"All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts. You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." James Allen (1864 - 1912)
This quote by James Allen is just one of the numerous ways that people have expressed their belief that our thoughts create our lives. And you may have heard or read other quotes, basically saying the same. Even the Buddha had this to say about the power of our thoughts:
"What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind. Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. But once mastered, no one can help you as much." Buddha (568 - 488 BC)
As an NLP trainer, I presuppose that we are in charge of our thoughts. This means that, as the Buddha above says, we create our life by how we think. It also means that, if we're in charge of our thoughts, we're in charge of the results we get. The problem, though, is: how do we change our thinking, especially if we're so used to think negative thoughts? If you don't believe me when I say we're used to negative thinking, just switch on the TV or glance at the newspapers. Negativity abounds in those media. One way that helped me to switch from negative to more positive thinking is... ...Gratitude. Being grateful for what I have now, for example, puts me very firmly in the here and now. And what's really interesting is, when I'm grateful I feel happy and contented. Right in the moment. When thinking positively you feel positive and this means you do more positive things. And when you experience more positive results as a consequence, you will have more positive beliefs which will in turn again affect your thinking. And overall, your life will be so much more positive. Recently, we laid my father-in-law to rest. And it occurred to me that life is too short to be miserable and unhappy. Your life is too precious to be fearful or worrying about things that haven't happened yet. And we don't really have time to complain about other people's shortcomings. There are various NLP skills to help you change from thinking and feeling negative Read more... The Power Of Our Thoughts
Thinking can cause problems for you. It does this because your mind has tricked you into believing that what you see is real. Seeing is believing so they say. Read more... The trouble with thinking
Here are some images from our NLP Trainers Training in New Zealand 2008. As you can see, we had a lot of fun, and we learned heaps. This was the beginning of the marvelous world of NLP training. At the time, we were living in Thailand and flew to New Zealand to finish our NLP Trainers Training. We then went back to Thailand, and in the same year ran our first NLP and Communication Skills course. [slideshow] Read more... Some Images From An NLP Trainers Training
I love quotes. Well some of them anyway. Because good ones go straight to the point. Such as the quote by Henry Ford: "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're right". Did you know, Henry Ford was trying to raise money for his idea of producing cars on an assembly line, where each little bit was added at a certain place. The bank manager that he initially applied to, told him that the automobile was just a fad, and it would never catch on. He told him there was no point in lending him any money for that kind of frivolity. So, whether you think you will, or whether you think you won't, you’re right. Beliefs structure our reality, they color our perception of what happens. They affect our values and attitudes. And how we experience the world. Wouldn't it make sense to adopt useful beliefs and assumptions about the world, and by doing so increase our effectiveness in what we do? Wouldn't it be better to hold empowering beliefs instead of holding beliefs that don't provide us with a useful system to get results? You've probably noticed that the way some people think of things, is very often the way things happen. I've got friends who expect that things are not going to be successful and they get that belief fulfilled. NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, has a set of assumptions and beliefs that are very useful in people's lives. Because NLP is the study of how people succeed, what they do and what they believe in order to excel in their lives. Now, NLP doesn't claim these beliefs are necessarily true. But when you act as if they are true you can achieve much more easily what it is you want to achieve. They may not be true but they are definitely useful. Henry Ford watched the 15 millionth Model T Ford roll off the assembly line in 1927. His ‘universal car’ was the industrial success story of its age. He was an American icon and one of the nation’s richest men. By having useful beliefs about what is possible and not being deterred by other people's unhelpful beliefs, he transformed the automobile itself from a luxury to a necessity. What do YOU believe? In future posts I'll go into the different beliefs, or presuppositions, of NLP. Read more... What Do You Believe?
Welcome to NLP tips and NLP videos, In my last video I spoke about New Years resolutions and goal setting in general Now ! Today’s Tip is about hidden benefits.. Now by that I don't mean the sort of hidden benefits that the central banks are dishing out to each other. It's more subtle than that. Let's jump right in and take a look When I'm working with a team or an individual and they are not getting the results or the changes they say they want I always ask them this question. it's a little bit unusual... "What are the benefits of NOT achieving this?" It could be that - They didn’t have to do what they say they will do - They aren’t held accountable - They get to moan about how terrible things are - They get to stay in what is comfortable & familiar -It may be that they get a sympathetic ear from other people about their "struggle"... These are all ‘hidden benefits’ that they would have to find other ways to get if they achieved their goal. There are always hidden benefits In almost any situation, there will be hidden benefits. If these benefits are uncovered, you can find other ways to satisfy them AND achieve your goals more easily. However, if you are not aware of the hidden benefits of a situation, it can make it more of a struggle to change. So, with regard to a current goal you wish to achieve or change you wish to make… Ask yourself "What are the benefits of NOT doing this?" and pay attention to your answers. You can look for other hidden benefits by asking "What am I getting from the current situation?" The answers you give yourself about these questions may seem a bit strange or perhaps even embarrassing, but once you've identified them, you can begin to find new ways to still get these hidden benefits AND achieve your goal. Every benefit addresses a need or want A benefit is only a benefit if it addresses a need or want, so the next step is to identify the needs or wants that the hidden benefit is supplying. You can ask "What is the need or want that this benefit is satisfying?" Anthony Robbins talks about six basic human needs, so if you’re having trouble identifying the need or want, check this list for inspiration. Robbins’ six are paraphrased as follows: - Love & connection to other people - Contribution to something bigger such as your family or community. A cause that you are passionate about - Predictability, familiarity & security - Unpredictability & surprise - Growth & learning. Personal development. - A sense of importance One of the presuppositions of NLP is that every behaviour has a positive intention. Now The presuppositions of NLP are not necessarily true, but it is useful to act as if they are true in certain situations. It can be very freeing to realise that there has been a positive intention behind something you have been perceiving as "failure" or ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. Once you know which needs or wants you’ve been satisfying, you can dream up many more even better ways to feel satisfied in the future. So imagine what it will be like to ask yourself "How can I still get these benefits while I’m achieving my goal?" And then ask yourself that question. The odds are that once you start to contemplate new ways of doing things, you’ll often come up with even more ways of getting those benefits than the ones you currently have. Sometimes people will say that there is no benefit in the current situation. NOW, If that happens, check how long things have been the way they are. If it’s more than a few weeks, then the hidden benefits should be familiar. And...With regard to not getting your goal… Ask "What are the benefits of NOT achieving this?" to identify hidden benefits of the current situation. Ask "What is the need or want that this benefit is satisfying?" Ask "How can I get this benefit while I’m achieving my goal?" to identify better ways of satisfying the wants & needs. Remember to use your imagination – there’s always another way of meeting your wants and needs. Read more... Nlp Tips # 2-The hidden benefits of NOT Getting Your Goals
