Dr. Alan Zimmerman shared his message of "motivating yourself to achieve more than ever" with the AAMVA membership on Sunday.  He talked about the effects of both positive and negative thinking and then demonstrated the premise by sending an unsuspecting attendee out of the room while giving the audience directions for her return. 

As instructed, the audience sent negative thoughts her way when the "unsuspecting attendee" was asked about her origins.  And the audience thought positive thoughts when she was asked about her job.  

It was amazing to watch her outstretched arms fall quickly to her side when pressure was applied after we all thought she was a jerk, and then to watch her hold firm as we silently thought she was great.  Even the skeptics in the crowd were amazed at the physical test of positive vs. negative thinking.  It made me wonder if the AAMVA community could subconsciously "group think" Real ID into a workable, cost-effective, realistic solution for everyone involved. 

What would happen if we all thought positive thoughts about those responsible for setting the direction for Real ID?  Would the states magically be granted all that need to do what Congress has asked them to do? 

The Real ID Technical Working Group has made recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as to what the priorities should be for the federally-required verification systems.  One of the real concerns with the current timelines is that the federal systems to which the states will be required to access are not ready and timelines for availability are unknown. 

Perhaps while we patiently waiting for the final rules to be published, we can change our thinking.  Maybe if we implement Dr. Zimmerman's lessons, we will be pleasantly surprised at the generous funding and implementation extension included in the final rule.

DHS Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson will be at the conference on Tuesday.  Seems like the perfect opportunity for our conference attendees to give "positive group think" a try.

Sheila Prior
Region IV Operations
sprior@aamva.org