confident? Now, in other words, what would it take? Like,
- 14:16Speaker 2: would there be a way that you would actually feel.
- 14:19Speaker 1: If you had to.
- 14:20Speaker 2: If you had to. What would it take?
- 14:21Speaker 1: We should put that in our podcast.
- 14:22Speaker 2: Confident in the knowledge that your daughter would be safe.
- 14:25Speaker 2: What would it take? And, you know, maybe she mentioned
- 14:27Speaker 2: the CIA and the FBI would have to come with
- 14:29Speaker 2: me and, you know, things that well, probably not very
- 14:32Speaker 2: logistically possible, but at least there was an offer on
- 14:35Speaker 2: the table. She's saying, well, there would be a way
- 14:37Speaker 2: to make my feelings subside or this anxiety be abated.
- 14:42Speaker 2: And so I'm like, well, what would it take? I'd
- 14:44Speaker 2: need to know like where she's with every second of
- 14:47Speaker 2: the day and, and you know, who's with her and
- 14:49Speaker 2: have they been vetted? And is there more than one person?
- 14:51Speaker 2: And like, what are the checks and balances to make sure?
- 14:54Speaker 2: I'm like, okay, so what if we were to sit
- 14:56Speaker 2: down and actually create a list? I might not be
- 14:58Speaker 2: able to tell you every second of the day, but
- 15:00Speaker 2: what if we did it in 15 half-hour increments? So
- 15:03Speaker 2: she's going to be here and she's going to be
- 15:04Speaker 2: looked after by these people and these people are going
- 15:06Speaker 2: to be vetted and it's going to be two women,
- 15:08Speaker 2: no less than two at one time, who are going
- 15:10Speaker 2: to already have background checks. And so I will know
- 15:13Speaker 2: and you will know where she is at every minute
- 15:16Speaker 2: of that day because it's pre-planned and organized in advance.
- 15:19Speaker 2: And so basically we negotiated a strategy plan a strategy
- 15:25Speaker 2: that could actually abate the anxiety. And please note, so
- 15:29Speaker 2: if I just forced my way and said, well, I'm
- 15:31Speaker 2: the man of the house and this is how it's
- 15:35Speaker 2: going to be. And this is our family policy. The
- 15:37Speaker 2: kids come with, well, you know, I'm shooting myself and
- 15:40Speaker 2: my family in the foot. So I want to be
- 15:44Speaker 2: understanding of that feeling and be considerate and compassionate and
- 15:47Speaker 2: kind every step of that way. And to her credit,
- 15:51Speaker 2: She said, all right, if these things were addressed and
- 15:54Speaker 2: we had an action plan and I had this knowledge
- 15:57Speaker 2: in advance, then I guess I would face that fear
- 16:01Speaker 2: like every mother would. And all right, I'd be confident
- 16:06Speaker 2: that she would be safe. And she came, but it
- 16:08Speaker 2: almost didn't end well. So you've got to follow through
- 16:14Speaker 2: on your end of the bargain and actually make sure
- 16:15Speaker 2: she is safe because on our way back, from Ukraine.
- 16:18Speaker 2: We stopped via Heathrow Airport in London and I was
- 16:22Speaker 2: traveling on a British passport because I was born there
- 16:25Speaker 2: and my daughter was traveling on an Aussie passport. I've
- 16:27Speaker 2: got a few different passports. And so I thought this
- 16:31Speaker 2: could just look a little suspicious, you know, a grown
- 16:33Speaker 2: man traveling with a little five-year-old blonde cutie from the
- 16:37Speaker 2: human trafficking, one of the human trafficking capitals of the world.
- 16:39Speaker 2: This look could be a little suspicious because we're on
- 16:41Speaker 2: two different passports. And so I picked her up, put
- 16:43Speaker 2: her on my hip and presented our passports and the
- 16:46Speaker 2: The immigration official looked at her and said, and who
- 16:49Speaker 2: is this man? To which my daughter said, I don't know.
- 16:53Speaker 1: And my life flashed before my eyes.
- 16:56Speaker 2: I'm like, no, how do I explain this to my wife? Like, sorry, sweetheart,
- 17:00Speaker 2: but she got, you know. Yeah. So thankfully, I tickled her.
- 17:04Speaker 2: She laughed. The immigration official laughed. And we went through.
- 17:08Speaker 2: But man, my life flashed before my eyes. So it's
- 17:11Speaker 2: important to follow through on your end of the bargain.
- 17:14Speaker 1: Man, I think you just made a bunch of salespeople rich.
