Shah - Neurolinguistic programming: your map to happiness, confidence and success

N EURO L INGUISTIC P ROGRAMMING

YOUR MAP TO HAPPINESS, CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS

NEIL SHAH

Published in the UK in 2016 by
Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre,
3941 North Road, London N7 9DP
email:
www.iconbooks.com

First published in the UK in 2011 by Icon Books Ltd

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ISBN: 978-184831-952-3

Text copyright 2011 Neil Shah

The author has asserted his moral rights

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any
means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typeset in Adobe Caslon by Marie Doherty

Printed and bound in the UK by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

About the author

Neil Shah is a stress management consultant, success coach and motivational speaker. He also has a longstanding interest in hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic programming and strategies to promote well-being, and has trained extensively in these fields.

He is the founder and director of the Stress Management Society (www.stress.org.uk), one of the UKs leading authorities on stress management and well-being issues, and managing director of the consultancy firm Praesto Training and Development (www.praesto.uk.com). He is a qualified practitioner in hypnotherapy and counselling and communication skills, and a licensed practitioner of NLP, having trained with Richard Bandler and Paul McKenna. He is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the General Hypnotherapy Register and the NHSTA Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners.

He is a regularly featured media expert on stress, writing for newspapers and magazines including Mens Health and Top Sant, as well as providing consultancy support to large corporations such as British Airways and Shell.

Authors note

Its important to note that there are many frequently used stories, anecdotes and metaphors employed in NLP. Where I know the source I will be sure to reference it, but my apologies to the originators of any material if I have overlooked them here.

What is NLP, and How Can it Help Me?

CHAPTER 1

Preface

Over the years I have achieved tremendous success and I have also failed miserably. I had always put this down to chance, luck, fate and destiny. I was fascinated by how incredible people get incredible results and how amazing organizations achieve amazing results. Before learning about NLP I never realized that it could be easy to achieve the same results in my own life, simply by copying or modelling the strategies of others who have already attained success. In fact, NLP helps you do exactly that.

case study

Today Im happy, healthy, calm and relaxed. I successfully run four companies focused on health, well-being and success achievement. Im quoted as one of the UKs leading experts in stress reduction and relaxation.

But it wasnt always this way. Fifteen years ago my previous company failed. I was stressed out, exhausted and depressed. I had lost millions and was ill and completely burnt out. I had lost my appetite and my sex drive. I was frustrated, lacking focus, and was struggling to keep my life together. I didnt know how to deal with it, I felt helpless. I had lost my money, my car and even a lot of people whom I considered to be my close friends. I was in the lowest place I had ever been in my life.

I tried therapy I visited my doctor, I visited a life coach, a counsellor and even a psychic healer. I read self-help books and at one point even tried anti-depressants nothing worked!

Then I discovered Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a set of concepts and techniques to understand and change human behaviour patterns. After attending an introductory session and reading a book on NLP, I made the decision that I needed to get back on top of my life and on top of the world, so I travelled to the Himalayas with the intention of climbing Mount Everest. It was life-changing experience as William Blake said: Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street. I learned much about myself and my capabilities I had to radically shift my mindset to achieve this tremendous feat. This was my first experience with reprogramming my mind to achieve success, and Im now committed to sharing what I discovered during this experience.

My success did not come by chance. I simply took the time to understand the route I needed to take, and now I have the roadmap to take me to success directly and effortlessly without having to worry about getting lost. NLP can be described as a GPS system to take you to fulfilment and achievement. When I started to study NLP I quickly realized that as long as you follow the system carefully, the conditions are correct and the same process is followed, you are guaranteed to get the same results every single time. This book is a practical introduction to that system.

I will start by introducing you to NLP and its basic principles, ensuring that you have a clear idea of what you want. Then you will learn how to learn, before we explore how you can win friends and influence people. The next step is to understand yourself, as we explore how to apply what youve learned and incorporate it into your life. This book is bursting with practical exercises to ensure that you learn experientially.

I would add that even though NLP is a fantastic tool, its simply one tool, and you cant fix a car with just one spanner. Icons other self-help books cover areas such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotional Intelligence and the Psychology of Success, all of which can be used in conjunction with NLP. In and of itself NLP is a useful and powerful intervention. However, when coupled with other tools and techniques it can form part of a formidable toolkit for personal success or well-being.

CHAPTER 2

About this book

Neurolinguistic Programming has been described as a popular psychological approach to enable people to have better, fuller and richer lives. Unfortunately the world of NLP has become filled with jargon, technical expressions and buzzwords that just confuse people and actually prevent them from making use of simple methodologies that can have a profound impact.

The first step is to decide what your goals are. A new job? A healthier body? A better relationship? This book will help you to unlock the power of your mind and learn how to use it for your own benefit to achieve your goals!

Inside you will find:

• How to use NLP to set and achieve dreams faster, using platinum goal-setting techniques
• How to attract opportunity with a powerful new mindset
• Failsafe ways to get 100% out of your day
• How to improve your communication and negotiation skills