Have you ever imagined what life would be like as a movie star? We all love to be entertained and live vicariously through the adventures, loves, mistakes, and conquests of our favorite heroes. A good movie is one that evokes emotion and connection to the people on the screen. When we are really connected to a character in a movie, and we feel anything from love to sadness, we are inadvertently learning about people and life.
If you have had a friend with a problem, you may know how easy it is to look at their life and problems and give advice based on what you see. As long as it is not happening to me, I am able to see the problem, and usually the solution, clearly. I have sat through many-a movie with a similar type of clarity. Perched on the edge of my seat I often want to yell out, “Can’t you see he loves you? Just go, get on the train.” So, how is it that we often find it challenging to look at our own life with that same type of clarity?
By using the power of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) we can utilize tools that help us view our life’s situations from the “best friend” position. Or better yet, we can sit in the director’s chair and direct our very own box-office hit.
So if we consider the basis behind the NLP presupposition “Learning v. Blame” we can see that if we blame other people or the world for our misfortunes we miss out on the opportunity to learn, grow, and evolve our consciousness. Why is this? Blaming someone or something else for our misfortunes is a very dis-empowered place to be. If the world is against us, then surely there is nothing we can do about it. If we want something different or new in our life, we have to empower ourselves through learning. In learning about ourselves, we empower our life with choices.
So how can we learn about ourselves and empower our lives?
Here are some easy steps to becoming the star of your own life.
See Yourself on the Big Screen:
First, imagine or pretend that there is a movie screen in front of you and you are the star of this particular film. Pretend you have a remote control that allows you to Play, Stop, Rewind, Fast Forward and Pause the film.
2. Watch as the challenging situation in your life plays forward. Notice everything about the characters in the film. Notice yourself as the movie progresses and become aware of your role in the movie.
In films, the director has the opportunity to re-shoot specific scenes. Since our emotional states dictate much of how we interact and behave, it is essential for the emotional state of the star actor to be “just right” in the scene. You may notice the difference between saying “I love you” when you are feeling consumed with the power of love, opposed to saying “I love you” when you are feeling disgusted or angered.
Here is your opportunity to be the director of your own film. You get to suggest any number of emotional resources that you would like the actor to try out before the scene goes smoothly. For Example, the Director may say, “Okay, I would like you to do that scene again.. except this time I want you to feel loved, confident, and accepted—no matter what the words in the script say… ready GO.”
3. Use your remote to rewind the film all the way back to the beginning.
4. Choose the best emotions for your movie and pretend that you can see yourself becoming filled with those new emotions.
5. Now, as you play the movie forward watch yourself as you interact with others from the place of the new emotions. Notice the change in the interaction. Most likely, even if the words are the same—the interaction is different.
Sandra Vesterstein is an international trainer and teacher of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy, and Reiki with Thrive Learning Collective. To find out more about these healing arts, or becoming a certified life coach, NLP practitioner, or Clinical Hypnotherapist go to ThriveLearningCollective.com
