Goals

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

-Aristotle

If you like your life and want to tweak it a little, goal setting is essential. If your life is due for sweeping changes, then goals setting is essential.

Goals are the foundation of personal growth. They represent the journey and the destination. In soccer or hockey you get it into the net and it is a goal. It is both the process of playing the game and the object to winning the game.

Without goals you can live a nice life. But good luck. Better hope the wind of fate just happen to blow you toward a sheltered port in the inevitable storm. Still, you have to ask yourself , why bob on the water aimlessly when you can trim the sails and set a course that’s direct and true.

I’m always amazed at the number people I meet who tell me they have never had a goal in their life. Never once set a goal. I get excited about introducing them to the concept, because I know that with goal, they can make huge strides in their lives.

With goals, every sunrise can mark a new beginning. The only question is when to start? Well, you already have started. Earlier you jotted down a couple of paragraphs detailing your ideal life. Why not create goals that get you there? So now let’s devise a series of steps that will help take you to your ideal life. Each step is a goal.

Let’s pause for a second. You may be one of those folks whose eyes glaze over about now. Self-help books are always hyping goals aren’t they? You may not like the added structure in your life. Too much pressure. You want to live free and easy.

All we can say is please stay with us. We’re not going to hold your feet to the fire by forcing you commit to an enormous goal you’ll never reach. It’s a process. We take it one step at a time. Remember, you are setting you own goals. This is a game you can win.

Let’s start by getting your feet wet with a small goal. It’s stunning how easy and satisfying it can be. The following goal is one that’s beneficial even if you’ve been a goal setter your entire life.

Exercise:

Your goal today is to call, talk or write to any one person who has recently, or ever assisted you in any way. Your goal is to let them know how much you appreciate their help, advice, compliment, present, or dead. Your time frame is by the end of the day today.

Take out a piece of paper or your Your Personal Journey notes and write your goals. I am calling “so and so” to express my appreciation by the end of today. When you’ve accomplished your goal, please feel free to put a bug check mark across the goal. You’ve done it. Mission Accomplished. Notice how empowered you feel. Notice the touching reaction you probably got from the person you contacted? Win win.

How does an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How does a person totally transform their life? By achieving one small goal after another. You have now taken a step toward success. With every goal achieved you gain that much more power and momentum. The key is to keep stretching further with each new goal.

Choose a goal wisely. It should be a part of an overall plan. It should reflect your heartfelt passion and your vision for the future. If you’re not sure what you want out of life, then it’s time to take inventory.

Lets talk about the proper way to set goals.

1. Short Term Goals of the day, one week or one month, should be pretty straightforward. It should be probable that they can be achieved within the time-frame you set.
2. Medium Term Goals, anywhere from ninety days to six months, require a little stretching. Approach the upper limits of your zone, bordering on your failure zone.
3. Long Term Goal of a year or more are set to challenge your current belief system. These goals should scare you. You’ll have no idea how to accomplish the goal.

When a young bird is pushed from the nest for the first time, it has no idea how to fly. But with the ground rushing up, the bird starts furiously flapping it’s wings and a little miracle happens. Once you get off the ground and attain a long-term goal. Immediately set another long-term goal. Your new view of the horizon will look a whole lot different.

4. Goals are measurable and specific. They must have completion date. If your goal is to buy a new car for instance, your goal would include the make and model, options, even the color inside and out. Test drive the car and perhaps even snap a picture of yourself behind the wheel. Know exactly what it will cost and tell the sales person the date you will be back to take possession.
5. Write goals in the present tense as if it is actually happening at the time of your writing. For example, here is a five-year goal for a 28 year-old single man: I am moving into a modern, three bedroom home I just purchase with my gorgeous, loving wife. The big yard is a great place for our two young children to play.
6. Work toward your goal until the last minute of the last hour of your deadline. This is of utmost importance. It is not uncommon for a series of goals enabling events to fall into place at the very last possible minute. Even if it appears all hope is lost, never give up.
7. Time has run out. Once in awhile it happens. You didn’t accomplish your goal. A little disappointment is natural, but always remember, striving for a goal is every bit as important as it ultimate achievement. Review your steps. Determine what could have been done differently to assist in setting your next goal. Don’t be discouraged. Acknowledge the progress and congratulate yourself for the effort you put forth. You can’t win them all.
8. Don’t force it. It is mistake to “try too hard.’ Relax , concentrate and focus on the process of achieving your goal. Be aware of the desired result but do not obsess on the outcome. Perform the necessary steps with confidence and faith in your pursuit of the goal. Literally see the goal achieved as if it was destined. But remove yourself slightly from the end result. Excessive emotional attachment to results can actually undercut progress toward achievement.

