I personally believe that it is essentail that we set ourselves personal targets over various periods including a lifetime goal. It should not be purely a case of making personal targets – we need to make sure we attain them.
Write down your goals
I have always wanted to be a success and to have a happy life, I am sure this is the same for most people. In the early part of my life I was unable to achieve both of these aims; this was partly because I had a stuttering problem. In my early to mid twenties I decided to attempt to learn about ways in which I could ensure that the future would be a lot better, than what the past had been. I soon began to read literature about these subjects in my quest to improve my life.
I soon realised the importance of setting goals and targets and was hopeful that this could help me to stop stuttering. I thought about what I wanted to be and which course I wanted my life to take. I wrote out three different lists of my aims for the future.
The first list included what I wanted to achieve within the next twelve months. The second list contained what I wanted to achieve within five years and the third list was my lifetime goals – one of which was to own my own company selling composite front doors.
Avoid negative people
There are people out there who try to bring me down. Nasty comments, dirty looks and gossiping were all things that these nasty people would do. They would treat me as if I was some sort of freak and as if I was one of life’s losers. These type of people have caused me many sleepless nights and have had a negative affect on my self-confidence.
I knew that I had to steer well clear from these bad influences; this can however be easier said than done.
I am pleased to report that I have now overcome the speech impediment – life is now far much happier for me.
A few years ago I realised the importance of setting goals and targets. I thought about what I wanted to be and which course I wanted my life to take. I wrote out three different lists of my aims for the future.
The first list included what I wanted to achieve within the next twelve months. The second list contained what I wanted to achieve within five years and the third list was my lifetime goals.
One of my goals was to do with my composite front doors business. I wanted to ensure that the world would get to know about the fact that I offer affordable composite doors.
I had read that it of benefit to write any goals or targets down to ensure that one can keep focused.
Invest time and money to reach your goals
I now had a determination to succeed and was willing to work hard to achieve my goals. To achieve anything in life takes time and dedication. One of my aims was to overcome stuttering. To do this I had to learn the art of relaxation, I have always been very hard on myself and had spent most of my life worrying about things that may happen in the future. I decided to ease up on myself and to even have monthly treats to keep me and my body happy. I did this by attending reflexology sessions and for a short period I tried aromatherapy. After working extremely hard with copious amounts of dedication I did manage to achieve fluency – I was very proud of my efforts as you can no doubt imagine.
Avoid negative people
There are people out there who try to bring me down. They attempt to do this by off the cuff comments they make or just by the way they seem to look down on me. They would look down their noses at me. These type of people have caused me many sleepless nights and have had a negative affect on my self-confidence.
Life is now good and my business career has now taken off and I am now working with a company who offer DVD authoring which I have to say is very enjoyable.
I hope that you have found this article interesting and of benefit.
In my last article, I talked about there being a secret to success that is literally changing the lives of millions of people all over the globe. In fact, it’s called The Secret. You may have heard about it from any number of high-profile successful people who say they use it all the time. Its author has been interviewed by Oprah, Larry King, and on Nightline and The Today Show.
In this email, I’m going to tell you a little bit about how you can put The Secret to work for you.
Even though the author of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, developed her beliefs from many different philosophical and religious texts, you don’t need to belong to any religious group to learn it and to benefit from it. If you are willing to learn it, it works, regardless of your spiritual beliefs, your IQ, education or present situation. Byrne was going through a hard time in her life when she discovered and perfected The Secret, and it helped her so much that she has literally been on a worldwide campaign to share its principles with others.
As you can see, not everyone jumps on the bandwagon. After all, it all sounds way too good to be the true! The fact remains that many who were doubters decided to try using the ideas inherent in The Secret anyway. What the discovered was that their businesses experienced growth, and their health and personal relationships improved.
As mentioned in an earlier article, it is important that you set some long-range goals for yourself as well as shorter ones that you can achieve more quickly and that will direct you to your ulltimate goals. It turns out that psychologists who study the science of success have discovered that people who visualize themselves attaining their ultimate goals have a much greater chance of achieving them.
So there is nothing wrong with setting a good high goal for yourself and starting right now to believe that you will achieve it, that you are capable of anything.
This is just one part of what Rhonda Byrne discovered when she developed the ideas behind The Secret. But what can it mean for you as an independent business owner?
