The NLP Pattern of the Month:

Basic Motivation Strategy

The following strategy demonstrates how the various elements of imagination, expectation, criteria, submodalities and association can be combined into a simple strategy to help people better inspire and motivate themselves to take actions which will lead them to desired outcomes.

Imagine yourself having already achieved a dream or outcome that matches a highly valued criterion, and are really enjoying it. Get in touch with what you are seeing, hearing, doing and feeling while enjoying these benefits.

2. Adjust the sensory qualities of your internal experience in such a way that it feels more motivating or compelling. Does the experience become more compelling and attractive if you add more color? Brightness? Sound? Words? Movement? What happens if you bring the image closer or move it farther away? What happens if you make the sounds or words louder or softer? What do you experience if you make the movement quicker or slower? Identify which qualities make the experience feel the best.

Applying those qualities, experience the good feelings that come from having your outcome

Remember those feelings as you picture yourself doing the things that you know will help you move closer to your dream or outcome. (You can create a self anchor in order to help transfer those feelings, or use the submodality qualities you identified in step 2.)

A Basic Motivation Strategy Involves Adjusting the 'Submodalities' of an Image of a Particular Behavioral Consequence such that it Intensifies the Feelings of Success or Pleasure that Accompany the Image.

The purpose of initially focusing on the outcome and its positive consequences, rather than the particular behavior required to reach the outcome, is to create an "attractor" that will stimulate the natural self-organizing functions of the nervous system. It also helps to create a positive feeling state, or "outcome expectancy," that is later linked to the behaviors required to reach the outcome (which may not be as inherently positive as reaching the outcome). Thus, you are using the positive feelings of what is "farther away in time" to leverage or support the necessary short term actions required to reach the longer term desired state.

Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.

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