Have you set your goals for 2011 yet?

For the past 12 or so years I've been writing my goals for the new year during the days between Christmas and New Years.  It's become a ritual. I look forward to the self-reflection as I prepare my lists and take an observers inventory of my experiences, values, challenges and accomplishments in the passing year.  

Many years ago, I was fortunate to have a thoughtful work colleague share powerful goal setting techniques with me.  Over the years, I have passed them along to good friends who have also made this an annual ritual.  Now, I pass it on to the world at large in hopes that those interested in creating the life of their dreams will have some powerful tools to do so.

Passing it on...

1. PREPARATION

The preparation for writing your goals is extremely important because it sets you up with the right state of mind. Pick a day that you can set some time aside for yourself. Before you start your goal session, take time to meditate, walk in nature, listen to your favorite music - do anything that helps to inspire and clear your mind of fear-based, negative chatter. Open your heart, open your mind.

What is the difference between a dream and a goal? The written word. Have a journal or several pages of paper and a good pen or pencil ready. The act of writing goals is said to be more powerful than typing them. 

Find a quiet space, without disruption. Your goals need to be complete, focused and free of influence from others. 

2. BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU WISH FOR 

It's very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values. Check in to make sure that the goal nourishes your higher self and doesn't contradict any of your other goals.

For example, you can't buy a $750,000 house if your income goal is only $50,000 per year. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. Continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from your thinking.

Goals can be empty if they aren't aligned with a deeper level of your Self.

Develop goals in the following 6 areas of life: 

Family and Home                Financial and Career

Spiritual and Ethical           Physical and Health

Social and Cultural             Mental and Educational

This will ensure a more balanced life and helps in eliminating non-integrated thinking.

4. BE EMOTIONAL, DETAILED AND PAST TENSED 

Write your goals with the feeling that you will experience when you accomplish them. You will be more likely to connect with the emotional response associated with accomplishing the goal.

Write your goals as if they already happened. This will condition your subconscious mind to believe that the goal is doable and connects you with the experience of accomplishing it.

The subconscious mind doesn't judge. It's only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get. 

For example, instead of writing "I want to go on an African Safari", rephrase it as "I took a thrilling, life changing 3 week safari vacation to Kenya with my best friend, saw magnificent animals in their natural habitat and had amazing, unexpected experiences."

You are giving the subconscious mind detailed instructions, so the more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes.

Close your eyes and visualize the goal in detail as if you are experiencing it - how it looks, how you feel, exactly how you want it to be. If you can see it , so can your subconscious mind.

5. SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGH

Goals are not a "To Do" list of mundane tasks.  Make sure they are inspiring and driven from the heart.  At the end of the day, when you look back at your life, are you really going to care that your garage was clean or that you made more meals at home?  What you may really want is to live in a home that you love and feel wonderful in, or that you focused on nutrition for optimal health and/or spent quality time with family over dinner every night.

Also, it's great to set your goals high, because even if you never achieve it, everything you did to reach that goal will give you purpose, direction and make you better person. 

6. KEEP PRIVATE, REVIEW FREQUENTLY  

Unless someone is critical to helping you achieve your goals, do not freely share them with others. Negative attitude from friends and family who don't share in the goal setting practice can drag you down quickly. It's very important that your self-talk is positive.  You don't need anyone else to approve your goals but you.

Reviewing your goals daily is a crucial part of your success.  Make it a part of your routine at the beginning and end of each day.  See the new home, smell the leather seats in your new car, feel the cold hard cash in your hands. This process will start both your subconscious and conscious mind on working towards the goal. 
 

Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal?" If the answer is "closer to," then you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do.

If you follow this process everyday you will be on your way to achieving unlimited success in every aspect of your life.

REMEMBER: It's OK to revise a goal as circumstances and other goals change. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight to realize something was different.  Enjoy the process.

 Wishing you all a happy, healthy, abundant 2011!!!