It's stunning to see how much nonsense people are spouting about NLP nowadays. It's not for anything else, but the fact that NLP has been bastardized by so many people running so-called training programs on NLP. Pardon the rant, but it's ironic that the field of personal excellence has been infiltrated by the not-so-excellent.
I'm not claiming I'm a saint either. I just happen to see lots of people passing themselves off as NLP trainers (yes, even the 'certified' ones) who can't carry themselves right.
Credibility is a crucial element in NLP training. After 14 years in the field of NLP, it's dawned on me that there ought to be more exposure about what NLP really is, and I'll make it my personal mission to do that one site at a time, and I'll wear out my fingers if I need to.
The science of excellence could probably be summed up by what Mark Victor Hansen said - Your network determines your net worth. If you want to be a certified NLP trainer or master practitioner, you can attend a course. If you want to be a competent or excellent one, you need to hang around other competent and excellent practitioners.
NLP is about modeling others. I wish I could tell you the technical difference between a Mercedes engine and a Ferrari, but I can't. All I know is that it's not the raw materials that are different. After all, any engine could be made with the same raw materials that exist on this planet. Thing is... the Ferrari engine has a different brand, and the engineering behind it is for a different purpose. Now, consider racing a Ferrari and a Lamborghini, and you're not really sure which will win. Race any of those two cars with a KIA, and I'm sure you know which cars will win.
To be great in NLP deserves far more than just the techniques and skills. People are in need of something. If you took up an NLP training just to deal with your own inadequacies, then NLP won't open up to you as much as if you saw how NLP could affect other people in a powerful and inspiring way.
I've recently listened to people like Joel Bauer and T Harv Eker. They all sound like a bunch of people I've seen and modeled after. It's interesting that the manner of their speech fits in with a certain 'style' that I've seen so many comedians and trainers using while they are on stage. Trouble is, whatever they say is NOT NLP. They are models no doubt, but they are not teaching NLP. They are teaching you models.
The NLP expert will be the person who creates those models. Even though Joel and T Harv have likely never been trained or certified in NLP, I doubt that I'd blink and eye if someone asked me if I'm willing to endorse their certificate as a licensed Master Practitioner of NLP.
We all need that spark. A certain inner quality that makes us more effective in what we do and how we do it. That quality is passion. If you are passionate about learning NLP or any other skill for personal excellence, you'd want to pay attention to strategies and systems for success and excellence. Yes, success is a system. If you learn it well, it repeats itself over and over. The rich get richer. The smart get smarter. The eloquent become more eloquent. The masterful NLP trainer becomes even more so.
Stuart Tan was the youngest NLP Trainer in Asia ever to be licensed by Dr. Richard Bandler in 1997. He has developed various coaching systems and business systems and created more models for public speaking and persuading audiences. In a 90 minute period, he used the persuasive power of NLP to earn $74,955. He now helps individuals break out into excellence and also coaches people toward entrepreneurial excellence through online and offline methods. He can be found at www.NLPTeleseminars.com