Jedi Mind Tricks

Jedi Mind Tricks

Star Wars is probably one of my favourite films, and when working on intention, I often suggest that my clients use Jedi mind tricks. This is in reference to the scene in the film when the Stormtroopers are looking for two specific droids and Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight, is able to deflect them simply by using the Jedi mind tricks and saying with great conviction and influence, “These are not the droids you are looking for.” Through his sureness alone, he’s able to convince the Stormtroopers that it’s true, that those are not the droids they were looking for, when in fact, they were.

Holding on to your intention throughout both setting goals and taking action is very important. To have intention for a particular conversation or negotiation, for instance, is to be laser focused on the desired outcome. If you’re clear on that, you’ll be better able to recognize any and all available opportunities to achieve it.

When you’re going into a situation that you’re unsure of or nervous about, you can apply a Jedi mind trick and draw confidence from your intention. I’ve learned that when I focus on positive outcomes and hold the intention for them, good things happen much more often.

Carlos: A Story of the Jedi Mind Trick in Action

As an example, one of my clients, Carlos, was about to buy a house but felt that the seller needed to lower the price by £50K (c.$80K) to reflect remedial works that needed to be carried out. He was anxious about the meeting that had been arranged, and we discussed it in preparation. I asked him what his intention for the meeting was.

“Well, to get a lower price,” he said.

“Why does the house warrant a lower price?” I asked.

He explained about all the work the house needed and how he felt that justified an appropriate price reduction.

“Okay,” I said. “You know what you want and why. Exactly what is the intention for this meeting?”

“To get the seller to approve a £50K reduction in the cost of the property because I’m going to have to spend that on things that should have already been done.”

“Are you comfortable that that figure is appropriate?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Right, then,” I said. “So you know what you want to do with this conversation. Keep that intention at the forefront of your mind. Your intention is ‘I want this person to take off £50K’. Go and look the seller in the eye and think, ‘I want to pay £50K less’, and actually hold the full price you want to pay in your mind.”

Carlos got the discount, bought the house, did a year’s worth of renovations, and moved in. 

The FORCE was strong in that one!