How to Gain Control Over Your Life and the Level of Success You Achieve in Life

One of the principles of NLP is that of cause and effect. Basically, when you are at "cause" you accept 100% responsibility for everything in your life. When you are at "effect" you essentially believe that life happens to you and that you have limited control.

I personally prefer to be at cause rather than effect. I may not like everything that I am manifesting in my life at any point in time but if I accept that I am responsible for everything in my life it gives me the ability to respond in such a way so as to create a new reality - one more to my liking. Let me give an example.

I was a attending a seminar when one of the participants said something like:

"I am a slow learner because I was bullied as a child."

When I heard this statement I groaned inwardly, especially since the individual prefaced her statement by saying she was an NLP Practitioner. I thought to myself, "You're disregarding the fundamental principles of NLP."

This was an individual was who definitely at effect rather than cause. You see the fact that she was bullied at school cannot be changed. However, saying that this is the cause of her being a slow learner closes the door of opportunity for her to do something about her learning ability. This is because she cannot change the fact that she was bullied as a child. It happened.

Similarly, my guest, Shirley Cheng, for my teleseminar later today "How to Awaken Your Spirit to Live a Life Without Limits" could have said to herself:

"I am a slow learner because I lost years of elementary education."

Shirley suffered crippling rheumatoid arthritis as an infant. However, instead of letting this hold her back, she was determined to catch up as quickly as possible. She went from barely knowing the alphabet to devouring the equivalent of five years of elementary education in 180 days. That's amazing and it was all down to her positive attitude.

Your ATTITUDE in life plays a critical role in what you achieve in life.

"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude towards what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you."
Brian Tracy

Isn't that awesome?

I challenge you that there is nothing in your life that you cannot improve right now if you simply change your attitude and take responsibility for your life.

Consider this for a moment. Think of someone who has bought a very posh car. Do you think that person will readily hand the keys of that car to just anyone. No. Yet we so readily relinquish the keys to our life. What is more precious? You can always buy a new car but a new life?

So hold on tight to the keys of your life if you want control over your life and the level of success that you achieve. And remember that being responsible simply means that you are ABLE to REPSOND.

Isn't that empowering?

"We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails."


NLP life success achieve attitude

An Uncommon Occurrence, The Day the Machines Took Over and The Teleseminar that Didn't Happen

Sounds quite melodramatic doesn't it? Let me tell you my woeful tale!

Today I was supposed to interview Anietie Eka, the Principal Consultant of Uncommon (UK) Ltd. Anietie is motivational speaker, Executive Coach, Business Strategist, Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP who was trained by one of the co-founders of NLP - Dr John Grinder so I was really looking forward to interviewing him.

I dialled in at 15 minutes to the hour. All seemed well. No one was on the call as yet but I didn't expect anyone to be. Some interesting questions had been submitted - good. I poised myself to wait for my guest.

Then I got a call on my mobile. It was on silent but close enough for me to pick up the vibrations. It was Anietie. He was having difficulty connecting to the bridgeline. He could hear me but I obviously couldn't hear him. We double-checked numbers and he said he would try again.

It was now seconds to the top of the hour. I decided to go ahead and start the call and hoped that Anietie would be able to connect in time.

On the top of the hour I began my introduction. Anietie said he thought to himself "Wow, who is this guy she going to be interviewing?"

Then I heard dial tone. I had been disconnected. I remained calm, stopped the recording and patiently dialled back in. I decided to take the call again from the top.

I completed my introduction and waited for Anietie to respond. There was no answer. He was on the call but to all intents and purposes he could have been in a parallel universe because I just could not hear him.

We were both using standard phones. Anietie actually tried three different phones including his mobile but to no avail. Meanwhile I got disconnected a second time.

It was clear that the machines were in control and that this call was going to take place. It was time for Plan B. I dialled back in and once again apologised to listeners and explained that I would interview Anietie privately and that we would post the interview online. We later decided to try the live call again and so we've re-scheduled it.

