“If only I had learnt this 20 years ago …” is one of the most common feedback I get from participants after they graduate from our Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy and Hypnotherapy Practitioner training program (also known as Live by Design). For one young man, he certainly did.
Zachary Tan was just 16+ years old when his mother enrolled him for our Practitioner training. Having faced some medical issues, Zachary was (like many 16 year olds) busy enjoying life, not too keen on focusing on studies, not very motivated to do much. His parents had heard about NLP and decided that it was worth investing in the program for their eldest son. So Zachary joined our program in January 2012 and after 8 days, he became the youngest certified NLP Practitioner in Singapore and Malaysia!
What was more important is that he realised the power of what he had learned and wanted to apply his new-found knowledge to help his friends (and at the same time, start earning some money to pay for his Master Practitioner training). By then, Zachary had already decided that he was going to become a Master Practitioner, in August 2013. He was focused on passing his exams and doing well in school so that he could become a role model for other teenagers and help them through coaching.
However, the story does not end there. In October 2012, Zachary decided he did not want to delay his learning any further and rather than wait till August 2013, he enrolled for the November 2012 Master Practitioner training. On 1 December 2012, at the tender age of 17 years and 4 months, Zachary Tan became one of the youngest certified NLP Master Practitioners in the world. During the 15-day program, he worked with fellow participants, some of whom were many years older than him and they commented on his maturity, understanding and grasp of the subject matter and his professionalism as a coach. He certainly held his own, in spite of his age and limited life experiences.
My team and I are proud of all our graduates, and especially delighted for Zachary for he has all the tools at his disposal and can live his life by design. To learn NLP at his age, he has an even brighter future and we wish him every success! Congratulations Zachary Tan! And who knows, he may yet become the youngest NLP Trainer in Asia.
