With the arrival of the New Year comes an urge to make a new start with our lives. The age-old tradition of the New Year’s Resolution is a sign of the human drive for growth and improvement. Some criticize the practice of making resolutions, saying they just set people up for failure. Research shows, however, that people who make New Year’s resolutions are much more like to create positive change in their lives than those who don’t make resolutions! So I say go for it!
Whether you succeed or fail at your resolution depends on many factors, but one of the most important is your level of commitment. If you are making some new resolutions for this year, let me suggest a goal setting program taught by Anthony Robbins. Mr. Robbins is a world-famous motivational speaker and author. I recently listened to a goal-setting workshop from Anthony Robbins’ “Personal Power” program. He has some good advice on goal setting that I want to share with you. Anthony Robbins states that goals work because “thoughts are things.” We make our dreams become something real when we think clearly about them. Robbins calls this creating the future in advance. When you set a goal, you are stating that where you are is not where you want to be. You are looking for the next level, and that means you want to grow.
Before you begin this exercise, you should set aside at least an hour to go through all these steps in one sitting. This exercise has the potential to be life-changing, and I suggest you take it seriously if you want real results. The first step in setting any goal is to know WHY you are making that goal for yourself. Make sure the reason is compelling enough to push you towards success. For instance, a goal to lose 20 lbs so that you can look good in a bathing suit is not as compelling as wanting to lose 20 lbs so you can live longer, stay healthier and FEEL BETTER physically, emotionally, and mentally. Make sure your reasons are exciting and appealing to you!
When you think about making resolutions or goals, Mr. Robbins suggests you create goals that “hit the whole person” by asking yourself questions like: “How to I want to be, where do I want to be, and what do I want to have?” This means you are looking at goals that will change you personally, emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically, and financially.
The second step is to get your goal down in writing. Anthony Robbins says “clarity is power”, that when you write it down you become a creator of your own dreams. He suggests that you make three separate headings for goals; personal development goals, “things” goals, and economic goals. The way to identify and write down these goals is to get three sheets of paper with the three goal listed as headings. Then with personal development, start writing as fast as you can what you would like to become in the future. What skills, abilities, and character traits do you want in your life? What do you want to change about your self physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally?
Under the heading of “things goals,” write down all that you want in your life. What do you want to provide for yourself, your family and your community? Lastly, under the heading of financial goals, list your annual and lifetime goals for financial attainment. How much income do you want to make? How much do you want in savings? How much do you want to give to others? Do you want to be free of debt?
The third step is to identify which goals you want to achieve in one, three, five, ten, or twenty or more years. With the goals you have identified to achieve in one year, select the top three personal development, things, and financial goals you feel are most meaningful and important to you. This means you should have nine goals selected as a top priority in your life. For each of the nine goals, write a paragraph about WHY this goal is compelling to you, and why you want to commit to attaining this goal.
The fourth step is to develop a plan to take some action on each goal within the next 24 hours. This will get you MOVING towards the goal. For instance, if you have a personal development goal of learning how to play the guitar, you should be calling to set up guitar lessons within 24 hours after writing out your goals. Taking these first small steps towards goal-attainment is making your goal happen!
If these four steps get you moving towards your goals, then you definitely want to change your life for the better and I congratulate you. Anthony Robbins says you should keep these nine goals in front of you at all times, and at least every six months you should be reviewing all the goals you have written in this exercise. To keep the momentum going, ask yourself what would the price be to your life if you didn’t achieve these goals? What would you be missing out on? The dreams become possibilities, and the possibilities become not only probable, but a fact of your life!
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