The 3 CRUCIAL Secrets To Effective Goal-Setting!

It’s that time of year again. People setting New Year’s resolutions, making plans, and setting goals… only to see them fade before the arrival of spring. Very few people set goals, and even fewer follow through with them. This article is a specific working method. It ensures, IF you follow with them, they will yield results like nothing you’ve ever accomplished before. I can assume then, if you’re reading this, you’re most likely the kind of person that gets things done, correct? I can assume you’re a go-getter, aren’t you? You’re probably envied by your friends because you can multi-task and have a huge to-do list all checked off each day. Am I right? So my question for you is: HOW do you do it so successfully? I mean, why can YOU accomplish so much and some people can’t even wake up on time in the morning? The reason most people don’t ever achieve what they truly want is they’re not real clear about what it is that they want. They don’t even know why they want it and they can’t muster up the necessary motivation to implement the actions it takes to follow through. The answer to get what-ever you want is simply KNOW what you want, obtain enough reasons WHY you want it, and develop the proper behaviors. #1 Clarity – The Power of Focus!Here’s the first question I pose to every one of my coaching clients; “If I were your travel agent, what would be the first question I’d ask you?” And of course they answer, “where are we going?” Because without a destination we’d never arrive, no matter what method we used.You might be familiar with the Law of Attraction. It’s simply states that whatever you hold in your mind’s eye long enough, a goal of any kind, it will show up. Because what you focus on inside, shows up on the outside. Where attention goes, energy flows, results show! The unconscious mind’s primary objective is it focuses on your dominant thoughts. So whatever you put up on the screen of your mind you move towards it. Whatever you focus upon you get more of. If you focus on poverty and lack, you’ll tend to get more of that in your life. If you focus on prosperity or wealth, you will create more of that. Napoleon Hill, author of “Think & Grow Rich” called this – a definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants!There’s also a correct way to ask your unconscious what you want. In America we’ve been accustomed to use negations to convey what we want. Here’s an example; “Whatever you do, DON’T think of a blue tree!” Ok, so what did you have to do? You had to think of a blue tree right? Why? Because you can’t think about what you don’t want to think about without thinking about it, think about it?;-) Here are a couple of other great examples; • “I DON’T want to be fat!” • “Kids, DON’T eat all the candy!” • “Please DON’T talk to me like that!” • “DON’T spend your money all at once!”Negations state what we want but in an opposite manner of speaking. Remember, the unconscious mind can only focus on what you put in front of it. So always “ask or say it the way you want it!”Another great rule to follow when setting goals is S.M.A.R.T. goals. Make them SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, REALISTIC, and TIMED. #2 Emotion – The Driving Force! The one driving force of our behavior is EMOTION. It’s what causes us to procrastinate or ACT! How you FEEL about taking action will determine whether or not you achieve your goal. In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we say you’ll do more to avoid pain than gain pleasure. So what will YOU do more for; to avoid the pain of rejection, ridicule or fear, or the pleasure of getting your goal? For most people (at an unconscious level) you’ll avoid the pain therefore NOT taking the appropriate actions to get what you want. So to counter this pain/pleasure principle, you’ll want to create reasons WHY you must have your goal. The more reasons WHY you have, the more emotional intensity (motivation) you’ll have for attaining your goal. You’ll want to write out 100 reasons why for each goal, imagine how much motivation you’ll have driving you to achieve your goal now?#3 Behavior – the Ability to ACT!One thing that has been overlooked in the past is making the very fine distinction between a behavior and a “thing”. I ask that my coaching clients to set their “goal” as a behavior they want to be doing, not an object outside themselves. Like having a gazillion dollars in the bank or a Ferrari in their garage. These are simply the “rewards” you’d receive for DOING certain behaviors. They are not behaviors themselves. So your question here is what behavior(s) do you need to HAVE and DO to get your goal(s)? To sum up, It’s not enough to just to be clear about what you want and passionate about it; you have to DO SOMETHING to get there! If you’re interested in learning more about NLP and our training programs, or to have John speak at your event or our coaching services please email John at: John@JohnSantangelo.com or call his office – (818) 879-2000.