I want to share with you a NLP technique that I've been using for the last few weeks that has really made a huge difference in my life. NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming and it's known as the cutting edge when it comes to producing rapid change in someone's life. I discovered this specific technique through Joseph McClendon III's book called Get Happy Now, and I've been applying it to my life daily.
Is there a specific habit, behaviour or emotional state that you want to change?
It could be a negative emotional state, such as depression, anxiety, stress, or frustration?
Or, perhaps you have a negative behaviour, such as binge eating, sleeping in, biting your nails, sitting around on Facebook, etc…
Whatever you want to change in your life, first understand that it is simply a PATTERN that you're running. It's not you, it's just something that you run on auto-pilot and have conditioned yourself to do. When you know this, you can change these patterns fairly easily.
I recorded a video of me taking you through the steps to change any behaviour or emotional state, make sure to watch it to fully grasp this technique. I'll make sure to lay out the steps for you as well, as well as a simple action plan moving forward.
(Click here to watch the video on YouTube)
The 3 Easy Steps To Changing Anything
1. Put Yourself In The Peak Of The Emotional State/Behaviour
In order to first change whatever it is that you want (a behaviour, pattern or emotional state), you must first put yourself there completely. For example, if you want to overcome depression, you need to purposely get yourself depressed. The more you can put yourself in that state, the easier it will be to change.
To do this, you'd simply ask yourself, “How can I get depressed right now? How would I have to stand or sit?” and you'd make sure that you'd change your physiology and body language to get depressed. You'd think about the things you'd think about to feel depressed and say the things you'd say. Once you're at the peak of it, you can go onto the next step.
If it's something like binge eating, you'd put yourself in the state of feeling stressed, bored, or whatever your pattern is when you are about to binge eat. Perhaps even getting out the food you'd crave and eat most, and have that in front of you. Focus on the things you'd focus on to desire that food. Think about how good it'll taste, the texture of it, etc…
2. Interrupt The Limiting Pattern/Behaviour
Once you're at the peak of that pattern, emotion or behaviour, the next step is to do something unique or unexpected to interrupt the limiting pattern. This is a way to shock your nervous system and jump out of that negative state, into something more resourceful. I use a simple metaphor in the video explaining a CD and how there's a specific pattern that's burned on it. If you take a needle and interrupt the pattern enough times, you can never go back to it. Human beings work the same way.
So, what's something unique you could do?
Right at the peak of the pattern, you'd want to radically change your physiology and say/do something crazy. For example, it could be just jumping up and saying “WAKE UP!!” to jolt yourself. It could be saying something more random, like “PIZZA!!” or “HALLILUJAH!!” The more bizarre and crazy the better. The key is to make it RADICAL and to really change your body in the process. Maybe it's simply slapping yourself across the face at the peak of the experience or laughing hysterically.
3. Replace The Limiting Pattern With An Empowering Alternative
Once you've interrupted the pattern, the final step is to replace it with an empowering alternative. It could be simply changing your state to feeling confident or happy. You could do this by taking in a deep breath, putting a big smile on your face, and standing tall. Or you could start jumping up and down while saying “YES!”. Or you could go and drink a big glass of water instead of that junk food, or take a moment and visualize yourself being the way you want to be. Virtually any positive, empowering alternative will work. This is now starting to condition the behaviour/state that you DO want.
This easy, simple process WORKS. Trust me, it's based on proven science and it's something you'll have to try for yourself.
The 10-Day Action Plan
If you're up for applying this principle to your life, you need to commit to it for a certain period of time. You can't just do it once and expect a lasting change. It's through repetition and conditioning that you make anything last.
I'd encourage you to set aside 5-10 minutes to do this at least 10 times per day on the specific thing you want to change. Obviously, the more you can do, the better – and for the longer period of time, too.
You now have a simple process to change ANYTHING you want in your life. Now it's up to you to apply it.
Good luck!