NLP: The Successful Scenario Technique

I want to describe an NLP technique that has helped me and many others experience its power, effectiveness, and results. When using this method, it’s important to be honest with yourself and truly want a positive outcome. Otherwise, you might trigger a failure response, which is explained in more detail below, and things won’t go according to your desired scenario.

“What If” Thinking and Its Impact

I often hear people say things like, “What if…” and then attach different circumstances, actions, or conditions that could have changed their lives. If this sounds unclear, here are some examples of how people use this phrase:

• “…what if I had been born into a millionaire’s family…”
• “…what if I were beautiful enough…”
• “…what if I had the job I want…”
• “…what if I met my ideal partner…”
• “…what if I had an apartment/car/millions…”

These kinds of thoughts are destructive. They undermine our desires and suppress the feelings that motivate us to take action. Even the well-known “carrot and stick” approach doesn’t work for everyone. Many people choose the “stick” simply because using this anti-magical “what if” is enough to shut down the successful life scenario they actually want to live.

The Real Challenge and the Simple Solution

This problem is both complicated and simple at the same time. To change your life, you have to take action—you have to do it! The simplicity of this method is that all the work happens in your imagination. You don’t need to take a million tests or spend months building new habits.

Step-by-Step Exercise

1. Recall Three Failures: Think of three times you failed—situations where things didn’t work out. Imagine each as a movie you’re watching from the outside.
2. Identify Two Time Segments: For the first failure, break the “movie” into two parts:
   • Segment 1 – Everything was going well.
   • Segment 2 – Things started to go wrong.
3. Find the Trigger: Focus on the transition between these two segments. Zoom in on the moment—usually within 15 seconds to a couple of minutes—when you knew failure was about to happen. In NLP, this is called a trigger. Your task is to find this trigger, which often appears as a subtle physical sensation in your body. Remember this feeling; it usually shows up before every failure, when your subconscious already knows things won’t go as you want.
4. Repeat for Other Failures: Try to find the same trigger in your second and third failures. In 99% of cases, you’ll notice the same feeling in the same place each time.
5. Cut Out the Negative Segment: Now, imagine using imaginary scissors to cut the “film” at the moment the trigger appears—before the failure actually starts. This is very important! Take the “bad” piece of film and mentally burn or destroy it in any way you like.
6. Create a Positive Ending: Imagine how the situation would have ended if things had gone well—if you were at your best, creative, romantic, gentle, or passionate. Visualize this “successful” ending and mentally attach it to the first part of your movie, right where the trigger appeared. Smooth out the “editing seam” so it’s invisible.
7. Reinforce the New Scenario: Watch your new “movie” from start to finish three times as an observer. This helps your brain get used to the new behavior for when the trigger appears. Then, imagine yourself as the actor in the movie, experiencing it through your own eyes—again, three times.
8. Repeat for All Failures: Do the same for your second and third situations: cut out the negative part, attach a positive ending, and watch each scenario three times as both director (observer) and actor (participant).

Why This Works

By doing this, you not only get rid of the feeling of failure, but you also teach yourself new ways to behave, making you more successful and helping you achieve what you want. It’s important to follow the steps carefully. Interestingly, your brain doesn’t care whether this happens in reality or in your imagination. If you train yourself to trigger success, you’ll actually become luckier, because you’re “reprogramming” yourself for success!