My Precious NLP Moments

Ashok reflects on his NLP Journey

I am doing my final year in my college…Like all my friends, I am quite unsure about what my career will be…I need to make a choice, which will decide the course of my career and my life...

Not knowing what exactly to do, I keep learning every new thing that came to my notice, even during the final year….still adjusting my goals and giving it a shape, before I can start pursuing them…

I told myself…my friends and professors say… I am good in people skills and hence it has to be with people…I am in civil engineering…TQM in civil engineering fascinates me and I thought it may be something related to that…In this juncture of my life, one evening, I accidentally stepped into one of the training rooms, where the training for people from the local industry was to begin in the next couple of hours.

This room had a lot of A4 printouts of interesting quotes stuck on its wall…All this print-outs had one thing in common…It had three alphabets in block letters – NLP

I wanted to know what is this new stuff…because those quotes (Beliefs of Excellence) raised my curiosity… I learnt it was about communication…I made an attempt to know…being a student, I was given approval by that Indian NLP Trainer Mr.N C Sridharan, to attend the programme….His grace offered me an opportunity in the form of that training programme in 1999, which I didn’t know then, that that was going to be the biggest turning point of my life!!!

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This is my first visit abroad…After a lot of challenges, I am presenting my paper on NLP and TQM in the 6th International Conference on ISO and TQM, about my work on “NLP and TQM”...in Scotland. After a lot of apprehension, my work got selected for presentation in that conference, as they said NLP lacks empirical evidence…which is very important for any research work. After my presentation, the awards were announced for the best paper in each group…They did not call my name… I walked slowly towards the exit, very much disappointed…The conference organizer who was bidding farewell to all said to me personally, Ashok! your paper ranked second in your group!! All the best!! Keep up your good work!! It meant a lot to me!!

It is going to be really difficult, when I get back to India. My family would want me to step into a job, like every body does after college…They don’t know NLP and my passion for that…They are practical…This conference paper award will buy some time for me, when I am back home, but I need to translate it quickly to my financial success…to convince my family, friends and professors, so that they are assured of my career and my life. There may be a possibility that I may meet this international consultant, who said if she is back in England by the time I finish this conference, we can meet. Luckily she was back and our meeting was scheduled on the last day of my trip in London. I thought, if I can meet her, that may change my life.

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I am very delighted…as I am about to see Sue Knight in person, whom I have been longing to meet, since the last one year. She promptly replied my email and sent me her book to help me learn NLP, when I emailed her about my interests in NLP, as a college student. I really didn’t understand how she showed this grace to me, even when she has not seen me…and there is nothing that she can expect back from me, as we were worlds apart…I thought she is special and no wonder, I am excited about meeting her at her home near London, which was a dream come true to me.

As I entered the home, Sue came opening the door. She helped me take my coat and she put it on the coat stand. It is very unusual to me, as a student…I realized I was being respected more than I would respect myself…I felt very special…I told her what I was doing and asked her, if I can represent her in India, when ever she considers coming to India…I just had my research paper and my visiting card to show what I am capable of. Sue accepted and invited me to join her next Stage One training in UK…I was delighted…I went home with a hope!!

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I am a special person…I learnt NLP like a prince. All I would do is to struggle hard with my family’s support to fly to London. Managing my flight expenses itself would be a great struggle for me. Once I reached UK, I became a prince. I stayed at Sue’s home, in her son’s room, when I was invited second time for a small stint in the Master Practitioner Course in 2003. Colin cooked me the best of the food during my stay. Gene and Sue awarded me Master Practitioner Certificate, which is one of the greatest moment in my life.

I persisted with Sue and Colin to travel to India and other parts of the world, where NLP resources were scarce. Colin would say he likes his home more than any other place in the world. I would still persist. I was so much interested in traveling and I exactly put my map on them and asked why they were not so keen to travel all over the world…I would get a pleasant loving smile as an answer…I said they have done enough to UK and it is time that she plays a role to support people from the other parts of the world, like India…Sue replied…that’s why we are training you!!...I had no words as reply!!

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I am writing this article in Kuwait, sitting in a beautiful red sofa set, overseeing the city of Kuwait from my room, while my two brothers have gone for shopping. We are just setting up our first Brainobrain Franchise in Kuwait, after our success in India, Dubai & Sharjah. Our Kuwait associate Mrs. Sana Ali, explained me about the culture in Kuwait and I was slowly getting convinced that Kuwait is a very unique place in this world, interms of the governance, their learning skills, their people, their culture, their human values, etc... I was surprised when I learnt that in this Middle East Country, People had the authority to criticize their government openly and women were contesting in the upcoming elections. Two training programmes per year is made mandatory for every government staff members, by the government. I read an article in a newspaper about the importance of treating foreign construction workers with love and respect as they too are the guests of the country. Taxi drivers who have come from various countries for their livelihood, were more happy and content with their earning and living. Cost of Living was affordable. The wealth of this country looks to be more evenly distributed than any other country that I have visited. (I have visited 6 countries in the last 3 years). There were no signs of poverty or robbery, as far as I have explored. The quality of people and their living was one of the best, I have seen. I was interested in finding out the differences that makes the difference here.

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My family started Brainobrain in 2003. I gave up my dreams of becoming one of the world class NLP consultant & Trainer, as my father wanted me to join my brothers in starting this new venture BRAINOBRAIN. This happened, just when I came back to India after my Master Practitioner trip to UK. Today, I am so proud that I am also part of the team which has very successfully supported more than 400 housewives in 18 states all over India, to set-up their own successful venture (Brainobrain Franchisee), to train children in Abacus & NLP in the last three years. Now, Brainobrain has become instrumental in my NLP plans for India and the world. Sue & Colin arrived in Kerala, to train our group in the NLP principles of Giving and Receiving Feedback, Modeling Excellence, etc., and shortly there after, Shinota Consulting – our new NLP training company was born.

Shinota is now organizing Sue’s Practitioner course in India during Jan 2007 – something which I aspired to do, after my Master Practitioner Trip in 2003. Now the difference is that I have highly committed and supportive team members of Brainobrain with me, in this initiative.

Sue Knight & NLP has become a house hold name in all our franchisees and faculties homes. Brainobrain’s next goal is to train 10,000 child NLP master practitioners all over the world, for which we are doing the ground work now.

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Since the last six years, I have become a sort of distance learning apprentice with Sue. Sue helps me in my thinking, whenever I look-up to her. May be hundreds of emails every year was my main mode of interaction with Sue. I have been modeling Sue and her thinking to learn how her training creates such a unique difference to people, who come to her. I now have a few clues about how to learn with every situation in life, to see difficult situations as opportunities of learning, to see difficult people as a resource to increase my flexibility, to listen to my self and to god and work in unison with both…

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Once when I had some key learnings from her, I was a little worried about the amount of time that she was spending on my emails, helping me in my learnings…I told her about that. This was her reply back…

“I am dedicated to the cause of leaders for the future and India as you know and what you are doing could not be more inspirational…Love, Sue”

and I don’t think I need to explain what happens in me, when I read these words!!

The journey continues....