the Human Mind (V) - The Reference Level

At the heart of every Perceptual Control system is a Reference Level—a range of perceptions that indicate the system is “under control”. When a perception is within the system’s Reference Level, nothing happens. When the perception violates the Reference Level by being too high or too low, the system will act to bring the perception back under control.

-          Set point is a minimum or maximum value.

-          A range is a spread of acceptable values. The difference between a range and a set point is the existence of an upper and lower limit to the perception being controlled.

-          An error is a set point defined as zero (any perception that’s not zero is out of control. Think of the pain receptors in your skin. Most of the time, they do nothing, which means everything is under control. If you cut or burn yourself, however, the receptors send a signal that something is wrong, and you’ll act to remedy the situation)

If you want to change a behavior, you must either change the system’s Reference Level or change the Environment in which the system is operating.

Consciously defining and redefining Reference Levels can help you change your behavior. If you’re worried that your spending is out of control, you can create a budget that will give you information on what your Target Monthly Revenue needs to be in order to stay Sufficient. If you’re worried that your weight is too high or low, a visit to your doctor can help you calibrate your expectations and self-perception against medical data. If you’re consistently working twelve-hour days and you decide that no more than eight is acceptable, your work habits will change.

Change the Reference Level, and your behavior will change automatically.

The Personal MBA, Master the Art of Business - Josh Kaufman