“The secret to achieving the goals that are most important to you is strategically simple. It is this: For whatever your goals may be – you must continue to envision this – to see these in your mind as complete and to feel what feelings accompany your visioning of this – as you continue to do the physical work of accomplishing these.” – dorothy ratusny
Many people give up on their goals – particularly those that are monumental or in the distant future – in part because they may seem too lofty or insurmountable. We may also not hold belief that our goals are indeed possible. But know this: for whatever inspires you to dream – is of the same substance as what is the inner excitement that you feel as you think of and envision what you want. It is this desire, anticipation – and excitement that allows you to continue towards your goal – to keep it close both as a heartfelt desire and in your mind’s eye; even when there is much to accomplish before your goal may come to fruition.
Essentially you are doing two things concurrently. You are imagining your goal as complete and allowing yourself to feel the excitement and pleasure of this felt throughout your being. You are also actively taking the steps towards the completion of this goal in the here and now.
Visioning alone without taking action is akin to waiting to win the lottery without buying a ticket. You must be willing to do what work in the physical world is needed and important towards realizing your goals as you imagine them already complete. The universe will always manifest with you for whatever you are focusing on most – including what you don’t want – if you are focused on this.
Sometimes, our bigger life goals require other aspects to be in place – for the aligning of what is needed and necessary – which inevitably translates into the passing of ‘clock time’ and your further readiness (and preparation) of what you want. It’s important that you become ready; both as a factor of how it feels to imagine what you want as what already exists in your life, as you gain greater confidence and certainty of what is possible, and as you acquire the knowledge, the skill, and the experience that is needed for you to embody that which you seek.
Long term goals can easily be ditched for what you may choose in the ‘here and now’ (think instant gratification or giving up too quickly when what you want is not happening fast enough). When you alter your path in a different direction (and away from) what you claim you want most; it means that you no longer are moving towards this. This is why it is so important to hold onto the vision and the feeling that it conjures – as your emotions are powerful indicators of what you will move towards and accomplish.
The best kept secret of achieving the big ticket goals and ideals that you may be dreaming of is to never veer from your path; never stop believing in and visualizing this – even when the journey may take longer than expected to complete.
Here is one helpful habit to practice in the attaining of your goals:
For the goals that are focused on your immediate future, for the next several months or even weeks; these may be tangibly achieved with consistent effort and the affirming belief that your work towards these will pay great dividends. Build the habit of working on both short term goals and reaffirming your long term vision by consistently checking in with your heartfelt desires – ensuring that what you want is still important and on your radar; so that you may feel confident as you work on what is directly in front of you along your path as well as what is needed towards the larger – and most important – life goals that you have chosen.
We all need to have goals. We also need to hold desire and belief as motivation towards what we want most; and as a directive for our life’s path – to shape the way in which we will transform and manifest. Goals are the important reminders that there is more that we can wish for; that we can bring into our life (at any time); and that we can feel excited about. Having inspired goals and working towards these is an important element of self evolution and achievement that helps us continue to build confidence and which propels us forward in life – as opposed to feeling stagnant. Goals are the desires of our heart (and mind) longing towards what is not yet before us – although on its way. What is required is our belief that what we want is possible – with persistence and action. Goals engage our ambition and challenge us to seek more. They aspire our ability to evolve and transform in ways that we determine are important and meaningful.
Its also important to set goals that are without a specific deadline or end date. While some goals may be time sensitive, others may be more inspiring and attainable as an open landscape that you can move closer towards without pressure and as it feels right – (rather than forced or rushed). Allowing for flexibility in how you attain your goal means that you will likely have experiences along the way that make the journey far more meaningful and significant – and of which you may not have thought possible.
Use goals as a productive means of self inspiration, determination, challenge, and the initiation of your desires and ideals in expansive form. This is how your goals become the future actions and achievements of your heart.
If you are looking to up your game, to live life in bold and braver ways, consider this comparative analysis strategy for keeping an eye on the big picture of your life but in manageable monthly objectives. This is a helpful process for keeping you on point and with a healthy focus on what you have decided is most important to you in the here and now.
A Comparative Analysis:
Begin by looking at your calendar at the month in which you wish to focus your goals – of the previous year. Go through each day of that month and reflect upon that period of time. What are your initial observations? Did you have a balance of work and personal achievements recorded? Did you have goals during this month of the previous year? Overall was this a noteworthy month in your life? If yes, what made it noteworthy or significant? Was this a month in which you were able to have positive experiences that you purposely curated; accomplishments – and meaningful moments that nourished your soul?
