Planning: Strategic Planning

Susanna Bellini

Strategic Planning NLP-style

For Success with Any Project

Here is a straightforward template for success in any project. In this article I am taking health and wellness as the example, as this is the project I am currently working on myself.

First consider – yourself - in this case, as a project.

Decide on your ‘big picture’ targets
Write down your targets (goals, aims, outcomes):

-You want to lose X much weight.
-You want to achieve Y shape and tone
-You want to achieve Z fitness

Tip: Writing these down is a good way to commit to them, as is telling people your aims and goals. Check the well-formedness conditions for your desired outcomes:

How will I know when I’ve got it? (What will I see, hear, feel etc.) Until you finish up with specifics, stated in a positive way.

Check the ecology of your desired outcomes – is it sound for me to have these goals? If not, adjust, if yes, move to the next stage.

Does it feed my soul? Chunk up to your highest values and make sure your goals are aligned with them.

Does any part of me object to me getting these goals? If no, proceed, if yes, ‘6-step reframe’ yourself or have someone help you.

Now you are ready to go 100 percent lined up to your targets.

How long is it going to take you?

Make a reasonable estimate of how long it will take to achieve the ‘big picture’ end result, e.g.:

Lose X pounds in Y months
waist measurement X inches in Y months
running a mile in X time without getting breathless

You may need to research here to reach accurate, realistic timings.
Check your timings on your timeline and adjust for a positive, realistic, believable result.
Moving backwards and forwards on your timeline, set interim targets and note these down as guidelines on your way. At each stage check the well-formedness and ecology.

How are you going to make it happen?

*** Have many ways to reach your target ***
You’ll have noticed already that I set three targets around the same subject in my example, to have three ways of achieving and measuring success.
Now you want to make it easy to get there with lots of different ways of doing so.

Research your chosen area thoroughly for all the methods you can use to achieve results and check again the reasonableness of your targets if necessary.
Search the Internet– ask friends – research your library – ask experts.

Form a multi pronged action plan, for example –

change to a healthy diet*
Daily exercise*
Energy medicine drills*

Divide your action plan into smaller chunks, weekly activities, maybe daily activities.
* These are the broad strokes – you’ll want the small-chunk specifics for every part of your action plan.

Check your list of options and adjust to suit your personal preferences, time constraints etc.

Make it achievable
Make it fun
Get yourself a coach to help motivate, support and cheer you on.
(If $$$ is a constraint, consider a co-coaching supportive relationship with a friend or colleague who is working on their own goals).

Get into action

Proceed with your plan – check targets and results weekly / daily etc. as makes sense for your project. Assess progress, re-prioritise, re-motivate yourself.
Reward yourself for your successes
Anchor success, celebrate success
Visualise the end result – swish – show your mind the direction you want to go in.
Enlist help.
Soon you’ll be enjoying all the rewards of your Success !

Here’s a quick final tip:

Make sure you tackle all projects from these angles:
Mental, emotional, physical, spiritual
Chunk up and down, big picture to detail
Timeline it
Check and remove any blocks you may have to success

©May 2005 Susanna Bellini

Susanna Bellini is an experienced NLP trainer and success coach, based in the UK.Visit her website at Bronze-Dragon.com
If you need to fill in the ‘how to’ details in this article, find SNLP qualified NLP training near you, and/or check out our Alpha Mindskills training in York, UK from 24-26 June 2005 .