“I worked for a menial’s hire,

Only to learn, dismayed,

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid.”

Anonymous

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, it is no longer a secret or surprise that your current life was created by none other than YOU through your thoughts. This fact has been studied and scientifically proven by some of the greatest minds that ever lived and are living. What a gift it is for us today that this information is freely shared through our vast forms of communication.

When the famous football coach, Lou Holtz, was twenty-eight years old, he lost his job, had no money, his wife was eight months pregnant with their third child, he felt totally defeated and had lost all his motivation. What he did then was the most life-changing thing he had ever done. He read a book that said to write down everything he wanted to achieve before he died. He wrote down 107 goals on that list and has so far achieved 81 of them. Many of them seemed absolutely impossible to him at the time, but he achieved them anyway.

What advice could this book have possibly given him? It gave him permission to dream! And, it told him what to do with his dreams.

The same thing can happen for you. Here are the first steps to take to begin your exciting journey.

1. Write down all of your wishes and goals ? all of them. And, like Lou Holtz, they don’t have to all make sense or seem achievable. They just need to be something you really want and are passionate about. Don’t be afraid to put what you may think is “ridiculous” on your list. After all, these are your dreams and goals, and you don’t have to share them with anyone right now.What is important is that you WRITE them down. They then become real “things” and are no longer just thoughts and wishes. ?You’re hanging up your sign that says “I’m open for business.” This alerts the Universe and your brain to pay attention. By the way, our mind is a miraculous thing.
2. Next you must watch for all the signs and signals that the Universe is sending to help you ? and they will be there as surely as the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. Sometimes they will be subtle; sometimes they will be very strong and persistent. You must take action, whatever feels appropriate. Nothing will happen if you don’t take action. Then fill your heart with gratitude and give thanks for the assistance you have received. The more gratitude you give, the more you will get to be grateful for.
3. Be in the receiving mode for these signs and signals, you must get rid of all the feelings you have about your fabricated deficiencies. Those feelings and thoughts belong to only you, and you can do whatever you want with them. You can give them the power they would have if they were real (the misdirected power you have been giving them all these years), or you can replace them with positive thoughts that are real and will actually move you towards your goals and dreams. It’s your choice!At first we think that would be impossible. After all, we can’t control every thought we think. No, we can’t, and you would drive yourself crazy if you tried. Your limiting thoughts will fall away one by one, and they will never be missed! I don’t think you’ll want them back, and you’re the only one who knew (thought) they existed in the first place, so good riddance!
4. You can accelerate the process of achieving your goals and dreams by reading your list of goals every day (remember, they now are “things”) and imagine how you would feel if you had already achieved them. Begin by taking one goal at a time and concentrating on it (baby steps). I know, you’re thinking this whole process is not easy. Actually it is; and with practice and devotion to a successful outcome, it will happen quickly. You’ll become a pro before you know it – and then watch the things fly into your life!

It all boils down to one thing; you create your own reality. So, if you want things to change, you must change the way you think; bring in the positive and throw out the negative thoughts. It’s that basic! It’s such a simple fact, but most people either miss it completely or they think they will never be able to control their thoughts. ?The real truth is that we all can. Why? Because this is how we were created.? It is only the erroneous information that has been passed on for generations upon generations that has made us forget who we truly are.

Do you know what the biggest obstacle, most destructive reason and greatest sabotage weapon is for making the goals we set fail? Would you believe Self-limiting Beliefs? That’s it! It’s not sloppy planning, a non-workable plan, not dotting all your “I”s and crossing all your “T”s, not setting up a “time line,” etc. The culprit is simply self-limiting thoughts and beliefs.

When we set strict limits on what we think we can do, we are underestimating ourselves. We don’t believe in ourselves. We believe we are inadequate or inferior in areas such as intelligence, ability, talent, personality, creativity, etc. We’ve gotten so used to thinking and talking negatively to ourselves that we’ve convinced our subconscious mind that we are all of the above, and maybe some more. These are your “limiting beliefs.” You are condemning yourself to a life far below what you are capable of accomplishing! Remember the statement, “We use, at the most, only 10 percent of our mind’s capacity.”

