Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Self Hypnosis Is a Great Tool For Accomplishing Your Goals

By Terje Ellingsen

Self hypnosis is a great tool for goal setting and for getting help in carrying out and fulfilling your goals, whatever they may be. This type of hypnosis can easily be learned if you really want to use this excellent method as an aid for reaching your goals. Below is a short generic view of the self hypnotic process. Though lots of variations of this method have been used, these are the basic steps you have to go through in order to hypnotize yourself to accomplish whatever you want.


  1. Rank your goals from the most important goal to the less important. If possible, your goals should be measurable. Start with your most important goal. As soon as you can measure progress for this goal (like pounds lost, if your goal is weight loss, days of no smoking, if your goal is to stop smoking etc.) continuing with your second most important goal etc.
  2. For each goal, you should formulate appropriate suggestions which means you have to transform your goals into specific instructions to your subconscious mind on how to achieve each goal.
  3. Relaxation – use the first minutes of your self hypnotic session to get as relaxed as possible
  4. Start your hypnotic induction phase by saying and repeating outloud the hypnotic words you have chosen, thinking of these words or listening to a hypnotic tape or CD custmized for your hypnotic and goal fulfillment needs. An example of an induction can be;

    "I am totally relaxed. I close my eyes and now I’m starting to drift downward. I can feel a warmth that is spreading from my feet and up my body. Every single part of my body is warm and totally relaxed.”

  5. Apply the hypnotic suggestions you’ve made for reaching the specific goal you work with, say them outloud, think them or use a tailored hypnotic tape or CD

Before you start up your self hypnotic exercises you should make a time scedule for it. Do your hypnotic sessions every day, 5 minutes a day might be enough. Repeat your suggestions as often as possible during the day.

You must also measure your progress; am I closer to the goal now than I was last week? You should ask. This is the only way you can find out if this method really help you in achieving your goals.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net. Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self help issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, self hypnosis and other methods for self improvement as well as help to stop smoking.

5 Quick and Easy Ways To Wiping Out Obstacles To Goal Achievement

By Cory Threlfall

Life is nothing but an obstacle course, its all about getting through that obstacle course *successfully* to your desired goal that most people seem to have a problem with.

And it's only normal to encounter these obstacles in the pursuit of your goal.

It's kind of a test to see if your worthy.

However, when these obstacles start to become a nuisance to the point of almost putting a stop to your goal(s); or worse, making one completely abandon his/her goal, one must take action and think things through.

So, with that said, here are some helpful, tested pointers that will keep your attention focused in achieving any goal that you put your mind to.

Step #1. Think positive.

This means: Do not quit. Especially when one is midway in working for a goal, there should be no room for quitting.

To quit is tantamount to going back to the starting line of goal accomplishment. That is time, energy, money, and a whole lot of things wasted and lost. It is more costly to quit than to find a solution to the problem, not to mention the frustration one feels.

Step #2. Keep a clear, open and tense-free mind.

Always be ready to receive new ideas. Focus and concentrate. Think on a wide scale manner and always be open for options(even unconventional ones) to eliminate the particular obstacle you are currently dealing with.

Step #3. Persist and Persevere.

Be sure to exhaust every possibility, even to the point of trial and error, just to be sure that there is a solution to correct the problem your dealing with.

Step #4. Simulate.

Try to picture inside your head a possible solution to help overcome and/or solve the obstacle that's setting you back.

Step #5. Get assistance.

If all fails get assistance from other you know who are more knowledgeable on the work being done. They may be able to help you or not. Their suggestions might not necessarily be the right or exact ones you were hoping to hear, but they may trigger some NEW ideas in finding the right solution to your problem.

Those are the basic 5 steps to overcoming any obstacle that's holding you back.

But... before I go I'd like you to consider this scenario as an example.

Let's say you thought of a COOL new product and you are confident and excited that this product will be sellable to your target market once it hits the market.

You then go tell a friend about it, but your friend says that your product would be waste of time and money.

Your friend also tells you why it will be such a flop and gives your their reason why as follows:

"If your product idea is to be a success, how come nobody else is doing it?"

Does this sound familiar?

With that being said you decide that your friend is right and forget about your new product idea because of your friend's comment.

This exact scenario happens all the time all over the world.

Don't fall victim to this.

You are your own person with your own opinions and beliefs.

Though it is good to hear other peoples opinions and their reasons, what really matters the most is yours in the end based on the information you have received and researched.

So the lesson here is, be firm in your beliefs and follow your heart and minds desire.

You just never know what the outcome might be.

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How to Get Those Life Goals of Yours Under Way Right Now!

By Gary Simpson

In 75 years time almost every person reading these words will probably be dead. Some, like me, will be long gone before that time - unless, of course, some scientist creates a miraculous anti-aging pill. Scary huh?

The way that so many people keep putting off significant life goals you would think that they had thousands of years to live. "Ah, I'll leave it till tomorrow / next week / next month / next year / whenever..." These words are thought and uttered by millions every minute of every day.

Life is short. It's shorter than most people realize.

When it comes to time everybody gets treated the same way. It doesn't matter whether you are a pauper or a king. Time does not discriminate. No matter how much money you have you will never be able to purchase any units of time. Time does not care what you look like or how talented you are. It doesn't care where you were born or who your parents are or what nationality you are.

Apart from the air we breathe, water, food and shelter, it is our most precious commodity. From the moment we are born we begin to use it up.

Why then are so many people prepared to waste time? You know that you are not going to live forever. You know that every passing day just reduces the amount of time you have to fulfil your life goals. Set a date. Make a promise to yourself. Put some checkpoints in place. Measure your progress on a consistent basis.

How important are your goals? Are they significant enough for you to expend the required time on bringing them to fruition? Well? How just important are they to you?

