I would like to share an analogy about the great ships of the ancient world. When sails are used effectively and the helm used appropriately the captain of a ship is able to charter a course. A sailing ship, without sails is nothing more than a floating raft.  The sailing ships that does not use, or cannot use its sails will drift. We also know that ships use anchors to lock themselves to the ocean floor, steady their position and to eliminate drift. When the anchor is deployed, the ship becomes  steady, immovable and steadfast.

An anchor is also a word that has been applied to NLP, and refers to the programming of emotional states.  Anchoring is a technique that allows one to experience a feeling or emotion again at will, even after that feeling has left the body. There are many ways of recreating a vivid past emotion, and bringing that emotion back into the body.  Anchoring is perhaps the easiest way to perform this processes. Whilst this is a very simple technique, the perfecting of it can and will take a lifetime.

For example, Anthony Robbins spends four days teaching and setting up a number of powerful anchors such as excitement, love and joy.  People may continue to use these anchors after the event has finished. When people ‘fire off’ that anchor, they immediately return to that emotional state and can experience that same emotion with similar intensity. In this way, you and I are able to take charge of the emotional feelings in our body from moment to moment as we go through our day.  This is quite a different approach to that of the art of mindfulness.  The mindfulness approach is built on the premise that emotions come and go as they please, and that we can simply get out of the way, and allow each emotion to be.  This approach suggests that negative feelings should be left alone and will soon pass.  This approach allows for a more passive way of dealing with issues and challenges.  Whilst both approaches can be effective in different settings, I have applied anchoring to my life now for about 5 years, and the results have been incredible.  I have trained my neurology toward excitement and enthusiasm.

For the effective use of anchoring, one must consider the intensity, duration, and number of repetitions.   There is also a need to activate a high level of self actualisation, or in other words, a strong knowledge of the process.  If you do not believe in anchoring, it will not work effectively, if it even works at all.  The very first thing that I do with people is tell them a couple of quick stories to lift their expectation for success. All I am doing is building their belief. The first principle of life coaching and anchoring is to loosen the clients grip on reality so that they begin to believe.  All that I needs from them is a desire to believe, and the processes will begin to work. As they practice this process over and over again the desire to believe turns into a hope or a dream.  As Results begin to happen then comes total conviction and absolute knowledge. Some rare individuals that I will call ‘exceptional’ will grab the principles of anchoring and run with it. These individuals have the ability to have total conviction, and absolute knowledge in these tools immediately, and thereby produce immediate powerful results. On the other hand over thinking the tools, and trying to cognitively understand them, is the fastest way to stay stuck?

Here is a quote that reminds us that possessing the right psychology is the key to success.

If you think that you’re beaten you are,

If you think that you dare not you don’t.

If you’d like to win but don’t think you can

It’s almost a synch you won’t.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the bigger or stronger man.

But sooner or later the one who wins, is the one who thinks he can.

Belief is paramount to success, and it is of fundamental for the work that I do.  Just as the religious world described Faith as the first principle of the Gospel, the world of personal development uses strong belief, with terms such as a total conviction, and absolute knowledge to describe the level of belief that is required for success.  Tony Robbins teaches, success is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics.  Three resistors will dis-empower one who refuses to open their mind and embrace the power of change that these tools offer. These resistors are fear, doubt and limiting self-belief.

I see belief as a seed. When a person hears success stories of other people in relation to anything being taught, they metaphorically plant a seed of faith in their heart. When a technique or tool yields a result, then this seed begins to grow.  Once I get the tiniest bit of growth I know that I have them, and that the seed is beginning to sprout and grow.  The mind begins to believe and expand, and the feelings inside grow.  Suddenly something that did not seem possible is now happening to them.  I use my sensory acuity to see the changes. In other words I see their face light up. I see a ‘shift’. Usually this will occur in the very first session, and this instant shift creates change.  It also creates confusion, shock and also deep interest.  It’s like magic to most people.

When I am working with another person, my objective is to build rapport, and then to lead them into a powerful positive state of mind and emotion.  Once they are feeling this powerful positive emotion, I touch them on the shoulder or knuckle or some part of the body to create an anchor. (I ask permission to touch them before I do this technique). At that point I may repeat the process and then when they again feel the same powerful positive emotion I again touch them anchor in that shift by touching them on the shoulder, or another of the body, or create a sound anchor by making a sound.  (There are many other ways of creating an anchor).  After I have repeated this process several times the good feeling that they felt is now linked to the part of the body, or the sound or both.

All that I have to do now is touch them on the shoulder, or make the sound and those same feelings will return to their body. (The nervous system of the body has now linked emotion and the touch, or sound together). This then becomes a resource for this person. If the person is feeling down or frustrated, they can simply reach over and touch their own shoulder. This action will immediately fire off the anchor, and those positive feelings return.

I use my anchors all the time. My personal anchors are very strong. I attended a Tony Robbins seminar in September 2015. During the seminar I created a very strong excitement anchor, love anchor and peace anchor. Since that time I have continued stacking these anchors. The strongest and the one that I use most frequently is the excitement anchor. The reason for this is that excitement is linked in my mind to motivation. I have so many goals that I want to achieve that it will take driving motivation to accomplish them all. Motivation has been described as the amount of energy that one invests into a task or objective. Excitement produces a heap of energy inside my body, and therefore is an excellent state to choose for when I need to increase my motivation.

For example at work I have done a lot of study, and occasionally I get bored or tired.  (Hard to believe I know).  Sometimes it is difficult to focus.  I had a number of books that I needed to complete and I had limited time.  I also had two large assignments I needed to complete. Due to AccessWorld Seminars and my personal commitments I was feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed and this did not help.

I decided that I needed to use my excitement anchor to help me to achieve these tasks. I fired off the anchor before I started going through the books, and doing the study. Each time my mind began to drift I took five seconds to fire off the anchor again, and I was back in track. Each time I felt a little tired I fired off the anchor and I was fully alert again. One of the workbooks was supposed to take 10 hours to complete. I managed to complete it in five hours using my excitement anchor. The. I did a second larger book. It was supposed to take 20 hours to complete and it took me 6 hours. I use this anchor many times every day.  As a result my life is greatly enhanced in every possible way.

This simple process has increased the effectiveness of my study, my effectiveness with my family, my effectiveness at work and my effectiveness in life. Anchoring is the first basic concept that I teach and yet it is incredibly powerful and life changing if used effectively.

I have also taught 3 full day seminars on this very topic.  Anchoring.  The basic message of the seminar “unlock your incredible self” is to introduce a person to anchoring, and to set up some powerful anchors that participants can use in any future situation they choose. Seminars are great because they produce results. In a saturation environment one can take on new ideas and concepts at a lightning fast pace.  Being immersed in such a powerful, energising experience, coupled with incredible information and ideas creates a powerful environment of growth.  As the leader of the seminars, I have grown in both knowledge and ability.

Furthermore I am experiencing life every day in a beautiful state. My mood is not determined or controlled by anything external. Rather I have taken complete charge of my internal state. More than a year of practicing excitement every single day and yet my journey has just begun.  Any time I choose I can feel excitement.  When I fire off the anchor I immediately feel great. I can actually feel the chemical reactions occurring in my brain.  Anchoring works and it had had a tremendous impact on my life.