Can Using NLP Make You More Successful?

You may have heard people talk about Neuro Linguistic Programming, or as it more commonly referred to, NLP.

NLP is an incredibly useful behavioral science that can help you change your life in many different ways.

Maybe you want to increase your confidence, reduce anxiety and get more focused on your goals and desires? NLP can help.

Developed in the 1970s, it combines techniques from neurology, computer science, and linguistics to help people achieve their potential.

In this article we’ll explain what NLP is and provide some basic tips at the end to get you started.

What is NLP and how does it work?

NLP has been described as the science of excellence in humans and involves modeling the language structure and behavior of successful people.

This means if you want to be a happy, successful person, you can’t go wrong by thinking, talking, and behaving the way happy, successful people do. And if you utilize NLP in your speech, you will be able to persuade and convince others with greater success, too!

The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if on will only take the pains to train the mind to think - Thomas A. Edison Click To Tweet

Basic NLP Principles

There are many variants of NLP, so there is debate between some practitioners that others are doing it wrong. Even with these debates, though, the basic principles are the same, and all agree that it works to make your life more fulfilling.

The two biggest principles of NLP are that the map is not the territory, and that both life and mind are systemic processes.

What do those principles mean? Let’s take a look at them and find out.

1. The map is not the territory
This means that, as people, we have no way to actually understand reality. Instead, we understand our perceptions of that reality, and those perceptions may be flawed.

We use our senses to create a map of what we believe is there. These maps are what determine our behavior, not reality itself. If your map is skewed, you’ll behave in ways that are skewed, too.

2. Life and mind are systemic processes
This means that the things going on inside your mind and body, and between you and your environment, can’t be isolated from one another. Trying to do so won’t result in success.

Every NLP technique you encounter is based on these principles. These NLP techniques can help us understand how our brains work, how we store information, and how to change our behaviors to ones that are more desirable.

NLP Benefits

Here are some specific ways that NLP can help you:

Business -NLP can help you be more effective in your entrepreneurial pursuits. It can build your skills in teamwork, personal development, coaching, leadership, sales, and productivity. No matter what it is, if there’s a potential for growth and human interaction is present, NLP can help.

Goal Achievement – You can use NLP to help you set and achieve goals, as long as those goals are intelligent, measurable, meaningful and achievable. For example, no program can guarantee you earn three million dollars in a month unless you already have logical means to draw this income.

However, this method could be the one you use to successfully strengthen your skills and interactions with others. It can change the way you think and speak, and motivate you to take appropriate actions to achieve your goals.

Mental Health – NLP can help you overcome mental and emotional disorders and phobias.

Fulfillment – NLP can bring you a happier and more fulfilling life.

Quite simply, NLP involves studying successful people and the steps they take to achieve such success. This success can come from any part of your life.

Overcoming phobias, reducing anxiety, learning how to speak with confidence in front of large groups, and learning how to have a loving personal relationship are all issues that can be helped with NLP techniques.

Three NLP brain training success tips you can introduce today

1. Stop saying ‘try’ (and other weak words): “I’ll try and get the document out to you tomorrow…” Ever found yourself saying ‘try’ or other words which are are a bit vague? The language you use in business is really important. You won’t try and get the document emailed out tomorrow; you either will or you won’t. Be crystal clear about your intentions and think about all the other words you use daily which let you off the hook, or give clients uncertain expectations. Positive, action-based language only!

2. Go towards / Away from: Problems are an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey but it’s important to tackle problems head on. You may have heard of the phrase ‘Eat That Frog‘ from the popular book by Brain Tracy, in which he suggest tackling your most pressing (yet daunting or unfavorable), tasks before anything else. Entrepreneurs think of solutions. They break down tasks. They apply logic. Remove emotions from your problems and look at them objectively. Go towards the positive “I can solve this; it’s a great challenge; the result will be worth it” and away from the negative “It seems impossible; it’s a difficult job; I don’t think I’ll ever get it done.”

3. Find your anchor: Relive happy and positive experiences and apply them to challenging situations. As an example, you could use this technique to help you increase your confidence and help you feel calm before a meeting.

How to create your anchor

• Try and recall a positive experience when you felt really calm and confident.
• Take yourself back there.
• Think about the layout of the room, the people who were present, the things you said, how you felt.
• Be in that moment again as if you are reliving it –  this is your resource memory.
• Next, you need to choose an anchor to associate with it.
• A popular anchor is a gesture (kinaesthetic) meaning you might choose to tap 3 times on your collar bone, or squeeze your thumb and forefinger together (or any other subtle gesture you like).
• The important thing is to marry the two, so when you are back in the peak of your memory, you implement your gesture.
• Keep practicing and you’ll soon be able to use the gesture alone to give yourself a calm and confident air when faced with a challenging situation.

In summary, NLP can make you more successful. It’s a fascinating approach which is well worth exploring further. There are many more great techniques you can apply in your daily life to help improve your mindset and achieve your goals.

Do you practice NLP techniques? Leave us a comment and let us know how you use them in your life.