Father time will not wait for you. Make a start today. Write yourself a plan. Stick to it. Spend your time wisely. You will never get it back. Become inspired.

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

Become inspired: Click here to receive Gary Simpson's short "zenspirational" weekly message PLUS an immediate FREE copy of his inspirational e-book "The Power of Choice." Read this and you will NEVER waste time again - guaranteed!

Your Goal Setting is More About Your Goal Achievement and Your Action Plan For Success

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Pick up any self-help book or attend a corporate meeting, you will probably hear the word goal. Louie Armstrong once said that dreams are goals with endings.

Dreams, goal setting and goal achievement are part of daily life. Everybody has dreams. Everyone sets goals in some fashion. And everyone wants to see many of those dreams successfully realized. If these three statements are true, then why don’t we see more success?

Success is much more about goal achievement than goal setting. How consistently you achieve your goals and how you manage your goals is what will catapult you farther than everyone else.

Unfortunately, there exists a presumption that individuals know how to set, achieve and manage goals whether personally, professionally or organizationally.
This fatal presumption starts early in life and sets people up for unnecessary failure.

So how can someone turn the tide and become a consistent goal achiever? For me, the answer to this question laid within the adoption of an Action Plan For Success. This plan allowed me to explore my dreams and self-assess my life. This self-assessment included mental, physical, social, family, career, financial, ethics and beliefs.

My goals within this Action Plan are prioritized and organized. Each goal has been written using specific proven criteria. For me, each criterion is much like an ingredient in a recipe. When all the ingredients are blended together, a consistent outcome is assured.

Finally my Action Plan for Success includes a mechanism to monitor all current goals and a way to capture all achieved goals. I believe that a goal achievement summary is critical for personal motivation. We all have those gray days when we feel that we haven’t accomplished much. My goal-accomplished sheet accurately displays the results of my past efforts. Also, this helps me to see all of those dreams that have successfully turned into achieved goals.

If you take the time to create an Action Plan for Success or find has such a performance tool (that’s what I did because I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel) and then commit to the necessary actions to turn your dreams into goals with endings, you shall too receive unheard of results.

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, www.processspecialist.com

This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. CEO of ADVANCED SYSTEMS located outside of Chicago, IL, is the Learning and Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business & education experience, she helps her clients to double their performance. Beginning with the belief systems, Leanne brings a unique perspective to training and development that delivers a significant return on investment. She infuses a 25 year old proven goal achievement action plan into her results focused solutions that work within a variety of industries including education, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capacities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit http://www.processspecialist.com/individuals.htm to read how you double your performance for unheard of results.

Goal Setting and Getting: Consistnecy is the Key

By Jeff Herring

If you are like most folks, by this time of the year you are either discouraged about your lack of progress toward your goals or you have given up on them altogether. In either case, allow me to offer you two words: consistency and decision.

In graduate school, I was fortunate enough to be able to play racquetball just about every day. Racquetball is one of those games where you can play well, lose focus for just a second, and then play very poorly.

Consistency is the key

We had a saying back then that applies in the present: Consistency is the key. Consistently focusing on doing the necessary things to achieve your goals will win out every time.

If your goal is to get in better shape, then consistently exercising and eating right will get you there.

If your goal is to save more money, then spending less on junk and consistently putting money in the bank will get you there. You either consistently blow your money on junk or consistently save it.

So if consistency is the key, what is the key to consistency?

Decisions. Making the right decision, making the right choice over and over again over time equals consistency. The word decision comes from the word incision, which means to cut. So to genuinely decide to do something means to cut off any other possibility.

If you want to get into better shape, get the junk food out of the house, because if it's there you will eat it. If you want to save money, have it taken out of your paycheck and sent to savings before you ever see it.

There's one question to ask yourself often to keep you consistent and making the right decisions. What do you really want? Do you really want the short-term enjoyment of that candy bar or do you genuinely want the long-term enjoyment of being in better shape and saving money?

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscirbe to our monthly Article Empire Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Goal Setting and Goal Getting: What Would You Like to Accomplish in 100 Days?

By Jeff Herring

Here's a question for you:

What would you like to have accomplished 100 days from now?

Why 100 days from now?

Well, why not? Besides, 100 is a nice round number.

You might think, ``That's not enough time. What can I possibly accomplish in only 100 days?''

Very much if you put your mind to it and use the right tools.

So what would you like to accomplish in the next 100 days?

Would it be:

Begin to save money. If you simply gave up that soda and/or candy bar each day, that $1-plus would be more than $100 by the end of the year.

Get rid of that excess weight you have been carrying around? Sure, it would be nice if you could get rid of a pound a day, just like saving a dollar a day. Though it doesn't work that way, you could be well on your way to getting rid of that extra weight.

Start the business of which you have always dreamed.

Get your priorities in order.

Change a destructive pattern in an important relationship.

Break a bad habit and replace it with a positive one.

Whatever it may be for you, there are certain key rules that should be followed to achieve your goals. Here are just a few to get you started:

The Rule of Ink - The dullest ink is stronger than the sharpest memory. In other words, write down your goals. Commit them to paper. Just this simple action greatly increases the likelihood of meeting your goals.

The Rule of Work - Richard Bach said "There is no such thing as a wish without the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however." Goals require work, as do many things worth doing.

The Rule of Dreams - It has been said that "a goal is a dream with a deadline." One of the keys to successfully achieving goals is to have a deadline that other people know about. This will help hold you accountable. And then if you really want to change your life, achieve the goal before the deadline.

The Rule of Persistence - In the battle between the rock and the river, the river always wins. Not because the river is stronger, but because the river has the power of persistence. Stick with it! Don't die of thirst a few feet from the water fountain.