But why am I sharing all this. I have used this system successfully several times before so today was both embarrassing and frustrating.

There were a number of things I could have done differently but the end result, on this occasion, might have been the same. I am thankful that my guest was very gracious but then again he is a professional and an NLP expert. He is solution-seeker. I do hope that those who tried to tune in today understood.

Obviously, I'm not going to give up doing teleseminars and interviews because one event went so horribly wrong - now that would be melodramatic! But this situation did remind me of why many people do not achieve their goals – persistence or perseverance.

"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail."
Napoleon Hill

This "uncommon occurrence" also reminded me of my very first online article which I'll share in my next post.

The funny thing is that when I wrote that article I had no online presence. I was simply so blown away by something that I had witnessed that I felt compelled to write about it and share it with a larger audience.

So please read my next post - "The Key to Successful Goal Achievement - Perseverance" and do check out the re-scheduled teleseminar "How to Use NLP to Overcome Limiting and Negative Beliefs and Transform Your Personal and Professional Life" which takes place tomorrow, Wednesday 20 February at 3:30pm GMT, 10:30am EST.

"How You Can Use NLP to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Transform Your Personal and Professional Life"

On Tuesday 19 February I will be hosting a teleseminar with Anietie Eka of Uncommon (UK) Ltd. The teleseminar is called:

"How You Can Use NLP to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Transform Your Personal and Professional Life"

There are many definitions of NLP but essentially NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is based on the fact that your words create your reality. I consider it to be an art as well as a science and so the definition I am going to use is one adapted from Dr Topher Morrison's:

"NLP is the art and science of using your language with such specificity that you can create any fabric of reality you desire."

Expressed more succinctly one could also say that:

"Your words create your reality."

I don't know about you but I think that concept is pretty exciting. It puts me in control of my life. However, it's also an awesome responsibility because if I am creating my life with my words I have to concede that I am creating both the good and bad in my life.

Naturally, I'm ecstatic about the good stuff and far less enthusiastic about the bad stuff. But the "bad stuff" can be changed. I can learn from it and grow and I learn how to use my language with even greater specificity until I achieve the lifestyle I truly desire.

Your language is not limited to the words you utter. It also includes the words you think - your thoughts. In fact what you say is a result of what you think. Your thoughts are therefore fundamentally important but many of us do not monitor our thoughts. The result is that we lose control of our lives.

Although, you may not be aware of your thoughts, your inner dialogue, your outer world speaks volumes about what is going on inside.

"Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes, and Man is Mind, and ever more he takes the Tool of Thought, and shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills. He thinks in secret and it comes to pass; environment is but his looking-glass."
James Allen

If you are not happy about your life right now take CONTROL. You have to start work on the inside in order to change your life on the outside. This is so fundamental and I wish more people would get this.

So in this teleseminar we will be discussing NLP tools and techniques that you can use to enhance your personal and professional life. Plus we will be discussing Uncommon's upcoming one-day Introduction to NLP where you will have the opportunity to delve into these powerful tools more deeply.

So attend this teleseminar to:

1. Discover why NLP is becoming the 'must-have' skill set for professionals, whatever your field

2. Gain a deeper understanding of NLP

3. Learn how you can use NLP in your life

4. Discover how you can use NLP to accelerate your goal achievement

5. Learn techniques to overcome limiting and or negative beliefs

6. Discover how you can use NLP to build rapport and enhance your relationships

There will be a special offer announced during the call so click the link below for further details and to submit any questions you may have:

"How You Can Use NLP to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Transform Your Personal and Professional Life"

Don't worry if you can't make the live event as a replay will be made available. So make it an appointment to either listen to the live event on Tuesday 19 February or to listen to the replay.

And remember:

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
James Allen

So take ACTION to enhance your NLP skill set, improve the quality of your personal and professional life and accelerate your goal achievement by attending:

"How You Can Use NLP to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Transform Your Personal and Professional Life"

NLP limiting beliefs thoughts goal achievement teleseminar

Change And The Mental Game of Life

It's been a while - far too long I know but that's life sometimes. There are times when you have to simplify your life and for me that meant not writing for a bit. It was a tough decision to make. Now that I've sorted elements of my life I've decided on a temporary change of scene.