Next, ask yourself, ‘What will be my goals for this month now? Plan and live your most incredible life based on what is most important to you; and what you desire most. This is how you open yourself to living your dreams – as well as the daily action steps that will allow you to enjoy the journey – one day at a time.
Focusing on an entire month gives you a good amount of time to reap the benefits of your focus and effort – and it is also a short enough period that allows you to set in place what will be a consistent habit and routine based on seeing your effort unfold in tangible results. For example, if your goal is to lose weight – even if the numbers on the scale are not moving (or moving slowly), you will notice that you feel better, have more energy, are more alert with better focus – when you exercise, eat healthy, and not overfeed yourself. The scale is a measure that confirms weight loss, but your daily choices gives you present moment – real time feedback – of the results of your actions. This moment-by-moment feedback based on your self awareness (mindfulness) is what helps you to remain motivated and inspired as you continue to take positive action, aligning yourself with the results that you want – and visualizing the success of your end goal – as you continue to review your progress.
Why this works…. You are looking backwards in time initially to see what choices you made in order to know what worked and what didn’t. Most of us hold ‘bigger picture’ life goals but we inevitably get caught up in the day-to-day aspects of life. Without checks and balances in place – you don’t have the same defined process for how you will achieve what you want. Many of us know what we want but we don’t have the consistency in our action steps for making this a reality. When you compare your life presently with the life that you lived during the same month of the previous year, you reveals how your previous choices produced your outcome. Noting what worked well and where you fell short, gives you a directive for how you will live your life in the present.
Having goals that are meaningful and important, and being accountable to yourself (and at times, others) is the first step. When you reflect on your progress, you have the added information and feedback that helps you continue towards the longer term goals still outstanding and to appreciate your successes – in the short term. This is also what enables you to develop a consistent rhythm of how you will continue towards what is still important, deepening what can become a new lifestyle/habit/and positive life practice.
Look forward – based on this upcoming month – and ask yourself, “What do I want to bring into my life during this time?” and “How will I best do this?”
This leads you to drawing a weekly (and also daily) schedule of ‘optimal behaviours’ that will support your goals and desires. Listing daily and weekly action steps (your ‘to do’ list) will keep you aligned with your goals for the month (and ultimately your longer term and larger goals). Posting your goals and reading these daily – helps you to be reminded of what you are co-creating with the universe.
Precise action steps become the daily and then weekly results driven accomplishments that will make your month outstanding. Be sure to record highlights and positive moments that impress upon you the value of creating a road map towards your desired goals and ideals. Keep track of each accomplishment as this reminds you that your efforts are successful.
You are not expected to accomplish everything that you set out to achieve each month. Since some of your goals are inspired by new behaviours and lifestyle changes – it matters more that you are developing new habits, including new ways of thinking about what is possible as you are consistent in your effort and dedication.
Never give up if a goal seems tricky or a challenge at first; some goals – especially if they require a change in belief or behaviour – take longer to initiate and build momentum. What matters is that you don’t stop until you have your goal completed – or unless you have decided that you will seek out something even better that you then action towards! (Our achievements and successes are possible because we never give up).
Examining what you have lived in the same month of the previous year helps you to see why your life is where it is; to recognize that big dreams take big initiatives and consistent action. To live an incredible life fuelled by what you are co-creating with the universe, you must envision your goal completed together with what it feels like to have this actualized in the here and now; while you take the steps towards this – until your goal or something better has been realized.
The rationale for the comparative analysis of goal achieving is this:
Whenever you look backwards on your life you instantly are able to compare what you experienced with what you still want – in the present. Seeing what your life was – especially if it lacks joy, enthusiasm and adventure – helps you to plan for and action this in the here and now.
This idea of goal setting and achieving works methodically because you are comparing where you were (at that time in your life one year ago) to where you want to be; and you are setting in place what new or reliable action steps will allow you to accomplish all that you want. After setting monthly goals and action steps, you must now be consistent in the ‘work’ that you do towards accomplishing all that you want.
Use your current life as a backdrop for raising the bar higher; for feeling inspired as you set goals and as you develop a system for ensuring that your choices and decisions are in alignment of this; and as you hold belief in your ability and in deserving of what you want most. Then, let your desire and willingness to commit to yourself be the inspired momentum that fuels your daily actions. Seeing your goals written for the month, makes it easy to break these down into weekly and daily reminders of what your part towards this must be.
I hope that the ideas here will present a new way for you to approach how you will make changes to your life currently based on knowing what you desire and being willing to live this in the here and now by deliberate action and ‘visioned belief’. Let me know how these strategies have inspired or helped you and please share your best practices for setting and achieving your goals and the successes that you have accomplished. Namaste! xo
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