The Rule of Action - Never leave the place where you set a goal without taking some action toward it. This prevents the No. 1 goal stealer _ procrastination _ from setting in, and it creates momentum toward your goal. Then, keep taking action and taking action and taking action and taking some more action.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Personal Goal Setting and Management - Planning for the Year Ahead

By Thomas Murrell

The start of a New Year is a great time to plan for what you want to achieve. What better time than to invest in yourself and set a course for the future. As you reach your goals you will need to set new ones.
How do you do this in a powerful and focused way?

Here are 10 Essential Questions to ask now to make the most of the next year.

1. What is your 5-year plan?

What do you want to be doing professionally and personally in five years time? How do you want to be feeling? For example what will you be doing, how much income will you be earning, where will you be living, how much time will you be spending with your family?
Keeping in mind your five year vision will help set goals for the next 12 months.

2. What is your vision for the next year?

How do you see the year unfolding? Visualise yourself in 12-months time, reflecting back on the year. What does it look like? What does success look like in a year’s time?

Use this vision to add to your goals. If your planning on a holiday imagine yourself on the beach for example. This will inspire your goals and then make feasible plans to make the vision a reality.

3. What is your mission for the next year?

Who will you help? What problems will you provide solutions for? What new skills will you learn? This is the doing rather then dreaming. How will you go about achieving your goals and vision.

4. Set five key goals to be achieved.

Keep to no more than five specific goals. Write them down. Goals set the big picture achievements for the year. Have both personal and business or career goals. It might be something small like painting a room or something larger like moving house. Write it down.

5. What are the specific strategies or tasks that will help you achieve these goals?

These are the "how to's". Make them specific and achievable. Use the OAT formula - Outcome - Action - Timeline.

6. How often will you review your goals?

Write in your diary now a reminder to review them at least every 3 months. Some people like to review them on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis!

7. Conduct a personal SWOT Analysis.

In the past year, what were your Strengths and what were your Weaknesses? What are the Opportunities for the next year? What are the Threats stopping you achieving your new goals?

8. Reality Check.

How will you measure whether you have achieved your goals? What are the milestones or performance criteria that set the benchmark for measuring your success?

9. How will you balance work with personal interests?

What will be the mix of fun & learning, health & fitness, career & finance, love & belonging?

10. How will you reward yourself for achieving your goals in 2003?

How will you celebrate?

Having all this mapped out is as important as effective business management. Managing your goals, prioritising and evaluating ensures your next 12 months will be as successful personally as professionally.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.
You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

Cultivating Belief in Your Goals

By Al Smith

The Belief That You Can Do It and more importantly, That You Will!

First, You must choose one goal and commit to it's achievement. It seems that this is always the starting point isn't it? It must be something that you feel you can not live without, or you must develop that feeling for it to work. Remember, reasons first, then action.

Did you choose one? Are you commited to making it a reality in your life? Did you decide that you must have it and absolutely will have it? Is it do or die? Are your reasons for having it, strong enough to propel you forward right now and compel you to action when you may not 'feel' like it? If not, then choose another one, this is no time to waste your energy on something you are not serious about.

Aggressively research and brainstorm all the ways you can get this goal. Do not consider any negative thoughts at this time. There is another time for that. Write them down quickly as you think of more. Use shortforms and abbreviations if you have to, but keep the flow of thought going for as long as it takes. This is a tremendously important part of the process.

Remember those negatives that kept coming up throughout the above? What challenges or problems will come up when you start taking action? What do you see happening or preventing you from getting what you want? Write these down also. Be honest with yourself, if you think it, write it down. There is no such thing as unimportant thought. It is all important, vitally important!

Next, come up with solutions that will take care of these problems. Write down multiple answers to each problem. Stay positive and focused on your target. Write down everything that comes to mind. All those things that could keep you from succeeding, come up with tons of ways to deal with them. This will give you unstoppable confidence in your ability to have what you want.

Break down your solutions into action steps, into small workable tasks that you can complete quickly. Break each step down into 5 smaller actions. Then break those down into 5 smaller ones. Keep breaking down tasks until you have absolute belief in yourself that you can and will do it, right now, today!. In fact, Break them down until they are ridiculously simple!

Small, simple actions are easy to accomplish, and when these particular actions are put together, they equal the goal result that you want. Belief becomes automatic because you "know" that there is nothing standing between you and your goal.

All that is left is to work your plan. You created it, you are commited to it, you must do it, so just do it, and go get your goal. Start with the first step and complete it right now, today. So what are you waiting for? Go For It!

Are you still here? Go get that goal! LOL!

No plan is perfect so there will inevitably be obstacles and distractions, little things which will stand in your way for temporary periods of time. When this happens, just break these down. And start again . . . and again. Stay flexible and adjust your approach when these occur. Believe, and have faith in the long term.

Adjust your plans and actions as necessary until you have what you want. The result is in the bag, it is a sure thing, all that will change are the strategies, and the timing. You will prevail. This is true. If this is a major complex goal, you will want to work it backwards through smaller goals, and then break them down into action steps.

Focus on the solution instead of the fear or doubt. This strategy will work for any goal you pick. Focus on what you want continuously, with passion, and with absolute faith, knowing that you have absolutely done everything necessary. Act with that level of belief, and certainty that causes miracles to happen! Go make your miracle!

Copyright 2004 Al Smith


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Al Smith writes for and publishes The Realgoalgetter Ezine. His articles deal mostly with goal setting, self improvement, motivation, and overall health and fitness. Stop by The Realgoalgetter Website and subscribe to The Realgoalgetter Ezine at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/index.html.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Goal Getting: 5 Steps to Get You There Quickly

By Jeff Herring

One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It's the same with many self-help books as well. I always wondered why relationships, change and meeting goals couldn't be made much more simple.


