Your Goal Mind, Your Gold Mine

You have made a decision to make changes in your life, right? Do you have a goal in mind? Here are a few examples:

Specific Attainable Goal

I will write for one hour each day until I finish my book.

I will walk to the end of the block today.

I will watch television for one hour after work.

General Goal

I will write more.

I will walk more.

I will control my television viewing.

For the writing of this book, I reserved at least one hour each day to just write. Sometime I had plenty to write. Sometime there wasn't as much progress, but the act of making this effort gave me a sense of moving toward my goal. You are reading my accomplished goal right now.

When you have a goal, you have something to aim for. Goals give you direction and help you decide where to expend your effort in order to have the best chance of actually achieving your goal. When you make a conscious effort, your goal centered mind produces your gold mine. That gold mine is the treasured goal you had in mind and achieved!

An example of a personalized goal could be, I will complete business school by (fill in the date) ___________. This book is focused on the how — how you can confidently make an effort to achieve your specific goal or appropriately modify your goal as needed.

Write your thoughts down as you consider your goal. Is your goal specific? Is your goal general? What does this reflection reveal for you?:

Notes

Remember to always be clear on your intention when you set your goal. (Intention will be discussed more in step 1.) Your intention will support you as you move toward accomplishing your goal. My intention for writing this book was to give you encouragement and a guide to that treasured gold mine, aka your accomplished goal.

To help you stay focused on achieving your goals, How Will I Achieve My Goals?: Six Simple Steps to Proven Success will guide you in remembering that a goal requires you to make an EFFORT:

Step 1 – Establish what your goal is and why you want it.

Step 2 – Determine whether your strategy Fits your goal.

Step 3 – Determine whether your goal is Fulfilling.

Step 4 – Observe your progress in achieving your goal.

Step 5 – Measure the Result of your efforts.

Step 6 – Set a Time Limit for achieving your goal.

There is one word in each step in the process that is the main focus for that designated step. Using the first letter in each of these words in their respective step, they spell the word EFFORT. EFFORT is a main ingredient to achieving your goals:

Step 1 – Establish
Step 2 – Fit
Step 3 – Fulfilling
Step 4 – Observe
Step 5 – Result
Step 6 – Time Limit

Taking action is a way of describing making an effort. Your effort is the life you breathe into your goals. You can bring your goals to life. Each step of the process will be discussed in detail to keep you on track in making a conscious effort toward achieving your goal. As you use this book, it will serve as your mobile accountability partner, reference, and inspiration. You will have a way of checking in on how you are performing and what you may need to do to stay on course or to change course. You will get there.

At this point, you have been introduced to the Six Simple Steps to Proven Success. Now, keep going. Make an effort to read about and use the process. You have the power to transform your effort into your desired goal! You must always make an effort to move in the direction of your goal. By taking actions, goals have a better chance of coming to life. Do what you can now.

Let's move on to what happens after setting your goal, also referred to as a resolution at times. Step 1 of the Six Simple Steps to Proven Success. It will help you establish your foundation. Establishing a foundation gives you something firm to build upon as you start out. Remember to follow the steps in order. After reading through the process one time, be sure to apply each individual step to your particular situation accordingly.

Wouldn't it be awesome to take what you learn here and make this system a trusted guide as you pursue all kinds of goals? Imagine the possibilities. Anne reaches out to other women online and forms a supportive community for a mysterious illness. Jay and Samantha build a successful community-based business that inspires youth to believe their dreams can come true. A teenaged Patti buys her first car by creating and selling unique graphic art. Octogenarian Robert sets his intention on walking at least a mile each day.

My doubt and fear, among other things, about actually finishing this book would arise and sometimes impede my progress. Would I be able to communicate in a way that would resonate with anyone? The Six Simple Steps to Proven Success process turned out to be a tool I referred to in times when I was a bit stalled or stuck. When you use this process, the goals you set and achieve can be unlimited. There is always an effort to be made.

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You have the power to transform your effort into your desired goal!

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Step 1: Establish What Your Goal Is and Why You Want It

What Do You Want?

Simply put, what do you want? No matter when or where you start, you must start by figuring out what you want. Start where you are. Determine your start date. It's time to let your imagination roam free. Have fun here. This is your dream. This is your goal.

