Review of The Instant Switch
I was ready to give up. My business had been running on fumes for months, and I couldn't afford to even pay my rent, let alone the one employee I had.
I was running a small Public Relations consultancy, and things just weren't going well. We've been losing clients, and even my sole investor pulled out. I used almost all of my remaining savings to keep the business alive, but there was little hope. I had little hope.
Then I came across the Instant Switch. I don't know what came over me, but I bought it and started reading. I was always skeptical of these things, but I guess at that point, I was looking for a miracle. God knows, I needed one. I remember making the purchase and thinking that this probably won't help me get out of the hole I've dug for myself. I mean, can you really instant switch a dying business into a successful one?
Of course you can't. But what this book did for me was something even better than some miracle cure for my PR firm - it changed my mind. And I don't mean in a figurative, decision-making sense either.
In the Instant Switch, Sandy talks about something called neuroplasticity, and how it was possible for the brain to actually, physically change the brain. The resulting change stretches the mind to get results. Results like wealth, and success. I learnt how to control my brain plasticity and realized that it was my complete choice. How I feel, how I react, is not controlled by my clients or my investor, or even the state of my business. I started looking at all the positive things in my life. I was 30 years old. I have experience in PR. I wasn't bankrupt - yet.
This revelation changed my life. Like Sandy said in Chapter 1, I realized that the diamond necklace was indeed around my neck. It wasn't out there, in a place I can find.
The greatest prize I needed, had always been inside. I was looking externally for a solution to solve my problems, trying to find new clients, and attending networking events in hope of land an investor or two. I thought those things were the diamonds that I needed.
At that time, I was so sure that my entire reality was bleak and hopeless, and I was a failure. But that couldn't be further from the truth! All I've been seeing is "no", a perpetual sea of no, no, no. My life was exactly how Sandy described it.
It was time to start switching to "Yes". I also picked up the "Mirror" technique from Chapter 3, and I must say, it has led to so much personal growth to me. I don't want to give away too much, but it involves doing something a little... unorthodox. But take my word for it... It definitely works.
My self-esteem, confidence and zeal in life skyrocketed. My life turned a complete 360 degrees. What I loved about the Instant Switch is that it wasn't all dry techniques.
Sandy uses a lot of her personal experiences to relate back to the techniques she's trying to get across, and that really made the book so much easier to digest. There's also very little confusing jargon for me to get through, which helped in understanding every single technique being taught.
Speaking of techniques, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that there was really nothing complicated involved in transforming myself, in transforming my brain. Most of what Sandy advocates are small, almost negligible changes in a person's every day routine, which is great because some techniques I've read in other books recommended such stark changes that no one would realistically be able to immediately apply to their lives.
The Instant Switch is definitely something I would recommend to anyone who seeks a better life. Having applied the techniques that Sandy put forth in the book, I found a new lease on life. I got myself a new job that's giving me a ton of experience and a stable (and significant) income. I found someone who's truly been a blessing to me. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, Sandy really changed my life for the better through the Instant Switch.
