The “Anxious Attachment” Trap: Why Working Harder is Killing Your Business Growth

In this episode of The PowerTalk Show, we sat down with Dr. Joseph Drolshagen, a rapid growth specialist and the creator of the SMT (Subconscious Mind Training) Method. With a background spanning 28 years in corporate America and a Doctorate in Psychology, Dr. Joey helps businesses move from bankruptcy to profitability—not by working harder, but by rewiring the "motherboard" of the mind.

The Silent Killer: Anxious Attachment in Business

Dr. Joey began the conversation by introducing a concept usually reserved for relationships: Anxious Attachment.

In a business context, anxious attachment manifests as desperation. It is the act of chasing clients, cutting prices out of fear, and obsessing over revenue targets to the point of exhaustion. "When we're anxiously attached to things, we start going more based on our logical mind... chasing clients, working more hours," Dr. Joey explains. "But it only works against us."

This anxiety stems from the subconscious mind. While your conscious mind sets the goals (e.g., "I want a $10M company"), your subconscious holds the "motherboard" of programming—every fear, doubt, and limiting belief installed since childhood. If your programming is set to "struggle," no amount of conscious effort will override it.

The SMT Method: A Fluid Model for Unique Individuals

Most business coaching programs offer a rigid, concrete model: "Do X, Y, and Z to get rich." Dr. Joey points out that less than 1% of people achieve the promised results with these models because they ignore the individual's uniqueness.

"The SMT method is based on a model. The model is locked, but it is fluid," Dr. Joey says.

He illustrates this with a story about his four siblings. Despite growing up in the same house, going on the same camping trips, and living the same events, all five siblings have five completely different versions of the story. Perception is unique. Therefore, the roadmap to success must be unique to the entrepreneur's specific programming and vision.

Throttle Back to Speed Up

Perhaps the most counter-intuitive advice Dr. Joey offers is his first step with new clients: Throttle Back.

You cannot build a powerful "Dynamic Vision" for your life while doing 150 miles per hour fueled by anxiety. "The first thing I have to get them to do is to throttle back a little bit," he says. "We use that vision as the reality. Our reality is no longer what's going on in our situation, circumstances, and conditions."

When you slow down and align your internal belief system with where you want to go, the external obstacles become mere "road bumps" rather than walls.

The Beginner Mindset

Who is this method for? Dr. Joey is clear: it is for those who want it, not just those who need it. The key pre-requisite is a Beginner Mindset.

This doesn't mean you are new to business. It means you are done saying, "I know, I know, I know." "A beginner mindset isn't looking at what I already know, it's looking at something and saying, 'What can I take from this and add to what I already know?'" Dr. Joey explains.

Whether you are doing $300k or $22M a year, the ability to reprogram your subconscious mind is the difference between stagnant struggle and rapid, effortless growth.

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