Stepping Into Your Goal Exercise

Read this paragraph for instructions on how to step into your goal, then lay the book aside and practice doing so. Try your goal on now. You can do this by getting in a relaxed state of mind. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. You can sit or lie down, but be sure you're not so relaxed you fall asleep. You are about to experience the good feelings your goal will bring. Take a few deep breaths. Inhale filling your stomach and imagine it shaped like a plump pear. Hold it for a count of four. Exhale fully like a deflating balloon. Now take time to feel each part of your body relax. You can mentally name or focus on parts of your body from your toes to the top of your head, assisting the progression of your relaxation. When you feel your body taken over by this relaxed state, imagine that the date for your achieved goal has arrived. Imagine yourself stepping right into the picture of living your ideal goal. Imagine the colors, smells, tastes, body sensations and feelings associated with your achieved goal. Stay there and feel the whole experience of your goal fully realized. With your eyes still closed, step out of the picture you have imagined. Now, look at yourself in the picture in your mind's eye, being, doing, and having your goal. Enjoy this time. When you're ready, come back to the present moment by being aware of your breathing and physical body. Open your eyes when you're ready. Is there a big grin on your face? I hope so. You can feel good now. Feel free to tweak your goal while in this state too. Use this technique to support your efforts whenever you like.

You've now stepped into your goal and felt what it feels like to achieve the goal. Your end result that you imagined during this exercise will appear because you will learn what consistency in your effort generates. Making an effort is how you show faith in a goal you cannot see in the present. This is how you will achieve any goal you set. Be consistent in your effort, and you have an amazing chance to pull your goal right into a tangible form.

• How did achieving your goal make you feel?

• How was your life better because you achieved your goal?

• Was anyone else's life positively changed by you reaching your goal?

• Do you have a better idea of what you want now?

Contemplating these questions can further help you develop a clear picture of your goal, and feel a sense of achievement now. Feels good, doesn't? This good feeling can give you energy to keep moving forward too.

Morgan Freeman's character, Monty Wildhorn, in the movie The Magic of Belle Isle (2012) made a fascinating comment about imagination: "Imagination, the most powerful force ever made available to humankind." What are you doing with your imagination? Use your imagination as you see necessary, just as you did in the previous exercise by stepping into your goal. You absolutely have the power to establish your goal in the unlimited space in your mind and then bring it to life.

Take a moment to jot down ideas about what you want, helping to establish your goal:

Notes

When establishing your goal, keep in mind that it is important to act now because this is the only time you can act to affect your future. The present is a present because it is the only time when you can act to make changes in your life. No effort or action can be taken in the past. It's gone. No effort or action can be taken in the future. It hasn't arrived. However, you affect your future by what you do in the present. Now that's a real present. And it is a real privilege to be aware of the present moment to take action. What you do now is what matters. Decide to make an effort. Do it now. You will reap the benefits of your goal when you make an effort in the present moment. While engaged in the present moment, I found being in a calm state provided me the clarity to make wise decisions too.

Determine Your Intention

Why do you want to achieve the goal you determined? Make your why clear so you have a reason to persevere and set an established course of action. Your intention can keep you focused on making an effort toward your goal during the ebb and flow of life. Some days things will work like magic and everything falls in place. And some days you may get an extra dose of challenges. I remember stepping away from my computer and feeling stuck because I hadn't written anything I felt was valuable for that day, while writing this book. Being able to reflect on the why kept me motivated to make an effort toward the completion of this book: My why during the writing of this book, remains the same: to encourage you on your journey to achieving your goals. I still embrace my why. Another word to reflect on to keep you motivated is because. Say to yourself or out loud, "I want to achieve this goal of ________ because ______." Hey, I'm not saying it's going to always be an easy process. But knowing that the challenging times are part of the process is helpful as well. You can work through the challenges. You can learn from the challenges and be wiser because of them.

What Tools or Actions Will Help Establish Your Goal?

If your goal is to travel to Africa, you could establish your intention by creating a vision board. Start with a piece of paper or poster board. Paste pictures, art, words, and even small objects associated with your goal on your vision board. What would inspire your African adventure? The word safari? A photo of the beautiful people? The animals? The pyramids? The Sahara Desert? You get to decide what will encourage you as you create your masterpiece.

The vision board will serve as a visual motivation to realize your goal, your intention. Be sure to place it where you can see it every day to get your daily fix of that good feeling of inspiration. I find vision boards very useful in helping me maintain positive energy to keep striving. I even take pictures of them and put them on my smartphone, and computer as wallpaper.

