Welcome to 2018. I hope this year will be a successful and vibrant year for you. I’m here to help you make it one! This year’s ‘tips for success’ series will focus on bringing together what I know about Neuro Linguistic Programming and Positive Psychology. Why? Because I’m passionate about these two disciplines. I believe that by honing the ways you think and behave, you can achieve the results you want. And that’s what Neuro Linguistic Programming and Positive Psychology help you to do.
Although the two fields are seemingly very different, I’ve found that there are great similarities between the two disciplines. To me, NLP is a practical discipline that combines a knowledge of language patterns with key principles from Positive Psychology. Sadly, in Australia NLP has gained a poor reputation. However, when it’s practised well, it is an amazingly powerful and useful discipline. I’ve studied with some of the best practitioners in the world and I’m convinced that, as research into the validity of techniques from NLP continues, we can establish a firm foundation of credibility for this discipline. I hope that this will ensure that higher standards are created for practitioner accreditation and practice.
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I first became accredited in NLP in 1994. Back then, there were very few trainers in Australia so it was difficult to gain accreditation. When I found a program, however, I was mesmerised by the linguistic component of NLP. To this day, I believe that this element distinguishes NLP from all other change-focused modalities. What makes NLP so special are its foundations in the linguistics. The key contribution NLP has made is it’s analysis of how successful people use language, both internally when speaking to themselves, and externally when communicating with others. Indeed, you can easily spot credible NLP practitioners because they have mastered NLP language patterns and truly understand the ‘linguistics’ of NLP. Less-skilled practitioners focus on bluster and hyped up sales tactics claiming NLP creates ‘magic’. Unfortunately, over time, the tendency to dumb down NLP has led to a proliferation of poorly-skilled practitioners claiming they can work wonders. This is why I’ve decided to add Positive Psychology qualifications to my toolkit.
The difference between Positive Psychology and NLP hinges on the question of evidence-based practice. A key strength of Positive Psychology is its basis in scientific research regarding what helps people thrive. Many of the principles in Positive Psychology are mirrored in NLP. However, Positive Psychology has added a robust set of data to underpin those principles.
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I’m very excited to be studying Positive Psychology this year and I look forward to bringing you tips and techniques that I pick up along the way. Ultimately, my passion is creating success stories with my clients. I believe that when we learn to master emotion regulation and solution focused thinking skills, we become forces for positive change in the world. Not only that, we become happier, healthier and often – purely by accident – more successful.
Both Neuro Linguistic Programming and Positive Psychology focus on themes of thriving and excellence in human performance. What better theme could we have for 2018?
About the author of this article
Eleanor Shakiba is a people skills expert. She trains and coaches people in high intellect professions – such as academia, education, project management, research and development and engineering. Her expertise in teaching social and emotional intelligence skills makes Eleanor a highly sought-after facilitator. Eleanor holds qualifications in Social Anthropology, Applied Psychology, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming.