In my last article I introduced Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as a great tool to use for changing subconscious programming. In this article, I'll introduce you to Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP) and give you an NLP technique you can use yourself to change an unwanted or unproductive program or eliminate an unwanted habit.
NLP was developed in the early 1970's by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. "Neuro" refers to the way information is processed by the mind through the senses; "linguistic" refers to the way we use language to communicate our experiences to ourselves and others; and "programming" describes how the brain codes experiences to create personal programs that determine our ways of being and behaving in the world.
In other words, NLP is a way to describe precisely how people perceive experiences, represent them to themselves, communicate them to others, and encode them within their brain. Understanding this process makes it possible to change an experience or replicate someone else's experience. How NLP is mostly used (outside of a therapeutic setting) is in studying and replicating (or modelling) personal excellence. It is a tool that is widely used in business and personal development.
NLP is extremely effective in changing subconscious programming whether that is eliminating a belief and installing a new belief, disrupting old disempowering patterns or programs and installing more empowering patterns or programs, turning on and off emotional states at will and eliminating conflict within yourself.
The downside with NLP is that it does require training in order for you to be truly effective in using many of the processes and, because much of what we say and do is out of conscious awareness, it can be more difficult to use NLP on yourself. For example, if you were to ask a highly successful business person how they succeeded, they probably couldn't give you a precise answer. They most likely don't even know, consciously, what made the difference and therefore are unable to articulate it. Similarly, we often aren't aware, at a conscious level, of how we sabotage ourselves - only that we do.
The key to success or failure then is often unknown at the conscious level. That's why an athlete can be sensational one time and fail the next, even though their preparation was, on the surface, exactly the same. Dig a little deeper, however, using NLP, and the differences start to emerge that explain the contrast in results. Eliciting these unknown pieces of the puzzle is sometimes referred to as the 'magic of NLP' although, of course, it's not magic at all. Once elicited, you can 'interrupt' the sabotaging program that was running and change the end result.
The brain processes information and stores our life experiences using our five senses. When we later remember those experiences we do so using our five senses again. That is why, if you remember or imagine biting into a lemon, you 'see', 'smell' and 'taste' the lemon even though it's only happening in your mind. In NLP these senses are called modalities and there are three main ones: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) and kinaesthetic (feeling). Our other two senses, olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) are a part of the kinaesthetic modality. Most people have a preference for and operate primarily from one main sensory modality.
Here is an NLP process that you can easily use on yourself.
The Swish Pattern
The swish pattern allows you to 'rewire' an old response by programming in a new response to the same trigger. It re-programs the mind to respond in a new and positive way to a situation that previously resulted in unwanted thoughts, behaviours and emotions. It can be used on everything from stopping habits like nail-biting or smoking to changing perspectives on situations like cold call selling (eg from dislike to ease or enjoyment) and changing behaviours like yelling at the people you love, acting like a doormat instead of standing up for yourself, or compulsively replaying old memories in your head that make you feel bad. Here's how you do it:
Step 1: Identify what it is that you want to change eg stop biting your nails.
Step 2: Identify the Cue Picture. What do you actually see just before you start doing the unwanted behaviour? Since a lot of behaviours happen on 'autopilot' it might help to actually do whatever you do just before you start the unwanted behaviour eg move your hand towards your mouth just as you would if you were about to bite your nails. What do you see/hear/sense? This is your Cue picture.
Step 3: Create a Desired Outcome picture. How would you see yourself differently if you had already made the change that you desire. Not just longer fingernails - what would be the value of changing this? What difference would it make to you as a person? How would it change your self-image? How would that all look/sound/feel like? Create a picture of that New You, the you that you would be if you no longer had this habit, behaviour or feeling. See yourself in the picture as though you were watching a movie and adjust the image until you feel really drawn to it. Increase the brightness, size and distance of the image and add in desirable qualities like confidence, assertiveness, inner power and kindness etc until you find it really compelling.
