Many people attend our trainings to become a coach because they want to help others. Whether or not that is the case, learning NLP improves your performance at work or in your life more broadly. What I also like to share with delegates on training is the idea that the world is changing, transforming, you could say. Now I know that you know the world changes all the time. But for me the changes happening are deeper and more profound than a simple step by step progression. Wanting to be a positive change agent through this process was one of the things that was driving me when I became a trainer of NLP in 2006. Imagining a world more in balance with nature, but without abandoning helpful technology. One where people are allowed to be who they are, without harming others in the process, and where the resources of the planet are shared more equally, is how I would like this transformation to play out. A big dream you may well think. But if we don’t have such big dreams then how are we ever going to get even close?
I recently read Impossible by Steven Kotler. As the name suggests the book is about how to achieve what might at first glance appear to be impossible. In it he talks about having a Massively Transformative Purpose (MTP) to guide your choices and actions in life. Massively means large and audacious. Transformative means a significant change to an industry, community or even the planet. And purpose means having a clear ‘Why’. Personally, I do not believe that it’s necessary for everyone to have a MTP, it can feel a little daunting or oppressive. But remember this isn’t something that you have to achieve all by yourself. We can hitch our wagon to a star and play our part, whatever that may be. Kotler adds that below the level of the MTP we should have ‘high hard goals’ to work on. These should be significant steps we take which are aligned with this MTP, but which might take months or even years to complete. Such as gaining a qualification, writing a book, or growing a business. You then take these goals and break them down into individual, prioritised tasks. His approach is straight out of the coach’s playbook. Imagine it as a pyramid, an ever-decreasing number of objectives to achieve before you attain the apex. There is a reason that this is a staple of coaching, and that’s because having goals has been shown to increase productivity by between 11-25%. Also, everything is created twice, once in your mind and once in reality. Without the dream of the destination our actions on the journey can become unfocused.
Dreaming big and breaking your goals down into bitesize pieces is just the start though. Next you need grit, this is what keeps you going despite the odds and the obstacles. Grit is about passion and perseverance. The passion you get from connecting with a larger purpose gives you the motivation to get up and go. Perseverance is the stick-at-it-ability that keeps you going through the hard work and the setbacks, which are inevitable in the process of personal growth. Now add the willpower to resist distractions and a mindset which is prepared to learn, grow, and change and you are equipped for success.
So, what is your big dream, what are your hard high goals, and how well stocked with grit, willpower, and a growth mindset are you? I believe that a world full of new possibilities is just within our reach. After all, humanity has created all the problems that we are facing today, therefore we can solve them. First, we have to imagine it and then we must roll our sleeves up and get on with it. Are you ready?
“If you’re going to be thinking, you may as well think big.” Donald Trump