To that end, here are five simple steps to making goals attainable:


1. Write it down


We all carry around in our heads great ideas, intentions and goals. The problem is that is where they often remain - floating around in our heads, taking up space and never being acted upon, much less realized. If you really do want something to happen, write it down. In fact, the simple yet powerful act of writing down your goals automatically increases the chances of meeting them. This is because even the weakest ink is so much more powerful than the strongest memory.

Another advantage to writing down your goals is that you now have them in front of you. Reading your goals on a regular basis can motivate you and keep you on course each day. We all have full days with lots of distractions. Having your goals right in front of you allows you to focus on the activities that push you toward your goals and tune out the distractions.

2. Break it down


This is the first place people often get stuck. You've set some attractive goals. Then you look at how much has to be done and how distant the goal seems to be, and you stop there. Break down your goals before you break down.

Many of the things we do on a regular basis are broken down into smaller chunks. A week has seven days, a day has 24 hours, an hour has 60 minutes and so on. Even a pizza is cut into slices and then eaten a bite at a time. Take your goals and break them down into small, manageable pieces that can be handled one at a time, a day at a time, a week at a time, and so on.

3. Take small steps

Here's the second spot where we tend to get stuck. Now that you have broken down your goals into manageable pieces, begin to take one small step at a time. As you begin to take and complete small steps, both your confidence and motivation will grow. Most people don't begin. You begin.

4. Take the next step

This is the third spot where people tend to get off course. You get off to a good start and then fail to follow through. Ask yourself "now that I have accomplished this step, what's the next step I need to take?" Then either take that step right away, or at least get started on it.

This builds your momentum and can carry you through to the completion of your goals.

5. Take one more step

This is sometimes called "going the extra mile," and it's the major difference between winners and champions. Winners take all of the steps listed above. Champions take an extra step, run one more block, lift one more weight, read one more page. When you don't believe you can take one more step and then do, that's when you become a champion.

So, here is what I'd like to invite you to do: Choose a goal you would like to accomplish, write it down, break it down, begin to take small steps, take the next steps and then take the extra steps.

Then enjoy what you have accomplished.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

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Creative Visualization: How to Supercharge Your Goal Setting

By M. Anthony

Do you know the single best way to "supercharge" any goal setting program you use is through visualization?


What is visualization? And how do you do it for maximum goal achievement?


Actually, it's quite simple and something you do all the time.


Simply create a mental picture of the end result of your goal.
Completely visualizing your desired goal is also an extremely powerful way to change one's subconscous programming for the better.


For example, if your affirmation is "I easily make $1,000 or more each week"
then you simply create a mental picture of:

  • depositing $1,000 into your bank account;


  • holding 10 $100 bills in your hand;


  • seeing a check of $1,000 made out to you.

  • The list is endless and only limited by your imagination. So let your imagination go wild...


    Here's a chance to daydream like you did as a kid.


    Let's assume your affirmation is "I weigh 110 lbs" (or whatever weight you wish to weigh)


    Simply create a mental picture of you:

  • stepping on a scale and seeing the numbers go to your desired weight;


  • looking in the mirror and seeing yourself as you wish to look;


  • having friends and family members tell you how great you look, etc.

  • Again, allow your imagination to take over and have fun with your visualization.


    Each time you visualize your desired goal, feel free to change the mental picture or use the same one repeatedly.
    If you like, make your visualization into a mini "mental movie." Add as many senses as possible to the movie.


  • Start off with the visual aspect of the picture.


  • Then add the sounds you hear in your movie.


  • Then add the scents you smell in the movie.


  • Then add the textures of the things you touch into the movie.


  • Finally, add the emotions you feel into the movie.
    Feel the excitement, satisfaction, and sense of well-being you are experiencing as you have reached your goal.

  • This is often called "complete visualization" and gives your subconscious mind a very clear picture of what you want to accomplish.


    Here's how a complete visualization, using the above example, would go:


    You hold in your hands 10 fresh $100 dollar bills.

    You can feel their crispness and notice their fresh 'money' smell.

    You look around you and see your local bank.

    As you wait in line to deposit your money, you begin to feel the excitement of knowing you now have $1,000 or more to deposit every week.

    As you approach your favorite bank teller, you hear them say "Welcome to ABC National Bank. What can I help you with today?"..


    Did you notice how you combined all 5 senses and the crucial element of positive emotions into your dream scenario?


    You probably even felt a little excitement reading the above visualization.


    That's the power of visualizations!


    Again, let your imagination have fun and form your own unique "mental movies"


    Did you know that if you spent 5-10 minutes every day doing this simple "daydreaming" you'd be on the effortless road to accomplishing any goal you wanted?


    Ever wondered why certain people seem to accomplish their goals with seemingly little to no effort?

    M. Anthony teaches these little known Secrets of Abundance, prosperity, love and effortless success at
    http://abundancesecrets.com


    You can also find your daily dose of motivation from his hand picked Inspirational Quotes

    Sunday, June 26, 2005

    Ten Reasons To Have an Inspired, World Changing Goal

    By Coco Fossland

    In a nutshell, having an inspired, world-changing goal is the difference between idly walking along a path leading to nowhere and taking a purpose-filled journey to somewhere.

    But before you can really consider why you need an inspired, world-changing goal in your business, it's important to first understand what exactly an inspired, world-changing gGoal is.

    An inspired, world-changing goal is a clear, measurable goal that you'd feel doggone excited to accomplish in the next 10-30 years. It's a real goal, and not just some pie-in-the-sky mission statement or wish for world peace. It's a specific, measurable goal that you can clearly define and you can objectively know when it is complete.

    A well-constructed Inspired World-Changing Goal has six key attributes:

    It lights up your heart and inspires you to your core. When you think about it, you are instantly filled with motivation, purpose, inspiration and excitement. It simply must be loaded with authentic desire within you. Without that, it's not really an inspired goal, now is it?

