What is NLP?
Something so immensely powerful can be challenging to describe. Neuro-Linguistic Programming means a variety of different things to different people, but one thing is true: It has the power to change and impact one’s life in profound ways.
NLP has been discredited in some scientific communities and even looked down on by some psychologists. While a lot of this is based in therapeutic politics, and few that have experienced NLP doubt its merits, the truth can be found in the highly successful people who use NLP.
Tony Robbins used NLP to become one of the world’s most famous life changers. Oprah Winfrey has used NLP for her development and uses techniques with her audiences as well. Warren Buffett, one of the richest men alive, has also been said to use NLP.
I will have much more on people who use NLP in another post, but let’s get into what this powerful technology is.
Richard Bandler, the co-creator of Neuro-Linguistic Programming has described NLP as the study of successful behaviors. So whether you want to learn how to successfully not have a phobia of spiders or whether you want to learn how to successfully change your life in all areas, it is possible with NLP.
NLP is…
For our purposes here we will describe NLP as a change technology. Many people have many different definitions for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It can be thought of as an attitude that you can use on yourself and others to affect positive change. It often involves the use of linguistics, influence, communication, persuasion, and insights of how the mind works to help others and yourself get positive results.
Some very key concepts for NLP are:
-Modeling– If someone has done something successfully in life, we can learn how they did that thing and apply similar behaviors to get similar results.
-There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. When we are going for a specific outcome, whatever actions we take can only help us to better learn how to get that outcome. So if I fail to get that outcome, we have only learned better how to not get that outcome.
-In this same way, bad and good are only defined in the terms of the outcome. If your boss is angry and yelling at you, he still has positive results if his only goal was to get you to get the project done and you did. If however, his outcome was to maintain a positive relationship with his employees, then maybe not so much.
-If you are not getting what you want do something different. Do anything different. Often times we are still trying the same approaches to getting the things we want with no success. Being able to change your behavior can have the power to dramatically improve your results.
What NLP can help you to do:
-Build deeper relationships
-Improve your relationship with yourself
-Be able to influence others and have them follow you
-Sell more
-Communicate better
-Learn faster
-Quit addictions
-Get over fears
-Destroy false beliefs and limitations
-Achieve your potential
And so much more…
NLP is one of the most powerful skills that I have learned and a key agent that I use in my coaching. It has the ability to reach others where they are and take them to where they want to be.
