Week Seventeen – The Power of “Auto” Suggestion or, I’ll See It When I Believe It!

I’ve always been a fan of the Nissan “Z”. Even back in the days of the Datsun 240 Z (That’s circa 1972). I always said that “some day” I would own one. I thought that as far as high performance sports carts go, the “Z” was the “biggest bang for the buck”.

So, no surprise that I would include a photo of a 370 Z on my movie poster, AKA dream board.

My poster included photos and representations of my Personal Pivotal Needs (PPN’s), images with some special meaning to me, and some fun “perks” that I would like to manifest along the way as well. It has been a “work in progress” and I have made some modifications from the original.

On my way home from work one morning, I noticed a fairly new, but pre-owned, red 370 Z parked in front of the local Toyota dealership.

After passing by that car every day for a week or two, one morning on a whim, I stopped and looked at the car before the dealership was open. There was no price listed, just a sign that said, “WAS: $$$, NOW: DISCOUNT!”

I drove past it a few more times that week, then one day I stopped to see how much they were asking for it.

As I was looking at it, a very personable young salesman, Tomi, approached me and said, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I had to agree. It was a 2010 model, but it looked like it had just rolled off the assembly line. And it had only 18,500 miles on the odometer.

Tomi asked me, “Want to take it for a test drive?”

Without thinking I blurted out, “Sure, let’s go.”

What the hell was I thinking? It’s the middle of winter, I’m a grandfather in my sixth decade, and I’m test driving a “Z” for absolutely no sane reason.

I said to myself, “Well, this will be a fun diversion. A little ‘dream building’ for the future. Something to tell all my co-workers, family, and friends about. How I drove a car that I’ve always wanted. How I thought about what I wanted it to do, and it did it. Like it was not so much a collection of steel, rubber, and fabric, but an extension of myself…”

Whoa! Put on the brakes big guy. Get a grip. Get back to the dealership, go home, and get back to the business of living sensibly.

We got back to the dealership and Tomi said, “Let me work some numbers with you.”

I was polite. I let him show me the numbers (which were surprisingly reasonable). I thanked him for his time and then I told him that I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. I had stopped by on a whim, but I wasn’t really in the market just yet.

I went home and I caught a glimpse of my movie poster. There was the red “Z” looking back at me.

The next morning when I was reading my Blueprint Builder, I couldn’t help but smile when I said, “I know through the principle of autosuggestion” (emphasis on auto), “any desire that I persistently hold in my mind…”.

I stopped at the dealership the next morning and took a photo of the car. I put it on the latest edition of my movie poster.

A few weeks went by and the car was still on the lot. I noticed on line that the price of the car had been slightly lowered. I decided that I would stop in and make an even lower offer, just to show that I was interested, but not at that price.

The finance manager told me that he really couldn’t go any lower on the price.

A couple more weeks went by and the car was still for sale. I decided to go in one more time with another offer.

When I walked into the dealership, Tomi said, “Are you here about the Z again?” I said that I noticed it was still for sale and I thought that I would make one final offer. Tomi told me that another salesman had taken a $1,000 deposit from a gentleman in New Jersey and he was willing to pay the advertised price if the car met his expectations.

I told him that I had appreciated his friendly, low pressure approach, and to keep me in mind in the future if anything similar popped up.

He told me that he had taken out of state deposits in the past, and that they frequently didn’t pan out. If this deal with the other salesman and the Jersey guy fell through, he would call me.

I drove by the lot the next day and the space where the car had been was empty. My heart sank. It had been a fun little dream while it lasted.

Two days later, the car was back on the lot.

I sent Tomi an email stating simply, “No Jersey?”

He replied and asked me to come in.

Here’s where the long story gets short.

The finance manager told me that he needed to move this car. He also said that he knew that I wanted the car. He felt that we could work together to find some common ground.

We did. I made an offer that he accepted! I was happy. He was happy. I had negotiated a “steal”. With a car dealer!

I realize now that the car was an effect in my outer world. My inner world was the cause. Every day when I read my BPB, I smiled and looked at the photo on my movie poster as I said the word “autosuggestion”.

Yes, I wanted that car, but I wasn’t bound to the outcome. If that deal didn’t work out, something better would be in store.

So here’s what’s new in my life now.

 

But I know that because of the effect the MKMMA has had in my life, it’s not

 

                                                                  THE END