    It is 50-70% likely that you will be able to achieve it in 10-30 years. It's indeed possible for you to accomplish this goal, but it will require a great deal of commitment on the part of everyone in your business to make it happen. It's not a sure thing, but with every ounce of focus and commitment, you can do it!

    It will require you to transform and grow. In order for you and your team to accomplish it, you will be required to evolve, shedding fear and embracing empowerment. You will need courage, perseverance, commitment, and inspiration, in order to make this goal a reality. It's a goal that requires the very best of you to come forward.

    It passes the Mount Everest test. In other words, your goal is as specific as climbing to the top of Mount Everest. I know, you know, your team knows, and the rest of the world knows what it means to climb to the top of Mount Everest. The same should be true for your goal. Specific, measurable, achievable, understandable, definable. It is in no way subjective. If you state your goal and people don't clearly understand what you mean by it, then it fails the Mount Everest test and is not a true inspired, world-changing goal. You should be able to tell your friend what your inspired, world-changing goal is, and she should be able to easily -- and in her own words -- tell others what your goal is.

    It involves more than you. This is what makes it "world-changing." In some way, an inspired, world-changing goal benefits another. It transcends the self in some way and paves the way for your inner fulfillment to meet the need of the world in some way. Inherent in the goal are benefits to others, who might include your clients, your employees, your family, your community, the environment, a specific group of people, or a social cause.

    It's profound yet simple. You can say it in 20 words or less. It's no loaded with descriptions, prepositional phrases, adjectives, etc. It's clear and simple -- "my goal is to climb to the top of Mount Everest." No other colorful expressions are needed to describe it.

    Here are some examples of what an Inspired World-Changing Goal is not:

    To bring peace to the world. (It fails #2 and #4 from above.)

    To sell my product to 300 million women. (Unless you are Procter & Gamble, it's likely that you'd be failing #2 from above.)

    To inspire people around the world with a feeling of hope, possibility, joy, and fulfillment. (It fails #2, #4, and #6 from above.)

    To generate $25 million in annual revenues. (It fails #5.)

    To consistently have 5 clients and increase annual revenues by 10%. (Sorry but this is just not that inspiring! It likely fails #1, #2, and #3 from above.)

    Here are some examples of what an Inspired World-Changing Goal is:

    To pass a bill in Congress implementing Department of Peace in the Executive Branch of U.S. Government

    To attract 1,000 new clients each month and enroll them in buying an ABC Co. product or service.

    To open a Wellness University that provides at least 10 unique certification programs.

    To build a retreat center that serves 10,000 guests annually.

    To be named as one of Fortune Magazine's top companies to work for.

    To take 1000 artists on a Spiritual Discovery Tour.

    To give $1 million to charity (based on a rate of tithing 10%).

    So now that you understand what an inspired, world-changing goal is, here are the top ten reasons why it's imperative to have one in your business:

    Reason One: It is the guts of your vision. Every successful business has a clear vision of where it is headed. An inspired, world-changing goal sits at the heart of that vision, making it more real, clear, and powerful.

    Reason Two: It becomes your north star. Most businesses are headed towards short-term goals, but who knows if those short-term initiatives are really headed in the direction of your larger vision? Until you have an inspired, world-changing goal, your headed on a path to nowhere.

    Reason Three: It is the foundation of your business plan. Once you have a well-constructed inspired, world-changing goal, then it's easy to build milestones leading you to it. Your milestones then become the focus of your short- and long-term business planning. With an inspired, world-changing goal you have something specific to begin charting your progress towards.

    Reason Four: It helps you make clear choices. Every choice will either lead you one step closer or one step farther from your goal. By having an inspired, world-changing goal, you have a litmus test or a system of calibration to determine the best path for your business. It helps you determine which markets to focus on, which products to develop, which channels to leverage, and which partners to attract.

    Reason Five: It inspires you every step of the way. Without an inspired, world-changing goal, it's easy to forget why you started your business in the first place. Getting lost in the minutia and sucked into the grind, it's easy to loose perspective, momentum, and inspiration. But with a clear, simple inspired, world-changing goal, you are empowered with a glimmering reminder of what your journey is all about. And that is inspiring.

    Reason Six: You are assured fulfillment. So often business owners chase goals that sound reasonable, logical, and prudent; but often these goals fail to produce the feelings of joy, fulfillment, purpose, and higher purpose that business owners long to feel. By following the path of an inspired, world-changing goal, your spirit aligns with what it deeply craves, and thus the feelings of fulfillment, self-actualizations, and real satisfaction are finally available along the way.

    Reason Seven: It's more attractive than you can possibly know. When you are onto big aspirations and accomplishments, everything about your business resonates, vibrates at that higher level. The high-frequency feelings combined with the clarity of a specific goal give you the exact ingredients to make your business a success-magnet.

    Reason Eight: Others will be inspired to help you. When you're up to big things, others will be inspired by what your doing and automatically feel compelled to help you. Not only does an inspired, world-changing goal build buy-in from your employees, it builds loyalty and confidence in your customers and partners.

    Reason Nine: It keeps you aligned with your highest path. Because your inspired, world-changing goal is grounded in something that lights up your heart and inspires you to the core, it is, by definition, aligned with your highest path. Gifting yourself with an inspired, world-changing goal guarantees that your business be an instrument for divine good. I can't imagine anything more empowering than that. Can you?

    Reason Ten: Success becomes automatic. By taking consistent, constant action in the direction of your hearts deepest desires, you are essentially choosing to work with with the flow of the universe and all its abundance. Success, by any definition, becomes effortless and automatic. Your only job is to stay focused, inspired, and committed to the goal at hand.

    Indeed having an inspired, world-changing goal at the foundation of your business can give you many benefits. But don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself today.

