Primary Interest Sorting

Sorting Preference Pattern

The primary interest Meta programs determines what we pay attention to, what we find interesting and motivating, or boring. This Meta program is a sort rather than a filter. What is the difference I hear you ask?

Imagine you need have a box of ribbons. You take out the ones you don’t like – this is a filter. Then you sort the others into categories. Your categories might be color, width, type of fabric or some other thing. You can change the categories, but you can’t sort something that hasn’t been included. Our representational systems are a kind of filter.

We sort what is left of our world after we have deleted, distorted and generalized the incoming information. We can’t sort what we haven’t coded. You will not be able to remember someone’s name if you haven’t coded it in the first place.

When we decide to sort our box of ribbons for the red ones, this creates a focus of our attention. We stop searching for other ribbon properties such as wide pieces. If this doesn’t suit our purpose, it is easy to change to a different sorting category. I can then sort for all the silk ones, or within the category such as red silk ones.

Our interest categories or motivation preferences evolve from our early experiences. Our positive associations or anchors act like a magnet to draw us to them. They then become the focus of our attention and motivations. Our minds become stuck and unable to see other possible categories. If we wanted, we could focus on different categories for a time to achieve a certain purpose.

We generally have a primary focus and then other secondary ones. Someone with a primary sort of people and a secondary one of activities will have a different world than a primary sort of people and a secondary of information.

People Motivation Preference

With a people preference as a primary interest sort, you would be outgoing and friendly and do well in people oriented jobs. Your focus would be relationships and relating.

With a people motivation preference as a primary interest sort, you would be outgoing and friendly and do well in people oriented jobs. Your focus would be relationships and relating.

Teaching, sales, public relations and healing needs good people sorting ability. Have you ever had a teacher who is passionate about information, but not people? Think of the absent-minded professor who forgets to show up and then is distracted.

This sort likes to talk to and about people (can degenerate into gossip) and may not like to be alone. They focus on the people aspects of activities and things, such as who they did things with. They might buy an iPad for its social networking uses rather than because it’s cool technology.

When talking about their experiences, they might say, “I was sitting next to this really interesting 5 year old at the restaurant, and she was telling me what it is like being an only child”

Place Motivation Preference

With a place preference as a primary interest sort you would have an strong awareness of your location. Certain places would be important. Where you did or were going to do something would be a key factor in your decisions.

With a place motivation preference as a primary interest sort you would have an strong awareness of your location. Certain places would be important. Where you did or were going to do something would be a key factor in your decisions.

“I have a strong sense of place, and feel very disconnected away from my city. I have lived in other parts of Australia as well as overseas and tend to get homesick as well as fascinated by other places. I tend to have lots of landscape and place photos.”

Place is meaningful. They might say something like – “We went to this great restaurant on the corner of Main Street and John’s Road. It was easy to park and the main dining area was up the stairs with a beautiful view of the city.” Successful Travel and Real Estate careers need a strong sense of place.

Place can also mean your ‘place’, rank or position in a company, family or social grouping. (notice cultures that emphasize caste or class… “you don’t fit because they’re ‘above/below’ your class.”

Thing Motivation Preference

With a thing preference your primary interest focuses on what is in the location or environment. You would direct attention to having, owning or collecting things. I love my iPad.

With a thing motivation preference your primary interest focuses on what is in the location or environment. You would direct attention to having, owning or collecting things. These could be tangible things like possessions, money and food, or intangible things like certificates, status and power.

People with this sort often have the latest and best gadgets and technology. They are great consumers (or shopaholics) and may have to move house to gain more storage for all their stuff. They show they care by giving things.

Good careers could be souvenirs, administering collections, technology, and maintenance.

They might say something like “We went to that new restaurant and they had these cool chairs that looked like giant mushrooms. I thought they would be good on our pine deck and match the Weber electric barbeque”

Activity Motivation Preference

With an activity preference as a primary interest sort, you would focus on what you or others do. This sort likes to be active, going out and doing things.

With an activity motivation preference as a primary interest sort, you would focus on what you or others do. This sort likes to be active, going out and doing things.

They can find it a chore being still. These hands on people tend to like sports, the gym and doing projects. They are often involved in physical trades.

They like to keep busy and will often focus on tasks rather than relationships. They often base their relationships on joint activities – my uncle met his wife at a cycling club.

They might say things like “We went to this Japanese restaurant and it was so much fun. The chef tossed the food around like he was juggling, and we ate and laughed and danced.” They emphasise what they did.

Information Motivation Preference

With an information preference as a primary sort, you would focus on ideas and learning. You might even be a nerd like me.

With an information motivation preference as a primary interest, you would focus on ideas and learning.

Bookstores, seminars, research and asking questions might be favorite pastimes. People with this preference value information about people, places, things or activities (the secondary sort determines the type of information). They like to analyze.

They may or may not be interested in applying the information, but would want to know how they could apply it. In my personal experience, I am usually on to the next quest before I have time to apply what I have learned. Good careers would be research, publishing, academia and library work.

They might say something like “We went to that new restaurant; it was interesting to see so many people there on a Tuesday. I found out they were from a meeting about the proposed marina, which could influence the property prices.”

©NLP Mentor