Many of us are living lives that we don’t want. Why is that? Well, there are a number of reasons but one major reason is that we don’t have GOALS.
We couldn’t imagine watching a football game without end zones or a hockey game without nets, so why do we live our lives without pre-determined goals?
Here are just a few of the reasons why we don’t set goals:
· We forget or we were never told about the importance of setting worthy goals (we were given well-meaning vague advice to “get a job”, “go make some money”, etc.)
· We get distracted by our environment and place more attention on low-value tasks instead of high-value actions (we mistake movement and busyness for efficient action)
· We don’t identify and prioritize what is important for our health, happiness and well-being (we need to create a health, wealth or well-being consciousness)
· We’re indecisive (we don’t know what we want) which leads to…
· Lack of focus and direction (*key reason to create goals…to have a purpose, a destination, to stretch yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually)
· We procrastinate which leads to…
· Complacency
· We have too many choices which leads to “paralysis by analysis”
· We don’t believe that we can achieve our goals (self-limiting beliefs, conditioning, paradigms)
· Our ego tries to protect itself
Goal Creation Assignment #1
By Francis Bills
Get yourself a good pen and a clean sheet of paper. Ideally, I would suggest the purchase of a journal to keep with you so that you can write down any constructive thoughts or ideas throughout the day, but a sheet of paper will do for this assignment.
1) The first thing I would like you to do is to write out your current goals. These goals can be financial, health or fitness-related, business, sales, or relationship goals.
These should be goals that are specifically related to you and your business. They should only relate to what YOU truly want; not what others want, what you think others expect of you or what you think you want.
Write out what you truly desire for yourself in any or all areas of your life. This is putting onto paper your ideal life, or vision.
When writing out your goals, it’s vitally important to be as specific as possible. It’s not enough to say things like, “I want a lot of money” or “I want a new car” or “I want better relationships.”
You want to write down a specific amount of money, what form it takes and a specific time frame for attaining it.
You want to write out specifically the year, make, model and features of the car you want.
You want to specify the type of relationship and how it feels to have it. The more specific, the better you’ll be able to visualize and focus on attaining it.
2) The second step is to write out a plan of action on how you are going to attain your goal. What service are you going to render or what product are you going to provide to achieve your goal? In other words, what are you going to have to DO?
If your goal is to have better relationships, what do you have to do to improve those relationships? What type of person do you have to become? What are some ideas that you can implement to achieve your goal?
Again, be specific as possible in writing out what you plan to provide for the attainment of your goal.
3) The third step is to visualize and emotionalize the goals that you’ve described in step #1.
For example, if your goal was to increase your income to double of what you’re currently making, visualize what you see yourself doing with the money.
What are the feelings associated with having this money? Is it freedom, the ability to travel, the ability to do what you love to do, the ability to NOT have to do what you don’t like to do?
This is what is called the "essence" of what you want. You may discover that you already have much of the essence of what you desire or that it’s a lot closer than what you previously may have thought.
What are the benefits you’re able to provide for yourself and for others with this money? Create a mental picture of wealth and prosperity and think about the positive impacts of reaching this goal.
Live as if you already possess the stated desired goal AS you go about achieving it. This is embodying the “having” mindset. This mindset keeps you in a state of gratitude for what you have and keeps you away from a competitive or limited mindset.
Living in the desired state of being will also bring forth the people, ideas and things needed to accomplish your desired goal.
If your goal is a new car, a great way to visualize owning it is to go to a dealership and actually sit in it. Smell the interior, feel the upholstery and take it for a test drive. Visualize the trips that you’ll take with it. Maybe have someone take a picture of you sitting in it.
The key is to make a vivid image of yourself owning the car, having the money, or achieving whatever it is that you desire.
If you have a health goal, think about how you’ll feel as you are moving toward your goal (more energetic, focused, flexible, improved mood, etc.)
Envision yourself having more energy, being focused and having an improved mood. Emotionalize your images and overall well-being by engaging in an enjoyable activity as you envision yourself reaching your goal.
Music, exercise and meditation are a few practical and effective methods when emotionalizing your goals.
When you create a visual image and combine it with an emotional connection, you are putting your focus and energy toward your goal. Over time, you train your subconscious mind to accept the idea.
Once the idea is imprinted on your subconscious mind, through the use of repetition, the subconscious works to find ways to assist in making the goal come into physical form.
These ideas may sound hokey, but again, we think in pictures.
If we cannot picture ourselves accomplishing our goals, we can never reach them. This is why it is extremely important to have a great self-image.
Think about all of the great athletes, successful political leaders and anyone who has achieved high levels of success. They’ve all had to of had a high self-image and a belief in themselves prior to achieving their goals or else they wouldn’t have attained them.
We cannot outgrow our self-image or how we see ourselves.
Therefore, we are limited only by what we think of ourselves. Be aware at all times what you are saying to yourself. The goal is to come to a point where you are unable to even consider a negative thought or idea, about yourself or anyone else.
4) The fourth and final step to goal attainment is action, EFFICIENT ACTION. A goal without action is just wishing. Get into action immediately and move toward attaining your goals and desires.
Stay focused on the activities, thoughts and ideas that are going to bring you closer to your goals. Refrain completely or severely limit any activities which are going to distract or take you away from reaching your goals.
Take stock of the time you spend on trivial, unimportant tasks each day. Make it a point to focus only on things in which are constructive and important, bringing you closer to goal attainment.
Lastly, use applied (active) faith and know that what you are seeking is seeking you. Be guided and pay attention to your intuition or hunches that you receive. Be open to opportunities. You never know when or where they’ll come from but they’ll come if you are receptive to them.
Stay focused. Be persistent and have FAITH.
Maintain a positive attitude and express gratitude for what you currently have. Look for and appreciate the good in all that you experience.
Remember: You don’t need to be whistling and skipping down the street every day, you only need to be 51% positive at all times. It’s the predominant mental attitude that matters.
Remain focused only on what you want, not what you don’t want. If you do find yourself focusing on what you don’t want, use it to assist you in discovering that in which you truly DO want.
Recognize and acknowledge how you FEEL at all times; physically, mentally and spiritually. If you’re tired, bloated, achy, have low blood sugar, or don’t feel good, it will affect your mood and how you interact with others. Make every effort to mitigate any feelings of discomfort.
You may just need to take a break, use the bathroom, maybe get some fresh air, breathe, grab a snack or have a glass of water. Stay in tune with how you feel physically. This is a MUST. Not just for goal attainment but for overall well-being.
Always expect the best. What you are seeking is seeking you. It’s only a matter of time before you reach your goal. Be sure to enjoy the process AS you’re reaching your goals because once you achieve one goal, you’re going to have new and greater goals. It's a continual and never-ending process of growth, awareness and increase.
Remember to live consciously in the desired state of being, the feeling, at all times.
To your success and well-being,
Francis J. Bills
Premier Consulting.biz
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