Truth is, if we really want to get something done, we’ll find time to do it”
Dr Robert Anthony
We all have the same number of minutes. Every moment Is the time of our lives. (Anthony, 1994). We need to clarify why we want to do something rather than why we ought to do it. Most people live by the ‘after theory’. They are doing to do great things … after kids, after jobs, after etc. So, we need to work out what we want to do now, and the next 24 hrs, and the 24 hrs afterwards. Time cannot be saved – only managed.
In the first section you looked at 3 areas to explore. Now let’s make this more concrete, into a positive outcome. This needs to be what you really want. For one person it may be never to look at internet porn again, but that is a negative outcome. The better perspective would be to have a fulfilling relationship with a life partner so that internet porn is of no interest.
What outcome do you want
From Toby McCartney & the NLP Practitioner
| Question | Answer |
| Stated in the positive, what specifically do you want? | |
| Where are you now? | |
| What will you have, see, feel, hear when you have it? | |
| How will you know you will have it? | |
| What will this outcome get for you or allow you to do? | |
| Where, when, how and with whom do you want it? | |
| What resources are needed? | |
| What do you have now and what will you need to get there? | |
| Have you ever done something similar in the past? | |
| Do you know anyone who has? | |
| Can you act as if you have it? | |
| What is the context of the outcome? | |
| What will you gain or lose by having this? | |
| What will happen if you get it? | |
| What will happen if you DON’T get it? | |
| What will NOT happen if you get this? | |
| What will NOT happen if you DON’T get this? |
You might wish to print this table out for a couple more outcomes based on the three areas to explore. This now sets your compass for your journey. Back to our tourist analogy, it gives you the purpose of your trip. Rather than arriving at the airport and wondering what to do, it’s like someone saying that they want to visit the Louvre Museum, in Paris, or to practice their French with the locals. But in taking that outcome you won’t be able to see everything in Paris, so there might be activities you can’t do, and you may have friends who are happy or even not happy to join you on your trip to the Louvre.
See what Tony Robbins says about goal setting