In this 10mn RSA Animation, Dan Pink explores what REALLY motivates us in the 21st Century. Studies have shown that the carrot and stick (work more — earn more) works well when it come to purely physical work. However, with anything above basic cognitive skills, the relationships between money and effort become inversely proportional. In this context, HOW do you motivate people?

Watch this video to find out.

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Astro Coach Academy is an Astro eCourse for coaches and anyone eager to learn tools to know oneself better & become more effective.

Psychological astrology looks at a zodiac chart to discover potentials, talents and challenges that are hidden in our psyche or, to use a NLP & Hypnosis vocabulary, our unconscious mind.

Unlike traditional astrology, psychological astrology does not make predictions. Why? because we believe that to a large degree, we create our own reality, and therefore have the power to influence the unfolding of our own life.

How? By constantly filtering our experience through our own unconscious maps. Some information is deleted, some information is allowed to come in and register in our consciousness. The choice is made outside of our awareness. The meaning we give to the world, to people and situations results from this filtering process.

The information that is allowed in becomes our ‘focus’.

Predictions, when made by someone we consider as an authority in their field, whom we believe and respect (such as an astrologer), can often become self fulfilling prophecies. How? By installing what has been predicted as a point of focus for our conscious awareness. Once this is done, we literally look for it outside of us.

Example: Ms. X goes to see a fortune teller she considers an expert in his field (i.e. “he knows something that I don’t”). Every time she went to him he told her something that ‘was true’. This time, after a careful examination, he tells her that she should be careful this year, because there is a high probability that she will have an accident. Where does her mind focus after she comes out of her session? What is she unconsciously looking for in the outside world?

From our point of view, an astrological chart only shows psychological frames, not real life events. When used skilfully and within the context of a dialogue rather than by imposing knowledge onto a person, the chart becomes an invaluable tool to assist someone (or ourselves) to uncover part of our personalities that we are not aware of. In a way, it works in a similar fashion to a psychological or personality assessment.

Want to know more? Sign up on the Astro Coaching Academy website. You will receive regular tips and articles about the Astro tools. You can also request articles on topics that interest you, and answers to your most pressing questions.

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Like the Astro Coach Academy FB page.

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Coaching students have been asking us about the Astro Tools for Coaching that we use. So we’ve listened, and the Astro Coach Academy eCourse is coming up soon.

There’s a lot of ways we can use an astrological chart. Most people think of astrology as fortune telling, which it’s NOT. A little known fact: Karl Jung used to draw a chart for each of his clients. Used skillfully, a chart will indicate a lot of hidden potentials and possible challenges, it’s a very powerful tool to know oneself better, and for a coach, to assist and empower their clients, especially in moments of change of direction. An Astro Coach does not predict but questions, does not impose but propose.

The website in online, taking up contact details before the eCourse goes online later in the year. Registered users will receive emails with articles and tips.

So if you are interested, go to the website (or copy and paste www.astrocoachacademy.com in your browser) and enter your full name and email address to subscribe to the email list. We will also have some live and online free presentations for registered users. Oh! And one more thing, please visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheMasterMindsGroup?ref=sgm#!/pages/Astro-Coach-Academy/144565975577483?ref=sgm and click the like button (we need 25 users to be able to get a DECENT web address for the page!) Or you can also click the LIKE button on the Astro Coaching Academy website.

Astrologically Yours!

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We’ve just posted an article on Ericksonian Hypnotic patterns on the MasterMinds NLP Tutorial public blog.

Click here (or copy and paste http://www.mastermindsnlptutorials.com in your browser).

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Have you ever wondered who beats your heart, who flows your blood, who keeps you breathing when you sleep?

What’s your phone number? Most people can answer this question without blinking. But where does the information come from? You don’t have to consciously remember your phone number all the time. The information goes out of your awareness until you need it, at which time, you can usually easily retrieve it.

How do you get in and out of a room? Through the door. How do you know how to operate it? Because you learned. Not only that, you learned once, and now you know how to open ALL doors, not only the one you learned with. Where is that knowledge stored? Do you even have to think about all the necessary steps to open a door? Probably not! You could open a dorr while thinking about something totally different.

The unconscious mind is that part of us that we are not conscious about, i.e we don’t have the faintest idea that it’s even here! But, as the immersed part of the iceberg, it is monumental. All our behaviours have their source at the unconscious level.

If you are over 30 years old, watch the 4 seconds video below (a very funny illustration of this). If you are below 30, don’t bother, you probably won’t get it.

To learn how, check the schedule of courses HERE.
Subscribe to the newsletter HERE
Become a member HERE
The MasterMinds NLP Website HERE

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Sometimes, mis­un­der­stand­ing arises when we do not under­stand other people’s map of the world, or in other words, when we can­not put our­selves in their shoes. Each person reacts to the other, the sit­u­a­tion esca­lates, emo­tions inten­sify, and the chance of reach­ing a mutu­ally ben­e­fi­cial agree­ment dis­ap­pears in a puff of smoke.

One of the most effective ways to solve conflicts is to be able to see the other person’s perspective. Many times, this is all that is needed to defuse tension, initiate a different mind-frame, and open the path to a solution to the conflict or argument.

Whether you’re prepar­ing for a meet­ing, deal­ing with fam­ily mem­bers, sell­ing, nego­ti­at­ing, coach­ing, or giv­ing a pre­sen­ta­tion, the abil­ity to consciously choose the perspective you want to have on the situation massively increases the like­li­hood of success. This is what in NLP we call ‘Perceptual Positions’, i.e. different perspective from which you perceive a situation or problem which involves several people.

In this short audio, I’ll take you through the 3 Perceptual Positions. Leave comments at the bottom of this page if you have any. Click on the little arrow below to start the audio player.

