In my most recent podcast conversation with Dr Bridget, my coach and NLP trainer, we discussed Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), curiosity, values, identity, goals and much more! A former GP and medical director, Bridget is now known as the Chief Unsticker: she helps business owners get unstuck from their unhelpful thinking patterns and create clarity and consistent action instead.
The tool she is employing in this, is called NLP. Neuro Linguistic Programming is looking for the patterns and processes people are using in their heads to get the results they do. It’s about modelling successful patterns and getting rid of unhelpful ones in order to get the best possible outcome.
Curiosity and quirkiness have been key in Bridget’s career. As her parents were both scientists, they instilled in her a sense of wonder about the world and people’s thinking process. Add to this her innate rebellion against ‘what she should do’, and this is how Bridget has managed to forge her own path and become -currently- the only NLP Master Trainer in Wales!
“We all tell ourselves stories. By working out what is relevant for you, lightbulb moments are created”. Everything you read, little things you see around you in your day-to-day life, TV programs you watch…it’s all content you can use to create your own metaphors about your life. We are using our memories, values, experiences, language, metaprograms etc to create our stories. But above all, employing metaphors and using stories in your life, should contain an element of fun. If the story you are currently telling yourself doesn’t work, all you have to do is re-write the script.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from my forensic psychology studies many years ago, is how unreliable the human memory is. You can ask three eyewitnesses to give you an account of an event and they will all have a different story to tell. Our stories help us to close these gaps and reframe our memories in a more helpful, constructive way.
Gurus will often tell you that as a business owner you should be modelling the behaviour of billionaires. If you adopt their habits, routines and processes, you will become a wealthy person too. However, the crucial element that gurus often omit, is that this will only work if these billionaires share a similar purpose and values with you. If the habits and routines you adopt don’t suit your purpose, they are not likely to be sustained long enough to create consistent results.
People often start their business careers with huge goals, until negative thinking and the imposter syndrome take over, forcing them to adjust and shrink them. Working through past and present negative experiences that affect your perception and the story you tell about yourself, helps to get clearer on your goals, take consistent action, get the right people around you and get unstuck from negative and unhelpful thinking patterns.
Noticing these patterns will be instrumental in aligning your goals with your purpose and values; freed from their constraints, you can connect with what gives you inner pleasure and you can just be.
KostasTheCoach-The Freedom Composer 