If you've ever found yourself saying you want to do something (or experience some kind of benefit) but you can't seem to get yourself to do it, that probably means there is some kind of dichotomy at play between the benefits and consequences of acting and not acting. This NLP tool can help you figure out what they are so you can strengthen the benefits of acting and/or the consequences of not acting and get yourself in motion.
1. First, pull out a piece of paper and divide it into four quadrants (like you did in school with the x and y axis) - Make sure it covers the whole piece of paper.
2. At the top of the page, write the goal you want to achieve but haven't been acting on. (Example, "Exercise every day")
3. In the top left-hand quadrant, write "Consequences of Taking Action." Now, think of what you feel you might have to give up or lose out on in order to take action/achieve this goal. Write everything that comes to you in that quadrant. (e.g., I won't be able to sleeping longer; I'll have to go to bed earlier; I won't be able to stay up late watching a favorite show; I'll have to work/move; I'll have to sweat; I'll feel pain, etc.)
4. In the top right-hand quadrant (at the top), write "Benefits of Taking Action." Think of what you will gain by taking action/achieving this goal. Write everything that comes to you in that quadrant (e.g., I'll be able to lose weight, I'll feel better; I'll get back into my smaller clothes; I'll be able to get more dates; I can get off medication; I'll have more energy; I can live longer; I can hike mountains/run races again/bend over and not pass out, etc.)
5. In the bottom left-hand quadrant (at the bottom), write "Consequences of NOT Taking Action." Think of what positives you'll likely be giving up or missing out on if you don't take action/achieve this goal. Write everything that comes to you in that quadrant (e.g., I won't be able to play much with my kids/grandkids,I'll die sooner; I won't be able to climb Chichen Itza when I go on my trip to Cancun; I'll stay a size ____ or larger forever; my diabetes will get worse and I'll have to start giving myself insulin shots; I'll die of a heart attack; my health insurance costs will rise more; etc.). Be very honest and think of all the possible probabilities to you and others you care about.
6. In the bottom left-hand quadrant (at the bottom), write "Benefits of NOT Taking Action." Think of what you get to keep or do that you will enjoy if you don't take action/achieve this goal. Write everything that comes to you in that quadrant (e.g., I won't have to worry about going to bed earlier or getting up earlier to fit it in; I won't have to sweat; I can keep being lazy; I can watch TV instead; I won't have to pay for (more) exercise equipment/ gym membership; I won't have to buy smaller clothes; I can hold onto my identity as the funny fat guy; I won't lose weight and get unwanted attention from men like I did in the past; I can keep smoking; etc.).
7. Now, look over the items in each quadrant and ask yourself: "What items in the top-left and bottom-right quadrants have the strongest emotional charge to them?" Put stars next to them or highlight them. These are most likely the strongest influencers to you staying stuck in inaction (or inconsistent action).
8. One of the laws of the mind is that when there are two conflicting emotions, the stronger one always wins out. In order to move into action NOW and on a consistent basis to achieve your goal(s), you need to find ways to punch holes in the validity of these unproductive beliefs or decrease their emotional charge, or to make the emotional charge of the other quadrants greater.
Visualization, affirmations, and other tools such as those I use with or teach my clients (hypnosis, NLP, EFT, etc.) are the most effective and quickest ways to make this switch in your thoughts and get what you REALLY want in life and achieve your highest good. That's what we're all deserving of.
If you'd like to learn some of these tools or receive a hypnosis CD that instills them easily for you, I can help! Read how below.
From helping improve your habits to helping you generate high levels of achievement, hypnosis and/or coaching have been proven to have immense benefits. You can read about some of them on my website on the "About Lisa" page. I offer several options for in-person and distance coaching that will help you learn, utilize, and incorporate changes more easily and quickly. Your consultation is F.R.E.E, so you have nothing to lose (except unwanted habits or health problems!). I also offer an "Unconditional Happiness Guarantee" for select programs.
Lisa Smith is a Certified Master Hypnotherapist, Wellness Coach, and NeuroLinguistic Programming Practitioner in the Virginia Beach area. She is a sought-after speaker, author, workshop presenter, and group coaching facilitator for creating healthy, natural, lasting change.
Her private practice, Life by Design Coaching and Hypnotherapy, offers coaching, hypnosis, NLP, and other options for health and self-improvement. In her 12 years in practice, she has worked with over 1,000 clients and conducted over 9,000 hypnosis sessions with children and adults for weight loss, addictions; stress and anxiety; phobias; childbirth; surgery preparation, cancer, pain management, and other mind-body healing. Sessions can be conducted in person or by phone. Visit her website at http://www.hypnocoachlisa.com for contact and other information.
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