One of Tracy's most practically powerful ideas is the income thermostat. He argues that each person has an internal target income: a level of earnings that feels normal and comfortable. When actual income falls below this level, the person is motivated and active: they hustle because things are not right. When it rises above, subtle internal forces work to bring it back down: spending increases, effort decreases, opportunities are missed. This explains a common pattern Tracy observed: salespeople who hit a record month and then have a terrible one immediately after. The record month pushed their income above the internal thermostat setting. Unconsciously, they corrected back to normal. The thermostat is set by the self-concept in the income dimension. It reflects your deep beliefs about what you deserve, what is realistic for you, and what people like you earn. Changing the thermostat requires changing those beliefs. Tracy's method is specific: write down a clear, specific income goal that is significantly above your current income. Make it large enough to be motivating but not so large it feels delusional. Then act as if that income level were your new normal: make the decisions, have the conversations, and take the actions that a person earning that amount would take. The new behaviour gradually raises the thermostat. This is not wishful thinking. It is the recognition that financial targets are substantially determined by internal expectations, and that changing the expectation is a prerequisite for changing the result.