NLP is a methodology that was created to model the excellence of others. The basic idea was to be able to replicate the skills and abilities of experts.
Most of the time modelling is all about taking a small slice of ability and working out how an expert does it. For example how a good sales professional opens the conversation, how they handle objections or close deals. This article is about some ideas that I have about keeping going despite problems and pitfalls. It is about maintaining focus, vision and motivation over long periods of time.
One person that I have a particular respect for is Romilla Ready, the co-author of NLP for Dummies. I have known Romilla for longer than I care to remember, we met on our first NLP Practitioner Course and have remained friends ever since. Through watching her publish her first book Neuro Linguistic Programming for Dummies I have learn a lot about how to maintain focus.
Firstly a brief run down, from my perspective of how Romilla got to write this book. It took over a year to get the publishers interested in the subject. During this time she lost her co-author and was faced with a publisher that really did not understand NLP or the NLP Market. When Romilla finally got the contract she was then faced with finding a co-author and writing her first book. Through all of this Romilla not only managed to get the book written and published it is also the UK’s best selling Dummies book and she now has the publishers asking her to write the NLP for Dummies Workbook (which will be on sale in April 2008).
As you can imagine there were a variety of ups and downs with this project and over a considerable amount of time. The interesting thing is all about how Romilla maintained her focus, motivation and drive to see this project through. Here are some of my observations.
One thing I have realised about Romilla is that she thinks big and lives by her values. For example the book is only a small part of her overall plan. Romilla is interested in affecting global change and this book is a part of having a wide reach. In fact the book is only a spring board for even bigger and better things. Imagine the situation where you are not feeling particularly motivated to do the next task, or are facing the next set back. Being in touch with your values, the “why this is important to you” is one way of keeping the drive going.
Already having plans for the second and third book…as well as all the other elements of the grand plan might just motivate you to take this next step as well as keeping the next step in proportion.
Another thing I have noticed about Romilla’s state of mind is that she is looking on this as a learning experience. She has mentioned in numerous conversations how much she has learnt about writing, NLP, publishing and marketing through this experience. Having this attitude gives you the opportunity to be imperfect, ask questions…especially stupid ones and take it on as an opportunity to grow. There are no mistakes, just learning opportunities. I guess you can already see how this sort of attitude would allow you to roll with any mistakes and set backs as well as learn from the mistakes that are inevitable with any new venture.
A final element I have noticed that has helped with the success of NLP for Dummies is the discipline and consistency Romilla brought to writing the book. Doing a little, but often produces better results than a stop and start approach. I noticed Romilla settling in to writing consistently every day. This has the advantage that it creates some rules and process for your unconscious mind and helps keep the motivation going.
Since I have been doing a lot of writing recently I have been taking a lot of what I have noticed about Romilla and using the same approach and it is working for me. I am connected to what my global mission is, I have a long list of project to undertake that go further than what I am working on at the moment, I feel like the journey is worth travelling just as much as the end result is worth achieving…and I am consistently doing something towards it every day.
This spin on NLP Modelling is a useful way of looking at bigger and wider strategies than just a small element of behaviour. The fundamentals of it rely on seeing what is underneath a person’s behaviour to drive them to work the way that they work. A good NLP Practitioner Course will teach you the tools to start modelling both on the micro level as well as taking this sort of ‘Meta’ position.
Romilla’s book Neuro Linguistic Programming for Dummies is a great foundation book on NLP and this website will give you various NLP Techniques for you to think about, try out and play with.
Rintu Basu is a prolific writer and at the leading edge of developing NLP Techniques. He is currently delivering high quality NLP Training for the NLP Scotland community as well as maintaining an exclusive NLP Coaching practice.