Exercise: Journal Code: GOL

Set your term, medium term and long term goals. Write them out on your Your Personal Journey goal cards. Keep them with you. Write about them in your journal. Refer to them at least once every morning and before bedtime.

Think Big. By setting a goal with a grand purpose, or an inspired or lofty achievement, your mind is forced to race beyond it normal boundaries.

Visualization

Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it.

Make your mental blue print, and begin to build.

This is a technique that has been used by successful athletes, actors, politicians, and businessmen. And it offers startling results. Visualization ties your imagination to reality.

Visualization is nothing more than using your imagination. Inside your mind you are creating a picture or a little film of yourself in a place you want to be, doing what you want to do, having what you want to have. A visualization is normally quite pleasant. You can actually make the object of your visualization seem very real. You can almost see, hear, smell, touch or taste it.

It’s good idea to begin visualizing after shifting our minds into a relaxing state. During the section “Be conscious of your Consciousness,” we took ourselves through an exercise repeating the phrase. “Every in every way I’m getting better and better.” This is the perfect warm –up exercise for a visualization. After you finish repeating the phrase around 20 times, allow your mind to settle, and then begin. Here are the steps to follow.

1. determine what you want to visualize. Skydiving from an airplane. Meeting a long, lost relative. Finding your dream home. Winning a big account.
2. Find a soothing, quiet spot where you can take a deep breath, relax, and concentrate inward.
3. Once you feel your mind turning from without to within, spend several minutes running a vivid film of your imagined reality before your eyes. Feel the visualization as if it’s happening all around you in real time. Don’t let it end until you are ready. Keep your mind focused.

A visualization plows the ground for goals. We pour energy into our goals like concrete into a foundation. The structure you build upon the foundation is the successful realization of your goals.

But this is crucial. You will not experience results unless you imprint the visualization over and over into your mind. It may take months of rewinding and repeating that same little movie in your head to evoke the desired effect. Think of it this way, by the time your visualization becomes reality you will not be surprised. It will feel as if you expected it, as if you’ve already achieved to reality. And be prepared. If for instance you were visualizing a new home you wanted, you may be astonished to find that the house you do find will closely, maybe even exactly match your vision. And by the time you move in, it may even feel anti-climactic. It may seem like you had already taken possession moths before when your visualizations began. It is that powerful!!

Practiced sporadically, visualizations can be a pleasant diversion, like daydreaming. But when practiced vividly and practiced daily without exception, it acts as a powerful tool, drawing you toward the achievement of any goal. Repetition is the key.

Here is a tip. Visualization are turbocharged when you not only picture them in your mind, but also add sights, sounds and emotions. Engage all of your senses and your feelings in a visualization. In a film, if the actors just walking through the senses, going through the motion and lamely reciting the dialogue it would not have much power to engage its audience. Add a dynamic soundtrack. Act out your visualization in your mind. Feel your heart race, shed tears of joy, tenderly touch, smile broadly, give the performance of your life! Why not, it’s all inside your head anyways…at least for now.

Exercise: Journal Code: VIZ

Spend 5 – 10 minutes visualizing at least once per day. And write about them in your journal. If you are visualizing a new home for instance, sketch out the floor plan in your journal. Where would the kitchen be? Do you want a big deck out side? Make your thoughts real by bringing them into a physical form.  

Affirmations

The first and most fundamental thing in achieving what you really want out of life is just simply saying it.

This is a practice that is no muss or fuss. It’s as simple as it sounds. Say what you want. Either silently or aloud. Do it anywhere or any time. Write down who you want to be. Utilize your sticky pads! Put them where you can see them regularly. Surround yourself with positive affirmations and positive results will begin to emerge. It really is that simple.

