I am sure that many of you are deep into the drama and excitement of
the holiday season. There is so much to be done and so much to think
about and consider that many can hardly think of anything else.
However, when the excitement is over, our attention typically turns to the
closing of one year and the beginning of a new one.
This
is a time typically reserved for reflection. We think back on the
previous year, sometimes with a strong sense of accomplishment and
sometimes with regrets for the things we didn’t do that we wanted to
and the goals we set but didn’t accomplish. Sometimes we get so
disgusted with ourselves for our lack of goal-directed behavior that we
actually stop setting goals altogether.
Sometimes we
are waiting for something to happen first. We wait to retire, for our
children to leave home, or for there to be enough money in the savings
account. While we are waiting, time is whizzing past us at an alarming
rate. Before we know it, we end up at a place where we say, “Now I’m
too old to do ________________ .” While we are waiting for certain life
events to manifest, there are things we can still do to move ourselves
forward toward our goals. Waiting is not the only option.
There
are known techniques that will help you improve the odds of
accomplishing your goals. What’s the difference between those who seem
to breeze through their day accomplishing everything they set out to do
and those who seem to wonder where the time went at the end of the day.
We all have the same amount of time each day. What’s the secret?
First
of all, you need to decide what it is you want to accomplish--the more
specific you can be the better. We generally do not get too excited
about the vague thought of losing weight but if we can say instead, I
will lose 10 pounds by March 1, 2010 so I can fit back into a size 10
dress then there is more energy and impetus around that particular goal.
Next,
you must decide, as Napoleon Hill says, “Do you have a burning desire
to accomplish this goal?” Without truly possessing a burning desire,
without passion to make it happen, we will often drift back into old
behaviors that keep us plateaued at the same place we were the
beginning of last year.
Once you’ve determined you have
the burning desire, next you must ask if you have a good plan. Does
your plan have a reasonable chance for success? Do you have deadlines
for accomplishment? When you are trying to stop a certain behavior, do
you spell out what you are going to do instead? Are the goals
realistic? Are they measurable? Do you have the determination and
unwavering resolve to follow through on your plan?
Sometimes
there are things that sabotage our efforts. Typically, the things we do
throughout our day are things that meet our needs. If we are trying to
lose weight but continue to eat instead, we need to look at what
benefits we gain from overeating. Often these are unconscious benefits
that we really need to do some serious scrutiny to uncover. If the
benefits we receive from our current behavior outweigh the benefits of
making the change we desire, we will have a difficult time making the
change without building in additional features to our plan that will
make up for the benefits of the behavior we are giving up.
You
need to develop systems to track and measure your progress. Many people
require a visual representation of their progress to provide incentive
to continue moving forward. You must develop a single-minded focus. You
must avoid anything that threatens to pull you off your straight ahead
direction toward your goals. You must prioritize and protect your time
everyday.
The final thing that will be instrumental in
achieving your goals in 2010 is to reprogram your nonconscious mind.
There is a great deal of evidence that shows the neural programming of
our nonconscious mind often gets in the way of us accomplishing our
goals. These are the early messages that we picked up from those who
were close to us when we were younger. We received messages that money
was the root of all evil, that we didn’t deserve to be loved, that we
were chubby and will stay that way, and that there is never enough time
in a day. All those messages have formed neural pathways in our brain.
This
means that when certain neurons fire, they trigger the firing of other
neurons in the same pathway, which makes it extremely difficult to
consciously change our behavior. The good news is that there is a way
to reprogram the neural pathways so they will work for us instead of
against us to accomplish our goals.
Through the
processes of affirmations and visualization we have the ability to
change this nonconscious programming. We must develop a mental movie of
what life will look like once our goals are accomplished. Then, we must
write out present tense affirmations of the belief systems we must have
in place in order to accomplish our goals. If weight loss is your goal,
for example, then your affirmations would sound like this: “I weigh 130
pounds and look and feel terrific. I eat only healthy food that
nourishes my body. I enjoy exercising and the way my body feels while
doing it and afterwards. I drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water
each day.”
Reprogramming requires repetition of the
affirmations and visualization daily and more often if you can make the
time. With this added to all of the above goal setting steps, you will
be well on your way to accomplishing your goals in 2010.
Please check out our complete time-tested Goal Attainment System.
