Welcome to the part of our website which provides you with an opportunity to sit back and maybe view things from a different perspective.
Aspirare Development often take an approach in a learning environment which encourages people to think more in depth about themselves and their relationship to others. We challenge their current thinking and behavioural patterns to see whether there are more useful ways to get different and better outcomes.
Metaphorical thinking, using anecdotes and stories, Neuro Linguistic Programming and also the Myers Briggs Type Indicator are tools and techniques used to support this approach.
We invite you to read on and we hope that this may initiate your journey of thinking differently!
COMFORT ZONES
Two seeds lay in a shallow depression in the field where the farmer had thrown them. As the autumn days passed, birds searching for worms and the wintry wind loosened the earth, which slowly began to cover them.
Patiently, they waited as the nights grew longer and the days grew colder. They huddled together for warmth. Even below the surface of the earth they noticed the changes going on above them. They felt the quality of the rain change as the warm squally autumn winds from the west gave way to the sleety islanding winter winds from the north.
They waited patiently as the hardness of winter set in. They felt the first sharp clasp of the frost upon the ground and then the weight of the winter snows piling high above them. And they huddled together even closer. And they waited.
Eventually, the pressure changed , the snow began to melt and the soil once again became soft and moist. Warm spring winds gently began to caress the fields and both seeds began to feel strange and powerful urges within themselves.
The first little seed pondered, “I wonder what’s up there” and he began to push curious little green shoots upwards in the direction of the earth’s crust. “And I wonder what’s down there”, he said and began to push enquiring little roots into the soil below.
But the second little seed said, “I’ve no idea what’s up there. It could be scary. And I don’t know what’s down there. That’s really frightening. So I think I’ll just stay here a little longer”.
Soon, the first seed had pushed through the earth and was enjoying the sensation of warm spring sunshine, the freshness of the air and all the wonderful things that she saw around her. Her roots too were pushing deep into the soil below, drawing energy, nourishment and strength from the richness of the environment.
But the second little seed continued with its inner monologue. “It could be dangerous up there. Who knows what’s down there? I think I’ll just stay here a little longer”.
By the end of spring, the first little seed stood strong and tall, surveying the fields from height and with considerable pleasure and sense of achievement. Her roots were deeply centered in the ground, providing a foundation from which she could blossom and grow even stronger.
Meanwhile, the second little seed was still continuing with its risk-free strategy.
Until a chicken came along, and ate it.
“More Magic of Metaphor, Stories for Leaders, Influencers and Motivators”
Author: Nick Owen
Primary source: Kathy Horton
General source: Russian tradition
Neuro Lingustic Programming
Neuro Lingustic Programming. It’s abit of a mouthfull isn’t it? And what does it mean?
Well, if you have an open mind, would like some help to think differently and are ready to make change, you may be interested in how the technology of NLP can help create more choice, give you more flexibility and enrich your life.
Background
Neuro Linguistic Programming dates back to the early 1970’s and was lead by John Grinder (a professor of linguistics) and Richard Bandler (a student of psychology and computer programming). They both met at the University of California, Santa Cruz and between them they studied some of the world’s most successful communicators. Among these, they concentrated on three people, Fritz Perls, the originator of gestalt therapy, Virginia Satir, who was an influential family therapist and Milton Erickson, a renowned psychiatrist, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist. They wanted to discover what, specifically, allowed these people to create and achieve effective outcomes. Their studies were not intended to create yet another theory, but to really understand what works.
Grinder and Bandler began to notice that although the styles of the experts were different, they had certain beliefs and patterns of thinking in common. It was this commonality that Grinder and Bandler set out to explore and understand.
So what does NLP mean?
Neuro refer to neurology, the mental pathway our five senses take. In other words, we think in sequences of pictures (visual), sounds (auditory), touch (kinaesthetic), smell (olfactory) and taste (gustatory).
Linguistic refers to our language and how we use it. How we communicate our experience to ourselves and to others. How the patterns of language we choose to use are expressions of how we think, what we believe and what we value.
Programming refers to the way in which we choose to organise our communication and neurological systems to achieve specific desired goals and results. It is about our thinking and behaviour which when carried out repetitively will always achieve the same result.
What can NLP offer?
NLP is therefore a correlation. The way we use our thoughts, speech and actions to relate to other people, our world and even spirituality.
NLP offers a number of core disciplines for enhancing communication, improving performance and managing change. In essence if you want to be an effective communicator, you need three things:
- An Outcome
- Acuity (ie, good observation skills)
- Flexibility
So, it is about being an OAF: know what you want (outcome), notice what you are getting (acuity) and change what you do until you get what you want (flexibility).
It also sets useful behavioural frames by focusing attention on:
How? instead of Why?
Useful instead of Right or Wrong
Outcome instead of Problems
Possibilities instead of Limitations
Central to NLP is that the potential for success lies within each of us. Success comes from within. It is you the individual and special person that is responsible for your success.
Myers Briggs Type Indicator
These days there are many psychometric tools available to help us analyse what we are doing and how good we are doing it. But the reliability and validity of these tools can sometimes be less than we think.
So, if you would like to learn more about your self and others, would like a framework to understand more about why you do what you do and if you are ready to change and think differently, you may be interested in understanding more about how the MBTI can benefit you.
Background
Psychological type is a theory developed by Carl G Jung (1875-1961), who was a swiss psychiatrist. He began to study the behaviour of people and developed a theory to explain some of their random differences. Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs developed the theory and self-report questionnaire enabling it to be understandable and useful in everyday life. MBTI results identify valuable differences between normal healthy people - difference that can be the source of much misunderstanding and miscommunication.
What is it?
The MBTI questionnaire produces 16 different personality types, each with its own characteristics and strengths. The theory is based on your preferences in four areas:
- Where do you prefer to focus your attention? How are you energized? (Extraversion or Introversion)
- What kind of information do you prefer to pay attention to? (Sensing or Intuition)
- How do you prefer to make decisions? (Thinking or Feeling)
- Which lifestyle do you prefer? (Judging or Perceiving)
MBTI is an international and the most widely used instrument for understanding normal personality differences. Because it explains basic patterns in human functioning, MBTI has numerous practical applications, for example, dealing with change, conflict, career management, sales enhancement.
What can it do for you?
What will YOU gain by integrating this theory?
- In depth self awareness
- Enhanced personal development
- A greater understanding of why you do what you do
- Enhanced development of interpersonal relationships - what drives others to be different to you?
- Awareness of those situations where you may need to operate outside your preference and the impact this will have
- Be aware of how and why your behavioural patterns suddenly change
- And much, much more