    Copyright 2005 Coco Fossland

    About Coco Fossland
    The author of the forthcoming book, The Power of Trust: Trust Yourself, Transform Your World, Coco Fossland is a nationally recognized expert in personal transformation, self-empowerment and self-healing. Blending a decade of technology and strategy consulting with her expertise in self-trust transformation, Coco's business is focused on supporting people passionate about creating businesses that make a difference in the world. She helps her clients fuse their higher path with their businesses, creating institutions and organizations that profoundly impact the world one person at a time.

    Thursday, June 23, 2005

    Achieving Your Goals

    By Jason Johns

    You may or may not have a set of written goals. If you do not, then I strongly urge you to make a written set of goals and clarify what you want to achieve. Whatever the case, you may be struggling with achieving your goals in life. In this article, you will learn some techniques for achieving your goals.

    Think of a time in your life when you achieved something you really wanted. Did you doubt it would happen and believe that you could not achieve it? Or did you have a solid sense of knowing that it would happen and doubt never entered into your mind?

    It was the second wasn’t it?

    When Richard Branson set up Virgin Airways, did he sit in his office and wonder if it would ever work? Did Bill Gates sit in his office wondering if anyone would want to buy his Windows product? They may have done for a little while, but they did not let these doubts rule them. They knew their plans would work and that they would be successful.

    When working to achieve your goals, you need that unerring sense of confidence and lack of doubt in yourself. You must Know it is going to happen and that you will succeed. We are not talking about thinking you will succeed, believing you will succeed or knowing you will achieve your goal. They are all intellectual forms of Knowing, Knowing with a capital K; that solid feeling in the pit of your stomach that you will make happen and you cannot fail. Expect it to happen and know there is no other way. It will happen. This Knowing gives you drive and commitment to see you through to the success of your goal.

    But how do you get this feeling? One of the best and most effective techniques is visualisation.

    You currently use the power of visualisation, probably without even realising it. Have you ever run through what you are going to say to someone before you have the conversation? Or seen yourself in your mind giving a presentation before you give it?

    That is the power of visualisation, and it is very potent. You can use it not only for your goals, but for any aspect of your life. Visualisation is something most people are unused to directing. You will find initially that your attention will wander, but you have to pull it back to the task at hand. It is similar to building a muscle up through exercise – it takes time to strengthen it.

    The exercise for visualising your goals is very simple, and is as follows.

    1) Select the goal that you wish to work with

    2) Picture an image of this goal in your mind

    3) Visualise yourself attaining your goal. Use all of your senses – touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste. Really feel your success with every fibre of your being and Know that your goal is as good as achieved.

    4) Hold this image in your mind for a minimum of 10 minutes – remain focus and positive. Challenge any doubts that rise and replace them with positive words and images of success. If you get distracted or your mind wanders, bring your focus back to your goal.

    You can also hold this successful image in your mind as you go about your day to day business. Keep the image there and focus on your success. You get what you focus on – and if you focus on achieving your goal, then you will get it. Visualisation is a method of programming the subconscious mind for success.

    With some goals you may want to keep them private. If you are trying to get fit and your friends know you have been less than energetic in the past when you tell them your goal, they will laugh and joke and not believe you. This doubt and disbelief can affect your belief in yourself and in your goal, which in turn can lead to failure to achieve the goal.

    It is hard enough to overcome our own doubts and worries without having to also overcome those of the people around you. Keep any goals where you may be influenced by others to yourself and let the people around you see the successful end result.

    Affirming Success

    Another method for achieving your goals is to use affirmations, which means you repeat your goal again and again to yourself. This is another method of programming your subconscious mind, which is the source of all action.

    An affirmation is a sentence or two that is written in a positive language with definite targets and timescales. A bad affirmation would be “I want to lose some weight.” Your subconscious looks at this and since there is no timescale it will not leap into action. There is also no definite target so your subconscious does not know what to aim for. How is “some weight” defined? It is 10 pounds, but also 1 pound and also just 1 ounce.

    A good affirmation is “I want to lose 10 pounds by the end of this year.” This sends the right messages to your subconscious. It knows that you exactly how much you have to lose (10 pounds) and when this must be done by (the end of this year). You know precisely what you have to do and when it has to be done by.

    If the goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year, we need an action plan to get us to this goal and to make it happen. In this case the action plan may be to reduce our chocolate intake and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables we consume. The action plan is made up of a series of milestones. For example, if there are 5 months until the end of the year then our milestones would be to lose 2 pounds each month.

    Little Steps

    You may have a big goal such as “To have an income in excess of £100,000 a year by the time I am 35” (notice the goal is specific in both the timescale and the amount and does not put an upper limit on your earning potential.)

    This goal can be very daunting to look at, perhaps even enough for you to give up and not strive to achieve it. To overcome this, you break your goal down into a number of smaller, more manageable steps.

    Any large goal can be broken down into a number of sub-goals, which can then be broken down even further if necessary. Each of the sub-goals has an associated action plan with it. Using our income goal from above, sub-goals could be to understand taxation, to understand investment, to start your own company, and so on.

    Smaller goals are easier for you to handle, and help you to stay on course to your main goal. You also get the satisfaction of regularly having successes and achieving goals, which does wonders for your belief in yourself.

    All of your major goals and their associated sub-goals and action plans need to be regularly reviewed – ideally daily. This ensures you remain focussed on your goals and instantly know if you start to drift away from your target. It allows you to adjust your goals and action plan according to whether things are working quicker or slower than planned. It also prevents you from repeating actions and carrying out tasks that are not necessary. It keeps the goals in the forefront of your mind, and does not allow you to forget about them.

