Seriously Funny - Part I

These days, two things seemingly opposite in nature have consumed my cranium, lock, stock and barrel! Both seem completely non linear to each other and also lie at the 2 extreme ends of my 'interest spectrum'.
But since yours truly has a tiny cranium which could not accommodate beyond a certain GB (may be Tera Bytes) space I had to let them all out. And pour them out I will, on this blog. It may seem incongruous at first but believe me these 2 have the same underlying purpose and effect.


The 2 things in question are NLP (serious stuff) and George Carlin (humorous)Quotes

Did I hear....who, whats and (a few) whys????
Ok, let me clear the air for you quickly.

What is NLP???
Since the time I have stumbled on NLP (for the uninitiated, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy created in the 1970s), I have fallen in love, hook, line and sinker with this concept. Many attempts have also been made to find as much  information on this subject as I possibly can. If I may add, I have also attempted many a times to use these learnings in daily life. Whether these learnings had any effect on my affectation with my near and dear ones or to those far and not so dear, I don't know!

As they say, 'Practice makes a man perfect', and so I am...for past many days practicing the art and science of NLP and crawling towards getting some understanding on this life changing subject. Some day I will surely get there.

By the way, NLP is a great tool for a 'New, Improved' me...scrubbing me of my old skin (read ol' habits)with each passing day (I hope so). However, I must add that here the new look is not just about how 'I' look but the way I 'look'. So its a more inside outside perspective. It may appear slightly complicated right now but I am sure you will see what I mean as you read along.
By the way, I must admit that Olay's 7 effects also does a fantastic job on how 'I' look and how others 'look' at me. :)


So who is George Carlin and what's with his quotes?

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, actor and writer/author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.

(Still wondering who George Carlin is, then I recommend you to visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlin)

All those who are still hanging on to my train of thoughts and have not yet enticed to go back doing what they do best (face booking), congratulations for your sustenance power. I hope by now you have a little understanding of  what I intend to pour on to this canvas of my confused thoughts.

So friends...we are going to talk about NLP and George Carlin's quotes, 2 very good examples of  Rudyard Kipling's famous phrase 'Never the Twain shall meet'. As much as they seem like chalk and cheese I am still compelled to put them together and weave a short blog post out of them.

The blog attempts to bring out the correlation between NLP (as mentioned in article available on http://thesameffect.com/nlp-presuppositions/ ) and George Carlin's quotes available from the world wide web
Hope you get the drift as you read along .....

NLP's 15 handpicked presuppositions and how I think they weave into George Carlin's 15 famous quotes
(Presenting the Top 8 in this part)

NLP Presupposition 1: People respond to their perception of reality, not to reality itself

No human being is capable of obtaining an objective reality. We are all running around in our own subjective realities. So as human beings, you and I, only have the ability to represent reality to ourselves. Based on our experience, our upbringings, our genetics (to some degree) we get a certain map of the world. We get a certain way of representing reality in our own minds. This is the basis for how we operate.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 1 : 

"Have you ever noticed that people driving slower than you are all Idiots, and people driving faster than you are all Maniacs?"

NLP Presupposition 2: Having a choice is better than not having a choice

There is a vast difference between the size of different people’s realities. Someone who travels a lot has a much bigger reality than someone who has never flown. The older you are, the more likely you are to have an expanded reality. Personal experiences expand the size of your reality. The bigger your reality, the more choices you have. The ‘decision space’ expands because you have more options. The more choices you have, the freer you are and the more influence you have.

If you want to increase the quality of your life, work to expand your reality. This will allow you to make better evaluations and ultimately better choices.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 2 :

"I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me – they’re cramming for their final exam".

NLP Presupposition3 : People are doing the best they can with the resources they have

Don’t get hung up on the word resource. The word resources can mean many things. In fact, most resources are mental. Beliefs, values, pain/pleasure associations, etc. Start to look at your own behaviors through this light. If you’re acting in a way that you know you shouldn’t be, what mental resources are you missing that need to be added? When you start to ask yourself these kinds of questions, resources will begin manifesting. Once you’ve begun making these types of evaluations with yourself, start to use this same analysis when dealing with other people. Doing this will make you a person of influence.

 In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 3 :

"The Golden Gate Bridge should have a long bungee cord for people who aren’t quite ready to commit suicide but want to get in a little practice."

NLP Presupposition 4: All actions have a purpose

Our actions are not random; we are always trying to achieve something, although we may not be aware of what that is. People are trying to achieve pleasure, and avoid pain. People’s actions are the result of what beliefs, values, and associations they have stored in their subconscious minds. Every action a person takes, is an outpouring of an entire web of thinking, mostly unconscious, in an attempt to gain pleasure, and avoid pain. That is the purpose.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 4 :

"Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit."

NLP Presupposition 5: Every behavior has a positive intention

All our actions have at least one purpose – to achieve something that we value or benefits US. A person is not their behavior. When a person has a better choice of behavior that also achieves their positive intention, they will take it. The problem is, most people are trapped in their subconscious perceptions of reality. When you help someone realize there is a better way, they will take it.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 5 :

"I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed."

NLP Presupposition 6: The meaning of your communication is also the response you get

The goal of communication is to express what’s inside of you to someone else. The issue is there’s a gap between your intentions of what you’re attempting to communicate, and what is being received as the communication by the other person. When attempting to influence someone, do not get frustrated, do not blame them if what you’re attempting to communicate isn’t coming across. Instead, change YOUR approach.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 6 : 

"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."

NLP Presupposition 7: People already have all the resources they need to succeed, or they can be created

There are no resourceful people, only unresourceful states of mind. Everyone has resources to make positive changes in their life, they just need to realize they do. For example, if someone claims they can sustain the determination to make a shift in their diet, all you have to do as an influencer is help them to realize that in SOME area of their life they have determination. The resource exists, it just needs to be transferred.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 7 :

"Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view."

NLP Presupposition 8: Mind and body are different expressions of the same one system

Mind and body interact and mutually influence each other. When we think differently, our bodies change. When we act differently we change our thoughts and feelings.

In relation to that, presenting George Carlin's Quote 8 :

"I think I am, therefore, I am. I think."

To be followed soon in Part 2