If your mind is convinced you are a great writer, or the best mother, or an ‘A’ student, your behavior will begin to support that conviction. It is easiest to attain a goal when you begin your quest with the end result already ingrained in your mind.

Affirmations work as place holders for positive, supportive thoughts. Your mind can only entertain one thought at a time. An affirmation fills that slot with a specifically targeted belief that furthers your goals.

Affirmations are portable, so they can be utilized anywhere, anytime for specific purposes. Say you have a job interview. You are sitting in the waiting room feeling confident. All of a sudden it hits you. “This is a job that could make or break my career. I really want this.” Now, the nerves start to set in. You begin to sweat. You have butterflies. Affirmations to the rescue. Simply repeat to yourself. ‘I am confident and relaxed. I am confident and relaxed.” Say it to yourself repeatedly and with meaning. ‘It is my best interview ever. It is my best interview ever.” Take a deep breath. You will notice that you suddenly regain your posture and begin to feel more comfortable and confident. Clear your mind of doubt and absolutely know you are about to ace the interview. Crisis averted.

Of course there are few suggestions to get the most from affirmations.

1. Affirmations are always made as positive statements and usually in the present tense.

Do Say: I am passing this test.

Don’t Say: I’m not flunking this test.

2. Keep affirmations short and to the point.

Attempt to affirm the following sentence. “ My speech is going great because people see me as a leader with charisma so they get my jokes and take my words with the weight of the wisdom that they truly are.

Did you understand all the nuances at first glance? As a desired outcome, it is a lot for your mind to absorb. It becomes over kill.

Keep it simple. It is more effective.

3. Affirmations work, even if your don’t believe them.

How great is that? By simply repeating the affirmation, without trying to force yourself to believe it, your conscious mind will still accept the implications. They are then transferred into the subconscious mind where they become ingrained as fact.

As an example, let’s say you are always late arriving at appointments, work, social events, everything. You decide to affirm: ‘I am always punctual.” Your mind at first will answer back, no I’m not. I’m late for everything. But ignore that and continue to affirm “I am always punctual.” With the repeated insistence of the affirmation, your mind will take it on. You’ve begun a chain reaction by changing your way of thinking. Your behavior will change accordingly. You’ll start to become more keenly aware that time is running short before a schedule appointment. You may become a better judge at the length of time a task will take so that you can better estimate and budget your time. Your emotions may start to escalate when you are in danger to being tardy. In essence, your mind begins to implement the appropriate measures that will ensure you are punctual.

Be cautious that you don’t unknowingly use affirmations to undercut your goals. Sometime when we react to negative events, we take them on by commenting on them.

I am so stupid. I am sorry, I am an awful cook. I am uncoordinated.

Everyone makes mistakes. But affirming that the mistakes are part of who you are, you can actually make them constants in your life.

Exercise: Journal Code: AFM

Start each day by looking at your calendar, evaluating your day and deciding an affirmation that will be of benefit to the events you have planned. Repeat the affirmation throughout the day. Do this each day. Write down the various affirmations you have utilized in your journal and note which have has the most impact. Also take note of the way an affirmation can affect the way you are feeling.

Acknowledging

Are you guilty of this? Are you the first one to notice your own flaws? Are you the last to acknowledge your achievements? Well don’t (continue) to beat yourself up. This is very common.

Early on, we are taught that someone who is “stuck up” or full of themselves” or “on an ego trip” is a jerk. We’ll often hide the pride we feel after having succeeded grandly. We are conditioned generally not celebrate our wins or even acknowledge when we’ve been very good.

We are certainly never tempted to rub our successes in the faces of those we’ve vanquished, right? That would be considered bad sportmanship.

But ignoring our own accomplishments or refraining from the occasional pat on the back, is a beg waste of energy surrounding a success. We’ve all seen success energy. It is almost an explosion. A team wine the World Series and they all run and pile on top of each other. A basketball player sinks a winning shot at the buzzer and lifts his arms in triumph. The world loves a winner, so don’t be afraid to acknowledge your success to your self or to others.

Having conquered one achievement, we often move right on to the next. Focusing on the next step on the ladder, or the next milestone in our goal. As our new desires become the focus, we can lose touch with the vibration of success we felt after our last win.

