Motivation

Motivation – tips for success

Do you need motivation to get something done, loose weight or get a new job? Why is it that some people just get on with it and others can’t get out of their own way? Well the people who get things done are using a combination of strategies which makes it easier for them to achieve their goals.

I would like to share a number of techniques which may help you as much as they help me and my clients get moving. So here are my top tips.

1. Time travel

So when you think of an odious task what happens? Just pause for a minute and think about something you need to do but have been putting off. What’s happening for you as you think about it now. You probably make pictures in your head which are those associated with the unpleasant parts of the job. You may have some sounds associated with it perhaps along the lines of ‘Oh no, I hate doing this job’ or ‘ what’s the point in starting that you know it won’t be very good’ or ‘you didn’t manage to do it the last time so what makes you think you can do it this time’ ( whoever is saying these things, I’m never going to employ them as a coach that’s darn tooting!).

Then you probably have a sinking feeling somewhere in your body or a black cloud descends or perhaps it’s a lead weight feeling. After all this, not surprisingly, you decide to go to the pub instead.

Now try this. Go forward in time to a point when you have successfully completed the task. See what you would see, hear what you would hear and feel how great it feels to have done the job Really take the time to enjoy how great it feels to have done it. Notice how much more energy you have right now.

This technique really appeals to your unconscious mind in that it focuses on all the reasons for doing the job as opposed to all the reasons not to. And think about it, if you were encouraging a child to do something which you knew was good for them but which they didn’t necessarily want to do, what language would you use? You certainly wouldn’t dwell on all the reasons not to do it. Rather you would concentrate, hard, on all the really good things about it. Parents learn, usually the hard way, how to take their children along their timeline to a point when they have successfully completed whatever it is and are enjoying the ‘treat’ at the end of the process.

So try treating your unconscious mind like a seven year old and see how well it works for you!

More top tips coming soon.

For more information on NLP see www.mindschange.com

Interview Nerves

   Interview Nerves How many people go into interviews absolutely churned up with nerves? Do you know, it doesn’t need to be the case. Rather than having that fight or flight misery how about feeling that the interview was a challenge, exciting, a bit of a roller coaster ride and no ones going to die! All the clients who have come to see me have all gone on to get the job and had a much better interview that they could have imagined. Here’s what some of them  have to say …   

 In one short session Dorothy and NLP changed me from being terrified of job interviews to positively enjoying them as an opportunity to sell myself and my skills. Because of my particular circumstances I have to perform at interview on a relatively regular basis and I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am now if it had not been for Dorothy’s intervention. A year ago I was absolutely hating my job and feeling that my career future was pretty bleak. Since then I have performed strongly at interviews on many occasions and managed to secure three fantastic job opportunities which have reconfirmed my love of my job and put a spring back in my step. I can not even imagine how I felt before… Now, whenever I need to be confident and upbeat I have a set of tools I can call on which work instantly, easily and reliably – both within a work context and across the rest of my life. And it’s all thanks to Dorothy!  D S

 Can I just say that you and NLP changed my life! You definitely taught me how to think about things in a different way and to let a lot of things go that had been holding me back – so hooray for you and NLP. Since NLP session life has changed for the better.  - L.V. 

 “I have had a fear of interviews for years and in fact most of my working life.  I recently went for a job and would have pulled out of the interview had I not been put in touch with Dorothy via a colleague.  I found only a couple of short NLP sessions immensely helpful in focusing positively and with confidence on what I had to do and  I am happy to say I got the job!  I intend to continue finding out more about NLP and how it can help me have a less stressful work/life balance”.  Dot you have found your vocation!  Thank you! D.H  

So wherever you are, think seriously about seeing an NLP practitioner if interview nerves are a problem for you. You’ll have a much more positive and enjoyable experience as a result and it may mean the difference between getting the job and not.  For more information about NLP see www.mindschange.com

NLP Answers

Having Looked through this blog you may find that you have some questions that you would like answered. How can NLP help you in your daily life? Well it doesn’t need to be the big things, NLP is great for the little things. Actually, particularly the little things because its these everyday patterns of behaviour that have been there for years and which go un-noticed that can cause the most trouble.

 So go for it! Hit me with anything. I look forward to your posts.

 Or for more Information about what  NLP  is go to www.mindschange.com

Feeling Down

   In my opinion unhelpful patterns of thinking can contribute to someone feeling down in the abscence of any significant negative events. By changing them I believe you can start to take control of the ‘happy chemicals’ flowing through your system that doctors use drugs to boost. (Please note – I always suggest you follow your doctors advice). 

So, what’s your strategy for feeling good or bad? Let me give you an example of what I mean.  A client I was seeing recently was feeling very down. One aspect of this was her inability to tackle any of the jobs she had to do, like weeding the garden or clean out the cupboards. She had even lost the will to sit down and paint pictures which was her favourite hobby. Ever time she thought of doing a task she would become despondent and loose all energy, become overwhelmingly tired and often she would take to her bed. Sometimes she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed in the morning. Now I think that will sound familiar to people with some kinds of depression. 

 So we sat down together and really picked apart what her strategy was. We started with the weeding and concentrated on the thought ‘I should do some weeding’ and the point where she became overcome with fatigue and decided to do something else or nothing. That period of time was about a half a second. So what was going on?

 Well the thought would come into her head ‘lets do some weeding’. Then she would see a picture of the garden looking lovely and weed free. So far so good…. Then a voice inside would say ‘but it would takes hours and hours of work to make it look that good’. Then she would feel that she didn’t have enough energy to do the whole garden so what was the point in even starting. Then she would think of  another job and the same process would kick off, and another job… then a wave of tiredness, then bed. 

So we changed her strategy so that when she thought of a job, she would make pictures of a small piece of it completed. I also explained that the unconscious mind is like a bunch of seven year olds (topic for another blog) and if you wanted to get them to do anything, why not speak to them like she speaks to her kids. Imagine saying to kids ‘right , I want you to help me with the weeding, you will be there for hours, and it may not make that big an impact. You will feel sore after it… go to it.’ What do you think would happen? Motivated … not! Try this – ‘ kids, we are going out to the fresh air to play in the sun. I want you to weed that little bit over there and make  it  look really lovely and as a reward I’m going to let you do something that you really love’. Or something like that.  

In addition to this she created a metaphor which was the seashore with a bright iridescent sea into which she threw waterproof boxes containing each task. The boxes had ribbons on top and floated on the water. Whenever she needed to do a task she would pull one of the boxes out of the water and open it. This stopped her from being overwhelmed by all the tasks. It also meant that when she thought about a task she would automatically go to her ‘happy place’ where she felt calm. 

NLP is about making  really basic changes to the way we think and installing new strategies and patterns of behaviours which leave us in a much more resourceful state. 

 Minds Change provides one-to-one coaching and training courses and is based in Glasgow, Scotland.

For more information about NLP visit  www.mindschange.com