Why Bother Doing Anything?
 
It never fails to amaze me these days, when I watch the television, how many advertisements are aimed at selling us good feelings. Buy the best dress, wash your clothes even whiter, sort out your credit mess, have a new car, a holiday of your dreams. By and buy you're sure to feel better....butt, for how long?.

I worked with top sportspeople, they were fit, they knew what to do, understood all the rules, had it down big-time. Yet some days they would do well and others they would do badly. Nothing had changed except the way they thought about what they were trying to do.

I dealt with top business people, they wanted everyone who worked for them to produce the same quality of work they did. They knew that most people just didn't have the same 'Attitude ' to work as they have, so I'd ask them to describe ' How ' they produced this special ' Attitude '. That's when things go quiet or I'd hear something like "well you've either got it or you haven't ", " it's something your born with ", or some such nonsense.

Ever heard of that 'Law' that says 80% of the wealth is produced by 20% of the people. It is quoted by people who I assume believe they are in the 20%, so four out of every five of us is stuffed then? Do you believe that? Or are you a twenty percenter?

Somebody shouts " DUCK ", do you take a moment to think it through and consider all the options, or do you just duck quickly and then try to figure out what's going on? Hopefully the later is your response and it teaches a valuable lesson, you respond far faster than you think, consciously that is. So isn't that what you do naturally, sure it is, or you'd get nothing done. Each of us is responding to our surroundings and responding automatically to those things we consider familiar. It's how we work so efficiently. So when someone tells you that your responses can me very different if you learn a few new ideas what's your response to them, curiosity or what? Do you just duck into a pre-programmed response or do you want to find out more?

I know that the 80% law is nonsense, you do as well don't you, even if you don't yet know why. I also know, as you somehow do, that people are not born with an ' Attitude ', they develop, or learn, to have one over time. Sportspeople are coming to realise that there is something else to producing results than mere physical prowess and we all know how long that good feeling lasts when we spend money to buy it.

Trouble is we live in a society that seems to think that doing anything with our brains is a sign of weakness, something's 'not normal', it's an old stigma. It's as stupid as believing that getting drunk means you're a real man, or engaging in some other equally stupid behavior means your acceptable to some group or mindset. NLP isn't about getting down to anal-ising ourselves or others, it's about putting some better ideas on top of some of the more stupid ones people have stuck in our heads whilst we really were not paying attention. It's a way of developing an attitude of thinking about our thinking and creating better options for ourselves and those around us.

Boy, over the years I've heard every possible reason to do nothing with my life, to accept who I am and just accept that's my lot in life. I've heard descriptions of NLP that would raise your hair and frighten the pants off you. I know people who truely believe that people NEVER really change, sound familiar?

Well listen up for a moment and keep these words in mind.

I never really listened to anyone who told me "it's impossible", if anything I wanted to prove them wrong as it scared the hell out of me that I might become as stuck as them. I went along and did some NLP training and then I noticed the difference it made in my life, then I went back and did some more. Fact is it's completely changed the way I see life. I lost nothing and gained everything, I know what I'm looking for and what's worth looking for and know exactly how to go about getting it. I've changed, people have noticed whilst they've remained much as they were. They notice yet still try to tell me people never change, maybe that's just a comment about their own life, they're scared to and don't want you to. Nothing like keeping everything the same and nice and predictable.

So, the reason I'm writing this is to tell you I know these guys and I know they know what they are doing. Their job is to head you in a direction and give you some really useful tools for your journey and I know they are more than capable of doing this. I want a better world to live in but I don't preach to everyone I just take every opportunity of helping them make better decisions about their life, that way the world will grow saner one person at a time, and that will do for now. So take this opportunity to make a decision that will be with all the other wonderful decisions you've ever made. Now is always a good time to get ahead of good ideas!

They say it's all in the mind, I'm telling you it is.

Anton Raps
(Currently retired and living in Paradise, happy each day for no particular reason)