The Power of NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming)

What do you really want to achieve from life? What sort of life did you dream of as a child?  How many times have you changed your goals without trying to actually accomplish them?

  You may have met people in your life who you have looked up to, who you perhaps aspire to be. These people who have triumphed over adversity or turned their lives around. You may have thought to yourself ‘how did they manage to do that? I could never do that!’ We hear these anecdotes of these people who have overcome seemingly insurmountable circumstances to achieve such greatness. We aspire to be these people and yet we subconsciously distance ourselves from them too. These larger-than-life figures regaling their fairy-tale success stories. They’re one in a million, right? But these people are not fictional characters. They eat, they sleep, they think just like we do. They are not exceptional and yet they have made such exceptional accomplishments. They do however share a common trait, one that is vital and played a huge factor in their achievements; self-belief in their own abilities.   “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.” – John Maxwell   We’ve been raised to realise our own boundaries, set our own limitations and to stay safely within them. We’ve been hard-wired this way. From an evolutionary standpoint, it’s been a good trait to possess; a safeguard so that we don’t overexert ourselves or put ourselves in unnecessary danger; we naturally err on the side of caution. However, this continuous self-imposition of what we are capable of has severely limited what we believe we can actually achieve. There have been numerous documented incidents which our rational minds simply can’t believe to be true. Our minds are capable of so much more than we give it credit for, yet we seem to think we know best when it comes to what we can achieve. And so Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) was born. It looked at how we as humans think, how we learn and how we behave. By studying how our minds are wired, what motivates us and the patterns we follow, it seeks to adapt our minds to achieve specific goals in life. Nigel Heald, a master practitioner of NLP explains; “Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) helps us not only truly understand how we create the habits that determine our everyday behaviours and outcomes; it also gives us the ability to make the new choices which expand our horizons. Just think what you could achieve in your life if you really felt and believed you could not fail: how would you feel if you could realise those dreams?" NLP is the study of excellence specifically, it’s the difference that makes the difference! Co-founder of NLP Richard Bandler has said; “brains aren’t designed to get results; they go in directions. If you know how the brain works YOU can set your OWN directions. If you don’t someone else will.” Eliminating this catastrophic self-doubt and consciously changing our outlook on how we approach our tasks, can seriously affect the chances of us successfully achieving our goals. The most successful entrepreneurs possess this unshakeable determination and it steers them through to success; maybe not on the first attempt but through continued persistence and self-belief. To quote revolutionary industrialist, Henry Ford; “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right.” If you’re interested in learning more about NLP and how its techniques can help you achieve your professional and personal goals, why not book onto our upcoming Masterclass in Birmingham on 15th July 2015 with NLP Master Practitioner, Nigel Heald?   Written by Kwan Cheung