Step 4: Swish the two pictures. Start with seeing the Cue Picture, big and bright. Then put a small, dark image of your Desired Outcome in the lower left corner. Now as you say 'swish' allow the Cue Picture to get dimmer and smaller and further away and at the same time allow the small dark picture (your Desired Outcome) to grow big and bright until it completely covers the Cue Picture and fills the screen of your mind. You do this very quickly - in less than a second - the time that it takes to say swish. Now open your eyes. Repeat this process a total of five times making sure you open your eyes in between each swish.
Step 5: Test. Now try and picture the Cue Picture This should be hard to do as it will tend to be replaced by your Desired Outcome picture. Alternatively, try to trigger the behaviour eg lift your hand as though to bite your nails. If the old behaviour is still there, go back and swish some more and add more sensory elements to your images to make them compelling.
The Cue Picture should feel unpleasant since this is a behaviour you wish to change and the Desired Outcome should feel really attractive. The keys to a successful swish are speed and correctly identifying the trigger or Cue Picture. Happy swishing!
Yvonne Ellis has been studying personal and spiritual development for over 20 years. She teaches and coaches in these areas and is co-author of the website AttractLikeMagic where you'll find loads of information about the Law of Attraction and the Universal Laws including free eBooks to start off or enhance your Law of Attraction library.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Learn How to Make Your Affirmations Work! By Bryan Appleton
Affirmations are a very good tool that you can use to help you to break through any limiting beliefs that you may have and also to help create a new way of thinking and seeing the world around you. You can experience a much better life when you decide to use affirmations to help you to achieve and accomplish your goals. But most people do not use these affirmative phrases in the right way. And in doing this, they almost ensure that these affirmative thoughts will not help them at all.
You have to know how to really make your affirmation become powerful and to actually work to effect a change in your life. The only way to do this is to reinforce your words with actions. Without actions, nothing will change. And your actions must be in congruence to what you really want to accomplish.
AN EXAMPLE...
You can use all of the affirmations that you would like to attract more money into your life, but if you do not start to take actions that correspond with those words, you are not going to find yourself with more money. You have to begin to save your money as well as look for investment opportunities all the while you are repeating these powerful statements to yourself. Otherwise, you are not going to make your bank account grow at all.
Remember to always reinforce your words with actions. Otherwise, they have no real power at all. This is the only way that you can make sure that you affirmation goes to work for you!
Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!
You can attract the life that you truly desire! Learn HOW!
Law of Attraction Secrets
Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.
You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable.
You have to know how to really make your affirmation become powerful and to actually work to effect a change in your life. The only way to do this is to reinforce your words with actions. Without actions, nothing will change. And your actions must be in congruence to what you really want to accomplish.
AN EXAMPLE...
You can use all of the affirmations that you would like to attract more money into your life, but if you do not start to take actions that correspond with those words, you are not going to find yourself with more money. You have to begin to save your money as well as look for investment opportunities all the while you are repeating these powerful statements to yourself. Otherwise, you are not going to make your bank account grow at all.
Remember to always reinforce your words with actions. Otherwise, they have no real power at all. This is the only way that you can make sure that you affirmation goes to work for you!
Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!
You can attract the life that you truly desire! Learn HOW!
Law of Attraction Secrets
Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.
You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable.
3 Actions You Must Take After Setting Your Goal By Shawn Lim
Indeed that goal setting works and it works wonder if you know how to make use of it. Unfortunately, most people who set their goal still fail to achieve them. Why is this so? It is not that they do not know what they want and it is not that because they do not know how to set their goal. It is because they do not do what is necessary after they have set their goal.
In fact, it is what you do after you set your goals that will determine your success. Even if you set the most interesting goal in your life, you will never achieve it if you are not doing anything right after you set your goal. These are the 3 actions you must take right after you set your goal...
1. The first action you must take is to share your goal with someone close with you. Tell your goal to your family members, your close friends who will support you and tell your loved ones about your goal. You know it very well that the moment you share your dreams with other people, you are putting commitment into them and you will have no other choice but to achieve them.
