By nlpcoach on Nov 12, 2015 in Blog |

According to a study, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his internationally acclaimed bestseller ‘Outliers: The Story of Success’, it takes roughly 10,000 hours of dedicated practice for a person to attain mastery in any skill. That means if you were to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week consistently practicing one skill, you could potentially become the best at it in a span of 5 years. The question really is, “ What do I want to achieve?” We all have a list of skills that we wish to have – speaking French, writing articles, giving a presentation effortlessly… . Do we really want to be ‘experts’ in them? Are you thinking, ‘How to learn a new skill quickly?’  In my case, I just want to be able to deliver an effective talk, motivating the audience to take massive positive action in their lives. It’s not like I want to compete in an International Best Speakers’ Symposium.’ John Kauffman, in his book ‘The First 20 Hours’ (also a #1 bestseller), states that a person needs only 20 hours of dedicated practice to reach a comfortable level of competence. So if I focused on how best to speak about achieving personal development with NLP for just 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, I could walk in after just 4 weeks and have transformational impact. And I can make this even easier for I have another trick up my sleeve: Accelerated Learning strategies using NLP. In this first post about Accelerated Learning, I’m going to focus on what is popularly known as ‘Photo Reading’, first explored by Paul Scheele. Imagine you have to give an important speech or presentation, and you have in front of you 3 books on the subject and you haven’t even cracked open their spines. How would you like it if you could flip through the books in just a matter of hours, and by the end absorb the content whole? So much so, that as you step up and deliver your talk, you are able to easily and efficiently remember and convey the true crux of the subject. Did You Know? The average reader can read around 200 words per minute (wpm) with...

By nlpcoach on Oct 20, 2015 in Blog |

What’s your biggest dream? You know, the one that makes it all worthwhile; when you can sleep soundly at night knowing you’re making a positive difference in this world…. How close are you to achieving this dream of yours? Are you taking all the necessary steps to make it a reality? Take destiny into your hands now. Yes, it’s true, pursuing a lifetime dream can be daunting. And it’s easy to lose steam after the first rush of adrenaline. Past failures and niggling doubts set in and we lose our nerve to push forward. At times like these, look to your past & current successes. Remember, the best way to achieve your long term goals is to break them down into bite-sized chunks. As you accomplish each mini-goal, you gain more confidence and get that much closer to your lifetime dream.  The 30-Day Challenge (Transform your life with this 30 day challenge) Defy and break through previous conditioning, patterns, limitations & take this 30-Day Challenge! For the next 30 days starting today, pick one desired goal and consistently work towards it. You’ll be amazed at how much you are able to accomplish when you set your mind to it. And at the end of the 30 days, you’ll look back with pride and satisfaction at how you have grown. And then, start your next 30-day cycle. Before you know it, you’re even closer to achieving that BIG dream of yours. Working the 30-Day Challenge Here are 7 simple steps that will guide you on your 30-Day Challenge: 1)      Write Down Your Goal Everything starts with a specific goal in mind. A goal is positive – not “I will not eat junk food”, but “I will eat only healthy food”. Where possible, always use numbers – how many hours will you spend on the activity, how many clients will you acquire, how much money will you earn? Make sure it’s possible in the timeline. If you’re a beginner in yoga class, you may not be able to become a yoga teacher in 30 days. Write this today with the help of this article: NLP Well Defined Outcomes   2)      Believe In It Believing is seeing. What you believe becomes true...

