Welcome to this free NLP Ezine
Hi everybody, and welcome to "NLP: The Secret Science of Self-
Empowerment." This Ezine is designed to bring to you techniques,
theories and exercises from the fascinating field of Neurolinguistic
Programming.
About This Issue
When you look back over your life, are there people along the way that helped you to become
who you are today? People that had an empowering influence on your development? Likewise, have you been
a source of encouragement and comfort for others? NLP calls this kind of support sponsorship.
Being sponsored by others enables us to become our best self and sponsoring others
makes us feel that we make a difference in this world. Empowerment and sponsorship go hand in hand.
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This Issues Article: Sponsorship
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NLP uses the term sponsorship to describe a supportive function, usually experienced in relationships between people. Parents are natural sponsors of their children, for the most part. Sports trainers are sponsors of their team. Good friends are each other?s sponsors.
So what do you do when you sponsor someone? Are you just being nice to that person? Do you listen to them? Spend time with them? The NLP definition of sponsorship includes all of the above but goes much deeper. NLP believes that when you truly sponsor someone you become a witness to the truest essence and potential of that person. You see them for who they are and who they can be and you cheer them on as they struggle to express themselves more fully. The key ingredients to this kind of sponsorship are acknowledgement, recognition, and validation.
You don?t need to have the same interests or talents in order to be a sponsor for someone. When you sponsor others you are not teaching them how to become better at something. You are merely creating an environment in which they can flourish and grow. Creating this kind of environment includes skills like listening, giving feedback, empathizing, and sharing ideas and experiences. It also means keeping your eyes and ears open for opportunities that would benefit the person you are sponsoring. Above all, it is the role of a sponsor to be a witness who rejoices in observing the process of others becoming their fullest self.
In order to become the best we can be, we need sponsors. The more we are sponsored the faster we evolve in our journey to realizing our full individual potential. Some people believe they can do it all by themselves, without having any sponsors, but this is usually an attitude born of bitterness rather than wisdom.
Many people have experienced a lack of sponsorship during their childhood, in their professional lives or interpersonal relationships. As a result they have undeveloped potential within them, waiting to be activated. Often times, those people find it difficult to sponsor others. They simply have not been sponsored enough themselves to be strong sponsors for other people.
If you have had the good fortune of having been sponsored sufficiently to be a happy and self-empowered human being, think about how you can pass that good fortune on to others. Is there someone you know who needs sponsoring? Are you willing to be that person?s sponsor?
If you have not been sponsored enough yourself and are in need of a sponsor, make a conscious effort to sponsor yourself. Yes, you can actually sponsor yourself! It involves paying close attention to your needs, treating yourself with appreciation and kindness as well as forming positive beliefs about yourself (more about Belief Change here). When you become your own sponsor you treat yourself with the same attitude with which you would treat a person you are sponsoring.
The following exercise is designed for experiencing the power of sponsorship:
1. Make a list of all the people who have sponsored you in this life, even if just in a small way. If you are dissatisfied with your list, add someone you would have wanted as a sponsor. This could be someone who knows you or has never heard of you. As long as you can visualize the sponsor, you can use him or her.
2. Lay out a time line on the floor. This is an imaginary line that starts with the day of your birth and ends with the present day.
3. Go to the starting point of the time line and close your eyes. Visualize all your sponsors surrounding you and sending you their support and good will. Receive the sponsorship you are getting from them in the form of empowering words and kind emotions.
4. Step onto your timeline and walk through your entire life from birth to the present. Takes as much time as you need to complete this walk. Stop at the points on the time line that represent the difficult moments of you life and receive encouragement, comforting, insights and healing from your group of sponsors.
5. Allow any emotions that come up to express themselves. Allow your sponsors to give you support where it is needed. Notice how you are growing in strength through the help of your sponsors. If you choose, you can walk on your timeline past the present into the future and see where the journey takes you. Make sure you take your sponsors with you.
Sponsorship is much needed in this world. It is more than just being nice to someone else. It is the true essence of friendship: Encouraging and supporting the other on their individual way towards greatness.
Sponsorship is an act of kindness and unselfishness. It is immediately contaminated if the sponsor has selfish motives or the person sponsored takes advantage of the sponsor. When being a sponsor or being sponsored, keep the act of sponsorship pure.
Being truly sponsored and being a true sponsor to others is among the highest joys in life. If you want to bring more joy into your life look for opportunities to sponsor others. Start by sponsoring yourself.
References:
Visionary Leadership Skills, Dilts, R., 1996.
The courage to love, Giligan, S., 1997.
All the best,
Christoph Schertler
NLP Trainer/Coach - Founder PEC, LLC
Christoph Schertler has published an ebook on how to use NLP to build confidence. The NLP Confidence Builder
contains over 100 pages of powerful NLP techniques and concepts that can help you overcome limiting beliefs and bring forth the life-transforming power of confidence from deep within you.
Christoph Schertler was recently published in "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol. 2" alongside John Gray, Jack Canfield, Richard Carlson, Bob Proctor, Alan Cohen and many other leading Self Improvement experts.
Get your copy today:
About the Author
Christoph Schertler is a certified NLP Trainer and NLP Coach with a passion for helping others to empower themselves and bring forth their power and genius from within. He has trained with some of the biggest names in the field and is a firm believer in the transformational powers of NLP.
More NLP Articles
More information on Christoph
Schertler
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Programming
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