2. Next, visualize and affirm your goal every morning right after you wake up and right before you sleep. Many people fail to do this because they thought that this does not work. If you do this, you will activate the law of attraction and you will motivate yourself by visualizing the achievement of your goals. Write down your affirmation on a piece of paper and put it beside your bed so that you can read through and visualize your goal before you sleep and after you wake up.
3. Finally, you will never achieve your goal if you are not doing anything about it. Take at least 3 action steps each and everyday to make sure that you move closer toward what you want in your life. Many people procrastinate and delay their action and that is why they fail to achieve what they want. If you are serious in making your dreams come true, you must take consistent action everyday.
These are the 3 actions you must take right after you set your goal. Remember, it is what you do after you set your target that will determine your success. It is all about getting things done. As long as you take the necessary action, you will receive results.
Do you want to achieve your goals in a faster way? Discover the real proven strategies for goal setting with my Goal Setting Formula. You will discover how you can achieve anything you want in your life by using simple, proven and effective strategies with goal setting.
Download your FREE REPORT today by visiting http://www.GoalSettingFormula.com/ now.
In fact, it is what you do after you set your goals that will determine your success. Even if you set the most interesting goal in your life, you will never achieve it if you are not doing anything right after you set your goal. These are the 3 actions you must take right after you set your goal...
1. The first action you must take is to share your goal with someone close with you. Tell your goal to your family members, your close friends who will support you and tell your loved ones about your goal. You know it very well that the moment you share your dreams with other people, you are putting commitment into them and you will have no other choice but to achieve them.
2. Next, visualize and affirm your goal every morning right after you wake up and right before you sleep. Many people fail to do this because they thought that this does not work. If you do this, you will activate the law of attraction and you will motivate yourself by visualizing the achievement of your goals. Write down your affirmation on a piece of paper and put it beside your bed so that you can read through and visualize your goal before you sleep and after you wake up.
3. Finally, you will never achieve your goal if you are not doing anything about it. Take at least 3 action steps each and everyday to make sure that you move closer toward what you want in your life. Many people procrastinate and delay their action and that is why they fail to achieve what they want. If you are serious in making your dreams come true, you must take consistent action everyday.
These are the 3 actions you must take right after you set your goal. Remember, it is what you do after you set your target that will determine your success. It is all about getting things done. As long as you take the necessary action, you will receive results.
Do you want to achieve your goals in a faster way? Discover the real proven strategies for goal setting with my Goal Setting Formula. You will discover how you can achieve anything you want in your life by using simple, proven and effective strategies with goal setting.
Download your FREE REPORT today by visiting http://www.GoalSettingFormula.com/ now.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How to Start Winning in Life By Michelle M Prince Platinum Quality Author
_Now!
Throughout my life, I have read inspirational books, listened to motivational CDs and attended many personal development seminars. If not for the encouragement, as well as the treasure trove of power-tips and techniques these materials provided, I would probably still be asking myself what a purposeful life would look like, and how I can have one.
I'm far from being an expert in any of these areas; rather, I come from the perspective of a student who has done the work, taken the notes and attended the classes. It is through this journey that I've discovered ways to improve my life, and it is my hope that my experiences will help others to do the same.
I recently wrote a book to help people follow their passions and learn to live an extraordinary life. I've been asked why I titled the book Winning in Life Now, rather than just Winning in Life. After all, isn't that what we all want? To be winners throughout this journey of life? I decided to add the word "Now" to stress the urgency with which we must live each day, each moment, in order to be truly happy.
The word "now" is as old-and young-as we are. Earliest languages used only present tense. The past was gone, so it wasn't possible to live there, and the future had not yet happened; therefore, it was still non-existent.
Only later did we add two more tenses to our language, giving us two more lifestyle choices. We could live in the now, creating our reality day by day and moment by moment; live in the past by holding onto it and pretending it still existed; or live for a time that has not yet happened, pretending that "things will be better."
Although many of our inspired teachers continue to remind us that there is only the now, that doesn't mean that everyone is ready and willing to accept this notion. Denial can be so much more comfortable! A nagging or nostalgic past and fairytale future often keeps us enthralled for the major part of our lives.