Want to know more? The schedule of all courses can be found here. Look for NLP Practitioner, Coach & Hypnosis Certification Training.

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Have you ever taken a test, or assessment to discover who you are, what job best suits you, or which relationships fit you best? Do you know your “type”?

Thinking Styles.

Too many modern assessments and models put people in boxes: you’re an A-type, where you hang in the 4 quadrants, models of personality etc… As much as it is useful to discover certain character traits, those tend to limit us rather than assist us to expand our perception of who we are and how we are “supposed” to behave, because they tend to function deductively (from outside to inside) rather than inductively (from inside to outside).

Another less obvious, but probably more accurate and constructive approach is to focus not on WHAT people think or believe or their personality type, but HOW they think about them, looking at the lenses they use to understand their world: their work, their relationships, themselves in relation to the environment. It’s an inductive model of understanding (i.e. the opposite of limiting), because it reflects the increasing level of complexity that a mind has to develop in order to fit in a given external environment.

The question we ask is: are the mind capacities of a person suited to their life conditions? When we achieve congruency between the 2, we are in balance. Balance is the ultimate purpose, because when you reach a state of perfect equilibrium… you function perfectly in your world, and… what else do you need?

When life conditions change, we often need to develop new ways to cope with a changed reality, which means essentially, new mind capacities, and new ways to think about our world.

Want to know more? Click here.

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Susan Blackmore is dedicated to understanding the scientific nature of consciousness. Her latest work centers on the existence of memes — little bits of knowledge, lore, habit that seem to spread themselves using human brains as mere carriers. She’s exploring the existence of a new class of meme, spread by human technology. It’s temporarily named the “teme.”

[ted id=269]

If ‘Memes’ are ideas, habits, attitudes, knowledge … ‘vMemes’ are their container, the way we think about Memes. These vMemes are the foundation of our values, what we hold true, important, which we are not conscious about, and which drive ALL our actions and thoughts.

To learn more, discover your and other people’s vMemes, understand what deeply motivates people, and improve communication and therefore effectiveness, register for the ‘Thinking Styles’ week end course (which includes 3 online assessments, free if you sign up before the deadline). Click HERE and select “Thinking Styles” course in the schedule of workshops. This course is a must if you work with people (coach, HR management, trainer, recruiter, educator…)

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This is THE time of the year again! Looking back on what happened in 2009, good resolutions and new goals for 2010.
Here are a few things you’ll want to know to set goals THAT WORK for 2010. Remember, your Unconscious Mind is the goal getter and it needs precision, so read on.

When you set them, make sure your goals are SMART:

S for Specific
Make sure you say PRECISELY what you want: “making more money” is too fuzzy. Where is the money coming from specifically? “exercising” is too vague, what type of exercise, and where?

M for Measured
“Going to the gym” is not good enough, “going to the gym 4 times a week for a 2 hours workout each time” is much better. “Making more money” won’t work, making $xxx” will.

A for “As If Now“
Write your goals in the present tense: “I am making $xxx”. “I go to the gym…”

R for Realistic and Responsible
If the last violin class you took was 35 years ago, it may not be realistic to set as a goal: “successfully auditioning for the London Symphony Orchestra” (well you get the idea). Responsible means that it’s good for you and for your family and your environment as well.

T for Timed
Give a date. “The end of July” is not a date (when is the end of July?). “July 31st, 2010″ is a date!

Write your goals on a paper or in a file in your computer, read through to make sure they are SMART.

Then, go through the keys to achievable outcomes:

1. Stated in the positive. “What specifically do you want?”

2. Specify present situation. “Where are you now?” (Associated)

3. Specify outcome. “What will you see, hear, feel, etc., when you have it?”

4. Specify evidence procedure. “How will you know when you have it?”

5. Is it congruently desirable?“What will this outcome get for you or allow you to do?”

6. Is it self-initiated and self-maintained? “Is it only for you?” (you cannot set goals for others).

7. Is it appropriately contextualized? “Where, when, how, and with whom do you want it?”

8. What resources are needed?
“What do you have now, and what do you need to get your outcome?”
“Have you ever had or done this before?”
“Do you know anyone who has?”
“Can you act as if you have it?”

9. Is it ecological?
“For what purpose do you want this?”
“What will you gain or lose if you have it?”

Happy Holidays!

PS: Want to know more? Visit the public area of the MasterMinds NLP Tutorials website, where we post some useful tips and “how to” step-by-step guide to lead a more effective and fulfilling life.

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Alfred Korzybski in “Science and Sanity” (1933) reflects on the verb “to be” and the process of identification. He used to train people to avoid saying “I am”, asking them “Is this all you think you are?”.

Have you noticed when we are asked “who are you”, often, we say our name, and maybe mention our occupation/job title? Is this all we are? The verb TO BE can be limiting and reflects our beliefs about ourselves.

His work was based on the view that human beings are limited in their knowledge by the structure of their perceptions and their language. Unable to experience the world directly, they resort to “abstractions” (non-verbal perceived impressions and verbal indicators expressed through language). The structure of our perceptions and our language (which determine our understanding) sometimes misleads us as to what is going on, what we must deal with. We create an abstraction and this is the reality we deal with. He called for an increased awareness in each of us of that process of abstraction.

Interestingly enough, some 800 years before Korzybski, in India, Shankaracharya, the creator of the philosophy of non-duality Advaita Vedanta, mentioned the human process of “Adhyasa”, superimposition of meaning onto the unchanging reality through our senses, and its remedy, “Apavada” deconstruction of the operation of the senses.

Expanding the structure of our language and our perceptions, we can truly achieve mind-bloggling results!

Mind-Changing Courses.
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