So, let’s begin to have fun. Imagine for a moment that there are absolutely no limits on anything. You have all the talents and abilities to accomplish anything in life that you want ? all the friends, contacts, opportunities, relationships, money ? everything.

Wow! That’s really exciting! You mean I can write down anything I want?? Absolutely! That is the first step in getting rid of the shackles you have placed on yourself.

Pay close attention to what pops up in your head. Sometimes we have limited ourselves so much we don’t even allow ourselves to think about what would make us really happy. So let yourself go and write it all down ? doesn’t have to be in any particular order (you can do that later), and it doesn’t have to be “sensible.” And, if there are things that come up later, by all means, add them to the list. You will be amazed how long your list becomes.

Now, picture your life five years from now ? still without a ceiling or limits. Create a picture in your mind of your “perfect life” and what you have accomplished in that time span to make it happen. Now you have the basis upon which to build your goals.

Don’t ever compromise your dream. Continue to visualize your dreams and visions and don’t settle for half successes.

Peter Drucker once said, “We greatly overestimate what we can accomplish in one year. But we greatly underestimate what we can accomplish in five years.” Don’t let this happen to you. Imagine that everything is possible. The most powerful question of all is “How?” Unsuccessful people wonder whether a big goal is possible. Successful people ask the question “How?” and then look for ways to turn their visions and goals into realities.

What additional knowledge and skills do you need to develop in the next five years? What are you excellent at now? What do you need to do to become a top performer in your field? Get the additional knowledge and skills you will need, and you will be the WINNER! With an exciting future vision, you will continue to be motivated and stimulated.

Take the necessary actions to make your ideal vision a reality. And don’t allow those limiting beliefs to jeopardize that potential reality ? throw them all out and don’t allow them any room in your mind. When they try to sneak back in (and they will) just say “cancel” and turn that thought into a positive one.

Here’s to that great future. You now know the simple secret of being, doing or having anything you want. You know who the enemy is ? a bunch of misspoken words and thoughts. You’re in charge ? get rid of ‘em!

Are you one of the many who think they need goals but never get serious about them? Or are you one of the very elite few who actually realize the incredible benefits to be gained by getting VERY serious about setting goals.

The increase in income alone is a major benefit of goal setting and should be enough to make anyone take a serious look at it. However, there are many, many additional benefits that can’t be measured in numbers that improve the overall pleasure of life. So, put the two together, and wow, think about what this could do for you.

To make goal setting really work for you, there are things in your life you need to throw away right now ? you don’t need them, you don’t want them, they are doing great harm to you.

1. Anger: This is rampant now more than ever because of the collapse of our economy and the devastating effect this has had on the lives of so many people. We want to blame someone for what has happened to us ? we’re angry at everything and everyone that upset our life. The truth of the matter is, you are not hurting the person or thing you are angry at, you are only hurting yourself. They don’t even know you are angry with them. As Buddy Hackett, the comedian, once said, “I never hold grudges; while you’re holding grudges, they’re out dancing!” Throw away your anger!
   

    

2. Self Pity: This is such a natural and comforting thing to cling to; and the people who won’t give it up will never reach their full potential ? not even close!? Don’t blame others for your problems. Take ownership of everything that is yours. If you don’t like those things, decide to change them, which usually means changing yourself and your attitude towards life. Throw away the self pity!

 

3. Making Excuses: Instead of making excuses for things that come up in your life that are uncomfortable or unwanted, say, “I am responsible.” Do you know what this will do for you? It will give the power of the situation to you and will take you out of the role of victim. You will become free, mentally and emotionally. By the way, you can also say, “I am responsible” when good things happen in your life! How great is that?! Throw away your excuses!

These harmful, self-destructive habits and emotions won’t disappear the first time you throw them out. They’ll sneak back into your life as soon as they can because you have been such a good host to them, and they want to stay with you. This is normal and happens to everyone. That’s why you must practice doing this consistently for several weeks, or however long it takes to permanently eradicate them. Throw them out!