In order to be a winner in life, it's important to consider the reality of now but also to find a game plan that acknowledges lessons from the past. This knowledge will encourage you to create your own future-step by step, moment by moment.
Have you ever considered the fact that you cannot win unless you lose? Or: let's talk about the polarities of light and dark or hot and cold. Would we ever know what light looks like unless we've experienced darkness; or what cold feels like unless we feel as if we're burning up inside, and dripping with perspiration?
Life is all about contrasts. It's important to remove the competition factor from "winning" and demonstrate the value of embracing both winning and losing as the foundation for acknowledging self-love, self-esteem, and self-worth.
Once we learn how to love and appreciate ourselves, we can appreciate all that life has to offer. At that point, we're ready to choose how we want to feel, think, behave and act. We turn the key in the ignition and rev up the motor.
Are you ready to start creating a winning life now?
Michelle Prince, Author of "Winning in Life Now...How to Break Through to a Happier You!", and top life coach, is passionate about helping others to become more of who God created them to be. Michelle uses her unique experiences and down to earth style to give a refreshing look at how to achieve true success in life. Get ready for a breakthrough to find more happiness, develop the confidence to become all you were born to be, and live a life filled with purpose! To receive Michelle's Personal Performance Newsletter visit http://www.coachmichelleprince.com or http://www.winninginlifenow.com
Throughout my life, I have read inspirational books, listened to motivational CDs and attended many personal development seminars. If not for the encouragement, as well as the treasure trove of power-tips and techniques these materials provided, I would probably still be asking myself what a purposeful life would look like, and how I can have one.
I'm far from being an expert in any of these areas; rather, I come from the perspective of a student who has done the work, taken the notes and attended the classes. It is through this journey that I've discovered ways to improve my life, and it is my hope that my experiences will help others to do the same.
I recently wrote a book to help people follow their passions and learn to live an extraordinary life. I've been asked why I titled the book Winning in Life Now, rather than just Winning in Life. After all, isn't that what we all want? To be winners throughout this journey of life? I decided to add the word "Now" to stress the urgency with which we must live each day, each moment, in order to be truly happy.
The word "now" is as old-and young-as we are. Earliest languages used only present tense. The past was gone, so it wasn't possible to live there, and the future had not yet happened; therefore, it was still non-existent.
Only later did we add two more tenses to our language, giving us two more lifestyle choices. We could live in the now, creating our reality day by day and moment by moment; live in the past by holding onto it and pretending it still existed; or live for a time that has not yet happened, pretending that "things will be better."
Although many of our inspired teachers continue to remind us that there is only the now, that doesn't mean that everyone is ready and willing to accept this notion. Denial can be so much more comfortable! A nagging or nostalgic past and fairytale future often keeps us enthralled for the major part of our lives.
In order to be a winner in life, it's important to consider the reality of now but also to find a game plan that acknowledges lessons from the past. This knowledge will encourage you to create your own future-step by step, moment by moment.
Have you ever considered the fact that you cannot win unless you lose? Or: let's talk about the polarities of light and dark or hot and cold. Would we ever know what light looks like unless we've experienced darkness; or what cold feels like unless we feel as if we're burning up inside, and dripping with perspiration?
Life is all about contrasts. It's important to remove the competition factor from "winning" and demonstrate the value of embracing both winning and losing as the foundation for acknowledging self-love, self-esteem, and self-worth.
Once we learn how to love and appreciate ourselves, we can appreciate all that life has to offer. At that point, we're ready to choose how we want to feel, think, behave and act. We turn the key in the ignition and rev up the motor.
Are you ready to start creating a winning life now?
Michelle Prince, Author of "Winning in Life Now...How to Break Through to a Happier You!", and top life coach, is passionate about helping others to become more of who God created them to be. Michelle uses her unique experiences and down to earth style to give a refreshing look at how to achieve true success in life. Get ready for a breakthrough to find more happiness, develop the confidence to become all you were born to be, and live a life filled with purpose! To receive Michelle's Personal Performance Newsletter visit http://www.coachmichelleprince.com or http://www.winninginlifenow.com
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