NLP Why Is State So Important?
Author
Damon Cart
Date
Mar 24, 2018
Tags
General tips
Content
Author
Why do we emphasize state and state management so much in NLP?
The quick answer is that your state determines which inner resources you have access to.
The only thing standing between your present state of wanting something you don't have and your desired state; which is having what you want, is access to a resource or resources.
I once heard Tony Robbins say that the greatest resource is resourcefulness. While I agree it's hard to put that into practice so let's break it down.
You can divide up your life into different contexts like personal life, professional life, school life, social life, etc. Choose one context and think about what resources do you need to access to be your best in that particular context.
For example in your work life you might need focus, determination, and creativity.
Then ask yourself what state do you need to be in to access those resources? Perhaps the best state is one where you're relaxed and yet engaged and intentional. We can call the state "Work Flow" state.
You don't have to start with resources. You can start with the state by remembering a time in the context you've chosen when you were performing at your best. Step into it or associate into the memory and access the state. Name the state so it's easier to recall it later when you want to and notice what relevant resources you're accessing and name those as well.
You may want to be in a state where you have access to all of your resources all at once, all of the time. While that may be possible (but unlikely), the state would be so general it would be hard for you to focus on any specific goal or intention so it's important chunk your life down into contexts, chunk down again to resources that will serve you best in each context, and then chunk back up to the state you will need to be in in order to access those resources.
Again, you don't have to go in that exact order. You can start by identifying the state before you identify the resources.
What are some states you don't want to be in?
States of fear, anger, and panic are what I call scarcity states and they're very limited. Anger and fear can be useful to wake you up to danger or an injustices for example, but they're not good states to stay in.
We make bad decisions when we're fearful, angry, or panicked because these states create an extreme narrowing of our awareness. We need to narrow our awareness in order to focus but if the focus is too narrow you will cut yourself off from the resources you need to resolve the situation or perform at your best.
I would even say that panic is the state of no access to your resources, which is why you panic and it's why you always here that you should never panic during a crisis. You probably, ideally, should never panic ever because it won't help you.
Every state has it's limitations and in order to perform well we have to focus so it's better to map out ahead of time what resources and states are needed in every major context of your life so you can gather the resources you need and allow the resources you don't need to stay outside of your focus in order to achieve the outcome you want.
It's also important to be in a state that aligns with the proper context. When we're not aware of what states we perform optimally in for a given context we end up entering a professional context while still in a parenting state or we come home after work still in a professional state when it's actually time to be in a husband or wife state.
Greater awareness of your states will give you greater control over aligning your state with the right context so you're at your best in every area of your life. It will also give you more flexibility in managing and changing states in order to succeed in whatever context you're in.
No such thing as failure, only feedback. Your feedback is welcome. Message me on Facebook, or comment on Youtube.
Damon Cart
Author
Damon Cart is considered to be a natural talent by some of the best NLP trainers in the world. His approach to guiding and teaching students brings to their awareness that they've been doing NLP all of their lives without realizing it and he empowers them with skills and resources to thrive and reach their full potential. With the understanding of how Neuro Linguistic Programs create oneβs experience a person can then take charge of those programs and create the experience and the life they want. By taking this approach into his own rigorous, daily NLP practice Damon has been able to rapidly accelerate his progress in learning, coaching clients and teaching workshops.
