Create Your Path to Success

Creating your path to success depends on walking on a firm foundation. Knowing WHAT you want is only the beginning. Visualizing what you want and repeating affirmations makes your intentions stronger. Yet, this is not enough. So what IS the secret to realizing your goals? Let’s walk the path together. As we walk the path step by step, I encourage you to write the answers to these questions:

Step 1: Where are you now? What are your strengths, resources, and areas of improvement?

Step 2: What do you want to achieve? What is important to you? Money? Relationships? Having fun? Creating a vibrant body? …Use your imagination to explore. List everything you want without editing.

Step 3: What do you REALLY want? What lights you up and gets you excited? What is your heart’s desire?

Step 4: Now explore the risks, obstacles, or challenges that could interfere with achieving these goals. Notice what is stopping you from having what you want now. This is the most powerful question to answer because it is how you sabotage yourself from success. By recognizing the challenges, obstacles or risks and addressing them in your Action Plan, you manage your productive tension to focus on your desired outcome.

What’s Stopping You?

Feelings of unworthiness?

Self-sabotaging mind talk?

Do you dress for success?

How is your love life? Do you regularly express your love to the significant relationships in your life?

Release negative people from your life

Release self pity – Focus on gratitude instead. Make list of what is good in your life.

Attitude – are you usually upbeat?

Health: attitude, energy, mental clarity, and overall well-being are all linked to good health. Health is supported by

Exercise: Pleasurable forms can include weight lifting, dance, belly dance, Tango, golf, tennis, jogging, walking, cycling, yoga, and many other forms.

Diet: Well balanced diet is best. Studies have shown that excessive protein creates health risks/issues.

Medical exams: Regular checkups help you know where you stand and how to get back on track if necessary.

Spiritual Life: Your spiritual life builds your foundation.

Complacency or “Golden Handcuffs” – When we get too comfortable, we can set ourselves up to fail. If you are at the top, keep your edge and passion by giving yourself new challenges.

Do you have the passion to win or achieve a goal?

Step 5: Select your favorite goals and write an affirmation for each following this format:

I have/am/achieve specific goal stated in present tense by specific deadline.

State your goals in specific, measurable terms so you can recognize their achievement. Avoid the use of the words “try, not, don’t, can’t, shouldn’t…” The mind does not hear the “not” and cannot produce results with “try”. An example of an affirmation is “I achieve my monthly financial goal of $$$ easily by the 28th of every month.” Another example of an affirmation is, “This is my LUCKY day!”

Step 6: Imagine yourself already having your goals accomplished. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste? Let yourself BE there now!

Step 7: Create an Action Plan to achieve your desired results. Be specific about every step required. The goals need to be compelling to be achievable.

Step 8: Reinforce your goals daily. Create a vision map with YOU in the picture and place it where you can see it daily. Record your affirmations in your voice and listen to them daily. Repeat your affirmations morning and night. Focus on what you desire.

Step 9: Be Accountable. Find a coach who you will allow to hold you accountable in a supportive way. Ultimately, accountability is the key to success. A coach supports you by inspiring pride and self-discipline. For best results, the coach is someone who has no attachment to the outcome. The coach walks the path with you — but not for you.

Ultimately, your success depends on your ability to monitor and manage your level of productive tension.

A Proper Mission Statement Can Drive Your Life Forward

Most people measure us by our accomplishments — what we’ve done. In my experience, most people compile their track record of accomplishments BY MISTAKE; that is, we don’t have a plan, we simply react to opportunities as they arise. In other words, our accomplishments are externally motivated, not internally driven. What this argues for, of course, is a consciousness of mission — what each of our lives is really about. That’s what this short article will discuss — your Personal Mission Statement. A Personal Mission Statement will help you to organize your entire life — your time, your thoughts, your priorities. Actually, a personal mission statement, conscientiously developed, will change the way you view everything in your life.

Your personal mission statement will force you to constantly re-evaluate who you are, what you’re about, and what you’re doing. As an example, just look at the Constitution of the United States. The essential mission statement there is “…to create a more perfect union.” Where would we be as a nation today if they had not outlined the goals and hopes of a new nation in those terms?

