It is that time of the year when we see magical lights around us. When we reflect on the previous 12 months and we set resolutions. When we say good bye to the old and we are welcoming the new. When our hopes for the future are high and we feel festive.

“New year, new me” – these words are ringing like jingle bells in my ears every December and January.

According to the University of Scranton, 92% percent of people who set new year’s goals never actually achieve them. I am not sure about this statistic, but it is even stated in the Forbes. It is a really shocking statistic to me. This probably makes you wonder, what are those 8% doing differently so that they actually achieve their goals, does it? How are the 8% doing it?

Remember, NLP is the science of modelling excellence. It focuses on those 8%. We don’t ask: “Why I can’t do it?” – because this places us at the side of the victim, at effect. Instead, we want to be at cause, by asking: “HOW can I do it?” and we look inside to find resources and outside to find a model of excellence. By replicating the process of the model, everyone can accomplish the same result in the respective field. Isn’t that amazing? You can do whatever you want to do!

One of the tools derived from modelling excellence that you can learn and apply to every area in your life is the NLP outcomes model. It shows you the process exactly how these champions set their goals and outcomes, achieve them and thus create the life they desire.

Participants of the upcoming Masterclass on Designing the Future will learn and experience this model of excellence on the 7th of December. Contact us, there are still few spots open. As the date of the Masterclass is approaching, my unconscious supports me with resources in the weirdest possible ways. Last night it woke me up in the middle of the night to bring me this incredible analogy of cooking and setting outcomes. I am really curious how useful it will be to you? Please comment and let me know 🙂

Let’s say you decide to cook something for yourself and your family or friends. What is your outcome?

Your outcome is the actual dish and your intention can be to satisfy the hunger or celebrate, or both. So, you need to know what you want to cook, right? You have a specific desire for something specific and you need to have an idea how it will look like, smell like and even taste like when it is done.

Once you define the outcome, you need to know how long will it take you to prepare it? Will it take you 15 minutes or 3 hours? When do you want it? For lunch or for dinner? Or maybe for Christmas? Who are you having it with? Are you eating alone, with your friend, colleague, with your child or with your whole family?

Then, you go and check what resources do you need to prepare the dish? Because you need resources. You can not make a meal out of thin air, can you? You can actually, in your imagination 😃. So, what resources do you already have available? You have a stove, pots and pans, cutlery, veggies, oil, pasta, cheese, meat, spices… whatever goes inside your dish. You also have some cooking skills, you have cooked before! You know how to use the stove, how to use a knife and how to wash and cut the ingredients. And, you have the necessary time available to invest in this dish. So, you have some resources!

Is there anything else that you need? Maybe you have never prepared this dish before. So, you might need to call your mum, open the cook book or scroll the internet to find out the recipe from someone who has already succeeded in preparing it. Maybe you figure out you are missing a few ingredients and you need to go to the store to get them. Maybe you need support from your partner or your children with cutting, or someone to go to the store. What are the additional resources that you need?

Next, you can easily miss the entire dish if the consistency of the sauce is too watery or you forget the dish in the oven and the smoke alarm alerts you it’s time to stop scrolling down the screen 😱 You need to define what will you see, hear, feel, taste, smell so that you will know you are progressing. This is your feedback. So, maybe you need to be alert to the specific smell you will smell, to monitor the level of the water in the pot, or regulate the heat and check the colour of the dish. You also need to decide how often will you measure your progress? Will you be stirring constantly on high heat or you let the dish cook slowly on low temperature?

A very important question to ask is are you cooking it because you want it or is it for someone else? What is in it for you? What are you getting out of it? Is it worthwhile investing your time to cook this dish? How will it affect the significant others in your life? You might say “of course it is worthwhile to cook and eat healthy and invest in my well being and the well being of my loved ones”. Or you might say, “to hell with cooking, I hate it, I am only doing it because this is how it should be done, while I’d rather do something different.” Both are fine, just be aware, because every choice has consequences and it will impact the journey and the outcome.

Now comes the most important part: doing it! We so often forget this part. Only if there was someone else to cook for me, while I chill on the sofa. I don’t have the time now, I’ll just eat chips. I don’t have everything I need to cook at the moment. I’ll order a pizza, it anyways goes better with Netflix. Our brain can make up so many excuses, it can be a real “smartass”! Again, awareness is key. And focus to the outcome!

Define the first step you will do! A baby step! It can be calling mum to get the recipe, going to the store for the missing ingredients, opening the fridge, putting the water to boil or simply stepping out of bed. Baby steps count, too! Remember how we cheer for babies when they make the first steps? Whatever first your step is, it is yours and it is already a big achievement!

Finally, follow that recipe. It is your action plan to reach your outcome. You will for sure create a delicious dish. Bon appetit!