If you aim for nothing that is exactly what you will get…. People who have achieved their goals knew what they wanted in the first place. They decided what to go after, and they went after it.
Many people resist goal-setting because they assume it leads to a formula-driven, highly uncreative life. Actually, the exact opposite can be true. People who passively assume that everything will somehow all work out in the end can hardly be termed creative. They’re not creating their lives, they’re just hoping against hope that something good will happen to them.
It’s fashioning and molding the life of your choice. It’s approaching your life the way an artist might stand before a new canvas, on which a beautiful painting can be crafted. There are other useful metaphors for creativity in goal-setting. The rudder of a plane, for example, is small and rigid, like a short term goal you might accomplish in just a day or two. But the rudder can turn the plane in any direction the pilot chooses. In that, there’s a great deal of freedom and flexibility. Once you set a goal, you can adjust and fine tune it any way you wish. That’s creativity. And persistence is what allows you to keep progressing, moving toward the goal no matter how many adjustments are required, and no matter how long it takes to accomplish.
The mind is the most magnificent bio-computer ever created. But remember, like a computer, it only responds to specific instructions, not to vague ideas. So come alive in 2010!
Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change and set goals. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year. The act of reflecting, thinking, dreaming and planning to be one of the most important exercises you can do that will positively impact the next 12 months.
Clarify your vision to yourself. Don’t worry about how it will happen right now. Once you have a clear picture of what you want going through your mind, the steps and opportunities to get it will appear. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it! More than likely, they want the same thing for themselves but believe it’s impossible. Deciding what you want is the first step to getting what you want. Don’t put off creating your vision! And, remember, do not neglect to commit yourself to set this time aside, or you will find that the business of life can and will get in the way. When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.
There may have been times of stagnation and some defeats in the past, but look at your growing victories and use it to wipe a clean slate and design the next year. Remember, one of the most important resolutions you can declare for yourself is personal accountability.
You can change your life by changing your habits……………sometimes we loose
focus quickly, gets sidetracked or can’t remember why our goals were important in the first place. I believe this happens because there is foundational work that needs to happen before successful goal setting can occur…
Telling the truth about ourselves. Denial keeps us from the possibility of change—it keeps us stuck in our problems, saps all our energy and can leave us exhausted to say the least. It takes courage to dig deep and allow ourselves to open up to the truth. And while telling the truth might hurt, it is also the first step in getting past the hurt. It opens the door to methods we can use to make effective, enduring changes to improve the quality of our lives.
Forgive yourself. Before practicing new skills and new ways of being, it’s wise to clean house. We don’t need to beat ourselves up before we re-invent ourselves. We can be totally honest with ourselves and, at the same time, be oh so gentle. While admitting our mistakes, we can treat ourselves with care. After all, everyone makes mistakes.
Let go of the past, but learn from it. We can focus on what we have learned from our past, without getting caught up in repeating our mistakes. We can discover a way to move forward without feeling rotten about the past all the time. We can change the way things are without having to be upset about the way things have been. The past is over…. so get over it! It is also important for us to let go of who we were or what we did in the past if that is not what we strive to be in the future.
Face your fears. We all have them and they are responsible for holding us back. To identify our fears we need to pay attention and become an observer of ourselves. We need to get to know our mindset- especially patterns like learned pessimism or helplessness and other limiting or negative self statements. Mindset is based on our core beliefs. When we say we are afraid, underneath is a belief we have about ourselves- I am not skilled enough, good enough. etc., or a belief about the world—there is too much competition, people won’t like what I have to offer, etc. When we can let go of fear, doubt we can release ourselves in powerful ways.
The truth is that you can do anything you want to. Stop telling yourself excuses! Go to battle against a lack of vision and planning! Pick yourself up and get tenacious! Look fear in the face and stand up to it! Your whole life depends on it.
The choice is yours. Will you continue to limp along in life because you don’t have the courage to run for your dream and get your aim on?
You CAN live the life you have always dreamed of. All you want is within your reach. But if you spend five minutes complaining, you have just wasted five minutes. If you continue complaining, it won’t be long before they haul you out to a desert and there let you choke on the dust of your own regret. You cannot take the mild approach to the weeds in your mental garden. You have got to hate weeds enough to kill them. Weeds are not something you handle; weeds are something you get ride of.
“If you’re hoping to harvest a great life; remember you first have to plant some great seeds.” It is both amazing and powerful!
Learning anything is possible, no matter what your age. You are never too young or too old. Your mind was created to learn and has a huge capacity to do so. This week, this year make a commitment to unlock the potential of your mind and set aim, you will hit your goal target every time!
Autograph your career and your life with excellence.
Donna Beck