Mindset Transformation with NLP

I have been away in Italy over the last week celebrating a special birthday as I became an OAP. For many years I shied away from sharing my age as the majority of those who met me didn't realise how old I was!  This has both been a blessing and a challenge so I have decided over the last few years to embrace my age and to focus on living a healthy, passionate and creative life.  Spending the last 25 years as an NLP Trainer has helped me understand that it's your mindset and what you believe that make all the difference.  The media is guilty of portraying older people as 'elderly, incapacitated, unemployable, a drain on the NHS' and so on. I call this media hypnosis as it is easy to sucked into an image that then starts to impact on what you believe is possible for YOU. And, if you are reading this and thinking it's not relevant to you at your younger age, please consider that in a blink of an eye you will be here too.  

As it's been on my mind, I thought I would share some ideas that I have embraced 100% in my own life that I read recently by Sir Muir Gray, former Chief Knowledge Officer for the NHS. 

1. Get fit.  It is important not to slow down.  Muir says that paradoxically we need to become more active as we get older both physically and mentally. Ageing doesn't make you feel old - disease and loss of fitness will. NLP has helped me develop the discipline to have fitness goals and to stick to them.  I go out most days for a 5k run, sometimes longer, before I start my day.  It sets my mindset up for success and helps me focus. And, I add in a few sessions of yoga every week too. Muir advises focus on stamina, strength, skill (balance) and suppleness.  What are you doing? 

2. What do you believe about ageing? This goes back to concept of media hypnosis as psychological fitness is just as important as physical fitness.  A study by Yale School of Public Health found that those people who had positive ideas about getting older lived on average for seven years longer than those who felt less positively.  That's massive! Think of what you can achieve in seven years. Challenge yourself with new things.  I am constantly creating in my business, and for myself, I am learning French again for the first time since I was 16. These all help to keep me sharp. What are you doing?

3. Be careful of the language you use to yourself and others. Become aware of how you use your language, especially your self-talk. Our cells our eavesdropping on everything we say to ourselves so be careful. Ignore the doomsters who tell you 'It's all down hill after 35'. Or even those people with the best intentions, trying to put you off of experimenting with something new because 'you are too old' or 'you can't learn things as well at your age'. Subliminal messages are not good either.  I live just down the road to a new 'retirement community for elderly people over the age of 55'. Really?

4. Create balance. Simon Alexander Ong, author of 'Energize: Making the most of every moment' suggests it all about balance. Create a balance between working and resting. When we are working flat-out, we are not making the time to rest or disconnect. This can be a recipe for burn-out. Yet if you retire and only rest, you can become too sedentary, and, you are more likely to fall ill. Creating a healthy balance between the two increases our lifespan and our health span.  What are you doing? 

If you are someone looking for a new personal development challenge that will help you in your life, consider NLP.  NLP for mindset change. We have a free online course you can start today.  Why wait?

https://www.teamnlp.co.uk/free-nlp-course

Have a great week.

Lindsey and the team at Team NLP