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 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, 2006 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 2006 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 2006.