You’re probably asking yourself, “Why would anyone want to push their goals away?” After all, our goals represent what we want in our life, right? It would seem so, but in reality, we often set ourselves up to fail every time we think about a goal or even just something we want to have or do in our lives.

Colleen thinks to herself, “I would really like to own my own home-based business” (the goal). Then, instead of basking in the good feelings associated with that worthy ideal, the very next thought that comes into her mind is “How will I ever do it? I have to take care of the kids and all.”  She has literally pushed the goal away in her mind even before it had a chance to settle in.

Wayne thinks, “I’d really like to drop a few pounds and get in better shape” (the goal). Then, before his sub-conscious has a chance to work on attracting the goal to him, he thinks, “That will be hard and will take up even more of my time. I don’t have enough time as it is now.”

The two cases above are typical examples of how we often push our goals away, usually before they even have time to germinate. You think to yourself, “I’d like a new car.” The very next thought is, “That’s ridiculous! I can’t even afford the car I have now. How can I get a new car?”

If you want to live a magical life, attracting your goals to you and being able to enjoy what you want in your life, you must first change this "knee jerk" reaction. We all do this to some extent until we become aware of it and start taking specific actions to change it.

Whenever the little voice in your head rears its ugly head, tell it to sit down and be quiet. You must silence the negative, limiting thoughts in your mind. Even if your goal is totally outrageous, you must remain open to the possibilities of achieving it if you intend to succeed. There will be plenty of time for a “reality check” later.

One of the ways you can start over-riding your destructive self-talk, is to create two or three positive affirmations that will help you attract whatever it is you want. For example, in the case of getting in better physical condition, you might start affirming, "Every day, I am becoming healthier and healthier." You could add to that, "I am enjoying my exercise time and making healthier food choices."

It's important, when designing affirmations, to make sure they are positive and in the present tense. Saying "I will be . . ." will cause your sub-conscious mind to keep your goal out in front of you. Remember, your sub-conscious mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is vividly imagined. This is one of the reasons Olympic athletes and other sports figures have been able to effectively use visualization to enhance their training. A swimmer, for example, who vividly imagines the race will be sending messages to his body and the associated muscles will be firing.

Making sure your affirmations are stated in the positive is equally important since your sub-conscious mind does not recognize negatives. If I ask you not to think of a purple kangaroo, what happens? …exactly!

See Your Ideal Life — In addition to reading and reciting your affirmations, devote some time each day to visualizing your life as you would like it to become. This need not take a long time. Usually ten or fifteen minutes is sufficient. See your goal as having already occurred and see yourself enjoying your ideal life. Really get into it. Engage all your senses — sound, taste, touch, add color, etc. If you want a home near the ocean, hear the sound of the breaking waves. Smell the salt air. You have the idea.

Take Inspired Action — After you have put yourself, mentally, in the place of having  what you want, ask for guidance. For example, in the case of starting your own business, you might ask: “What can I do next to build my successful home based business?” or in the case of an exercise program, “What action could I take, right now, to get in shape, reach my ideal weight and enjoy the process?”

You will notice that you are receiving ideas you may not have considered before. This is because you have first created the vision of what you want and put your energy in alignment with having it. From this point of attraction, you are receiving "inspired action" as opposed to what I call "gerbil action."  The latter is what most people are doing. They believe that if they just take enough action, they'll get the result they want. While this may eventually work, it's a much harder way to go about it.

Jot down whatever pops up into your mind. Even if an idea seems absurd, write it down anyway. This simple technique has been used successfully by some of the greatest achievers throughout history. People like Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford used this simple technique. They called it, “sitting for ideas.” Whatever you choose to call it, it is well worth the time you spend doing it.

Don’t Give Up — Don’t quit. Just sit for your allotted time period and let your sub-conscious mind feed you ideas. You may have a thought “pop” into your consciousness and you will surely uncover creative ways to accomplish your goal. If you do this simple exercise for thirty days, you’ll have an arsenal of creative ideas from which to draw and you’ll be on your way to attracting your most cherished goal.

The order in which you do this is important. First, see yourself as already being in possession of your desire, affirming that it is yours. Then, and only then, ask what "next action" you can take to bring it to you.

By the way, never ask "how" you are going to achieve a goal. Asking how causes your brain to shift to it's logical, analytical left hemisphere which will return an answer of "I don't know how."  Hint: if you knew how, you'd already have what you want.

On the other hand, asking "what" engages your right brain hemisphere which is visual, spatial, and intuitive. This is a much better frame of mind for tasks like brainstorming and encouraging creativity.    ###

Jim Donovan, is the author of This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal. He is a highly sought after motivational speaker and certified business coach. To subscribe to his personal development ezine,  "Jim's Jems," and receive a bonus copy of his tele-seminar, "Allowing Abundance," visit www.JimDonovan.com

This is Your Life Not a Dress Rehearsal
By JIM DONOVAN, internationally recognised author, whose six books have been published in twenty-two countries and are read throughout the world.
'This Is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal is a guidebook to making immediate, positive changes in your life. Fun & easy to read, it will get you started or keep you moving on the path to success.’  —Brendan Tobin, author, Yes, You Can!

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