Interview with Chris Dorris.. Understanding: ALL IN

I have learned a lot from Chris Dorris and his concept of ALL IN. I was so inspired by it that I asked him if he would be willing to share a bit about this concept with the readers of Life of Spice. So here we go –

First, a bit about the man himself:  Since 1994, Chris Dorris has served as an advisor, consultant and Mental Toughness Trainer and Personal Transformation Coach to elite athletes, executives, entrepreneurs and individuals worldwide. He conducts workshops and seminars on Mental Conditioning, Leadership, and Peak Performance. What began as a commitment to help people feel more excited and enthusiastic about their lives has evolved as Chris is now called upon by elite athletes, CEOs, entertainers, coaches and parents, professors, physicians, sales teams, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Chris is an international speaker who has addressed distinguished audiences that include numerous Fortune 100 Companies. He coaches athletes from the Professional Golf Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Olympic athletes and hundreds of amateurs. He is the author of Creating Your Dream: Confidently Stepping into Your Own Brilliance, and several audio programs including the Creating Your Dream Audio Course and ALL IN.

1. Please tell my readers a little about your background. I often refer to you as my spiritual coach!

I like the term, Spiritual Coach. It’s actually perfectly accurate even though I use terminology like, Mental Strength Coach or Personal Coach. The reason Spiritual Coach is so appropriate is that I train folks to reprogram they way they use their minds such that the mind functions only to SERVE. And the higher the emotional state, the more the mind serves us. In other words, the high vibrational states like joy, enthusiasm, peace, competence, etc – those states activate intelligence. And my definition of “spirituality” is knowing how to live in joy. So it’s quite accurate that you refer to me as that, Monica!

2. I truly admire your work and your concept of ALL IN really stuck with me. Could you explain what that means?

When we are fully committed to something – and I mean FULLY – we are at our most powerful. When we are infinitely committed, the possibility of not doesn’t appear on our radar or doesn’t exist within our consciousness. So our actions are as masterful as they can be. Infinite commitment is what I mean by the term, ALL IN! And it’s a state of mind. Just like anxiety is a state of mind. Or confidence. Or hopelessness. No human state of mind is as powerful and useful as the knowing, or ALL IN state. And every state is a choice, so I recommend choosing ALL IN!

3. So now that we understand what ALL IN is, what are the three steps we need to take to make our commitment to being ALL IN

You’ve done your homework! The three steps to getting and staying ALL IN are: DECIDE, DECLARE, and DWIT (Do What It Takes). DECIDE means to upgrade your goal to a decision. There’s a vast world of difference between a goal and a decision. A goal is a decision awaiting its upgrade. A goal permits the possibility of “failure”. A decision does not. So the first step is to treat your desire with the same degree of authority with which you decide which brand of toothpaste to purchase. The second step is to DECLARE. Declare both internally and outwardly, or publically, what it is that you have decided to create (not “attract” – CREATE). It takes no courage to declare that you are going to the store for groceries, so why should it take any more courage to declare that you’re the world’s premier Food Writer, or Personal Coach, or Mother, or Elementary School Teacher, or that you’re starting a thriving new clothes line? Declare it, announce it to the world and watch the world conspire to help you. And finally, DWIT. This is the mental toughness training element. Doing what it takes involves training your mind so that it serves you. SO that you can continue to act masterfully when things don’t go as you had envisioned. And so that you don’t delay the experience of bliss until your vision has been created. In fact, the more willing you are to experience bliss now, the sooner you’ll create the vision, and you will have had a much better time in the process.

4. My biggest obstacle to ALL IN is fear, I think. The “what if’s” really haunt me. What if I go ALL IN and it doesn’t work. And I think that goes against the philosophy of ALL IN. Thoughts?

When you go to the store to buy groceries, it’s very unlikely that you ask questions like, “What if I fail?” (Please tell me you’re not doing that. Because if you are, we need to schedule a private session ASAP!) That would be strange. When you go to drive your car in traffic to get to your children’s school, you don’t ask, “What if I’m not a good enough driver?” And why not? That would be even more legitimate a situation than most others to ask the “what if?” questions. Driving is the most dangerous behavior we engage in each day. But yet we don’t ask these questions until it’s something that matters most to us. Interesting, isn’t it? That’s the effect of social conditioning. We have been conditioned over time to wonder and ask questions about the likelihood or possibility of the things that matter most to us. And doing that is stupid. You spend most of your day in the ALL IN! state. You make thousands of decisions every day with absolute commitment – ALL IN! What sentence to type in your next blog post. When to cook the next meal. What to cook. Who to call and when. What to wear. When to shift in your chair. Thousands of decisions all day ALL IN! So it’s not like we’re unfamiliar with how to do that. Just start doing that with the things that are most important to us, our greatest desires.

5. Where can my readers buy your books and all your audio programs

My book and my audio programs can be found here: www.chrisdorrislive.com

I have a free eBulletin entitled, Miraculous Life. You can sign up for that by visiting my blog at www.chrisdorrisblog.com

And you can view over 50 of my brief videos on my YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/creatingyourdream