    Achieving our goals is something we all want to do, but it involves work. Rarely will they be given to us on a silver platter by a servant on bended knee. Achievement requires Knowing, drive and commitment, combined with careful and meticulous planning and a firm belief in ourselves. With unwavering belief and commitment there is nothing that you cannot achieve. Everything and anything is within your grasp – if you are willing to make the commitment to achieving it.

    If you enjoyed this, check out the Achieving Your Goals audio CD at http://www.stateofhypnosis.com/audio/abundance/ayg.php and program your powerful subconscious for the success and achievement you desire.

    Jason is a personal coach, dedicated to achieving success for his clients. He products a wide variety of audio programs and courses on everything from weight to confidence to abundance to past lives. Visit his website,
    http://www.stateofhypnosis.com, for more information and to discover how he can help you live the life of your dreams.

    Monday, June 20, 2005

    Mission Statements Improve Goal Setting and Decision Making

    By Paul Christenbury

    A Mission Statement consists of a short phrase or a few sentences that form an overview of your core priorities and guiding principles. It describes what you are trying to accomplish and what you value. It forms the basis for all of your long-term planning and outlines the overall direction of where and what you would like to be. Writing personal Mission Statements gives you the opportunity to establish what’s really important and to make decisions to stick to before you even start setting goals. They allow you to connect with your own unique purpose and help improve your Goal Setting, Time Management, and decision making processes.

    MyGoalManager.com's system uses the following 12 major Goal Areas or Goal Types: Adventure, Artistic, Asset, Career, Charity, Family, Financial, Education, Health, Recreation, Social, and Spiritual. The system allows you to create personal Mission Statements for each of these Goals Areas which sets the foundation for your Goals in each area. These statements reflect your perceptions of the end result of all endeavors within a Goal Area. All of the Goals you set for a given Goal Type should be agree with its Mission Statement and should help fulfill the statement.

    Mission Statements are broad and not specific like goals and they have no deadlines. Mission Statements might include phrases like "help as many people as I can", "eat better", "make more money", or "be happier". When writing Mission Statements ask yourself questions like "What would I like to accomplish and contribute?". Your Mission Statements will most likely evolve over time and you may need to revise them as your objectives become clearer over time.

    When you review your Goals be sure to also review your Mission Statements to make sure all of your Goals are aligned with your core values and priorities. MyGoalManager.com's "Goal Plan Outline Report" shows all of your Mission Statements and Goals in a structured, easy to read format. Visit http://www.mygoalmanager.com to get help defining your Mission Statements and Goal Plan.

    MyGoalManager.com is an easy to use Goal Setting and Achievement System that directs you step-by-step through prioritized goal definition, plan of action formulation, motivation, reminders, and guidance reviews. MyGoalManager.com is owned and operated by Gruve International (http://www.gruveintl.com).

    Wednesday, June 15, 2005

    Success and Failure: Two Sides of the Same Coin

    By Graeme Nichol

    Failure is Great

    You are probably asking yourself what could be good about failing. Failing means … well … that you failed, that you didn’t achieve the results you wanted and that things didn’t turn out as you hoped. What could be good about that?

    The advantage is that you now know one way not to do something. And this is as useful as knowing one way of how to do something.

    As Thomas Edison said, “Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do in the first place doesn't mean it's useless.... Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.... “

    Failure is a learning opportunity, but only if you let it be. More often than not failure is seen as something that should be hidden and avoided and never admitted to. How often in your company do you think people make the same mistakes over and over again because no one ever admits to the mistake or examines why the mistake was made.

    Would it not be more cost effective and time effective if when a mistake is initially made that it results in a learning opportunity? Each time something doesn’t go according to plan think about you could do next time to get the results you want? What was missing? What needs to be added? What needs to change?

    Once the answers to the questions have been thoroughly explored with an open mind and no assumptions, then take those learnings and apply them to the future. Every company should continually strive to learn and improve. Just because a particular method works doesn’t mean it is the best one. Strive to improve.

    Be prepared to fail and learn – it is the only way forward.

    Celebrate Successes

    The opposite side of the same coin – success. Just as it is important to analyze your failures and learn from them so it is also important that you celebrate your successes and repeat them.

    Every year we strive to do be better and be more successful at what we do. Often, however, we only remember successes that are so large that they hit us right in the face, when they are so large that everyone else congratulates you. We remember landing a $100 million dollar account or tripling our profits from the year before or being awarded some Presidential award.

    While these are amazing successes that you should definitely celebrate and tell the world about they are not the kind of successes that most of us can hope to achieve. The rest of us need to be happy with the smaller more mundane successes. Successes like generating a profit in our business, getting the client we have been trying to land or simply being thanked by one of our clients for a job well done.

    Although these may seem like small successes, lots of small successes like these add up to a successful business, motivated staff and a happy you. Now what if you could repeat each of your small successes so that you could achieve them on a monthly or weekly basis – wouldn’t that spell big success for your business?

    To achieve that big success you therefore need to celebrate each of your small successes. You need to remember each of them, examine them and find a way of repeating them. Sit down now and think, over the last year, what you did well. Think about what you succeeded in doing, what someone thanked you for, and, where you were appreciated.

    Create a list of your successes – no matter how small – examine them to find a way that you could repeat them. What was the essence of the success that would make it repeatable? Break the success into small process steps, think about everything that you did to get to the end point of success. Not just the big steps, think about each little step that was taken.

    It is often not the big steps that determine a success – it is the little things. Maybe you wrote a client a thank you letter, or you called a client to see how they were doing. Maybe you referred a client to someone else to solve a problem that you couldn’t. You could also have rewarded your staff or done something out of the ordinary for them to make them perform above and beyond.

    Think about each success in great detail.

    You should now be able to see where you did something differently to achieve the successful result. Your next step is to put together a plan on how you are going to repeat your past successes. Your plan should include each of those necessary steps that resulted in the success.