Set yourself up as a personal services corporation ? You, Inc. – ?and make yourself the president. You will be in charge of and responsible for everything. Set up your goals for this corporation ? salary, vacation time, leisure time, continuing education, training needed to be more effective in your job, marketing yourself, etc. Be very specific in what you want and what you want to be.

You are president of your career. Picture yourself as a powerful person who is self-determined and self-directed. If you don’t like your past, dismiss it as just that ? the past. You cannot change anything that has happened; you can only learn from it.

Be very specific about your goals for this corporation because they will determine, in a very great way, whether you will fail or be hugely successful. You are the architect of your own destiny ? make the blueprint amazing, wonderful, and ?awesome!

We all began this year at GO, and all roads lead to a final rendezvous; the difference is what we’ve done en route. Goals set, actions taken, and results realized determine if you get to call this year a success or not.

September 23rd is an important date as it marks the 100 day countdown of 2009. I wanted to share with you an exciting opportunity to finish the year strong?it’s called the 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge!

Gary, The Goals Guy, is offering a powerful special report for free which is titled: How to Create Your Own Big Bang!

Get your free special report here: www.goalsguy.com

This report in my opinion is worth its weight in gold as it shows you how to create monumental performance gains. I encourage you to get your copy right now.

So what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking and if you want to seriously improve your life and corresponding results, I encourage you to check out the 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge today as it will be one of the smartest decisions you’ll make all year. www.goalsguy.com

How many times have you heard that setting goals is the most important ingredient in your quest for success? Have you taken it seriously, or instead thought “That’s great for other people, but I don’t know how to set goals, I don’t know where to begin.”

The “setting goals” statement is THAT IMPORTANT!! Tom Hopkins, sales trainer, says “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”

Research has found that the 3% of college graduates that have clear, written goals earn ten times as much as those who have no goals or have unclear, scattered goals. Now that’s pretty compelling and certainly a strong motivation to start writing clear, concise goals. Yes, it has been proven over and over again that writing your goals down on paper brings much more success than just having them roaming around in your head.

It becomes REALLY exciting when you think about these facts:

1. You have more natural potential than you could use in a lifetime. A Stanford University study found that the average person uses only two percent of his/her mental capacity, with 98 percent being unused and wasted.
2. Anything a person thinks about, long enough and hard enough, can be accomplished. If there is a burning desire within, it will materialize on the outside.
3. It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from or where you have been. What matters is where you want to go and how much effort you are willing to put into your desire to accomplish more success, more wealth, better relationships, etc.
4. You are the one in charge of the great potential that you have. Your thoughts are creative. As the saying goes, “You become what you think about most of the time.”

Just for a moment think about the power of the human mind. That’s your mind they’re talking about!

The human mind has a built-in desire for success and accomplishment. We are born with it, so it should be easy to be goal oriented, right? Unfortunately that is not true. We are influenced by everything around us ? our family, friends, childhood, education, religion, etc.

We have not been taught to think about goals. Our educational system doesn’t teach the importance of this, not even at the college level. And most people grow up in homes where goal setting is not discussed or used.

The fear of failure is a huge deterrent to setting goals. It doesn’t matter how you start. What matters is that you do start. You’re not going to be a perfect goal maker on your first try. Play around with your thoughts on what you want to achieve in life. Write them down. If you let yourself do this without restraints, you’ll be amazed at how many goals you have, some will be short term, some will be long term. Now you can start analyzing them, career, personal, business, etc. It’s a good idea not to share them with anyone right away. They belong to you, and you don’t need any dream stealers. And don’t forget to dream BIG!

Imbed into your mind the desire you have of achieving your goals and the incredible power of your subconscious mind. Negative thoughts will surely make you fail, positive thoughts will bring positive things, without fail! When you find a negative thought creeping in, such as “I can’t do that,” I don’t have what it takes, “This can never happen for me,” just say the word “cancel” and replace the negative thought with a positive one. This will take some practice, but it does work. Besides, you’ll feel much happier thinking positive thoughts instead of the negative ones that do nothing but drag you down.