FIVE NLP PRESUPPOSITIONS TO MANAGE A VUCA WORLD

An article by Daniel Theyagu (13 Feb 2021)

A VUCA world is one which is described as Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. If you are unprepared to manage such an environment, you are going to be swept away. Nevertheless, a VUCA situation also gives you opportunities to realign yourself to take on the challenges life throws at you. 

NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is a simple and powerful way to help you realign yourself in a VUCA. Instead of becoming a victim to the VUCA circumstances you can change your life around simply by the way you think about the situation you are in and the challenges that you encounter. 

Today we speak about resilience and having a growth mindset. Angela Duckworth in her seminal work advocated that to succeed one must develop grit. Ultimately it boils down to not just knowing what it is like to have a growth mindset or grit, but how can we achieve this if at all.

This is when NLP presuppositions comes into play. A presupposition is fundamentally a statement that allows you to reflect and draw inspiration from it. Presuppositions are relatively vague and allows you to draw your own conclusion from it. The way they are structured will give you some form of guidance and tap into the infinite possibilities of your subconscious mind.

There are many NLP presuppositions. But for now, here are five that you should speculate upon and see how you can draw inspiration from them. Why only five and not more? Well for one reason when you focus on too many there is a tendency that this becomes diluted. Further, five is an easy number to remember and reflect on regularly. So, go with the basics and see how it changes your perspective of life.

1.   I oversee my mind and therefore my results.

You might have heard of this often enough, the mantra: “You are in charge.” But the truth is - are you really in charge? Too often we blame circumstances and the environment as the cause of our failure. But then again who says you are what others claiming you to be. Walt Disney was sacked from his first job because his employers felt that he was not creative enough! Seriously! Imagine what it would have been like if he believed in this speculation. There will be no Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. It is not what others tell you that counts. It is what you tell yourself. You may of course draw inspirations and advice from others. However, never give up on your own abilities and capabilities. Find ways to oversee the way you think. if something you are doing is not working, change the way you are doing it. You may fail and fail again. But every failure you encounter will bring you nearer to your goal. This brings us to the next presupposition which is…

2.   When I do not get the results I am looking for, I change the way I go about doing it.

This presupposition ties in nicely with the first. After all if you try something and do not get the kind of answers or end-results what do you do? Good old Einstein mentioned “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” Once you start doing something and it is not working have the courage to change the way you are doing it. That is what life is all about. We test and learn. That is also what makes life exciting. Do not languish in your failure. Failure is simply the opportunity to see the situation from a different perspective. Failure might reveal issues that you did not anticipate and gives you the chance to change the perspective and succeed. Ultimately you are in charge and you make the decision. Which brings us to the next presupposition…

3.   The Decisions I make are based on the best options available at that moment in time

There is no such thing as a bad decision. It just bad planning or erroneous assessment of the situation. If you intend to blame something, then blame your process of decision making but not the decision you made. Now this might sound a bit confusing and all.  Basically, you make a decision based on the best options you could avail to at the moment you decided. Thus, the fact that the decision you made might be unpopular does not mean it is a bad decision. History is full of examples of leaders who had to make decisions based on a life and death situation. If you have to live with the decision that you made, do not be harsh with yourself. Ask – did I consider all available options? Could there have been another way of dealing with the situation? Am I making this decision for a greater good? If the answers to these questions are ‘yes’ – then make the decision and stand by it. Pull your will power to ensure that what you decided upon works. Consider the next presupposition…

4.   Energy and motivation flow where intention and focus go

When there are no doubts in your mind and you conscience is clear you will permeate pure energy. This will enhance your motivation. Where your energy and motivation flow, you will be driven by a deeper need to focus on your intention to do what you want to do. You can model your thinking to gear towards your intent and focus on how you are going to achieve it. Be crystal clear that this is something that you really want. Keep asking yourself again and again why you want it and how much are you prepared to do to achieve it. This will crystalize your thoughts and your head, heart and gut will derive the energy and motivation to achieve your intent. You will be driven by an unconscious force to achieve what you want as the next presupposition goes…

5.   When I believe it, I can achieve it

Your beliefs are embedded in the deepest core of your unconscious mind. Your belief system is the most potent tool your mind possess. Napoleon Hill puts this succinctly: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’ Now this can go two ways, if you belief that you are not good at something or you do not have the capability to achieve it then obviously this will be the case. But if within the realm of possibility, you think of something that you want to achieve and you have though through a process on how you will want to achieve it, then the only thing that is stopping you is your belief. The same belief system that you can configure to take the first step to embark on your journey of success. You might not have the skills or capabilities now. But remember you have to plant the seed first before it can germinate. And in parting ways now, take heed the one presupposition that holds the key to all above: You have all the resources you need to succeed and achieve your desired outcome.

Go forth and feel the seductive joy of your success.  

Article written by Daniel Theyagu.

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