For Dog’s Sake… NARC Really Works!

When I first encountered the NARC exercise in Master Key Week 13, I’ll be honest: I was skeptical. The idea of using the Law of Dual Thought to completely flip my feelings about a task seemed, well, a bit too simple.

After all, how could a simple shift in perception truly alter how I felt about something I absolutely dreaded?

But, as with many things in life, the more I resisted, the more I realized I was probably standing in my own way. So when the subject of NARC was repeated in Week 15, I decided to actually bite the bullet and do the exercise as instructed.

For those who might not be familiar with the NARC exercise, it’s rooted in a principle called the Law of Dual Thought. This law teaches us that we have the power to attach any emotion to any thought.

Essentially, we can choose how we feel about an activity or situation, regardless of how we might initially react. A task like making sales calls — something many people find stressful or even terrifying — can be transformed with the right emotional association.

The key is to recognize that our feelings are not fixed, but rather, they are choices we make.

Mark J’s webinar provided a detailed walk-through of how to use this technique. He guided us through an exercise where we first assigned a negative emotion to an activity we didn’t like (in my case, making sales calls) and then replaced that negative emotion with something much more positive by linking it to a memory or experience of extreme pleasure.

At first, I resisted. The idea of intentionally choosing to feel something different about making sales calls felt forced, almost unnatural.

But, remembering that I’ve spent years learning and practicing how to reframe situations, I decided to give it a real shot. And boy, was I in for a revelation.

To begin, I was asked to picture the worst-case scenario — what would happen if I didn’t make those sales calls? What would the consequences be? I imagined throwing away all of my carefully designed marketing materials, my business cards, the posters I had painstakingly created to promote my services.

I could see them all burning in a fiery heap, and the emotions that surfaced were intense: despair, frustration, and even a twinge of self-loathing. This was the “pain” of not making sales calls. The loss of something important, the emotional toll of neglecting my DMP (Definite Major Purpose), and the overwhelming feeling that I was failing to live up to my potential.

But then came the most powerful part of the exercise. Mark J instructed us to replace those negative feelings with something positive — something that had real emotional weight. I had to find a memory so vivid and powerful that it could transform the negative emotion I had associated with sales calls into something completely different.

One of the most intense and emotional experiences of my life occurred a few years ago when I had to save my son’s dog, Leo, from a potentially fatal accident. It was a snowy winter day, and Leo — his beloved Border Terrier — ran out onto the pool cover, which was iced over.

Without warning, he fell through the thin layer of ice and was trapped in the freezing water beneath. I was recovering from abdominal surgery at the time, barely able to walk, let alone run.

But when I heard Leo’s terrified yelp, I didn’t hesitate. I ran barefoot across the snow, slid onto my stomach, and grabbed Leo by the head. I dragged him out of the icy water, and once we were safely inside, I wrapped him in blankets, holding him tightly, overwhelmed with relief and love.

The sheer emotional intensity of that moment — the adrenaline, the fear, and then the tsunami of love and tears of joy I felt for my dog — was so vivid in my mind that it became my anchor for this exercise.

I began to see the parallels between that act of saving Leo and the act of making sales calls. Just as I had rushed to save Leo’s life out of love and care for his well-being, I could approach sales calls with the same intensity of love and compassion for the person on the other end of the line.

In my mind, every sales call became a life-saving opportunity, not just for Leo, but for the prospect I was speaking with. I now view each conversation as a chance to offer someone a financial lifeline — something that could truly change their life.

The emotion of saving my dog translated directly into the emotion I now attach to making sales calls. The fear, dread, and resistance I once felt have been replaced by love, empathy, and a deep sense of purpose.

Instead of feeling like a sales pitch, I now see each call as a heroic act — a chance to help someone, to be a source of hope and safety. Every time I pick up the phone, I remind myself that I’m not just pushing a product or service; I’m offering a solution that could have a profound impact on someone’s life.

This shift in perspective has been absolutely transformative.

Looking back, I can’t believe how much resistance I initially felt toward the NARC exercise. But now, having gone through it, I can see how powerful it is.

Changing the way we feel about something, by deliberately associating it with an emotion that resonates deeply, is not just a theory — it’s real. It works. The ability to choose how I feel, to flip a negative emotion into a positive one, has completely changed how I approach tasks I once dreaded.

I highly recommend this exercise to anyone who is feeling stuck or resistant to certain aspects of their life or business. It’s not just about sales calls or business, either. It’s about taking control of your emotions and choosing to reframe how you experience the world. Once you realize that you can make this choice, the possibilities are endless.

In the end, NARC isn’t just about changing the way we feel — it’s about changing the way we live. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Read more about my hero’s journey through the Master Key Experience by clicking here.