    By understanding and planning for your successes you will be able to repeat them and eventually be able to achieve the large success – a successful business or department.

    Plan for success, learn from failures.

    GRAEME NICHOL, President, Arcturus Advisors.

    Graeme Nichol has worked on 4 continents and in 117 unique businesses gaining experience in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, communications, banking, direct marketing, consumer goods and retail amongst others. He has significant management experience and consulting experience, including Business strategy, project management, change management, big six consulting, team productivity, business productivity and quality improvement, ERP implementations.

    Arcturus Advisors works with businesses and teams that are struggling to formulate a strategic plan that delivers bottom line results. Using tried and tested planning systems that have achieved results internationally for 20 years we ensure that you transform your business through focus, alignment and accountability.

    Setting Goals for Success

    By Gerri D Smith

    “In any and every given moment of your life, you are either in command of yourself… or you are being commanded.” -Guy Finley, Author

    It pays to learn, especially from your mistakes. The successful entrepreneur learns how to deal with mistakes every day. They look forward to the challenge. It‘s important to remember that they don’t have to know it all. There’s always someone they can go to for assistance, support, or technical information.

    To experience success means you have to set goals and take the necessary actions to make your goals happen. This process of learning continues until you’ve mastered it. After every failure, you can compliment yourself for trying, then tell yourself to try again.

    Setting goals to reach success is like climbing a mountain. It takes a very long time to reach the top. Along the way may be several obstacles, but you must keep going. Further on you may stumble and need to rest. To reach the next level, there may be times when you have to take a different path or go around the obstacle. The last step to the top is the crucial one and requires all your concentration. Don’t let the difficult climb persuade you to quit or from setting higher goals. If you enjoy the climb, you will eventually reach the top!

    There is power and energy in accomplishment. Develop goals that you are passionate about, then work to make them real. If you miss reaching one goal, learn what you did wrong, and try again. You have every right to be successful. Failure means giving up. If your goal is strong enough and you are committed and passionate enough about what you wish to accomplish, it will happen. Wouldn’t one idea be worth it, if it helped thousands of others to live better, be healthier, save more money, save time, help the environment, create new businesses, and employ others?

    Successful entrepreneurs have a certain mental and positive attitude. They believe in themselves and are convinced that they can live richer, fuller lives. They fulfill their own personal desires for happiness. They are familiar with hard work and responsibility.

    Take any business or service that is already established and successful and think of other products or services that may help others in different and new ways. Expand your consciousness; think success. Develop your need to be creative. Think outside of your normal way of doing, acting, and being. You may surprise yourself into discovering the next invention, the next form of entertainment, or the next wave of technology. Get rid of self-defeating habits and attitudes. Success comes to those who look for it.

    Here are some goals you may set for reaching success in your life:

    1. What are you passionate about? Make a list of things you love to do. A few ideas and types of businesses that may lead you to think of new products, new services, or new inventions may include:

    * Travel
    * Fitness/Health Care
    * Electronics
    * Technology/Internet/World Wide Web
    * Teaching/Instructional Workshops
    * Public speaking
    * Writing: Books/Articles/Poetry/Advertising
    * Entertainment/Music/Acting * Gardening//Landscaping
    * Interior Design; Broadcasting/Television/Radio;
    * Spirituality/Inspiration/Self-Improvement

    The list is endless.

    2. Set goals with specific conditions. Make your goals possible to accomplish. Plan your goals and structure your thoughts around positive actions. If you think your goal is impossible - it will be. Yet, if you think in positive terms, your goals will be easier to achieve. Refuse to let doubt sway you from your target. Stay positive and you’ll get to your goal much faster.

    3. Think big, yet be realistic. Every accomplishment starts with a dream. Make your dream the biggest and the best - then work to make it come true. Write down everything you know about your dream and your desire to have it happen. What do you have to do? How soon can you make it happen? Be patient, nothing happens overnight.

    4. Make a plan. Write your dream, idea and your plan of action in the present tense: “I am successful.” “I have a successful business.” “My faith is strong and I am blessed financially.” “I am going to reach my goal.” This helps your mind to visualize the outcome. Your mind is forced to act as if your dream has already materialized. Your mind works in the present and makes no distinction between what is happening now and what has already happened. Confusion comes when you send your thoughts to the future or back to the past. The mind may shut down and stop working on what you desire.

    5. Set values on your goals. What value do you place on your life? On your career? On your business? What excites you? Let your imagination soar. Would you give up your values for someone else’s if it meant losing your character or your faith? Your goals must be valuable to you before they can be fulfilled. When you focus on your dream, give it time to grow and develop. It soon becomes a reality.

    6. Reward your progress. When you achieve even the smallest step in accomplishing your goals, get excited. Compliment yourself for taking a step toward reaching your goal. There isn’t anything more gratifying then accomplishing your goal. When you make a major accomplishment, do something for someone else. Celebrate it!

    With unlimited opportunities to reach your dreams and goals; with unlimited access to knowledge, information, instructors, and places to go for help, there’s no telling what you can accomplish - if you desire! Then...

    Always remember to thank the source from which it all comes.

    Copyright 2004

    Gerri D Smith is publisher and host of multiple Gateways to inspiration, motivation, and support for individuals, women business owners, and entrepreneurs. Gerri's internet resource offers ways to unlock the doors to your personal and business empowerment. Now is a perfect time to own your own business and discover some of the best ways to market a product. One is by letting your customers see it before they buy it. This concept is a sharing of information and is made available by the Internet. Best of all it’s delivered right to your email doorstep. Why not invest in your future, now. To help you reach more of your personal and business goals, subscribe to Gerri's Free bi-monthly inspirational newsletter.

    Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com Or, send a blank email and your correct email address and mailto: gerri@distinctivebusinesswomen.com?Subject=EZ-Scribe