ourselves we find that we attract the opportunities that fit with
the direction in which we want to move.
It is as if we are sportspeople playing a game. We don’t know
where the next ball will come from nor how it will come. But we
manage ourselves so that we have a strong sense of the outcome
we want to achieve and are always in a state of readiness and
flexibility to seize the chances as they present themselves.
“Mastering complexity means not letting complexity get the
better of you. It means having a coherent viewpoint to guide
action in spite of the confusion, uncertainty, and ambiguity that
are introduced by the swirl of events and interactions going on
around you. The mastery we are alluding to is that of the
craftsman and not that of the M in MBA. The ability to act
coherently in the face of complexity, and to do so on an ongoing
basis, is the hallmark of a true master.”
Michael Lissack and Johan Roos, The Next Common Sense
This personal best or congruence is increasingly one of my
main aims in my NLP training and consultancy. By having a
personal sense of direction, resolving inner conflict, and
managing personal change, we can move toward a state of
alignment or coherence. When we have this state we are at one
with who we are—there is little or no conflict or stress. We
approach the best we can be.
While writing this chapter I have been watching the Tour de
France cycle race. Yesterday Lance Armstrong outcycled all other
cyclists in the field to take the yellow jersey (worn by the overall
leader on time at any point in the three-week race). Only a few
years ago Lance Armstrong was diagnosed as having cancer in
just about every part of his body and given a negligible chance
of survival. Not only did he fight his way through the cancer, but
he fought back to regain his fitness to cycle and win the Tour de
France, one of the most grueling sporting events in the world,
not once but twice and is now on course to win it for a third time.
When he started on his cycling career he was not a popular
rider; because of his arrogance and aggressive tactics he
became a target for the French press. However, through his
illness and astonishing recovery he has learnt a purpose in life.
We can move towards a state
of alignmentALIGN YOURSELF: NEUROLOGICAL LEVELS OF CHANGE 209