The basics of a mission statement are as follows:

1. Make it short and to the point. Nelson Mandela’s mission statement, developed over his 27 years in prison in South Africa, says just this: “End Apartheid.” Another great mission statement was developed by Abraham Lincoln upon his inauguration as President. “Preserve the Union.” Note that mission statements can change. Perhaps a mission is accomplished. Franklin Roosevelt started his presidency with a mission to “End the Depression.” By the time that was almost done another threat had arisen and the United States had become involved in World War II. Now the mission statement was “End the War.”

2. Keep your mission statement short, to the point, simple. Use direct language. Be sure that a 12-year-old could understand the statement and you’ll be more or less on track.

3. Make it memorable so it can be burned into your consciousness. The rule of thumb here is that if you can’t recite it from memory, it’s too long and too complicated. Remedy: simplify, condense, “laser” your thought process until you’ve said everything you need to say in the fewest and strongest possible words.

4. Eliminate excuses. Before you can write an effective mission statement you must clear away the excuses that prevent most people from writing one in the first place. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your job IS your mission. It’s only part of it…or not. Either way, remember that a mission is larger than a job. Your job may change, but your mission may not. In fact, there are times that a job MUST change in order that a mission be completed. So don’t lock yourself in a box that says that you ARE your work. You’re far more than that. Another trap…excuse…is “My role is my mission.” If you’re a man you may think of your role as “breadwinner.”

For a woman this might be “wife” or “mother.” The operating principle here is that your role, too, may change. In fact, as your life, evolves your role will almost certainly change. The third excuse — the one most of us don’t want to cop to — is that we may believe that we’re just not important enough to have a mission statement. Sure, it’s fine for a big company to have one, or for a country to have one, but I’m just one of the “little people,” so I don’t DESERVE one. Parenthetically, we almost never say this aloud. What we do say, at least to ourselves, is that we don’t NEED one. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!! Get rid of all that silly thinking. Focus. You’ll be glad you did.

Finally, clear out influences that have driven you in the past. A mission statement isn’t about what you think you should be doing. It’s about what EXCITES you. So instead of listening to all those voices from the past…the ones that told you you weren’t worth anything, that you’d never succeed, and so forth. Concentrate on your gifts, your dreams.

Who’s the Boss? 10 ways to start taking control (time management, goal setting, record tracking)

“Who’s the Boss?” 10 ways to start taking control (time management, goal setting, record tracking)

At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.

Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It’s much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don’t seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member’s bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don’t waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner “You’re ALWAYS late!” or complained to a friend “You NEVER call me!”? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like ‘always’ and ‘never’ makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.

6. Squash the “ANTs”
In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin’ (Your Friends and Family)
You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn’t touch!

8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!

9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It’s never productive, because it’s not rational or solution-oriented, it’s just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment – go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.

When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they’re uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won’t solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we’re turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we’re not doing our best.

5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals

No doubt you started this year with some big
ideas about what you wanted to accomplish.
I know I did!

Maybe it was how many new clients you wanted to get, or how much money you wanted to make, or how many products you wanted to sell.

In the world of marketing, these “big ideas” are called goals and objectives. And, they are what dictate your every move, when it comes to marketing, that is.

If you don’t have a marketing plan or you aren’t familiar with the process, it goes something like this. You establish your vision (that’s where you sit down and picture in your mind what your business will look like in one year).

If you haven’t tried visioning, try it. It can be VERY powerful. When we work through Step 2 in my 10stepmarketing course, I walk you through a question-and-answer exercise to create your own vision for success.

I encourage you to write your vision down because it’s like a magnet, pulling you toward success. And, it’s great to review it periodically throughout the year to keep it fresh in your mind. (It reminds you WHY you’re working so hard!)

Once you’ve created your vision, write down a few goals (specific things you want to achieve) that reflect your vision and write at least one, measurable objective. Measurable means you can easily measure whether you’ve achieved it or not, so think numbers when writing your objective.