I'm currently on a tropical island. As I sit here I can see the different shades of blue and green of the rippling surface of the ocean, topped intermittently with frothy white caps. I can hear the waves as they constantly pound the shoreline. Occasionally, a small boat or two may enter my vista. I can feel a gentle, cooling breeze against my skin. It's a tranquil and picturesque setting. Even so it took me a while for my body to fall in step with the restless rhythm of the sea and out of step with the hustle and bustle of London.

I now have the opportunity to take some time out to re-focus and re-evaluate my life. I was going to say "to get clear on what I want in life" but I'm pretty clear on that, especially now. However, over the coming months there will be many changes to my life and I welcome the changes because I know that there can be no growth without change.

"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times."
Niccolo Machiavelli

I've had the privilege to delve into some amazing resources over the past few months and I'll be sharing some of these with you over the coming days, weeks and months.

First off, for readers who are UK-based, my friend, mentor and teacher, Dr Topher Morrison will be launching the world debut of his new seminar – The Mental Game of Life on 28 and 29 July in London.

The regular seminar price is £1,197 but you can attend this event for FREE just click tehe link below to get full details:

The Mental Game of Life

At this seminar you will learn how to change your results in relationships, career, family, finance, health and more. If you're new to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and hypnosis you will receive a great introduction to these powerful concepts and gain an understanding of the mental game of life that you can use to literally transform your life. If you're already familiar with NLP and hypnosis techniques then you will almost certainly gain new insights that will help you to take your life and the lives of your loved ones and or clients to a new level.

I would attend this event if I were in the country. Alas, I am in this tropical, island paradise. Life is hard sometimes!

A Surefire Way To Manage Your Fears While Leading A Happier, Healthier Life

Since my last post "Facing Up to Your Fears" my NLP colleage, Colin Smith sent me an article on managing your fears which I thought I'd share with you.

"A Surefire Way To Manage Your Fears While Leading A Happier, Healthier Life"

Copyright: Colin G Smith

The NLP ToolBox

Imagine discovering a way to get rid of your fears in a quick and painless manner. In fact it can even become fun!

Did you know only two of all the fears you have are innate: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Most of your fears were learned in early childhood and then in later life under stressful conditions.

Traditional therapeutic approaches would probably have you trying to figure out where your fear originally came from. Maybe they'd have you digging around in your childhood memories, recalling times you ate the next-door neighbours purple Tulips. This type of approach tends to associate the client into reliving unpleasantness and can take a long time to achieve useful results. Personally I think this style is way out of date and bordering on torture.

You'll probably be glad to know we're not going to be doing anything like that. The truth is you can easily and quickly undo the learnings that created specific fears and change your responses to something much more useful.

So just how do fearful feelings occur then? Well lets use a common example: Fred wants a raise and he's been wanting to ask his boss for months. Finally he decides to go and ask.

BUT when he starts the walk down the corridor he starts to feel certain sensations in his body. Weird stomach feelings. His breathing is constricted. Slight sweating on parts of his body. His vision is effected. Fred decides to turn back and then sits down feeling slightly annoyed with himself.

His body started producing 'fear chemicals.' What happened?

"Well it was because he defied his Dad one time when he was four. Let's explore those forgotten memories...."

NO! NO! NO! Let's do something much smarter and definitely more fun.

Hey Fred come over here I want to show you something really cool! O' come on, pick your lip up.

You know how before you got up to go and ask the boss for a raise, you felt OK right? So between the time you got up and started walking something happened. Something triggered those feelings in you. Here's a fact for you: You either made a picture in your head or talked to yourself in a way that created those fearful sensations and that happened at an unconscious level out of your awareness.

"OK Colin that might be true but so what, what's your point?"

