Ok, we are here…we are at that defining moment where we are going to start to put those goals down into a plan.
First, let’s review.
Our first step is that we are committed to change. We are not going to live our life the way we have. Hmmm, maybe the Mayans were right, the World Has Ended as We Knew It.
Second, we reviewed our past year to see what we accomplished and what we didn’t. What we are proud of and what choices we made.
Third, we evaluated our Attitude of Gratitude. We started to think with an Abundant mindset. We opened the door for the Law of Attraction.
Fourth, we evaluated and discussed Life Balance, understanding that it truly is a myth; that we must have a Life Plan in order to move forward to success.
Now we move to the actual process of defining our goals for 2013.
1. WRITE THEM DOWN. An amazing thing happens in the mind when we write, not type, but write these goals down. In the book “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill talks about the power of reducing your plan to writing. The process of writing your plan down will take an idea, a thought, the intangible and bring it into existence.
These goals need to be specific and defined as accurate as possible. These goals need to have a defined time of achievement. A goal without a deadline is nothing more than a dream!
Use the S.M.A.R.T. criteria for defining these goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time Sensitive
2. SUSPEND THE NEED FOR KNOWING HOW. In some cases this might mean suspending reality or being “realist.” It means being a Dreamer.
James Allen in his book “As A Man Thinketh” states ” The dreamers are the saviors of the world.” Dreams are what brings the invisible into the visible. Think about where we would be if it were not for the dreamers, the ones that did not get stopped by “not knowing how.” The Wright Brothers are one example of this. Not only did they not know how to fly, but they didn’t know how to land it. But, that did not stop them from achieving their goal of flying.
3. GO BIG. Most people set their goals and resolutions at a level they feel they know they can achieve. A goal needs to be large enough to stretch us, to make us reach and grow. Remember, we talked about that in setting a goal, it is not in the achievement of the goal, but who we must become to achieve the goal.
Our mind cannot differentiate between big or small, it will give you what you ask for. There are many great quotes about seeing with the mind and achieving with the body. Remember Dreaming, Going Big, takes no more effort than a small goal.
God has placed inside you GREATNESS! We are the ones that limit that. If we think small – we will get small, if we think big – we will get big.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
Michelangelo
4. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR LANGUAGE. The way we phrase these goals become very important for our mind to accept them and achieve them. Some Do’s & Don’ts.
Don’ts:
- I don’t want to be poor
- I don’t want to be fat
- I want to be rich
- I want to be healthy
Do’s:
- I am financially independent by earning $150,000.00 in 2013
- I am at my healthy weight of 165 lbs
- I am in a loving relationship with my spouse without drama
This positive language again engages the mind into action. The mind does not know the difference between what you want or don’t want.
5. ENSURE YOUR GOAL IS YOUR GOAL. In John Maxwell’s book “Put Your Dream to the Test,” he talks about the Ownership Question. The ownership question asks, “Is my dream really my dream?” Many times what we do is for others; dreams, goals and achievements are to try and make others happy, our parents, our spouse, our friends, our co-workers. In the end, our dreams and goals will only be achieved if they are ours!
“Whatever you think, be sure it is what you think;
whatever you want, be sure that it is what you want;
whatever you feel, be sure that it is what you feel.
~ T.S. Eliot
6. ENSURE YOUR GOALS ARE CONGRUENT WITH YOUR VALUES. This subject alone can be a whole discussion. One of the things in today’s world that might be lacking, might be keeping us out of balance, is that what we do is not in alignment with who we are.
The question is do you have your values defined and written down, where you can reference them in times of difficulty? If not, then that needs to be your next step, define these.
Darren Hardy has a great free assessment at www.compoundeffect.com/free
7. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT. What I mean by this is when you are going through this process and working on your goals, what are you saying to yourself? Many times we talk ourselves out of accomplishment, we have that little voice……..you know that little voice that says something like, “what do you think you are doing?” or “who do you think you are” or “you can earn that much,” or “only educated people with degrees can earn that much.”
These are called limiting beliefs. I call them anchors. We drag them around. We know they are there and we let them stop us from achieving our greatness. Wait…is it there?
We can overcome these with affirmations and thoughts, but first you must be aware of them. Right now you may not even be aware they are there and ruling your life. These sometimes come out as fears. The only way to push past these is with faith. Faith and Fear cannot occupy the same space. By the way, any idea what fear stands for? False Evidence Appearing Real
8. DO NOT QUIT! We must remember that we are where we are by making the choices we have made. Some of those choices have been to stop pursuing our DREAMS and GOALS! Now is the time that you can make a course correction. The past is in the past, all we have is today!
A wise friend of mine used to say that there is a reason the rear view mirror is smaller then the windshield; because we are not going that way!
9. EXPERIMENT. I challenge you to try this out for six months. Define the goals, work the plan and grow into who you need to be to achieve them. Remember, you will meet with resistance, both from others in your life, but maybe mostly you! See, we get very comfortable in our lives, we are resistant to change. I heard somebody once said that the only one who likes change is a wet baby!
But, in order for us to change our lives, we must change! Remember………..”Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein
ACTION STEP #1 ~ Do the steps listed above
ACTION STEP #2 ~ Do the steps listed above
ACTION STEP #3 ~ DO THE STEPS LISTED ABOVE!
As you read this, TODAY, RIGHT NOW can be one of those DECISION POINTS. Today can be the day you discover your potential. Today can be the day you spread your wings and start SOARING! All it takes is DEFINING the VISION, DISCIPLINING the FOCUS and ACHIEVING POSITIVE LEGACY!
Build on Belief ~ Go Big Today!
Notice – Act – Navigate – Create – Yield Results
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Special thanks and acknowledgment to Darren Hardy for his products and commitment to our growth and success