- 17:17Speaker 1: Because the reason I wanted you to tell that example,
- 17:20Speaker 1: because I think it's so genius how you went from
- 17:22Speaker 1: over my dead body. to two steps later, it's like,
- 17:25Speaker 1: I'm thinking of Jim Carrey, Pastor Keith always likes to quote, say,
- 17:27Speaker 1: you're telling me there's a chance. And he's like, what's
- 17:30Speaker 1: the chances of a guy like you and a girl
- 17:31Speaker 1: like me get together? And she goes, not good. And
- 17:33Speaker 1: he goes, not good like one in a hundred? She'd say,
- 17:36Speaker 1: I say more like one in a million. And he goes,
- 17:38Speaker 1: so you're telling me there's a chance. And that's what
- 17:41Speaker 1: you did with your wife is you said, well, surely like,
- 17:45Speaker 1: so what, if I had CIA, you're telling me you
- 17:47Speaker 1: still wouldn't? Because once you have that agreement, it was like, well,
- 17:49Speaker 1: if you had the CIA, it's like, well, there is
- 17:51Speaker 1: a possibility. And that was it. You said, well, what
- 17:54Speaker 1: would it take for you to feel is, like you said,
- 17:57Speaker 1: giving the first offer. But it's not like, hey, make
- 17:59Speaker 1: me an offer. It's like it's presenting the solution in
- 18:02Speaker 1: a much different way. I just think that's such a
- 18:04Speaker 1: genius way.
- 18:04Speaker 3: I want to ask you a question. So, Ben, this
- 18:09Speaker 3: isn't one that I know the perfect answer to. This
- 18:11Speaker 3: is going to be a judgment, guidance, wisdom, experience answer.
- 18:17Speaker 2: Sometimes when you're trying to make.
- 18:18Speaker 3: These difficult negotiations... somebody who's just really stuck on something,
- 18:23Speaker 3: you realize, okay, I'm not going to get as far
- 18:26Speaker 3: as I want to get in this one conversation. Maybe
- 18:29Speaker 3: this is going to take two or three or four
- 18:31Speaker 3: or many more attempts. How do you know how far
- 18:35Speaker 3: you can push in a negotiation before you say, okay,
- 18:39Speaker 3: this is where I should stop and I'm going to
- 18:42Speaker 3: come back and try again?
- 18:43Speaker 2: Let emotions be your guide. So as we said before,
- 18:46Speaker 2: if heat enters into the equation, there's almost no chance
- 18:52Speaker 2: of walking away with a successful outcome. But if you
- 18:55Speaker 2: are able to lower the temperature in the conversation, come
- 18:58Speaker 2: back at a time where it's more reasonable or you're
- 19:02Speaker 2: walking as you're talking, you have a greater statistical probability
- 19:06Speaker 2: of coming with an outcome. But also it's the person
- 19:09Speaker 2: that you're working with has to be reasonable enough And rational,
- 19:15Speaker 2: if they're irrational, and oftentimes that is only the case
- 19:18Speaker 2: because their emotions are involved. So as the saying goes,
- 19:21Speaker 2: the more emotional you become, the less logical and rational
- 19:24Speaker 2: or intelligent you become. And so in order to reverse that,
- 19:28Speaker 2: we have to lower the emotion. And so if emotion
- 19:31Speaker 2: is coming into it, you know... and come back because
- 19:36Speaker 2: something hasn't worked. We haven't actually validated the feeling properly.
- 19:39Speaker 2: We need to go back and do that properly again
- 19:41Speaker 2: at a later time when the temperature has come down.
- 19:44Speaker 2: But I should also say, and this example, kudos to...
- 19:50Speaker 2: that amazing woman who was willing to learn. The mom
- 19:55Speaker 2: of my daughter who actually Faced her fear. So we
- 19:59Speaker 2: talked previously about suffering. She's facing her suffering. And I
- 20:03Speaker 2: think through this experience of being able to come to
- 20:07Speaker 2: a successful strategy and so that she's actually learning to
- 20:10Speaker 2: grow within herself to go, all right, there are difficult
- 20:13Speaker 2: things that I can face and I can face them
- 20:16Speaker 2: well in unity together with my life partner where we
- 20:21Speaker 2: are coming up with agreements together. Together in unity and
- 20:25Speaker 2: where there's unity, God commands a blessing. And I think
- 20:27Speaker 2: that growth enabled her to face even difficult, more difficult
- 20:30Speaker 2: situations in her future.
- 20:32Speaker 1: Yeah, so good. So there is the ultimate conflict resolution guide.
- 20:36Speaker 1: Remember what you said at the beginning, you said you
- 20:38Speaker 1: can win every argument, but you said the best argument,
- 20:41Speaker 1: the best win is when it's a win-win.
- 20:42Speaker 2: It's the only win.
- 20:45Speaker 4: Thank you very much for listening, guys. Remember to share, like, subscribe.
- 20:50Speaker 4: If you think that this would be something that someone
- 20:52Speaker 4: would enjoy, please send it to them.
- 20:53Speaker 1: We appreciate it all.
- 20:55Speaker 4: If you want to get in touch, you can follow
- 20:56Speaker 4: us on Instagram at The Impossible Life.
- 20:59Speaker 1: You'll find us on there.
- 21:00Speaker 4: You can also email at impossiblelifepodcast at gmail.com. If you
- 21:05Speaker 4: have any questions, if you want to get in touch
- 21:06Speaker 4: and find out about Garrett's personal or business coaching, that's
- 21:09Speaker 4: the way to do it. Thank you again for listening.
- 21:12Speaker 1: Go out there, think better, and live the impossible. See
- 21:15Speaker 1: you again soon. Thank you.