By nlpcoach on Sep 15, 2015 in Blog |

There is a new buzz word doing the rounds in the Entrepreneur and Startup World – ‘Growth Hacking’. You may be curious to know, ‘What is Growth Hacking?’, ‘How is Growth Hacking relevant to Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) trainers or Life Coaches? or if you are aware about Sales and Marketing Buzz words, then ‘How is Growth Hacking for Life Coaches important?’ Growth hacking has nothing to do with stealing credit card details or important information.  ‘Growth Hacking’ or ‘Marketing Version: Non-traditional’ is a terminology which is used to define innovative non-traditional ways to quickly expand a start-up using non-traditional marketing methodology. As NLP Trainers focus largely on skill development, and not business development, where will Coaching clients come from? This aspect always gets neglected, or is not thought through while deciding to become a Life Coach or NLP Trainer. Sales and Marketing are key for any business. A coach has to think like an Entrepreneur, where it is important to be well versed in marketing concepts – What goes into setting up a business pipeline? How should branding be taken care of? The traditional route largely used by companies for marketing and sales takes time to show results, and is expensive. Start-ups don’t have that kind of luxury, as they are under pressure to grow quickly, as it is all about becoming profitable as fast as possible with less cost. Hence, an NLP Trainer or a Life Coach starting a business has to think like a start-up Entrepreneur. One can either take the traditional method to develop organically, or employ the services of a Growth Hacker to quickly scale up with non-traditional methods. The Growth Hacker consultant will apply a combination of non-traditional Marketing, Sales, Digital Marketing, Branding, etc., as the main agenda, to quickly deliver results. The hard fact is that survival as a Life Coach depends on acquiring new skills, hence a Life Coach or Trainer can also spend time educating himself/herself about Growth Hacking, Social Media marketing, and Sales. An alternate approach is a dual approach, where the Coach takes up the responsibility to do part of the work and employs a Growth Hacker to take up responsibility of another aspect.  This enables the Coach...

By nlpcoach on Sep 6, 2015 in Blog |

What do NLP trainers do? If you are reading this post, you probably would have searched online using the keyword, ‘What do NLP trainers do after attending NLP training’. It is imperative that a person searching for NLP Programs first decides what the ‘outcome’ is that they would like to achieve, by attending an NLP program.  Whether the outcome from the program is NLP Practitioner, NLP Master Practitioner,  NLP Trainer program, or blended NLP programs, where along with classic NLP, coaching elements are also covered.   What do NLP trainers do:  Train  Coach  Create content  Create digital products What do NLP trainers do, well they also facilitate NLP-based application sessions.  Some pursue NLP as a hobby, and continue to do their full-time job in a different domain, and just use NLP for their self-development.  As an NLP Trainer, you must educate your clients/trainees about what they would like to experience.  If a person is looking to do an NLP Program for Personal Development (Staying Calm during stressful situations, Enhancing Interpersonal Communication – Business and as well as Personal, Getting into good states, Removing Phobias, Achieving Business and Personal Goals etc.), then a program which is focused on Self-development is the right program for them. If a person is looking for a Program that is Coach Focused (Person is looking to become a Life Coach, CEO Coach, Leadership Coach, Wellness Coach, Career Coach, Organizational Development Coach, Happiness Coach, Business Coach etc.), then it is important to attend a program which focuses on application (concepts and application) of NLP for Life Coaching, Executive Coaching etc. If you yourself are looking for an NLP training organization, then read further.  Having set the outcome clearly for programs, then look for Training Organizations that provide training specifically for that. Check the Trainer’s credentials, Trainer Testimonials, Coaching Credentials, Coaching effectiveness, post-training support, mentoring options that are being provided, etc. Some say that, “the Corporate background of a Trainer or Coach matters,” which is true to a certain extent, not necessarily from the Training or Coaching effectiveness of the Trainer, but more in terms of relating the NLP learning to a Corporate environment, and customizing the learning further for the participants based on the Trainer’s corporate experience,...

By nlpcoach on Sep 2, 2015 in Blog |

We’ve been exposed over the years to several gurus who swear by the Law of Attraction in making their dreams into reality. But what is it really and how does it work? Why does it work extremely well for some people and not at all for others? Here’s the scoop on what the Law of Attraction and how to make it work for you, your coaching client, your team members, your partner and your friends. Hidden in its depths is one crucial secret that sets apart the success stories from the failures – can you figure out what that is? Spot the clues and find the treasure! Magic Trinity of Law of Attraction  Simply put, the Law of Attraction has two elements, viz., Beliefs and Expectations. Addressing these components will work like a magnet, attracting to you the very things you desire. Beliefs are deep-seated ideas that you hold to be true. They are not facts in and of themselves, but your confidence in them makes them powerful stakeholders in your life. Limiting beliefs are whatever you say to yourself that you think is keeping you from achieving what you want. Empowering beliefs are whatever you say to yourself that makes it all feel worthwhile. Expectations are a combination of your emotional state and the outcome. If Beliefs are like your engine, your emotional state is the fuel, and the outcome is whatever you are focused on – whether it’s reaching the destination, arriving at your next pit-stop in time, or looking for pot-holes on the road. Emotional/Mental State determines not only the amount of fuel you are pouring into your tank, but also the quality of the fuel. Non-Resourceful States are emotions that keep you from taking constructive action. Resourceful States are emotions that act as a springboard to take action. The Outcome is the answer to “what is your focus?” Undesired outcomes emphasize a focus on what you don’t want to happen, on the things that can go wrong. Desired outcomes are what pull you forward to take action. In order to make the most of your desired outcomes, your goal or outcome should be well-defined (See how to do that here). What happens when these three...

