This is one of the many NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) presuppositions and one of the original 8 of Richard Bandler.
NLP presupposition in full
Feedback vs. Failure – All results and behaviors are achievements, whether they are desired outcomes for a given task/context, or not.
What does NLP mean with the presupposition?
Basically it says that you have created everything as far as results and behavior is concerned. It says that no matter what result you get, you can use it as feedback on what to do next or what to do differently. This is important! If you are not getting the response you get, regard that as feedback not as failure. There’s no such thing as failure.
This is one of the central themes of popular movies as What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Why is it necessary for NLP to believe this?
When you are working with NLP you have a lot of techniques and insights in how communication works. However it still is no guarantee that you get the desired results instantly and consistently. There are various reasons why you’re not getting the results you desired. It is important not to regard it as failure (either by you or by the other), but to try something else and see what kind of feedback that gives you. It might just be what you wanted, and if not…try something else.
Can I find proof or personal experiences that support the presupposition?
This presupposition is primarily a mindset, kind of like the presupposition “The meaning of the communication is the response you get” is. These presuppositions are correlated in my opinion. They look at the same principle, but from different angles.
How do you prove a mindset? I don’t know how to, and I feel no need to. This is a mindset that appeals to me and puts me in control of the results I get. This is so empowering to me, that only that result is reason enough to make this a credible presupposition.
Can I find proof or personal experiences that undermine the presupposition?
As I wrote in my review of The Secret, not everything in your life is created by you. There are circumstances that are just there, they are not a result of what you did or did not do. How you deal with them is up to you. But then again this presupposition specifically addresses results and behavior, so I don’t have a problem with presupposition.
In conclusion, how do I feel about this presupposition?
This is so empowering that I had already integrated this into my guidelines a long time ago. The way I formulated it was “There is no failure, only feedback I can learn from”. So in short: I like it!
Time for you to talk
What do you think of this presupposition? Does it make sense to you? Do you have experiences or examples that might undermine this presupposition?
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You can be an Original too!
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk
Wed 2007.10.17
The version of NLP that I like is
(1) What do you want?
(2) Is what you’re doing getting you closer to what you want?
(3) If not, try something else.
It’s basically about focusing on what you want, not on what you don’t want. And that’s the trouble with thinking in terms of failure. You’re focusing on what you don’t want.
I agree with you that we don’t create everything in the world/in our lives. But winners focus on what they want and are good observers. They notice how things work and use that information wisely.
Lodewijkvdb
Wed 2007.10.17
That’s a real short version of NLP indeed, or of any successful approach to achieving goals for that matter. NLP encompasses much more than just this in my opinion, but I like your simple approach.
A quote that came to mind when I was writing this article, was the famous quote by Thomas Edison when he was asked about failing so many times, while inventing electric light: I haven’t failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.
Now that’s applying this presupposition to the extreme
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk
Thu 2007.10.18
I’ve been a Master Practitioner of NLP for about 10 years now, so it’s fairly well-integrated into my life. The shortcut version is often all I need to remind me, that plus a well-formed outcome.