– The sign pointing back the way you’ve just come says “Your old life”.
– The sign pointing to the left says “Away From…”
– and the sign pointing to the right says “Towards…”.Now as you look at the signposts, more writing begins to emerge on the signs pointing “Away From…” and “Towards…”.
The words that start to appear on the “Away From…” sign are words describing the things in your life that you want to leave behind, such as pain, sadness, anger, fear, boredom or hopelessness.
On the “Towards…” sign, more words appear describing the things in your life that you want more of, like a fulfilling career, a rewarding relationship, fun, security, happiness or love.
**Which path will you take?**
When you have no outcome at all, it is like going back down the path of “Your old life”. Nothing much will change.
When you have an outcome like “I want to stop being bored at work” or “I don’t want to be single any more”, then you have an outcome that describes what you *don’t want*. It will be like following the “Away From …” signpost when the words “bored” or “single” are written on it. You will arrive back at the very things that you want to minimise or avoid.
When you have an outcome which describes what you do want, then you will move forwards with the benefits of your goal in mind, and you will be alert and open to any opportunity in your path that helps you to achieve your outcome.
**Try this:**
Thinking about your outcome or goal, make two lists headed “Away From…” and “Towards”. List everything that you can think of about your goal, and notice whether each one is “Away From…” or “Towards…”. *Then* for every “Away From…” find at least one “Towards…” alternative. Your aim here is to make the “Towards…” motivation in your outcome outweigh the “Away From…”.
If you’d like to learn more about setting goals and “Away From” and “Towards” motivation, why not join us for a 2-Day Introduction to NLP, or our NLP Practitioner Course. Learn more here.
*About Madeleine Allen: The author is a specialist in Leadership, Communication and Personal Development for business professionals.
An NLP Trainer and Master Practitioner she conducts in-house corporate training (learn more at www.allentraining.co.uk) and public courses in NLP. Learn more at www.brightlightnlp.com
