Being able to interview Brian Colbert, one of the leading consultants in the area of Personal Growth in Europe today, Licensed Master Trainer of NLP, qualified Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and best-selling author, to start with, was more than exciting!
The interview took place in Dublin, where the Irish genius is based. And I do say genius, as only a genius can utilise all his natural talents, deep knowledge, wisdom, and experience, for the greater good. Only a genius would care so much for the happiness of others, to work harder, and present them with hands on, direct, no-nonsense approach, that is always effective. And this is what sets Brian apart from his peers.
Brian has also forged a successful career as a highly effective Corporate Trainer & Consultant, producing results for some of giants of the business sector, such as Google, Coca-Cola & Pepsi. And all these, is what makes me proud have being trained, and now be able to co-operate with Brian Colbert.
So get ready to be introduced to the genius behind ‘The Happiness Habit’ and ‘From Ordinary to Extraordinary’, and gain a lot of inside, to the world of personal growth. Having in mind that Brian Colbert will soon be coming to the island of Cyprus, to present his second best sellers book!
By Elena Hadjigeorgiou
( Elena is a Life & Business Coach, Mind Coach, Spiritual Healer, Licensed NLP Master, Practitioner,Colour Life Coach, Colour Counsellor and Healer, Master Practitioner IWOC. T: +357 99616773 Email:info@purecolour.eu )
Brian, what was your call, for following the path of personal growth and NLP?
Well actually ever since I was a child I looked at the world differently. I was interested to find out how the world was working, how the people are working. So long before NLP, I was interested in watching and understanding people. That kind of stuff fascinated me!
My parents were also different, they would be able to see, and predict things, something that for me was normal, and I thought that everyone could do it. So when I recognised that that, was different, it made me want to look even more into ‘what we do’.
At some point, along my path, Theresa my wife gave me a book, with lovely colours, which I thought it was hippy staff, so I left it to the side, and one day, that I was stack into bed with migraine, I picked up the book and started reading it. It was about Transactional Analysis, but it was really humorous, and insightful, and intelligent, and I really enjoyed it, and I had noticed that while reading it, my headache was gone, and I said that this is NLP, it really resonated, and that was the trigger, the introduction, to the path that followed.
Later on, and while already being introduced to NLP, Richard Bandler’s (the co-creator of NLP) approach and attitude, resonated with me, and affected the way I feel and the way I think!
How did you meet Richard Bandler?
Before meeting Richard, and while studying Psychoanalytical Hypnotherapy, I met Owen Fitzpatrick (The co- creator of the Irish Institute of NLP along with Brian Colbert), and kept into contact, while a few years later, during a seminar, we were up on stage, talking about stress, and I noticed that Owen was very good, while still very young. So I’ve asked him, “How come, you are so good, and you talk like you are experienced already, and still you are so young?” and Owen said “This is just NLP Brian” and that was the second trigger.
So from there, we continued train, and it was only around 1980, that we met Richard Bandler. A fascinating personality, with many things of what he says, that I do like, and I agree with, and with things that I do not resonate with.
And as we were always aiming for excellence, we kept train and train and train, get going back to trainers, getting better and better, keep developing as a trainer, as this was the only natural thing to further develop from there.
Can you say that you helped the existing technology of NLP to evolve?
Absolutely! You know, you cannot touch anything without improving it. So one of the things that I do recognise about Richard, was doing brilliant unconscious installations, the unconscious was fascinating, but we had people starting asking questions like, I get it, I have changed, I had a great time, but I do not understand how I did. So we started doing everything more conscious, rather than unconscious.
People are looking for a conscious hook on things, so we decided to teach them some of the hows, while it give us permission to install in, the method itself, and while teaching, all the time we are installing and keeping conscious minds engaged, giving them tools and techniques, while we are installing what they need to do!
So actually you have created a treasure!
Absolutely!
Do people understand, do they value, the amount of background work you need to do, so you can deliver such a refined ready to use method?
Conscience is not very common around this kind of understanding. And because we make NLP very simple, we make it very natural, very accessible, people look at us and say ‘we can do that’. Lots of people said that ‘I can do that’ and they tried to set up a business. And I do not mean that in an arrogant way, but it’s that they do not understand the amount of work that goes behind it!
Basically to do what we do, at the rate, the pace and the level we do it, it takes massive amount of work! It’s huge!
So people can only see the surface, and the better way of joining and connecting, and this is our job. It’s the behind they do not see.
So it is true, that the simplest a method seems to our eyes, the more background work has being done, to reach that refined result.
EXACTLY! And we are doing pretty good at that!
Brian can you tell us, why someone would choose to visit a Mind Coach, instead of a psychologist?