That depends on what you decide you want. Do any of the following things sound appealing to you?
rapidly achieved prosperity
boundless wealth
feeling energetic and positive every day
improving all your current relationships and developing dynamic new ones
thinking like a millionaire
generating multiple income streams
Then you will want to learn more about The Secret. It’s an integral part of my training program, and I can’t wait to show you how you can put it to work for you in your business. You will be totally amazed at how much you can accomplish with the combination of
action + intention.
You’ve got the intention to not only become your own boss but to enjoy all the fruits of personal freedom. Put that intention together with action, adjust how you think, and everything else in your life will correct itself.
I understand that some individuals are bothered by the idea that money is the answer to all their problems. I agree that isn’t the case. That is why the principles of The Secret are so incredible. They reach far beyond you bank account.
In the next few days, I’ll send you another article about the true nature of money. I believe it will change how you look at your finances in particular and why you should not worry that you seem greedy because you want more of it.
Keep in mind, your first step is to take action. I can help you change your life and will help you, but you will have to let me know that you want to do it. Get that ball rolling by calling me or emailing me. You will find my contact information at the bottom of this article.
Good luck and all my best, Dennis Rossignol http://www.5HourWorkDay.info@5HourWorkDay.com.com
While much has been written about goals little has been drafted about the courage required to set goals in the first place.
It doesn’t take much digging to see many people are living with fear, frustration and doubt. Who among us can say we haven’t had a restless night worrying about what disaster could befall us the next day?
The more I read about the science of thought (“The Field” by Lynne McTaggart for example) the more I’m convinced thoughts are things. Our thoughts can serve up dark images of despair or they can paint pictures of joy, laughter and deep abiding happiness.
It is our thinking, rather than our surroundings, that determines our level of happiness. Hold a thought and you will create an emotion. That emotion drives a behavior which in turn creates an event.To change your events you must first change your thoughts.
For those of us who have spent any time reading Self Improvement literature ‘positive thinking’ is not a new idea.In fact it’s pretty tempting to read the ‘thoughts are things’ message and dismiss it as a cliche?.
The challenge, for the majority of us, is to leave well worn path of pessimistic thinking to a place where your thoughts create feelings of happiness and joy. So how do you do it?
First know that your thoughts and emotions don’t need to rule your life. They can in fact be harnessed to further your goals. The more you practice becoming conscious of your thoughts and emotions, the greater your ability to shape and control them. Thus encouraging only those thoughts that produce empowering emotions.
Think about the person you want to become. Picture that person going through their normal day. What are they wearing? Where are they going? How do they get there? Who do they spend time with and what kind of conversations do they have with others? What kind of contribution is this person, this “future you”, making? Get clear on these images.
Now imagine how this person feels. What emotions do they carry with them? When you look at them at their very best, what words come to mind?
What kind of thoughts go through their mind? What thoughts would this person simply not give energy to? Need some help defining some of the positive beliefs and thoughts your future self will carry? Check out the StepOne Affirmation Library. It’s well organized and filled with great quotes, beliefs and positive thoughts.
Once you’ve got clarity on your future thinking, take a moment and write the thoughts down. Capture both the positive thoughts your future self will carry and the negative thoughts you have today that your future self will discount.
You’ve just taken a significant step forward.What you have just done (or maybe you are just about to do) lays the foundation on which all your other work will stand. So what’s next?
If you are building a StepOne Vision Board enter these thoughts in the Affirmations section of the ‘My Profile’ page. If you’re not yet a StepOne member, print out your Positive Thoughts List on a piece of paper and your Negative Thoughts List on another sheet.
Know that we attract to us that on which our thoughts dwell. If our thoughts are about things we don’t want we will attract those things to us; if our thoughts are about those things we do want, we will attract those things to us just as easily. So, think about what you want!
Post your Positive Thoughts List in a place where you’ll be able to read them every day. As for your Negative Thoughts List, print that out too. Hold the Negative Thoughts List in front of you.Now vow to yourself to leave no place in your mind for these thoughts any longer.
The thoughts may pass through your mind again but they will not be allowed to stay. Ideally, say this to yourself in the mirror as if you were making a solemn promise to your best friend. Now take that Negative Thoughts List and destroy it. What do I mean by destroy it? Crumple it up, cut it up, shred it or burn it over the sink.
