Too often we get caught up in the questions of ‘how are we going to achieve our goals’ before we have completed the most fundamental and important steps – which are the things that will actually enable us to achieve our goal; but even more so, they will lead us to goals that will actually make us happy. Now there is a novel idea. Choosing goals that will actually make us happy – not stressed, not overwhelmed, not left thinking ‘is this it?’, but HAPPY. I like it!
Do you remember the newsletter where I wrote about goals being responsible for 50% of our happiness (Discover what 50% of the happiness equation depends on)? It makes sense doesn’t it. If we have no goals we flounder. If we have crap goes we are very likely to be unfulfilled and wonder if this is all there is. But if we have deeply meaningful goals then we are on the right track and will feel pretty damn good about ourselves and our lives.
So for me the two biggest things to nail in the whole goal setting and creating the life you want dealio is to figure out what your goal is, and then make sure you have really powerful reasons (and meaning) for why you want this goal.
Now a bit of the (brain) science to achievement
When we form a picture in our mind of what we want we start to fire up the mind. It starts to light up. However it is the consciously created REASONS that we associate with that goal, which will start the chemical process related to emotions. If the goal (and vision) is deeply meaningful it will cause the brain to initiate the release of neuro-chemicals and hormones, that not only create emotions (which will inspire and motivate you), but according to cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, they will actually start to affect the expression of your genes. The who you become stuff. Plus this chemical cocktail will affect the energetic resonance of your body (since we are all made of energy). It will put you into a good vibe.
What the heck does that mean?
In addition to getting a great buzz on, you actually become a vibrational match for what you want. So you draw the good stuff to you, rather than repelling it with your disharmonious thoughts. The other thing is that when we establish a thought, create a vision and fire off that particular chemical cocktail (all done with our conscious mind), we also set off the switch on the subconscious mind. The one where all the power is at. The one that has a super powerful radar that also picks up ‘things’ at an unseen or vibrational level. Again, I just want to remind you that everything in the universe is energy. Your subconscious mind is the one responsible for the intuition or gut feeling or sudden insights as it taps into a source we have not figured out yet (or are likely to anytime soon). It is a bit more complicated than that, but those are the basics.
The other really important bit (especially for goals you have not achieved before)
Before I go on, I actually strongly recommend that everyone has a goal or few they have never achieved before. In fact, even include a goal you have no idea how to achieve. Like my latest goal to become the Happiness Ambassador for AirAsia. Buggered if I know how. But I know there is a pretty good chance I could pull it off. Why not me? I just need to show up with a new and improved ATTITUDE. When I talk about attitude I am talking about ‘who do I need to become (show up as)’ if I want to achieve this goal. This is where we need to pull our socks up and express the attitude or traits, which a person who has already achieved the goal would be showing. Maybe we need to be more courageous, more tenacious, more of a leader, more compassionate, more open, etc. What behaviour do you need to adopt (which you can do if you consciously focus on it and hold yourself accountable) to achieve the biggest goal of yours?
Unfortunately nothing is ‘free’ in this world. There needs to be an energy exchange of some sort. Little effort = little result. And big effort (rightly focused) = big result. I call this, ‘doing stuff’. I am so funny. 😉
So what to do now?Â
Here are a few Tips for now:
- Get very very very very clear about what you want. I call this ‘crystal’ clear. See it in your mind.
- Get really really really really clear about WHY you want this goal.
- Ask yourself ‘How would I need to show up if I want to achieve this goal?’ or ‘How does the person who has already achieved this type of goal show up?’
And now: FREE Gift Time!!!
Now as much as I love to write, and I could write a lot more on this subject, neither you or I probably have the time right now. So here is what I am going to do. I am going to give you a free copy of my digital book Become an ELITE Goal Setter, which I normally sell on Amazon and teach in my seminars. Just click on the link below.
YES! Give me that free stuff NOW so I can tick off some big hairy audacious goals!!
Carl Massy is the author of The Guidebook to Happiness and an ex-Army Major, ex-Olympic Game Consultant, Success Coach and a hypnotherapist. So he mixes 19 years of strategic planning with a broad understanding of the human mind.