The difference in MIND COACHING, is that it is practical, technical, it is tangible. NLP is a set of tools, and applications, and the reality is that if you go to a Mind Coach, they will find out, where you are, what do you want to have happened, what is it that you need to improve, develop or change, or where you are stuck. And NLP offers a medium to FIX what is broken, and that’s basically its core.
So when you go to a Mind Coach, you will learn pretty quick, and pretty fast, where you are stuck, and from there, they will be doing ‘staff’ immediately to change that, and not just telling you to do things. They will be teaching you as well. So you will be able to change, and improve your life, feel more confident or for instance, overcome anxiety, overcome the past and so on.
A Mind Coach has a huge set of tools that is using, but if people go to a psychologist, they will experience a different direction. Not saying that psychologists are not good, they are. Psychology has a different direction called causal effect, and basically they go for your past, and explore what is the reason you became who you are.
In NLP we do not really care. You see, the best thing about the past is that is OVER. If I say to you, can you change your past, basically you can’t! Your past is your past, it has already happened. But you can change the way you interact with it, and that’s different, and NLP has a shortcut to that!
What in essence we are doing, is that it is not your past that will sort your present, but basically is your present, that will sort your present.
So if you consciously ask, what do you want to do now, with yourself, you will need certain tools, skills and applications to make that happen, changing even the unconscious patterns that you have being following.
That is why it’s called Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Program is the pack, where coach is delivering installations, basically psychological approaches, and applications that make you think differently.
So NLP is a Freedom Tool?
Well it is designed for FREEDOM, and it’s the honesty the reason I like NLP. Its honesty about its intrusion. NLP is intervention, in the real sense of the word. It intervenes with your mind, it interacts with your mind, and it shapes a way, were you need to go.
Obviously it’s what brings the client to the best place possible, that what is all about. So the focus of it, and truly important for someone that uses NLP is to like the others, feel connected to them, and feel that you are honest with them. People can use technology wrong, and ultimately as a mind coach, you do need to have that sense of rapport, that connection with your clients, because it is such a powerful tool.
What would you say to people that they are trying to find the right kind of specialist, coach, someone, to help them with their lives, and business, as there is lots of information that can be confusing?
First of all, make sure that you find out how they are trained. Get information, and see how they are doing even in their life. They do not have to be perfect to do NLP, but they must be developing, creating, and moving forward. They do not have to have everything perfect, but you have to see someone is actually making progress, and you do get a sense of that when you meet that kind of a person, and those are the qualifications, and the criteria.
When it comes to actual qualifications, the person needs to be trained. Be trained at the diploma standard, and what we do at the Irish Institute of NLP, is matching in line with the academic system. We are doing more teaching hours, than you do at the diploma, so our trainees are well trained. So you got to see, who they have trained with. And if there trainers are successful too. Because in general, their trainers have to be more successful.
So you need to look for continues improvement. Otherwise they are not good enough.
So do people need to be careful?
Absolutely Yes! You need to be discerning.
Because using NLP, we are building reality with our words all the time, the reality is the person’s using NLP to built the reality to, so if they are in a neurotic state, they will still build the reality based on who they are, so if you have a sense of, we have done this and we have done that, but it does not feel right and sorted, then it is not good NLP. What good is NLP, if you go away, and you do not feel sorted.
So your intuition is your protection.
So do people need to follow their intuition?
Absolutely, without question. Everything is about that sense. If you tune into how you feel, and that first sense response, if the person feels right, if the person feels good, and integral, then you are in a good path. But if you feel curious, if you feel worried, then you need to check basically, is that your feelings, or are you getting a signal.
At the end of the day if the person is good at NLP, they will make you feel relaxed, and you do need to keep track on how you feel. Do you feel ok, or you are made to feel ok. Ask yourself do I feel safe, do I feel ok, do I feel open?
So there are a number of parameters to take into consideration as a client before trusting someone?
Absolutely yes! And the currency is how you feel about that person, and that’s the case for everything and any kind of specialist. And it does not mean that, that person is bad, it means that is not good for you. Not everybody is for everybody, just because the technology is strong, does not mean that everybody is matching with everyone.
So would you say that the Irish Institute of NLP Coaches are the best ones in the field?
I would like to say that for sure, but I do think that they are the most trained and qualified, and I do think that they can offer better that the most out there, and I do actually believe that. And by the way, we do not finish, we never finish, we always go for further improvement and development, and our coaches never finish, and we always watch them.
So that is why they can be the best!
Absolutely yes, but the best is only today, so it will improve tomorrow. It never stops, its a continuous development.
What are the plans of Irish Institute of NLP?
Our simple plan is to impact as many people as possible, so they can impact other people as well. So we will be going everywhere, and we have done (we have gone to the states to Italy to the whole world), and we are going to Cyprus as well, and try to create impact there.
