I’m very selective with the value I put on diplomas and accreditations. Those of you who know NLP and Values Levels will understand very well why. The ones that really mean something in terms of one’s competence and ability are very rare, but when you get them, you know it’s made a difference that stays with you for the rest of your life.
The NLP Master Trainer certification awarded by Drs. Adriana and Tad James, pioneers in the field of the NLP who train and certify the largest number of trainers in the world, is one of them. Being awarded this recognition at the end of the 35th annual NLP Trainer’s Training in Las Vegas, was quite a big thing for me. Let me tell you why.
How It All Started
I remember when I took Trainer’s Training, back in 2012, I had no intention of teaching NLP. I took the training for personal development purposes only, for the experience of another disintegration of my comfort zone, for the amount of transformation I knew it was going to happen based on how the previous NLP trainings had affected and changed my life for the better.
I took it for the opportunity of understanding NLP from a higher logical level. The promise of being a good speaker was just a “would be nice to”, but very unlikely add-on in my mind at the time. It was just one of the many things I ‘knew’ I couldn’t do. It wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t possibly imagine how this marvel of a training design stretches and pushes you to do uncomfortable things until you no longer care how you look like in front of other people. Without realizing when and how, seemingly impossible things become possible.
During those 18 training days, I got loads of feedback, I incorporated a lot of it, and I performed well. So well that my results on the evaluation went far beyond my expectations. The next challenge? Well, go teach this stuff to empower people, and assist them to create positive change in their lives as well. And embark on the journey that’s called the Master Trainer Program.
Now, I had no idea what that was. I just knew that during the training, we had had the support of a team of very uncomfortable coaching assistants that would constantly push us. They looked like gods to me. Not because of their harsh feedback, not because they wouldn’t give us any break, or take no excuse, but because everything they were, or did, was about excellence. And because they were unshakable.
The last day of he training, as I was sitting there, listening to Tad and Adriana, then looking at these coaching assistants, 12 trainers from all over the world, smiling at us from the back of the room, and shining that level of excellence with everything they were, I knew it. ‘If that’s what it means to be in the Master Trainer Program, I have to be there.‘
What does it mean, though? It means that not only do you talk the talk, but also walk the walk of a successful trainer. You go out there and teach and coach. You roll up your sleeves and get to work. You produce results and affect change. We assist you along the way. You master the process and content of NLP, and you build the business skills that are a must if you are to have a real impact. You come to Vegas and assist our trainings and you get feedback on how you give feedback, and support others to grow. Challenge accepted!
A ‘Master’ Goal
I was only 25 and my journey had begun. My commitment had been made, the bridges had been burnt, my full time new career had started, and this shy desire was beginning to light up in my heart: ‘What if I make it as a Master Trainer until 30?’.
5 years in the program was a minimum, and it was huge for me. As Tad and Adriana put it themselves:
“The NLP Master Trainer certificate is not offered lightly. When one of the graduate trainers enrolled in the NLP Master Trainer program fulfills it successfully, they know they’re Master Trainers before they receive it. The certificate does not make them – they ARE self-made!”
Yet, somewhere in my heart I knew – that if I stayed committed, and I played it to 100%, it could be done.
And this reminded me of this beautiful analogy:
“See, the difference between winners and losers in persistence. It ain’t talent, it’s persistence. My teacher told me about the bamboo tree. After planting the bamboo tree, after planting the seed, it takes 5 years for it to break through the ground. That’s 5 years of attention, care and water everyday. If you miss a day, it dies right there. But after it breaks through the ground after those 5 years, within 5 weeks it grows 90 feet tall.”*
I broke through a couple of months before receiving the actual certification. Something switched in my neurology, in my business, in my trainings, and right there and then, I suddenly knew what they were talking about when they said ‘a Master Trainer is self-made’.
And for me, the paradox was that it wasn’t success that got me there.
It was commitment, discipline, resilience, and the ability to grow from setbacks.
I didn’t know I was a Master Trainer when I was being applauded. Or when people were telling me how I had changed their lives. Or when I was learning that students or clients were doubling their income, getting promoted, making inspired decisions, getting over life lasting fears, conditions or patterns.
I knew I was a Master Trainer when I was being given hard times by students, and I could stay in control of my state. When I was being asked ‘What can you teach me at 29? You’re too young.’, and I was able to smile and say ‘Wait and see’. When I was showing up, no matter what was going on in my life, how little sleep I had, or how much I needed a day off.
Even more interestingly, I didn’t get the Master Trainer recognition on the top of my game and my self-confidence. I got it at the bottom of a massive self-questioning time of my life.
Which reminds me of something one of my closest friends and students told me once:
“This is why you’re so good at what you do. You never take for granted what you know.”
And I think that applies no matter what you do, the field you’re working in, or how your own calling unfolds.
Mastering something
Takes discipline, persistence, ability to grow from set backs, and stay in control of your focus.
It’s a journey of personal transformation and growth. It presupposes to stop being a follower, become a leader, and take full responsibility for everything that you encounter on your path.
It means being empowered. It’s the belief that you, as one, matter, that YOU can make a difference, and affect change.
It’s knowing that you know, and keeping open to everything else there is to know, knowing that you’ll never know it all. And there’s always more to learn, on a path that’s so worth it!
 | About the Author: Camelia Păduraru With a background in Communication, Marketing, and Public Relations, Camelia Păduraru has always been fascinated with the human mind and what leads individuals to do what they do. Certified Trainer of NLP, Hypnosis and Coaching and a Master Trainer of Time Line Therapy®, she now delivers these transformative tools in Romania, empowering people to take control of their lives and tap into their full potential. As a founder of Crafting Minds, she provides coaching sessions and accelerated certification trainings to assist people in freeing their minds, taking action, healing and producing exquisite results life. She is keen on creating a community of leaders that make a difference in the world. If you want to learn more about Camelia, go here. |