Why EFT is Like Sushi

Posted by Ron Ball

Jan 15, 05

A few decades ago, when Americans first heard about sushi, a lot of them thought it was wierd. You want me to eat raw fish? Hey, introducing anything new to a society or culture takes time. People resist change. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is just like sushi, computers and DVDs. According to Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory, new ideas, discoveries and inventions don’t take the world by storm. They bump their way in. People’s beliefs about what’s possible get in the way. Only about 16% of people are innovators or early adopters willing to try something new … even wondrous things.

According to Everett Rogers, 2.5% of people are innovators, 13.5% are early adopters, 34% are the early majority, another 34% are the late majority and 16% are laggards. The pioneers and explorers are the champions of new ideas. The people who embrace something, like EFT, are innovators or early adopters, not the majority. So it’s unrealistic to expect the masses to understand or try EFT. Not yet. Some ideas, products and innovations never get past the innovator stage. The key jump is from the early adopters to the early majority.

As with anything else, some people want to be first. Others want to wait and see. More importantly, a method so simple and unusual as EFT challenges the majority of people’s beliefs about what’s possible, especially in the areas of health and psychology. Even a breakthrough like EFT will take time to hit the mainstream. When the mass media picks up on energy psychology and EFT, watch what happens.

There are characteristics for innovators and early adopters. Does this sound like you?

• You enjoy playing, trying new things and discovering for yourself.
• You like to be first.
• You seek breakthrough benefits.
• You’re intrigued by advances.
• You like to push the edge.
• You’re open to new ideas and find it easy to imagine, understand and appreciate the benefits.
• You believe that you’re in charge of your life.
• You rely on your own intuition and vision in making decisions.
• You’re not willing to wait for years for ideas to be accepted by others.
• You form your own beliefs by experiences.
• You’re straightforward and outspoken about what you think.
• You find change can be exciting.

If this doesn’t sound like you, most likely you’re not an innovator or early adopter. You’re content to wait until later to learn or do EFT. And that’s fine too if it works for you.