NLP was developed in the 70’s whilst looking at strategies that successful people used. This was then used to model that behaviour and involved mimicking patterns, language and thoughts to reach personal excellence. Effectively this system provides us with a user manual to the unconscious mind and how our thoughts create the world we live in. Let me break down Neuro-Linguistic Programming for you:
Neuro: refers to neurology or how we perceive the world around us through our 5 senses (Sight, sound, taste, touch and smell) or through mind, body and soul.
Linguistic: refers to language that we use internally and to interact with others.
Programming: refers to how we are programmed based on our experiences, the behaviours we perform and how we make sense of it all. Its our own map of the world.
One of the first books on NLP was Grinder and Bandler’s ‘Structure of Magic: A Book about Language of Therapy’, it was released in 1975. This NLP meta model was then marketed as a tool to learn how others achieve success. In todays terms, NLP is used across many fields of practice including business, relationships, sports, counselling and psychology. Modelling excellence in any of these fields enables you to move in a positive direction, effecting change in your life and those around you.
NLP looks to modify the way we see the world in a powerful and effective way. Our reality is what we make it. We can choose to look at things in a positive or negative way, even if we were to fail or experience an unexpected event, this is neither good or bad, its just another learning experience. Our thoughts and experiences shape the world around us and using NLP techniques can literally transform our lives and manifest a better future.
There are many techniques that are deployed through NLP that help you to acknowledge your current programming and change that programming around to achieve your greatest potential. These look at the thought processes we have, the behaviour we display and the language we use in order to redirect the way we think and how that ultimately determines the path we take. In simple terms change is possible. You can either continue down the same path as you always have or you can choose a better path by learning how to modify the way you think and carry yourself.
Ask yourself “am I happy with my current life, job, and/or relationship?” If you answer no, what are you going to do about it? Neuro-Linguistic Programming and mind set coaching can help you to change your direction and start to attract the life that you want or desire. Here are some simple ways NLP can help you.
Firstly, understanding who you are and how you got to where you are. More often than not, your initial consults will revolve around a life history, identifying any key or significant life events, especially around your early childhood when most of out internal beliefs and processors are learned. If you think about it, we are all a product of our environment, we all learn from those around us.
A simple way to explain this is. If you grow up in a household that only speaks English, then your preferred language is going to be English when you are older. On the other hand, if you grow up in a household that only speaks Chinese, then your preferred language is going to be Chinese. We learn from the environment around us. This is also true for behaviours, imagine the behaviour traits of two different children, one growing up in a family that shows love, compassion and affection verses one that grows up in a volatile, abusive and unloving environment. Their internal view of the outside world is going to be completely different. Their behaviours and reactions to various situations are also going to be different.
You may hear people say that ‘the map is not the territory’. This is a way of describing that there are differences between someone’s beliefs and someone’s reality. Everyone has their own perspective of the world around them and this perception is blurred and distorted making it unique to themselves. When working with a client, understanding the internal ‘map’ helps identify how their perceptions will affect their thoughts and behaviours. Once identifying how you got to where you are, a plan can be developed to get you onto the right path of where you want to go.
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New strategies can be used to replace old unproductive ones and increase productivity. It can be as simple as setting small and achievable goals. Your NLP Coach Master can spend time with you setting effective goals that are specific to what you want to achieve, measurable, attainable with a specific time frame and are written clearly in order to solidify those goals. Goals that are conscious and written down will propel you to action. Once you have a plan and an end point, it’s just a matter of rolling up your sleeves and just getting on with it.
This is just a taste of what NLP has to offer. There are many more methods and modalities used in NLP and Mindset coaching including hypnosis to help you achieve what you want to achieve. The mind is extremely powerful and once you have a ‘how to’ manual, setting you up for success is easy. Would I be right in saying that everything is easier if you have the correct manual on how it works?
If you believe that NLP and Mindset coaching can help you, book a free clarity call with your friendly NLP Coach Master. Take the first step to a better future.