Making Things Happen

​Making Things Happen
by John G. Johnson
​

Ask anyone what it is they want, need or would like-to-have in a given context, and their answer will prove this point: We are a goal-oriented, desire-based species. It's just in our nature. And it helps us to survive. But yearning for something and then doing what’s necessary in order to seize it are two different conversations. Most of us either know people with grand ambitions, who do nothing to convert them into reality, or are guilty of this contradiction somewhere in our lives. We can choose to focus on the varied reasons why this is so; or we can pay attention to what is required to move in the direction of our choice, with momentum, so as to take command our chosen desire(s).
 
Researchers recently published their findings in the British Journal of Psychology, which studied three groups of people, each group having the same wish, that of sticking to an exercise routine. Members in Group A were asked to keep a record of when they exercised during the time period specified by the researchers. Group B members were asked to do the same as Group A; however, Group B members were given the supplementary task of reading about the benefits of regular exercise.
 
Members in Group C had the same tasks to perform as the previous groups. But there was a difference… Each participant within Group C had this additional assignment to do: Construct a plan and state their intent for WHEN, WHERE and TIME of DAY they would engage in exercise over the specified time period.
 
The results of the study are below:

• Group A: 38% of members exercised during the specified time period.
• Group B: 35% of members exercised during the specified time period.
• Group C: 91% of members exercised during the specified time period. 

It’s healthy to have aspirations. But unless steps are taken to get things going, aspirations stay lodged in the mind as just that …eventually fading into the past, and finding a resting place in the cemetery of unfulfilled wishes and dreams. It's no surprise that Group C’s success rate is remarkable. Breaking down lofty ambitions into actionable sensory chunks and creating a strategic road map are vital. They help to focus the mind, charge it with intent so the ambitions individual unapologetically moves in their preferred direction, with purpose.
 
Also, asking high-quality questions help to program the mind, too. They cause the answers to project onto the mind and create virtual-like rehearsal scenario space, showing that the desired state is possible and what it would take to make things happen.
 
Neuro-Linguistic Programming offers various types of well-designed tools and sets of calibrated questions that can assist individuals with converting ambitions into reality.
 
Here are just a few:...
What will happen when you reach this goal?
What will happen if you don't reach this goal?
What won't happen when you reach the goal?
What won't happen if you don't reach the goal?
 
These questions are based in mathematics, biology, psychology and linguistics, and may “seem” – simple – to the untrained. But they are designed not only to challenge thoughts, and rattle self-imposed boundaries, but to stretch them, pushing and pulling you into alternate ways of experiencing.
 
Try these questions on yourself. First, call to consciousness a goal you have. Whether you ask these questions internally or out loud, it’s important to be mindful of the tones you use. The better the tonal quality the richer the response. Pay attention to your internal experience(s).


©2016 John G. Johnson All rights reserved! Subscribe to our mailing list for workshops, newsletters and events. Go to: www.nlpsuccessbydesign.com

---