Ours tools are brilliant, and are so powerful, and it makes sense to share!
Can you give practical tools to everybody, enabling them to handle their life, once they are taught how to use them?
That’ s what is all about! It has to be tangible, it has to be practical, you have to be able to go away from the training, being able to say ‘now I know how to do stuff’!
This is not, about someone getting an idea of how to think in a positive way. This is about practical thinking, this is about learning how to change your mind, focus your mind, and develop your mind, so you can have a better life. So for instance if you are going to have a presentation, these are the kind of skills that teaches you, what to do inside your head, basically how you can get a good feeling, be in the right space, so you can get the result you want.
I had a text from a girl today, that has trained with us, and I have done a little bit of work with her, as she is a trainer herself that trains women which suffered domestic violence. Despite the fact that she is good at things, she is nervous about ‘am I good enough’, so practically we have recognised that pretty much she was doing the same thing to herself, inside her mind, as the women she was trying to help.
We have done a little bit of work, and basically we have changed that, and I had her text, saying “this is the best day of my life, I am finally able to present, I finally feel comfortable, I finally feel relaxed.” And it is amazing a chance meeting with one person, a chance meeting with NLP, can change your life. And her life is now changed, because she is a good person, doing a great job, but she has being horrendously nervous around her job, but now she is taught how to change that, how to deal with that, and she is able to deal with that right now, just by applying NLP in the right way!
Fabulous results with NLP but “if you do not understand and if you do not practice NLP you will not get the results.” Is there a lot of misunderstanding around that?
Absolutely Yes! It’s not a magic world, it produces magic results, but it’s not a magic world. Basically it’s a set of tools, set of skills, and set of applications, so basically like anything if you use it, it will change your world completely, if you don’t, well it’s not going to change it.
That being said, if you go to a seminar, you get changed, that will happen, because there is installations happening. But you will not know how you got changed. You need to know how and this is what we at the IINLP show you!
So this shows high ethical values, and a great dream behind it!
Absolutely yes! NLP taught properly is about win win. It’s about expanding the people’ s world, and there is nothing more worthwhile to do. It is a privilege to get into people’s world, and opening up the door. And when you are in their world, basically you need to respect their world, because someone has invited you into that. And as you have very powerful tools, and skills, and as you are opening the door for them, your world gets bigger, and that is a privilege.
Each person is a whole world, so is it important for a coach to be able to respect that space, their world?
A coach is a guide, a catalyst, and to put it very simply the coach is the tool, that the client uses, to get where they want, and that means every aspect of the coach. Basically is a path of tools, that helps that person to get where they want.
So would you say Brian, that a coach has to respect their client’s way of living, and be able to offer a unique way to deal with unique human beings?
Yes and that really important. My job as a coach, is not to invade, contaminate, or design the person’s world to my eyes. It’s about use tools that will open my clients eyes to a better world. So NLP is a set of tools that will help the person open the doors.
I have witnessed a lot of people suffering, because of trainers that go up on stage, talking, and presenting themselves, their lives, trying to impress the audience, leaving people feeling weak, as people are not in a position to bring those results into their lives, as it is anyway not their life. What can you say about that?
Here is the truth of it. We could easily, and without question wow the audience, we know how, and guess what, we are really good at it. But exactly what you say, if we impress the audience, then they will think we are great, and by definition, if we are great, then they are not so good. And that’ s exactly what NLP is not about.
The whole job is for people to see us, as for what we are. Ordinary human beings, doing the best we can, teaching really good tools, and knowing that if we can do it, they can do it! And that is the journey. That’s what is all about. The big journey in life, is about getting over yourself. And the person presenting on stage wowing the audience, that’s not worth it.
So we do need to work for a higher cause, than simply ourselves?
Absolutely Yes! And the thing about it, is that we all have the same space in the world, and what we are trying to get across is that they can get better. They really can. And a lot of the reason things can be better, is of how you think, and you can think better, more positively, more perfectly, and that’ s what is all about. It’s as you said about freedom. So giving people more freedom they are naturally good. People are doing bad things because they are hearting.
But obviously someone has to teach them! Right? They have to meet you Brian.
Or meet you Elena for that matter, you have being trained too. You have being through that process, you know how it works, you know how to do it, and I, have perhaps an additional skill, that of the train people in NLP, but that’s the only difference between you and me. Basically you are in a different stage along that path. So am only doing my job if you can do your job.
So that proves again the bigger dream, right?
Absolutely!
So apart from IINLP Global plans, what are Brian Colbert’s plans?