By nlpcoach on Jul 17, 2015 in Blog |

In my NLP Practitioner and Executive Coaching courses, I’m often asked about the benefits of becoming an Executive Coach. “What benefit would a person receive from executive coaching?” “Do I want to be a professional Executive Coach?” “Why would an executive want to be coached if s/he has reached a senior position in the firm?” “How to start an Executive Coaching Business?” “How to build an Executive Coaching Practice?“.  I always refer such questions, and mainly for this one, “Do I want to be a professional Executive Coach?” to two highly successful managers whose lives were transformed through Executive Coaching. Manager – 1 (Sally) Sally (name changed) is Senior Vice President of Sales at a mid-sized IT hardware firm. She first told me of her experience with Executive Coaching more than a year ago. The company she is working at has been growing steadily year on year, and has seen a surge in revenue and volume in the last four quarters. With this tremendous growth and an excellent forecast for the next five years, the Board of Directors decide to promote someone from within the company to the newly created position of ‘Associate Vice President – Sales’. Manager – 2 (Dave) Dave (also name changed), currently Head of Sales – South is chosen as the best candidate for the new position. Sally still remembers fondly how proud she was of Dave the day she handed the promotion papers to Dave. As AVP, “he will be in charge of overseeing the performance of all the Heads of Sales across regions”, that is what the letter mentioned. Dave is elated on receiving this promotion and starts work immediately, calling regular meetings with all the sales Heads. Soon, however, he observes that his new team members (Sales Heads) are not listening to him. Dave is scared that in his new position he has created only more chaos. He talks to Sally about his concerns: “Despite my best efforts, I don’t seem to gain their respect. They constantly bicker with each other and undermine any decisions that I take.” Recognizing that Dave needs a partner who will help develop his potential, Sally speaks with HR and helps identify an Executive Coach for Dave....

By nlpcoach on Jul 13, 2015 in Blog |

Once upon a time there was a young boy, whose grandfather was famous in their village, and was recognized as one of the wisest people around. As a result of his reputation, people from all over the village and in fact from other villages too, came and met him to seek answers about their problems. The boy’s grandfather had a unique style of dealing with people. He would take these people to a nearby Art gallery, where various paintings were on display. Nobody knew who the artist of these paintings was. Every week on Sunday morning, one new Painting would appear in the garden, and the care taker of the gallery would take this painting and display it inside the gallery. The boy’s grandfather would show multiple paintings to the people who had approached him, and ask them, “What is clear to you now?”.  Surprisingly, all these people would come up with amazing answers as a solution to their problems, and the look on their face would show how great they were feeling after that. The boy would watch this daily, and would be perplexed by this phenomenon, however, he could not muster the courage to ask his grandfather how what he was doing was possible. Time flew by and the young boy completed school, then went on to university and graduated in Computer Science. Post this the now young man, sought work at a Company as a Consultant.  In this organization this young man was recognized as a very smart person, who would be innovative and had great rapport building skills, and would get along very well with the people in the organization and also with his clients. Years passed by and this young man went on to become the Manager in this organization, handling a large number of projects with a lot of employees working under him. These employees would come and discuss their personal, as well as business problems with this man, as he was very approachable. One day this man was having a conversation with his HR director about a new recruitment drive that was about to start, and on how to manage employee issues. The HR Director told him, “I recall what my mentor...