For example, “I want 15 new clients by the end of the year.”

Once you have your goals and objective, you can create a plan to achieve them. This allows you to focus all your time, energy and money on achieving your goals, and to NOT get distracted by spending time or money on other activities. This is what I LOVE so much about having a plan. It absolutely keeps you on track to success!

So how do you guarantee your success?

By checking to see how you are progressing toward your goals and objectives AND by making adjustments as necessary. Yes, it really is that simple, but it does take some discipline.

June is a great month to do a “check-up.” You’re half-way through the year and you’ve given your marketing time to work.

So are you ready to give your business a 6-month “check-up?” so you can get back on the path to success (in case you’ve fallen off?!).

Take my 5-step Business Check-up and see how your business is doing.

(1) Update your tracking numbers

The best way to know if a marketing activity is working is to track response. I recommend keeping tabs on your tracking on a monthly basis. If you haven’t kept up, update your tracking now.

Create a simple spreadsheet to track the results for each marketing activity you’ve undertaken. For example, number of leads they have produced, or number of new clients or sales generated by each activity.

(2) Evaluate how well each marketing activity is performing

Sit down and review your tracking report. Prioritize your marketing activities, putting the most effective ones at the top of your list and the least effective ones at the bottom.

If you’ve found activities that aren’t producing results, you may want to consider dropping those activities. Make a decision to spend more time, energy or money on the activities that are producing the best results. You may even want to try new activities to replace those you drop.

(3) Check your progress toward your vision and goals

Review your vision and goals. How close are you to achieving them? If you’re at least half-way there, that’s good news! You’re on track and you can probably continue doing what your doing to achieve them by years-end.

On the other hand, if you aren’t close to half-way yet, you’ll need to evaluate why and make any necessary changes to your marketing activities, how you’re spending your time, or other aspects of your business to help get back on track.

(4) Measure your progress toward your objective

If you said you wanted to get 15 new clients this year, how many do you have so far? If you have between 7 and 9, congratulations! You’re on track. And if you continue to do business and market as you have for the past 6 months, you’ll likely achieve your goal of 15.

If however, you only have 3 or 4 new clients so far, and you don’t have a bunch of prospects in the pipeline, it’s time to re-evaluate your marketing activities. Have you been consistently implementing your plan? Or have you fallen off track a bit? Answer honestly. It’s important to distinguish between marketing that isn’t working and marketing that just isn’t getting done.

Once you determine which is the case for you, you’ll be in better position to make decisions about what you need to do to get back on track toward achieving your objective.

(5) Adjust your marketing accordingly

Once you’ve evaluated your current situation, you’ll need to make some decisions about how to move forward. If you’re on track, then keep on doing what you’re doing.

If you’ve determined that several of your marketing activities simply aren’t generating the results you had hoped for, then consider revising or dropping them from your plan, and trying something new.

If you’ve simply discovered that you haven’t stuck to your marketing plan on a consistent basis, re-commit right now to stay on track.

The good news is, you’ve still got 6 months to achieve the success you set out to achieve. Make changes NOW to guarantee your success at the end of the year. It’s in your power to achieve!

If you don’t have a marketing plan, you’re missing a key ingredient in the success of your business. Don’t know how to write one or where to start? The 10stepmarketing™ System is a great solution because its simple, question-and-answer format walks you through every step you need to take to create, implement and track your marketing plan. And, it’s guaranteed. For more information visit www.10stepmarketing.com

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Changing And Keeping Resolutions

It’s time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Year’s resolutions. There is something about the idea of being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are, as well as how we would like them to be. Yet how many times have you thought back to last year’s goals and found that many or most of them were abandoned or just forgotten after a few weeks or months into the year?

Many of us have difficulty following through on our resolutions due to factors such as choosing unrealistic goals, not making them challenging enough and/or lacking the necessary motivation to stick with them. The following tips should help put you on the right course and assist you in staying committed to your most important goals for 2006.

Start with a life vision

If you don’t know what you want your future to look like, how can you decide what areas of your life need to be worked on? Spend some quiet time TODAY reflecting on (and writing down) what is good, bad or incomplete. Then try to see your life if all of these areas were addressed and had become satisfactory to you.