I do not see too much of a separation, between me and the Institute (IINLP). But at the moment what I am doing, and have being looking at as an organisation, is setting up NLP Italy, which is doing very well, setting up Middle East, and Cyprus soon.
But there is another thing I have being looking at, and that is create maximum impact.
I have being working with big organisations for years, and I have realised that if I get straight into an organisations with 6000 or 7000 people, and correctly impact there, that is huge impact, it is massive, and that is very specifically measured showing exactly what happens. And as there are lots of communities around, what I am looking at right now, is to get the maximum impact for communities, business communities, or social public communities.
Apart from that, I am writing my third book, based on the reality and the way of change, and the way it is effective.
While preparing your third book, would you like to tell us about your two books, that are already best sellers, and will be presented in Cyprus soon?
My first book “The Happiness Habit”, literally is a set of tools, using NLP, and taking from other disciplines like Shamanism, as this is what NLP does. It connects the best of other disciplines so they can be useful to you. So The Happiness Habit the book that I was inspired to create while thinking “what would happen if people have free floating happiness? What could I do to create a structure of that?” is the guideline of how you can make your life HAPPIER. It s not about big quotes, but about tools, technique and applications as to, if you do this, will make you happy, if you pay attention to that, your life will go better, if you do the other, you will be able to control your emotions better. The Happiness Habit is the structured manual that people have read more than once, and have attended to the Happiness Habit seminars more than once, and this is only natural as it keeps reminding them, and help them build the things you can do more often, to be happy more of the time!
So believe it or not, happiness is easy enough to achieve. To take it to the next level, the level of excellence, and real pick performance, utilising even the element of ‘dissatisfaction’ towards that, I have created my second book “From ordinary to extraordinary” that will move you forward.
The third book will be about how change operates on a systemic level, not only for humans beings but for organisations as well, being able to give effective implementations of change. As I have already being able to effect change on every level, at high percentage, and with measurable results for multinational corporations.
And remember that change is beautiful is healthy, and it is the journey itself.
Who could benefit from utilising the ‘evolving mind coaching system’ that you are suggesting?
Everybody and Anybody, from a housewife that wants to administrate the house in a better way, deal with her kids, and her relationship, to the business sector, the political sector, in education, and in any aspect of life. Here is the thing, if you have a healthy structured mind, that you want to improve, then, this ever evolving NLP system is for you.
Through that we create a whole new reality, where even if one person, in the family, in the business, in education, changes, and embrace the change itself, we witness an impact, to the whole environment around that person. Simply by that one person being trained to think and act in a different way.
Brian what would your message be to our readers?
If you think, if you have a sense about yourself that things could be different, things could be better, the vehicle to that is mind coaching and NLP.
Even take a moment, and simply ask yourself, how you treat yourself, would you treat your best friend that way, and if not, it is time to change your mind on a few things, and the opportunity is there, your life can dramatically change, and this is not a small promise, it is gigantic promise, and if you use these staff correctly, and learn in the way we train, it will be dramatic, it s not small change, its big staff, it s not little change, is life changing.
What would be your message to those who do not believe they can have what they want, either in their personal or professional life?
That’ s all beliefs. The reality is that you know, that if you have a good day, a good feeling, things are getting better, and better in that day. If you have a bad day, things start becoming worse. And it is about how you set your mind, how you interact with your mind.
The reality is that if you think you cannot, you are right, if you think it’ s not there for you, you are absolutely right again. But if you become curious and start asking questions like what would happen, if it could happen, then you open up the door straight away.
And if you have restrictions around that, they are mental, they are not environmental, they are not external, they are internal, so go after your mind, get that changed, open that door free.
We do create our own realities by our belief systems, limitations and changing that, we change our reality, and the reality around us.
Everything that is comes from the mind, your mind. So everybody has a mind, and everybody have to mind their mind, as that will create their own recipe for life.
Having in mind that this is not about positive thinking, is about practical thinking, with a positive focus. It’s about the way you talk, think, and interact, a way that will bring results. It is good to have positive thoughts, it is good to be thinking positive, but the reality is, no matter how positive you are, unless you translate that into behaviour, nothing happens. NLP is the gateway from the thoughts to the behaviour.
And do not forget that NLP is the study of excellence. It comes from a place that studied really successful people, in the first place, finding out how they are so good, because geniuses is not for geniuses, is for everybody. And to tap into that, there are skills, ways and tools to take you there, and are called NLP.
NLP is a true way of living, and it goes right back at the ancient times. It is presented in a new way, it feels new, it is tangible, but it is ancient. And do remember that a few days of NLP can dramatically change your life!
PS. If you want to change, take a change into yourself. And if you do not like to take any chances, take a change in us, and you will be absolutely delighted that you did.
Brian’s Website: http://www.briancolbert.ie/
