I have a daily cappuccino at my local Starbucks nearly every morning.  Most days, they have it ready before I reach the register. They call it my Pamaccino! So, big shout out to Taft Plaza Starbucks.

After having second thoughts and doubts about whether I locked my car or not, for about a weeks time, I wondered why I had these doubts because it represented  a very different change in my behavior. This was new. So right there in the parking lot, half way between my car and Starbucks I asked my self: What’s different now, from the past  – when I was always sure I locked my car?

I let my mind, my other mind ponder that while I went in for my Pamaccino. It’s great to allow the unconscious process to bring forth answers, it’s so effortless. Have you ever tried to think so hard you move into frustration?  People sometimes say: I wracked my brains for hours trying to figure it out. It’s much better and usually quicker to relax, allow your conscious mind to move on and enjoy the moment so your UNconscious mind can do all the work and deliver you the correct answer. Have you ever had that happen and said: OH! I KNOW! It just jumped into my head?  It’s like having an assistant file clerk in your mind to retrieved the correct file and hand the information to you with a smile. That’s how I like to use NLP™.  That’s the “P” part of NLP™ and it’s programming.

As I looked into the ceramic cup watching the swirling crema atop my espresso, ready in anticipation to take that first amazing and always delicious hot sip, the answer to my question from the parking lot came to me. Some weeks back that year, the parking lot was redone and the straight lines of the parking spaces were made into angled lines. So when I walked away from my car and hit the key fob to lock it, I  no longer could see the front/side lights flash as I used to. You see, I process my world with a very dominant visual processing. N0t exclusively, just dominantly. With the new parking lines, the angle of the front of my car obscured the front lights and I no longer noticed them flash when I hit the key fob indicating the car had locked. We do so many things so automatically and UNconsciously. Now I had to 2 options I could think of:

  1. make a conscious effort to turn my head to see the lights flash and complete my strategy of confidently knowing the car was locked or,
  2. amp up my auditory processing and begin to tune in and hear the beep of my car that also occurs when the car locks.

I opted for the visual adjustment. See what I mean by dominant representational system for processing information? So from then on, I remembered to turn my head as walk from my car to see the lights flash and I never again had any doubts if I locked my car.

By using simple NLP™ skills, I just programmed my mind to figure out what was different so I could use the previous strategy,  and know for sure my car was locked.  After all, it worked before.  All I needed to know was, what was different now? And then make some creative adjustment and get back to surety. Mental programming is so simple to get better outcomes.

Many people describe OCD symptoms to me that are no different than the doubt of locking a door. If you know someone like that, perhaps by learning simple NLP™ techniques, they won’t believe they are OCD about it.

NLP™ provides you with the ability to have clear, accurate and honest communication. And I’m guessing there’s no one better to communicate with than yourself, with clarity, accuracy and honesty!

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