The term NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming and was coined in early seventies by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. They began their work by studying: Fritz Perls, psychotherapist and originator of Gestalt school of therapy, Virginia Satir, well-known family therapist and Milton Erickson, a world-famous hypnotherapist. Their intention was to model outstanding therapists (i.e. identify patterns) in order that others could use these patterns to generate similar results. You may say that NLP is about identifying excellence, and then devising means for others to use those patterns to achieve similar results.

And NLP is more than that.

NLP also draws on earlier work, such as Ivan Pavlov's conditioned reflexes (1904). In NLP this is called anchoring. You could say that NLP takes theoretical results developed by others and makes them available to you and me so that we can improve our lives and well-being.

And NLP is more than that.

NLP had its origins in therapy and is now applied in all areas of human endeavour - education, health, sports, business, and list goes on. For a list of NLP books and audiotapes, please see www.renewal.ca/books.htm.

And NLP is much more than that.

Let us look at terms Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Neuro refers to your brain and your neurology. It is about how you take in information. For example, you can use your eyes to see something. Other ways to experience an event include: hear, kinesthetic (tactile touch or emotional feeling), gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell).

Linguistic refers to language -- pictures, sounds, feelings (kinesthetic), tastes, smells and words -- that you use to remember a particular experience (or to forecast a future experience). For example, did you have breakfast this morning? When you remember having breakfast, can you see a picture in your mind, can you hear sounds (maybe a radio was on or someone said something to you), what about tastes and smells, how were you feeling - happy, tired, excited?

Abraham Lincoln certainly was in "real world". So was Henry Ford. Napoleon Hill, Anthony Robbins, John Kehoe, and so list goes on.

Certainly, for most of us, words we read have little impact on us and our lives. Here I hope to offer another way to look at words, and hopefully give value of what words can mean with our goals and our lives.

The enormous amount of motivational material available - books, articles, motivational quotes - can (and does) help us to develop a positive attitude. But this does not occur by reading them as a novel or short story, that is, reading it once, and then never returning to material.

When we use concept known as spaced repetition, which is reading of material repeatedly, but with breaks in between, words, and in particular motivational words become a powerful aid. This has an exceptional effect on our subconscious mind (and also works well with learning new material). How much effort is there in that?

To use an example, consider following motivational quote: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change way you think about it." Let's consider how these words can help us to develop a positive attitude, and as result make us more content.

"If you don't like something, change it."

Example, are you in a job that absolutely drains you mentally, and emotionally? Have you seriously looked at changing jobs? And here key word is "seriously". Do we really investigate all our options? Do we consider dropping in salary (in short term), but have work that stimulates us? Do we make a concerted effort to look for other positions?

Now for second part. "If you can't change it, change way you think about it."