Get organized

Clear away clutter. Go through paperwork, files, old bills and receipts, closets, drawers and storage containers. Decide what you need and will use and either throw out or give away all the rest. Put aside some time each week for this purpose. After you have cleaned out you can think about your existing systems for management and storage and see if these need reworking or just some fine-tuning. Keep ONE calendar to record all appointments, events, etc. Write down everything- don’t rely on memory.

Expand your horizons and make a commitment to learning something new.

Challenging yourself will infuse you with greater energy and sense of purpose. It will help build your self-esteem to realize you really are capable of more than you had previously believed. This new learning can also give you additional resources to assist you in your career, personal or love life.

Set challenging but realistic resolutions

Choose goals that stretch your ability muscles, yet are realistic and therefore less vulnerable to failure. Don’t respond to that negative inner voice that says; oh, I’m not capable of that. Instead, focus on what you truly desire for your life and relationships and let this be your guide.

Write down your resolutions

Write them down and stick them on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your car dashboard, your desk or wherever you know will be a good place for you to see them. You can also show them to a good friend, family member, your coach or anyone who could provide support and encouragement.

Create action steps for each resolution; write them down, and keep an accounting of your progress for each.

A resolution without planned action is doomed to failure. Break each goal down into small action steps or objectives. Putting a date for completion will help ensure you follow through. Come up with an accountability system that will work for you. Make sure you check off each accomplishment as you go and be flexible and willing to make adjustments in your action steps in order to achieve your desired end results.

Take care of yourself; eat well. Exercise regularly and learn to control and eliminate unhealthy stress.

I know this is an obvious one, so why is it often ignored or overlooked when we are attempting to make important life changes? How many times have you said, I don’t have the time to eat right, exercise, sleep adequately, etc? Not caring for yourself will guarantee failure. So, why not make this your first and most important resolution for 2006?

Work to eliminate bad habits

Including this as a New Year’s resolution would put you on the road to good follow-through. Bad habits will sabotage your efforts and use up your limited resources of time, energy and focus. For each bad habit you decide to eliminate, have a good habit in mind to replace it with.

Set appropriate and healthy limits in all areas of your life

Knowing your limits and enforcing them with yourself and others is a prerequisite to a healthy life and relationship. Learn to say no and enough and be firm in your resolve that this is a good thing to do. Otherwise, you will also be undermining your resolution to take care of yourself.

Work to be the kind of person you want to be with

Bringing out the best qualities in yourself will help to ensure that you attract people of good quality into your life. You wouldn’t want to compromise on the standards you have set for a potential mate. Therefore, it’s important to understand that this also holds true for other people in search of relationships.

Now begin this year with the resolve to be the person you know you have the potential to be. You’ll be pleased with the wonderful changes that await you!

Keep Your Attention On What You Want

Have you ever wondered: “How does this ‘Law of Attraction’ really work? Can I really attract only what I want?”

You Can! It requires you to make many conscious choices. Most of the time it seems much easier to notice what we don’t like or want and to focus by complaining about that. The ***trick*** is to become clear about what DO you want and to keep your attention on THAT!

I’ll share a personal story that will demonstrate how the Law of Attraction works in every day life:

I am going to move to the west coast soon. Having lived on the Canadian prairies for more than 30 years, the prospect of returning to a warmer climate is bringing me much joy!

I am keeping my attention on where I want to live. In fact, I just visited the city I have my attention on, did a whirlwind tour with a realtor and found the ideal area I want to live in.

In the old days, I would be focused on (obsessed with) my current situation and what I need to do to change the “reality” of where I am right now. But according to the Law of Attraction, placing my attention on what I do NOT want would bring more of THAT into my life.

It is so much more fun to think about where I am wanting to live. I took a walk along the ocean and discovered some special stones which I brought back to Saskatchewan. These stones are now arranged in a small bowl next to my computer monitor where I can see them all day long. They provide a good focal point for keeping my attention upon where I want to be.