Well the point is by changing the internal sounds, pictures and voices in your head you can begin to gain control of your emotions.

"Fair enough but how can I do that so when I'm in a similar situation I automatically make useful pictures, sounds and voices in my head so I remain in a resourceful state?"

Good question, here's just one way you can achieve the results you want using a simple and powerful tool from the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Soothing Movie Music

1.Think of a situation where you feel fear.
2.Dissociate: See yourself in the situation like you would a movie with you in it.
3.Imagine running the memory from the END of the fearful situation, BACKWARDS to the START. Do this very fast in less then 1 second!
4.Think of some music that makes you feel the opposite of fear. For example soothing classical music makes you feel relaxed. Perhaps certain rock or dance music makes you feel energised/courageous etc.
5.Now hear the music, nice and loud, inside your mind whilst looking at yourself going through the situation from START to END.
6.Break state. Now think of the situation you choose in Step 1 and notice how your fearful feelings have diminished.
7.What will you see or hear just before you want this new feeling to set in?

About the Author
Colin G Smith is a licensed Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and author of 'The NLP ToolBox', a personal development book that enables the reader to master any area of their life with amazing speed. Complete information on Colin G Smith's books are available at his website, including a FREE personal development eBook.

The NLP ToolBox - CLICK HERE

Bullet Proof Your Life With NLP

I recently completed my NLP Practitioner’s Certification with Dr Topher Morrison or Topher as he is known to his colleagues, students and friends. While I was already familiar with NLP through my training to become a Life Coach and the Sports Psychology Diploma I did some time ago, this course took my appreciation and understanding of NLP to a whole new level.

During the NLP training, our practical sessions of which there were many, were a revelation. Several students, including myself made incredible breakthroughs and or gained new insights into our personas. Just imagine having the ability to:

 Invoke a resourceful state at will,
 Let go of negative emotions,
 Improve how you tap into your authentic being,
 Remove limiting beliefs and or decisions,
 Transform procrastination into motivation,
 Improve your negotiation skills,
 Become a power seller,
 Create a “memory” in you future to greatly assist you in actualising your goals, and
 Unleash the power within you.

Well, NLP can help you to achieve all this and so much more. NLP can help you to bullet proof your life so that, when it comes to setting and achieving desired outcomes, you are virtually unstoppable.

I really believe, and I’m sure that you will agree, that the skills of your teacher, mentor or coach can make a huge difference to your learning experience. Topher is an excellent teacher and, while I know he has honed his skills over the years, he is one of those gifted individuals who, I believe, was born to teach.

His passion, integrity and depth of knowledge shine through. He is very down to earth and has a wicked sense of humour. The respect his peers have for him is evident. Throughout the course several of his colleagues dropped by to watch the Master NLP Trainer at work and those who were themselves NLP Master Practitioners and Trainers helped to guide us students.

I highly recommend NLP to anyone wanting to improve the quality of their life and relationships as well as those who wish to use NLP in business settings to enhance their own career. And, in my opinion, you couldn’t wish for a better trainer than Dr Topher Morrison.

There are four main levels of NLP training:

1. Practitioner Certification
2. Master Practitioner Certification
3. Trainer’s Training Certification
4. Master Trainer Development Program

So there’s an exciting progression route in NLP training catering to those who are mainly interested in using NLP in their personal lives, though to those who want to use NLP in business applications and those wishing to make a career out of NLP itself.

Topher loves to create “epic adventures” for his students and what could be more epic than exploring your own mind using NLP. As a race, we may have learnt a lot about the mind but it still remains the greatest and most marvellous of all mysteries. And what could be more thrilling than knowing that you can develop your use of language with such specificity that you can create whatever you desire.


Upcoming courses by Dr Topher Morrison:

The course I attended was in London but there are still a few places available on the upcoming courses in Tampa, Florida this year.

 NLP Practitioner Certification (21 – 27 October 2006)
 NLP Master Practitioner Certification (29 October – 10 November 2006)

Click here for more info.