A good thing to do is to create a book of your wins. You can even use scrapbook or a photo album to document wins. It’s good to include a picture or any other memento along with a written description of what it took to achieve this win. Also note how you feel about your accomplishment. Imagine the stored energy inside this book of wins. It will be available to revel in each time the pages are opened. Of course, we are not suggesting you endlessly wallow in past glories, but it is important to recall the impact your wins had on your life.

And why stop with your wins? Sometimes we make progress slowly and steadily. It is progress nonetheless. Take the time to look at what you have gained, how you have grown, what the cumulative effect of your accomplishments in life have brought to you and to those around you.

By constantly focusing on what we still have to attain, we put out an unconscious message to our brains that we are lacking. To counteract that, it is worthwhile to focus, from time to time, on our victories and achievements. Create a vibration of success in the present tat is vital for attracting further success.

Exercise: Journal Code: AKN

Take just a few minutes after your morning visualization session to acknowledge the blessings all around you. And don’t stop with the obvious. Look deeply for the little miracles in life that have made you thankful. This is a give and get world. When you get, give back thanks in return and it will keep the cycle of energy flowing around you.

Exercise:

Acknowledging is also a good way to provide support during the process of achieving your specific goals. Once you have established a goal, it is advisable to list the qualities you already posses which will help you attain your objective. What do you bring to the party? Make your list long. Refer t it often.

Within us, we have the power to change and improve our reality. By mastering techniques that utilize the unique power of the mind, we can create and control our own consciousness. And our consciousness can literally turn our thoughts into physical reality.

The Subconscious Mind

Subconscious Mind

Up unit this point we’ve really focused on the conscious mind. It is easy to relate to this part of our mental capacity. The conscious mind is the part of our brain that deals with our daily reality.

But there is a second mind you’ve also probably heard about: the subconscious mind. It operates simultaneously and in conjunction with the conscious mind, yet functions quite differently. Test your own knowledge of the subconscious.

How far back does your memory go?

What percentage of brainpower do you use on a daily basis?

Body functions operate independently of our conscious minds. True or False?

In making a tough decision, people often advise, “go with your gut.” They are referring to your subconscious.

The subconscious mind carefully evaluates all information it encounters. True or False?

Read on for the answers.

The subconscious mind, your subconscious mind, is your closest friend, loyal ally and most trusted advisor. Learning how to access, connect, program and response to the subconscious mind gives us the ability to rise above the fray of everyday living, and achieve another level of greatness. The subconscious mind is where our unlimited power lies.

The general consensus is that we use about 1% of our brainpower. But before you say that seems like a really low estimate, consider this. Some researchers insist it is really a much smaller fraction, one-thousandth of a percentage point or even less. That would mean we have a mind-boggling brain capacity. That brainpower is to be found in the subconscious.

Our normal body functions, the ones we don’t really think about, are all controlled by the subconscious mind. Our hearts beat and lungs breathe and nerves fire without any conscious effort. But our mind controlling and regulating these vast functions that are keeping us alive. Can you imagine it any other way? If the conscious mind controlled body functions, then after you had a meal you would literally have to concentrate on your stomach to begin digesting your food. You’d also be putting a tremendous effect into sending blood through each and ever vein. You see that we’d never get anything done. Think of it this way: if our subconscious didn’t control our bodily functions then as soon as we lost consciousness, like when we sleep, we would die. Can you imagine? You sleep, you die! That is how important our subconscious mind is to our body.

Most of us don’t have much of a memory before the age of 4 – 5. And some of us can’t even remember what we had for breakfast this morning. But etched in our subconscious mind is every event, every single thing we’ve every said or done, read or seen, heard or even overheard. Each and every ache or pain. They’re all inscribed in detail, in our subconscious minds. That’s pretty impressive. But there’s more. The subconscious mind is responsible for intuition and creativity. Even dreams emerge from your subconscious mind. The subconscious offers us guidance and ‘gut reactions.”

Not done yet. There’s another function of our ever-active subconscious mind that is even less understood. Have you ever heard the phrase “we are all one?” Through the power of focused thought, the subconscious mind is able to transmit and receive thoughts that connect us all in integral way.