By nlpcoach on Jul 13, 2015 in Blog |

Self-Confidence is good, as it powers a person to reach greater heights, and to do things that they otherwise would not have been able to do effectively or had not considered doing at all.  Self Confidence is the key to success, as it creates a sense of feeling that they can make better choices and take better decisions, which otherwise they would not have taken due to the fear of failure. Self-Confidence makes people realize that by even attempting, they are moving closer towards their goals/outcomes. People generally have very high levels of Self-Confidence in some areas, and in some they may not have as intense Self-Confidence. Low Self-Confidence in doing a particular activity can be caused by some Programming (created by self-thoughts or conditioned by other people) or a Belief that gets imprinted during childhood or as a result of some incident which would have happened at some point in a person’s life. This gets fixed either automatically by being part of a group (Like a sports club or professional club) or by taking a particular job where this gets sorted on its own, as doing things and getting results creates a sense of achievement, which creates positive beliefs, and small achievements over a period of time lead to Powerful Beliefs.  Over a period of time this situation changes, and a person becomes more and more confident. Self-Confidence is the ability of a person to do things effortlessly, meaning that a person is confident about their ability to do whatever they want to do or handle situations that they are faced with. This does not mean that a person has to do everything. A person may have challenges in tasks where a specific level of competence is required, and this may require somebody else handling that, while they can learn and possibly do it better later when they would have learnt that skill.  Self Confidence is the key to success that a person can learn anytime, as people have all the resources to be confident in any situation. Over a period of time each person undergoes different experiences, and these experiences of handling creates Self-Confidence, and this Self-Confidence of handling situations in one area can be replicated in...

By nlpcoach on Jul 10, 2015 in Blog |

Qualities of a good leader A vital aspect of leadership is the ability of a leader to make sure that they lead well. As a True great leader, who exhibits leadership qualities (qualities of a good leader), it is essential that the Leader demonstrates key leadership skills and one of them is that he or she must be able to lead people well, and ‘walk the talk’, and manage one’s own state as a leader.  Generally, people do not like to follow set rules and orders, and an important distinction which separates true leaders from others is to understand True Leadership required for the environment, and provide that flexibility to the people involved in the environment, to help them thrive and chalk a unique path for themselves. A leader who walks the talk is not just simply managing the crowd to achieve an outcome/goal, but a true leader will demonstrate better leadership qualities and most importantly will act on the aspects which are being shared with others. There are various leadership qualities that a leader demonstrates in different environments; however, a key factor that is unique and separates a True Leader from the others is – the one who demonstrates taking actions rather than just talking or being there without taking actions, and creating a change.  The below mentioned qualities of a good leader are indicative, as a starting point in terms of a person being aware of some of the essential leadership qualities that can be demonstrated. First, and foremost ‘Be present’.  From a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Leadership perspective in NLP terms that will be Sensory Acuity.  A leader must be fully present at all times, even though it seems that nobody is around, and observing.  Even though there might be situations when a leader wants to behave in ways which are not appropriate as per the normal norms, in which a Leader is supposed to behave in a situation; a single incident can be harmful for the reputation, and hence makes it very important for a leader to be aware and ‘Be present’ all the time.  Remember all great leaders, they were great, because they demonstrated behavior which others did not demonstrate all the time. There...

By nlpcoach on Jun 25, 2015 in Blog |

 10 amazing facts about sports peak performance coaching It is always the good coaches, who are instrumental in developing successful champion teams or top athletes. Specialized peak performance coaching helps in building the necessary mind skills that are needed for crossing the final hurdles, like hitting the winning runs or goals. Psychological insights allow the teams to perform to their maximum potentials. Understanding the importance of sports psychology: If you follow any sports like football, cricket, baseball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, or even the indoor sports, then you might have seen some instances, where even the great players struggle to perform in big games. In this world of high competitiveness in the field of sports, mind games also play a big role in intimidating the opposition. You might have also seen examples, where teams fail to win the championships, in spite of having great individual players. You might have also seen the intimidating tactics by the players to mess up the focus of opposition player in the game. While some players react to such sledging tactics and make mistakes, great players simply ignore such gestures, and never let their focus get deterred. This is exactly the reason why sports psychology training will have to be integrated along with physical training. Sports psychologists have their own sets of styles and mythologies to handle and manage sports people. They work actively with them even if they are not facing any issues as such. They try to identify the psychological mindsets that are preventing their client from crossing the final hurdle, and claiming the championship. According to the roles, scope of work, and relationship with athletes, the psychologists have various different designations like-   Mental Trainer Mind Coach Mental Game Expert Performance Enhancement Specialist Peak Performance Coach Mental Game Coach The role of Peak Performance Coach does not include – Management of suicidal tendencies Diagnosis and cure of eating disorders Dealing with substance abuse 10 amazing facts about sports peak performance coaching Nowadays, it is quite common to use mental skills coaching and psychological sports analysis in most of the sports. Generally, whoever wins the mental battle, also wins the game. This is because, the application of our mind is more important, if...