So says the first line of John Milton’s 1926 poem that celebrates the failed gunpowder plot to blow up parliament.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the USA said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”.
This morning, Saturday 5 th November, I woke up early, heard the rain, felt a chill, and snuggled back under my duvet. I really wanted to go for a workout and a swim but outside the weather was cold and wet, in preparation for a typical Guy Fawkes’ Night!
Today, on Day 6 of a Licensed Practitioner of NLP course, we’ve been talking about metaprograms, those unconscious patterns of behaviour that run in the background without us really having to think about them.
The Carrot and a Stick metaphor is a great example of a metaprogram and there’s plenty more when you decide to learn NLP. Will the donkey/employee be inclined to move towards the carrot or away from the stick?
As humans, we may move towards pleasure/rewards in certain contexts and away from pain in others. If your metaprograms serve you well, that’s great but if your instinct has a detrimental impact on your life, it’s worth recognising and finding a new course of action.
Lying in my bed, listening to the rain, I may have been tempted to have a lie-in, moving away from the cold and the rain. For me, the urge to get moving “won” because I love that feeling when you’re out of puff and those good endorphins are running high! If honest, it wasn’t just my towards pattern that got me to the gym. Self-hypnosis also did the trick! I imagined lifting slightly higher weights and doing more reps, and blow me down I did!
My invitation to you this week is to notice what you move away from or towards to. If your metaprogram is working for you, go with it. If not, STOP, THINK & PLAN to succeed and remember the power of your imagination!
While Guy Fawkes and Co. did plan to succeed, they were caught in the act! If you’re going to get “caught”, wouldn’t it be great to ensure that your metaprograms are working well for you and yours. And imagine how great it will be when you can recognise how others are “wired” so that you can respond or support them accordingly.