Do you live or exist?

Today to vast majority of the population are living a fast paced life. Today’s world is busy, fast moving and full, full of everything, both virtual and physically.

Those who work will face the challenge of targets regardless of position, do more for less expense. Be more effective, improve the process, be quicker.

Bigger, Bolder, Faster……………… and on it goes.

Targets are set for us and by us, but for who’s benefit?

The more we do the more we do, the unconscious mind is programmed to seek more, and more. This drive can be constructive or destructive, but do we ever have the opportunity to know this?

The drive to start each day, does its momentum, its energy manifest from necessity to simply exist and survive or flow from the joy we feel thinking of the day ahead?

Or have you gone beyond trying now and simply move on auto pilot because you must?

Today the use of prescription medicines to change and control our moods, our feels has grown exponentially, and each day a new product is launched with great fan fair proclaiming to be the answer, to improve the way you think and feel.

What if there were alternatives to medication, and I must be clear here and say that yes, modern day medicine is a miracle, and does have a role to play, and cannot simply be dismissed. But the power of the mind and complementary practices also and must play a role in our wellbeing going forward.

Unleashing the power of our minds and being aware of alternative complementary services gives us choice, empowers us, and being empowered makes life that much more rewarding.

From an empowered position on life we can begin to be more objective and see and feel into what we are doing in our lives; are we doing what we do for the right reasons.

Do I value myself first and foremost; and do those around me in both home and work value me also.

The key here is to value yourself, as if you don’t then why would you expect others to. So we are back to feelings andemotions.

How to be in control of your mind, your feelings and your behavior?

Well to do this you must first understand how we each perceive the world around us, and once you can grasp this you will understand how you can hack the system to create changes that can empower you.

Figure.1 NLP Communications Model

With reference to Fig.1, at each moment in time you perceive the world through the senses you have available to you, the 5 standard senses are what you:

  • See;
  • Hear;
  • Feel;
  • Taste;
  • Smell

 

Each input will create an electrical impulse in the body from which our minds create a representation of the collected inputs.

It is important to now know that we do not form this view, this representation of the world from all the data collected, as this would be to much. Vast amounts of data are gathered through our available senses, and this must first be filtered to a manageable amount before we create our minds internal representation (IR) of the world.

To filter the data we delete, distort and generalise, and what’s left over is how we represent the world and form our IR.

We each filer the data we receive through 7 filters, the detail of which are beyond of the scope right now. The groupings are:

  • Attitudes;
  • Values and Beliefs;
  • Meta Programmes;
  • Decisions;
  • Memories;
  • Language;
  • Situation and Circumstance

 

This filtered data is then deleted, distorted and generalised, which means:

Delete: Data is delete which is not relevant or important at that moment, we keep what we are focusing on.

Distort: When we create a shift in the data, times when we have mistaken a person for someone else, when we think someone said one thing and in fact they said something else. When we imagine how a room will look decorated differently before it is done, all these are distortions.

Generalise: Based on past experience we draw like conclusions to anticipate the meaning and or outcome. This can help us learn as we form understanding based on past experience. We should also be cautious, as generalising can be disempowering and limiting, if we carry a negative belief forward based only on the past.

Now the IR we form, we identify, we label. Our own internal dialogue runs to make sense of our IR and labels it, gives it an identity that means something to us. Our internal dialogue if refered to as our Auditory Digital sense (Ad).

Once we have our IR this then generates our State, our feelings our emotions, and then this influences our Physiology. All 3 combined then generate our Behaviour.

In figure.1 you will see the bi directional arrows around IR, State and Physiology. This is to indicate the influence runs in both directions. This is where we understand the ability to create the hack, and to consciously influence each.

As is stated at the bottom of figure.1  “What you focus on determines your results” is the key.

If you are anxious then you are focusing on an outcome you do not want, this forms your IR which then generated your State and then drives your Physiology and ultimately your behaviour.

Instead focus on what you do want, a successful outcome to drive the cycle in an empowering way.

Now if you were anxious about an event in the future it’s not to dismiss it but to the use to create a plan between now and then to eliminate any unwanted outcome. Then focus on the desired outcome.

Most desired change is to change our state or behaviour to a more empowering one. Now knowing how we can hack one point an influence another, imagine changing either your state or physiology, what might happen?

To change your state, remember a time in the past when you were in that desired state, remember it, take yourself back there in your mind and see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt. Make it bigger bolder brighter turn up anything that is important to you. This then drives your IR, your Physiology and your behaviour.

Imagine now the power of changing your physiology. Amy Cuddy from Harvard Business school presented a talk in 2012 which details what can be summarised as Power Posing, which I invite you to look at for a more detailed explanation. If you hold an open wide posture for 2 minutes you directly influence your body chemistry in an empowering way, testosterone levels went up and cortisol levels went down. Directly then influencing your behaviour, IR and state, making you more confident and comfortable.

This is an overview, an awareness to demonstrate that you have choice to consciously be empowered to be who you want to be, to create the changes you desire in your life.

There are many alternative complementary approaches to improve your wellbeing, and you will have your own preferences as to which benefit you the most and creates the change you desire by hacking either, your IR, your State or your Physiology.

The objective here is to empower you, to illustrate how no matter where you are in life change is possible. Live your life and seek out the method to ethically hack your system the best way that fits who you are, to create the change(s) you desire NOW.