I have placed sea shells and starfish throughout my house as reminders of the ocean–where I am wanting to live. There are sea shells in the bathroom, along the bath tub and next to the sink. In the kitchen, I arranged sea shells in a dish and placed them on a counter top where I can’t miss seeing them. I’ve placed sea shells and a starfish IN my bed, so that if I awaken during the night, I can reach for them and remind myself of where I am wanting to be.

More and more I am daydreaming about my new location. While I was physically there, I made many mental pictures–pictures of myself shopping or having coffee at a sidewalk cafe or entertaining friends in my new condo–pictures of everyday life as I want to be living it.

At first, when I told people about my upcoming move, I felt uncertain and tentative about my decision. That’s normal. We are only comfortable with what we know already…anything new or unexperienced will feel strange–until the “new and unexperienced” becomes so normal and real in our minds that the Universe just HAS to give it to us.

In fact, that is all the Universe is waiting for–for you to spend so much time living the life you want in your mind that the ONLY thing left is to give you the life you are wanting!

In closing, bring to mind something that you are desiring…close your eyes and picture yourself actually enjoying what you are wanting. Engage all your senses–pretend to smell it or taste it. What would it physically feel like? That’s the first step in deliberately attracting what you REALLY want!

Personal Goals that Inspire and Motivate

Are you feeling motivated to set some strong goals for this year? Write down those New Year’s resolutions and get going, right? Most people write down lofty resolutions that they think they should want and rarely stick to them, losing motivation and focus within three weeks of their “good intentions.”

This is a brand new year of limitless possibilities. Do you want to:

Increase your income?
Write a book?
Attract a relationship?
Start a new business?
Become a professional speaker?
Have more personal time?
Take a really great vacation?

I’ve got a gut feeling it’s going to be a GREAT year, a BIG SUCCESS year. So, forget writing down resolutions. They don’t work. In fact, the whole idea doesn’t really inspire action. So, let’s change that.

Start thinking about 3-5 things you want, really want for yourself this year. Not what you should want, or what you think would please others. Dream a little. Think big. What are you passionate about? Entertain several ideas that make you smile, excite you, make you giggle, make you feel really good inside, no holds barred. Remove all mental barriers to holding these ideas clearly in your mind.

Now, put your attention fully on one of the things you want for yourself this year. Visualize and see yourself already there, living it! Creative visialization is a powerful tool of attraction.Our minds cannot tell the difference between something real and something intensely imagined. Hold that picture in your mind. (Do this daily!)

Does this picture excite you – make you want to have it?

How would your life change if you got (achieved) this one thing you really want?

What would you have in your life that you don’t have now?

Now, the next step is very important. You must decide to go for it. Choose to have what you really want NOW, not someday or tomorrow. NOW. Say YES to yourself instead of saying no. Making the decision fuels your intent to take action.

3 Tips to Get on Track

1. On paper, clearly describe the 3-5 things you really want. I suggest using statements beginning with the phrase ” I intend to” vs. I want, I hope for, I wish to, I’d like, I desire etc. (too wishy-washy). Taking a stand with strong definitive statements reflects your commitment to succeed. (This first step is important in creating your road map to achieving your goals. If you don’t define the results you want, how do you know where you’re going?). Feel like being creative? Make a collage or dream board for a visual aid in keeping your focus.

2. Moving forward, break down your action steps into smaller steps over a shorter time period like 30 days. For example: your goal is to increase your income, your first step may be to explore options to generate more money. Another step may be to look at your skills and talents for further ideas. A third step may be choosing something you have always wanted to do, something that you love that has the potential for additional income. Maybe it’s a total change of career. The first month may be devoted to doing research and personal exploration.

3. Identify potential obstacles and struggles that could prevent you from reaching your goals. Develop strategies to keep yourself motivated and focused such as reading and listening to positive materials, surrounding yourself with encouraging, uplifting people, joining a mastermind group. HIRE A COACH! Note: let go of using the “money excuse” that you can’t afford to get what you want. Invest in your success. It costs money to make money. How much do you think NO is costing you to stay where you are?