Want to make this experience really powerful? As you’re writing down your lists put on your favorite motivational music. Crank the volume! Building your Positive Thoughts List works best when you’re on an emotional high and there’s nothing like great music to get you there.
So you have got some clarity on your future self. You’ve defined the thoughts your future self will carry and those they will leave behind.
The next step is to apply all of this and change your day to day thinking….I know this is easier said then done.
Here’s the good news, if you can catch yourself holding a negative thought early enough you can usually stop it from turning into an emotional reaction. So how do you lift yourself out of negative thinking patterns? Try out the Rubber Band technique.
Get a rubber band that fits snuggly on your wrist. Each time you find yourself holding onto a thought that doesn’t serve you, snap the rubber band.And not just a tiny wimpy snap. You’re looking for a big, ‘SNAP!’. The kind of snap that makes you wince. This is where the normal Rubber Band technique ends.
The StepOne version of the exercise takes it…well…a step further (forgive the pun). As soon as you’ve stopped reeling from the wicked snapping you’ve put on yourself repeat the positive thought you want to carry instead.If you can say it three times out loud (ideally you’re not with friends when all this is happening as you’ll get some strange looks) then you’re hitting the sweet spot of mental reprogramming.
For example let’s say you are working hard to reach and then maintain a certain weight.You have identified a negative thought you often repeat that goes something like ‘Just eat whatever youlike, you’ll never lose the weight anyways’. After giving yourself a proper snapping you quickly say ‘I only eat food that strengthens and replenishes my body’. You repeat this three times.
You’ll find that in no time you will change your thinking around reaching a given goal.
Do Not forget that it’s actually possible to benefit by using vision boards to get everything need to live a great life. Live Courageously!
As a Personal Development Coach I get asked often, “What is personal development?” I think personal development is made up of a whole lot of actions and activities. These could include things like improving identity (who am I, really) and knowledge of ones self.
Also, as part of it, it could involve the improvement of our own unrealised talents that could lead to improved job prospects and the overall improvement in the quality of life.
Self development is about achieving our heart’s desires and getting what we want out of life.
The concept of personal development covers a wider field than self-development or self-help; it also includes developing other people, and by extension refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems used in personal development. Which is where it is appropriate to introduce Coaching into this discussion. Personal development is probably as old as civilisation itself – so what does it mean?
Well that’s a question that is guaranteed to provide a myriad of subjective answers! Where an individual embarks on his or her quest to better themselves, we could say that they are on the path of self-improvement. They buy books, go to seminars even research the Internet – they are doing it by themselves. And many experience great results.
When the process of self-help or self-development changes to one of personal improvement, an individual will seek out the services of a teacher, mentor or coach.In other words they go beyond self, learning to being guided,often at an accelerated rate toward that which they would like to achieve.
By utilising the services of a Life Coach, a person on the path toward developing him or herself will require that individual to get really clear as to what it is he or she is attempting to realise. An element of objectivity is introduced to the process, which might otherwise not be the case if that person were to ‘go it alone’.
There are often more options to consider, a degree of accountability and some form of time line and strategy developed in conjunction with a Life Coach that is part of the process n individual might unwittingly leave out.
I guess this fits with the old adage that ‘two heads are better than one’ – another perspective if you like.
Most of us want to experience a better life, we just don’t know how best to start that improvement. For example we have all witnessed the amazing success that is ‘The Secret’. Yet how many are aware of the massive personal development industry that has grown around’ the secret behind the secret’?
In other words there is a ‘secret’ to success and most of us cannot get beyond our limiting beliefs [those ‘voices that hold us back] without some assistance.
Most people don’t discover what they want in life until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.
Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television or doing things they dislike. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?
Some people struggle in answering such question. When asked what they want or what their goals in life are, many are unsure. They dillydally in their decision, hardly giving any thought about what they want in life. People without definite goals are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?
If you are undecided about what you want out of life, do not worry. There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.
To discover what you want in life, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others like them to be. The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you.
Listen to your heart to be able to listen to your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love to do and this represents your passion. Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance.
You will totally enjoy doing things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately get what you want in life. Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny.
However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart. The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance – the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.”
Listen to your instinct. Part of human nature is the mysterious and spontaneous reaction on things. Often times, these are called instincts. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via instincts. Instincts are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.
Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children? Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve theirs dreams? Do they dream big at all?
Remember, it is your destiny that is in line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.
There is only thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his brightest life will look like. Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.