Here are a few more suggestions to strengthen the establishment of your goal:

• You can give attention to your goal through your chosen spiritual or ritual practice. As mentioned earlier, the present moment is where you can take action. Sometimes taking a few deep breaths may do the trick to keep you rooted in the present moment by being aware of your breath. This is where you make an effort, the present moment. Maybe this could be a ritual for you.

• You can pray in your customary way, if this is appealing to you. My prayers often aren't very formal. Sometimes I ask for guidance. Sometimes it's just me voicing my gratitude for all the people, situations and things I sometimes take for granted in my life.

• Pay attention to the world around you. You never know when an answer may appear. It could come through a commercial on television. A stranger you meet at the local grocery store might share just what you need to hear to establish your goal. While spending time in nature, a beautiful scene may reveal insight. Be aware.

Establishing your goal and being clear on your intention is an excellent foundation for achieving your goal.

Some people may be able to start without a lot of hoopla or fanfare and that's just how they initiate achieving a goal. Some people need more of a kick start like doing some research. Neither way is right or wrong. What's important is to be flexible and willing to make adjustments along the way. Of course, you have your own unique way of doing what you do. What if you have to make your own path? For example, what if you establish your goal as inventing some type of device for the older generation of people to facilitate their continued independence at home? What do you think you would need to do to establish this goal? It's still important to make the right effort as you start on your journey.

How Much Energy Are You Willing to Exert to Achieve Your Goal?

At this point, you have an idea of what you need to do to achieve your goal. And you have information to help you determine how you can proceed in achieving it. You now have examples of how your goal can be achieved. What conscious effort can you make toward your specific goal?

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being weak and 10 strong, how do you gauge your energy level? Your energy level is directly related to your determination. Imagine that your goal is to learn to play the piano. How much time and energy are you willing to give to learning? One hour per week? One hour per day? Knowing this will help you further establish your goal.

Do you need to adjust your effort by revisiting what you decided in step 1? If not, proceed to step 2.

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You absolutely have the power to establish your goal in the unlimited space in your mind, and then bring it to life.

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Step 2: Determine Whether Your Strategy Fits Your Goal

Does Your Strategy Fit Your Overall Goal?

What is a strategy? It's your personalized blueprint for achieving your goal. Here are a couple of sample strategies:

A strategy for increasing walking time in twenty-eight days could look like this:

Walking Number of Times Total Number of
Minutes per Week Minutes for Week
Week 1 10 3 30
Week 2 20 3 60
Week 3 30 3 90
Week 4 40 3 120

A strategy for passing a class could look like this:

1. Be clear on what is necessary to pass the class.

2. Ask instructor and fellow classmates for help, if needed.

3. Study as much as needed (such as one hour per day or thirty minutes every other day).

4. Check assignments for accuracy.

5. Turn in all assignments on time.

You can now establish a strategy that fits you — a strategy that is doable and includes steps to get you to your ultimate goal. Sometimes breaking down a goal into smaller steps will keep you from becoming overwhelmed, at different times throughout the process. Like climbing a mountain, a couple of leaps are impossible to reach the top. Taking a few small steps will get you there.

In step 1, you saw yourself living your dream goal. Here in step 2, your strategy helps you along the path to your goal as you take steps to get there. Here's where you can set short- and long-term goals. If you want to learn to swim, a short-term goal may be to find places in your community that offer beginners' swimming lessons. Your long-term goal may be to swim five laps.

Does your goal fit you? If so, your time and effort will be used wisely and efficiently because you have established a direction toward your goal with your personalized strategy.

Determine What You Need to Do to Achieve Your Goal

What if after attempting to set up a strategy, you found you don't know what to do? If so, you will still need to determine what to do. Consider doing some research. Who is doing what you dream of doing or has already accomplished your goal? Is there a person or organization that could help you in your efforts toward achieving your goal? Do you feel you have enough knowledge to get started? Now, what can you do?

Say your goal is to become an entrepreneur. You could contact an SBDC (Small Business Development Center), which offers free mentoring and counseling to budding entrepreneurs and more. Is there a person or group via the Internet that allows you to access relevant information or will allow you to send an email to ask for information? Can you make contact through social media? Can you become a member of a trade association having pertinent information? Can you make a phone call to obtain advice? Can you barter your skills to help someone while you get the benefit of their skills? Can you seek a volunteer position in your area of interest? Amazingly, it seems you gain more help my helping others at times. Could reading a relevant magazine or newspaper provide the needed insight?