5 Tips to Stay on Track

1. Resolve unfinished business. Either clear the past ( make apolgies, speak your mind, forgive someone or yourself) and let it go.

2. Stay strong if you’re feeling FEAR. Bring your attention back to the present. Fear creates uncertainty, worrisome and anxiety producing thoughts. (“What if” thinking, Am I going to be okay?) Fear looks at the future and worse case scenarios. Focus on past successes for confidence.

3. Eliminate negativity. Notice the chatter in your head. How do your emotions speak to you inside? What you think affects how you view a situation. Ever heard the phrase self-fulfilling prophecy? Your viewpoint affects your decisions and actions; therefore your attitude directly affects the outcome. Take a look at the people you associate with. Are they uplifting or do they bring you down? Be selective about who you’re with, being around consistently negative or fearful people is draining and disheartening.

4. Keep up your self-care. Taking good care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is a key factor in staying strong and focused under pressure.

5. Celebrate along the way. Taking the time to recognize measurable successes motivates continual commitment to your goals.

“The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.” Jim Rohn

How to Set Effective Goals

In this article, I will be sharing with you the secrets to set effective goals that will guarantee your success. I wish you can apply it into your own goals setting. and wish all your goals come true.

So what is a goal? In my previous issues, I talked a lot about quantum creation , and manifestation. You have already know that the universe will always obey your order, take your instruction and turn it into the exact things you want. Believe it or not, you are creating all the time, the only difference is some of your creations are unconscious, and some are conscious. Unfortunately, most of our unconscious creation are not what we truly want, as a result, we are consistently creating what we don’t want, and end up with an unhappy life. A goal is something that helps you eliminate unconscious creation, and turns it into conscious creation. A goal is the order, or the command that you send out to the universe consciously, and as a result, you will get what you consciously want, and ultimately the ideal life that you enjoy living.

The process of goals setting is to help you get clear about want you truly want, turn your unconscious goals in to conscious goals so that you will be able to literally design your own life and have absolute control about your life.

You may have heard a lot about goals setting, and tried many types of goals setting programs. but most of them fail, The reason is not because the programs don’t work, the reason is because of your own beliefs and thinking. I can tell you any goals setting program works, even the most simple one, just by writing down your goals, you can achieve them. Why some people come out from a goals setting workshop with great result, but others with little or no results. This leads to today’s topic, what makes a goal effective?

What makes a goal effective?

First , your goals must be in harmony with your higher purpose. I believe that we all have a purpose in our life, this purpose has already be chosen even before we were born. Do you find yourself have some special talent, something that you enjoy to do , and you can it effortlessly, but others find it difficult? Do you find there is something that you enjoy doing so much such that the whole world suddenly disappear, the only thing exists is you and the things you are doing. At those moments, you are on purpose. Whenever you are in harmony with your purpose, you fell joy and happiness. A most effective goal must be in harmony with your purpose, this is the only way to ensure that you not only achieve your goal, but also enjoy the process. The The process become enjoyable, and you also feel the fulfillment. Yes you can achieve your goals without being in harmony with your purpose, but you will never feel successful even you have all the accomplishments, and all the achievement. The easiest way to find your purpose is to pay attention to what you are good at, and what you are enjoy to do. If you can’t find it yourself, ask your parents, ask your friends, ask your families. Everyone have a special talent, that is the reason you come to this planet.

Secondly, Your goals must be beneficial to the world. I am not trying to make myself honorable, but this is true, unless you goals are beneficial to others, you will not find anyone to corporate with you, the universe will also not work to your advantage. A selfish goal will never make it big. You can see from the biggest success in the world, all these people had a mission to make others life better, to help the world become a better place. How much better our life have become because of the computer? This makes Bill Gates become the richest man in the world. The more beneficial your goal is to others, the more value it will produce, and the more achievable it will become.