Finally, the subconscious is able to direct our thought, desires, and purpose. When focused with regular and heart felt repetition and set in motion through synchronicity, a transformation of thought energy can transform into physical reality.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, you reap what you sow. That bit of wisdom, passed on through the ages, describes the interaction between the conscious and the subconscious. The subconscious has been likened to a fertile garden. The conscious mind, its gardener. Whether you know it or not, you intensely felt thought and beliefs are the seeds that you are planting. So be very careful what you place in your head. Good thoughts or bad thoughts can be the difference between a garden filled with weeds, or one overflowing with roses. You seeds, your thoughts, absolutely will and so make the difference.

This is how our two minds work together. The conscious mind is the evaluator, the instigator. It can discern right from wrong, lie from truth, beauty from beast. In the previous example, it is the conscious, “the gardener” creating the type of garden, choosing which flowers, which colors, which texture make the most striking combination.

The subconscious mind “the garden” will accept any passionately felt thought or belief. Whatever “seed” is pressed upon it. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or false, positive or negative. The subconscious is unable to evaluate, as the conscious mind is able to do.

It is a provider. A plowed field can’t determine what it will grow. It simply waits for the seeds to be planted in it’s midst, eager to nourish them and provide to gardener with splendid bounty.

The point is that the conscious and subconscious work in tandem but are absolutely dependent upon each other. The soil is at the mercy of the gardener. If the gardener has acute vision, creativity, a love of beauty and willingness to carefully tend the garden, then the soil will provide an exquisite out growth of his vision and care. Neglect the garden and return is a dusty patch of dirt and weeds.

Likewise the gardener is reliant upon soil. Plants roses on rocks and you still have rocks. He is gardener with no garden. Without the resource of the soil, he cannot nurture his vision into a reality.

Positive and Negative Energy

Energy is everything and everything is energy.

That is more than just a catchy phrase. It is full of meaning. If you could look through the most powerful electron microscope and examine a rock, you would see a perfect example. The closer you look at the rock, the more movement you would begin to see. Eventually, the matter is broken down into atoms. The rock becomes a swirling, orbiting mass of constantly moving atomic energy. It is the same for every single thing. In their most basic form, all objects, all people, all everything is nothing more than energy.

Thought are also energy. In physics, they like to say. “Like energy attracts.” It means one type of energy is drawn to a similar type of energy. So, positive thoughts attract more positive energy. And of course negative thoughts attract more negative energy. You’ve seen it happen.

It takes a gentleman to suffer ignorance and smile,

If you are a cynical, angry, negative person now, take a look at what negativity has brought into your life. Can you honestly say, “the more negative I am, the better my life becomes?”

Describe people overflowing with positive energy.

1.

2.

3.

Describe the traits of super negative people>

1.

2.

3.

Why would anyone consciously choose to be in the second group? They don’t sound like any fun to be with or around. The positive people are leaders. They set examples. They don’t have time to complain. They are too busy moving forward with rewarding activities.

Do yourself and the world a favor. Blanket yourself in positive thoughts and positive energy. Just that single effort could change your life from one of frustration and anger to one filled with optimism and opportunity.

Remember, it’s easier to see what is wrong in the world than truly appreciate what is right. It may take some training, but start by seeing what you want for yourself and those you love, and simply expect it to happen.

Exercise: Journal Code: NOT

Start your day with Positive Energy Activator. That a few moments three times a week to jot out a quick note or card. Two or three sentences are enough. It is a personal note, It must be a physical object expressing your feelings positive energy. You will see. People hold onto these little expressions like they are treasures.

You will be writing these notes these note three times a week. Write them to anyone who you’d like to give encouragement, or thanks, or advice, or just to say I miss you. You will drop off at the post office or deliver it to a mailbox, or leave it in an envelope on a desk. It can be written to a business associate who has been impressive. Yes, even a thank you note for a present or a recent dinner party will count. Make a gesture to someone who you’d like to know better, or an understanding missive to a friend who could use a kind work. Use your imagination. Begin to line up your contact list. It will grow longer every day. During the next 90 days you may send out close to 40 cards, and you will be spreading a tangible example of positive energy.

