much more likely to lead to us giving of our best, whatever the
context.
Different states lend themselves to different circumstances.
For example, a state of trust in my ability is the best state in
which I can cycle. A state of thoughtful meditation is the best
state for me to write, and a state of amused self-assurance is
best for me when giving a talk at a conference. We can learn to
recognize and choose which states work best for us in those
situations when we want to give of our best. And once we have
the state we want, the challenge is to hold on to it when it is
threatened by circumstances outside our control, particularly if
those circumstances are less than desirable ones.
When leading ourselves and others, we need to be able to
stand firm and hold on to our convictions and our beliefs when
everything around us may seem to be changing. Leaders are
typically people who have this capacity to stand firm and stand
alone. Leaders intuitively know how to anchor the emotions
and the confidence in themselves that they need.
Anchoring is a process of learning to hold on to the states
that are crucial to success. It is a way of choosing the emotional
state we want and finding a way of accessing it when we
choose. An anchor is a stimulus: It may be a sound, an image,
a touch, a smell, or a taste that triggers a consistent response
in ourselves or someone else.
The ability to use anchors in NLP enables us to:
❏ Access the resources (feelings and states) that we want
when we want them.
❏ Replace unwanted feelings and thoughts with desirable
ones.
❏ Gain control over our emotions.
❏ Keep on course when going through periods of intense
change.
❏ Positively influence the response we trigger in other
people.
❏ Experience the day as we want, no matter what is happening
in our work and life.
You already have anchors that work for you. For example, think
of the associations you have with:
TAP INTO YOUR INNER POTENTIAL: ANCHORING 189