Thirdly, your goals must be supported by your own subconscious beliefs. Do you have an experience that you set a goal, and you did everything to make it happen, and at the last minute something happened, and it destroyed everything, your desires suddenly disappeared, and you went back to your comfortable zone? I did have this kind of experience, I did not know why until I realized that I was holding some subconscious beliefs that are contradictive to my goals. That means I wanted something, but my subconscious mind didn’t. Your contradictive subconscious beliefs will create negative blocks that are extremely hard to break, this is why a simple task sometimes becomes very big in your mind, you dare not to take any action. An effective goal must be in harmony with your current subconscious beliefs. You beliefs can change overtime due to your experience and the books you read, but you can never achieve anything that is bigger than your current beliefs. If your belief says that you can only make $1000 per month, you don’t set a goal of making $1 million dollar per month. Set a goal that is believable to your subconscious mind, once you have done $1000 dollar again and again, and you are so comfortable with it, your subconscious mind will start to believe the possibility to make $10,0000 dollars per month, and your goals will grow bigger and bigger from there.

How to test whether your goal is supported by your subconscious beliefs or not? I learned a simple test from Dr Robert Anthony, the legendary peak performance expert. The test is very simple, you draw a vertical line on a blank piece of paper, on one side, you write Yes, and on another, write no. Take a piece of string, tie something on one end to make an pendulum, hold your pendulum directly above the vertical line. Ask yourself the question ” Can I achieve the goal of …”. If you subconscious mind thinks it is possible, your pendulum will go to the yes side, and if not, it will go to the no side. I just want you to know that your subconscious mind does not always agree with your conscious mind. This test can only be used as a guide, don’t rely too much on the result you see from this test, because it won’t be 100% accurate if you only use it once or twice. Dr Robert Anthony has discussed in details about the conscious and subconscious contradictions in his audio program “Know How to Be Rich”, I am amazed by his deep understanding of the human mind and the universal laws.

Fourthly, goals must be exact. As I have said that your goal was the command you send to the universe, so for the universe to be able to execute your command, it must understand exactly what you mean. ” I want more money” is only a wish, not a goal. The universe could not know what you want if you just tell it “I want more money”, OK, you want more money, here is one cent, take it. Since you want more money, one cent more is also more. The universe does not know how to fulfill your desire if you don’t tell it exactly. A real goal is something like this ” I intend to manifest $10,000 dollars by 31 Jan 2009″,” I intent to set up my company by 1 March 2009″. Don’t confuse the universe by an unclear goal. Ask for something specific, and the universe will end up giving you the specific result.

The fifth element for an effective goal is that your goals must be compelling enough so that it will trigger your emotions every time you think about them. Emotion creates motivation, motivation leads to action, and action will give you result. How much result you get depends on the quality of your emotion. Positive emotion create positive results, negative emotion creates negative results. From scientific point of view, positive emotion sends out positive vibration, and will attract back positive results with the same vibration frequency. Be careful how you feel, because you are creating the same results as you feel.

I hope this article gives you some ideas how to make an effective goal, and you may want to modify a bit your goals to make them more effective. Wish all you goals come true

Figure Out the Pebble in Your Shoe

“By asking for the impossible, we obtain the best possible.” ~ Italian saying

If you are serious about achieving a more meaningful life then you’ll need a new perspective for viewing your life and your career. The following exercise is a new method for going through your day and your week. It’s a new sense of being alive being responsible, being at choice, and being the architect in your life.

Tomorrow, you’ll be totally conscious about everything you do, see, say, feel, smell, taste, and who you are being. Use your notebook, journal or computer file to capture notes, thoughts, and insights.

Exercise: A Totally Conscious Day

Notice everything! Write down your observations using 1-2 words or several sentences. There is no wrong or right way to do it.

As soon as you wake up, notice the first thoughts that enter your mind. Write them down. Go into the bathroom. Look into the mirror. Look into your eyes. Really look! Smile. Spend a minute looking into your eyes. Smile goodbye. Write down feelings or thoughts you experienced.

As you get ready for work, notice everything the rhythm of brushing your teeth, brushing your hair, the motion your arm makes as you stroke on your makeup, etc. Write down any thoughts or describe any pictures that come to mind.