Now you should know that at first, people may mot know what to make of your notes. We are not used to getting unsolicited support. They may be suspicious that you have an ulterior motive. So don’t get discouraged if you are not immediately contacted in return. But you will be filled a vault with positive energy, much of which will returned in unexpected ways. Your recipients will file away your gesture and look for a reason to do something nice in return, creating a cycle of positive energy.

Yes, this requires you to put yourself out there. You are making the effort to activate positive energy. For those who are sky or don’t like to write, it is even more important tjo do this exercise. Id you run out of people, get creative. Remember old friends you haven’t spoken to in years. Write to a congressman or a child from an orphanage. Send notes of encouragement to anyone you admire. Repeat notes to the same people are allowed. Some lucky cardholder will look forward to more. They may have a drawer full of them eventually. Think of how many people will keep them and read them and smile all over again.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confident.

If you search for the positive in life, positive energy will find you.

This is not just a saying. There are scientifically measured methods that help make it so. One of them is the Reticular Activating System, it’s actually a filter. If you can program yourself to allow specific, positive and useful information to enter your consciousness, all sorts of doors will begin to open.

Our conscious mind is able to sort through 30,000 bits of information per second. There’s much more that that coming at our senses at any given time. But 30,000 bits is more than enough information for us to be able to function. In essence, your subconscious mind is offering information on a need to know basic. Potentially dangerous situations are always red-tagged with emotion. That which is familiar or things you admire are almost always given priority.

For instance, if you’re ever bought a car you will soon notice that everyone seems to be driving the same model. Or you might have heard a new word or phase, and suddenly it seems to be on everyone’s lips.

It may seem that anything you’ve invested with emotion is fast tracked to your brain. And that goes for negative things as well. If you are really bothered by people cutting into line in front of you, then you will notice it happened all the time.

So begin to program yourself to see good, and there will be more good. If you are lacking in opportunities, know that opportunities abound. By noticing and feeling good about opportunities where ever they occur and to whomever they occur, you will be opening your RAS sensitivity to opportunities that may be tapping you on the shoulder.

Keep in mind this important point. These techniques are a means of changing the way we approach life from the inside out. You may really, really want a new car. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Crossing your fingers and hoping for better life, pretty much guaranteed you’ll never get it. We have to adjust the way we think first. It’s always a new way of thinking that comes first, before our circumstances ever change.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.

We are all Connected

Some are more directed than others, but no thought enters the universe without leaving some effect.

We have learned that thoughts are energy. And we know that energy never dies, it is only transformed. So where do thoughts go? How are they transformed? Using the power of relaxed yet focused thoughts, the subconscious mind is able to send and receive thoughts that connect us all.

Have you ever felt like you could read somebody’s mind? Ever known what someone was going to say before they said it? In all probability, you did read their mind. The sensitive receiver in your subconscious picked up their message because their thought energy was strong and directed.

Every single thought is beamed from the subconscious into the buzzing hub of the universe, the library of all known knowledge. That is why positive thought is so important.

Think of it this way. If a factory is belching smoke into the air in Michigan, eventually it will make the air less breathable in China. It’s the same with thoughts. The more positive thoughts we contribute to the great beyond, the better off we all become.

Exercise:

Think of the universe as a great bank. Every time you have a positive thought, the bank outs a buck into your bank. And each time you let a negative thought or action into your mind, the bank withdraws a dollar. What would your account look like? In either case it is good to keep ledger. So in your journal , you are going to add up the day’s totals. Since it is too difficult to account for each thought, we are going to account for each action. Give yourself $5 for every good or positive action of the day. Subtract $5 from any activity that was based in negativity. Now be honest. Was this day typical? Did you do more nice things today because you knew you were keeping track? Well there’s no problem with that. Keep it up. Each thought and every action counts.

Reminder

Eon is designed for maximum portability and usefulness. Keep it with you. It will begin to feel like a companion. Take out your Journal and write while drinking your morning coffee. Post affirmations and acknowledgments on sticky pads where you can't miss them. Review your goal cards at least once per day. Clear time for workbook exercises before bed. It may take some rearranging of your schedule, a reworking your current habits, but focus is necessary. Plan for daily practice of the suggested techniques in Eon and in 120 short day you will enjoy personal progress that can change your life forever.