On your way to work, notice your surroundings. What are the buildings like? What does your route to work smell like? Can you smell the restaurants, factories, etc? Do you smell trees in bloom? As you get closer to work, what sensations do you notice in your body? Write down every observation.

When the day is over, spend a few quiet minutes in bed reading your notes. Do you remember things you didn’t capture before? Write them down in a different color pen than your notes from earlier in the day. Finally, spend five minutes writing your impressions of what you captured and what you experienced being totally conscious.

This exercise provides a lot of perspective and insight, but you have to actually DO it not just read the directions and say, “That sounds like a great idea. I’ll try it later.” It’s really important to “get clear.”

This first step is critical to your success. If you make the decision to become conscious to become completely aware of what is really going on you become aware of what it is that you really want. We often become excited after participating in a workshop, attending a seminar or reading a book. We think, “Oh, this is it. This is the thing that’s going to change my life.” However, we don’t make the decision to start, to take action. Or we may think that by simply reading a book, it will somehow magically change our lives: “The information is going to float over me and my life is going to be different.”

When the pebble in our shoe bugs us enough, we pick up a book or attend a seminar. We briefly take off our shoe. We enjoy the comfort of the idea of not traveling with the pebble in our shoe anymore.

When the seminar or book is finished, we put our shoe back on over the pebble. Then we start our journey again. We feel a little lighter and more enthusiastic, because of encountering new material. So the pebble is barely noticeable. However, we never made a decision a conscious choice to remove the pebble or get shoes that keep the pebble from falling back in again.

We never really get started.

Whether you know what you want to do or no longer want that quiet, nag pebble in your shoe the realization that you need to make a change and take action is a great place to be. When you make the decision to move forward, it’s truly a momentous occasion. Today, you are finally awake.

Create Anything You Want With These 7 Secrets To Goal-Setting

Why is it that some people set goals and give up on them while others set goals and achieve them with amazing ease? The answer almost certainly lies in applying the following 7 secrets of goal-setting.

<b>1. Start With Your Strengths. </b>Although you can base your goals on anything you want, your chances of success are greater if, first, you base them on your strengths and second, on the current opportunities in your field. To find out your strengths, do some self-research, such as a personal SWOT: your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

<b>2. Put Your Goals In Writing. </b>Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants, can’ts into cans, dreams into plans and plans into reality. The act of writing clarifies your goals and provides you with a way to check your progress. You can even add reasons to give you more motivation. So don’t just think it – ink it!

<b>3. Dream Big. </b>One of the factors that restricts the realisation of our full potential is the belief that we shouldn’t go for big goals. Yet all the evidence of those who realize big goals is that we can always achieve far more than we think. David Schwartz says in his book “The Magic of Thinking Big”: “Big goals attract big resources like a magnet.”

<b>4. Pitch Each Goal. </b>Once you have set your ultimate goal, you then need to set the intermediate goals that will get you where you want. Don’t pitch these too easily or too ambitiously or they will drop into the Drop Zone. Aim to make them challenging: out of reach, but not out of sight.

<b>5. Express Them Right. </b>It’s important to express your goals in the right way.
• never express your goal in terms of what you don’t want; always in terms of what you do want
• express your goals in performance terms not reward terms
• express your goals in terms of how others benefit
• express your goals according to the principles which matter.

<b>6. Set Goals In Terms of Behaviour. </b>When we set goals for ourselves, they should be expressed in behavioural terms, rather than in terms of status, rewards or position. That’s because behaviour is something within our power, while status, rewards and position are not. Formulating goals in behavioural terms also means we present a strong positive image of ourselves to our brains. The brain, not knowing the difference between a real or imagined experience, then seeks to act in accordance with the presented image.

<b>7. Pursue Your Goals With Passion. </b>The driving force behind your goal-achievement is Desire. You must desire your goals constantly, vividly and with a burning passion. If you do, you cannot fail to achieve them. It was said of Michaelangelo that he could blot out every distraction while working on a project such as the statue of David, until it was completed.

When you pursue your goals with these 7 habits, you’ll be amazed at how quickly they manifest themselves and how much more enjoyable the process becomes.