Have you ever wondered what’s out there for you? What does God (or the universe) have in store for you?
You know, deep down, there’s more in you to give, but you have no idea what it is. It goes beyond discovering your “why” or your “purpose,”; it’s in the realm of wanting to contribute to something that really makes a difference. It’s “cause” related.
I can’t say I’ve ever been the type of person who sees an injustice and steps out to make it right. I do know that I’m an empathic person who is moved by causes to give … whether it be to a children’s hospital, being a foster parent, donating to victims of disasters, etc. Those types of things have always appealed to me and leave me feeling positive about my contribution. But lately, I’ve wanted more.
My long time friend, mentor (and employer), Bob Proctor teaches that Spirit is always for expansion and fuller expression. Time and time again I’ve heard him say, “When setting a goal, go after something that you really want. Don’t settle for something you’ve done before or something you think you can achieve. Really fantasize and go after something that really gets you jazzed. Make sure your goal is worthy of you!” Bob calls this a “C-Type Goal.”
A C-Type Goal is something:
- You really want;
- Lights a fire in your belly;
- Causes you to stretch and go beyond where you’ve ever been
- Is so big, it scares and excites you at the same time
- You have absolutely no idea HOW to reach, you just know you will.
Let me be the first to admit, being in administration and a person who works behind the scenes on the “how” part of our business, in implementation, the HOW is vitally important to me. And, if I can’t see a glimpse of the HOW from the get-go, I’m less enthused about setting the goal. Just saying!
I don’t know what other companies in the personal development industry do, but ours encourages all of its employees and contractors to immerse themselves in a regular pattern of study. To help facilitate this, our CEO and President, Sandy Gallagher, has implemented an in-house study program. The very programs we encourage our clients to use and study, we study. Monthly, we meet via Webex and study Thinking Into Results.
A few weeks back, Sandy asked Bob if he would come on our call and teach The Terror Barrier. For those not familiar with this concept, it’s a four-stage process that describes exactly what happens when a person embarks on their C-Type Goal.
As the term suggests, the moment a person steps out and acts on their BIG idea, they come face to face with worry, doubt, fear and anxiety and hit the terror barrier. When this happens, an individual has two choices. You can:
- Go back to safety;
- Push through it – remain in pursuit of your goal
Bob taught the lesson and suggested that he doubted anyone in the company was hitting the terror barrier with any consistency.
GULP! He was right. I felt myself squirming in my chair. I had the urge to silently defend myself, “Yeah, but … I’m working on a goal that scares me! I really am. It might not be a C-Type goal, but it’s a solid B+, for sure.”
The call left me unsettled, disturbed even. I had, in truth, set a personal goal to release 75 pounds and to get into the best shape of my life, but I wasn’t serious about it. And, although I knew this goal would stretch me (no pun intended) in ways that I wasn’t sure I could see through, I didn’t really consider it a C-Type goal.
I went to bed that evening and Bob’s words were still jostling around in my head. I felt out of integrity, incongruent. I consult with clients and encourage them to go after their C-Type goal and yet I wasn’t doing it myself. Had I ever done it? I mustered up all the courage I had and admitted, to myself, that I hadn’t. This realization led to a very restless night.
I found myself awake at 4:00 AM with Bob’s words ringing with truth in my head. I tried to get back to sleep and couldn’t. I was agitated. “Damn that Proctor. What the heck does he think we do all day? Sit around twiddling our thumbs? I don’t have time to work on a flipping C-Type goal.“
I began to chuckle at the conversation going on in my head and realized I’d already scampered back to safety and hadn’t even set my C-Type goal. I lied there for a moment and then it hit me.
For the past several years, our company, the Proctor Gallagher Institute, has supported the Unstoppable Foundation. Unstoppable is a non-profit organization that brings education and sustainability to people in developing nations. I’ve had the privilege of attending Unstoppable’s Gala dinner for the past two years. I’m so moved by their work. I tear up seeing the white-toothed smiles of children, flashing on the big screens while we eat our meal. I’m shocked when I hear,
The World Bank estimates that achieving primary education
for every child would cost only $11B to $15B a year.
Twice that amount was spent in the US last year on ice cream.
Three times that amount was spent feeding our pets.
Lying in bed, I felt an overwhelming responsibility to help … in a big way.
And then, out of left field, a little voice inside me said, “Raise $1M for the Unstoppable Foundation.” Then again, wham! “Raise $5M.” I’d barely had time to comprehend the $1M goal before the voice shouted the absurdity of $5M! The odd thing was, I KNEW it wasn’t the usual voice that speaks to me because there is no way in hell my voice would have raised the ante. I would have hit the terror barrier looooongggg before that moment.
I’m NOT a risk-taker; I LOVE safe. Safe is MY place! That said, I felt calm, very calm. It was an eerily content feeling I’d never experienced before. Even though I’d hit the Terror Barrier just thinking about it, it felt right.
Bob and I were scheduled to meet that morning to go over some work. I got to his place and walked into his office, shutting the door behind me. This new goal scared the living daylights out of me, and I only wanted Bob to hear it … just in case I chickened out.
Bob was sitting behind his desk. He looked up and said, “Hey kid.” I sat down in my usual chair and small-talked for a bit. Then I explained how the call left me feeling unsettled. And then, for the second time (I’d told my husband earlier that morning), I heard myself say out loud, “I’ve got my C-Type goal. I want to raise $5M for Unstoppable.”
Bob’s never short on words, but I think he was stunned. It was me, “Play it Safe Gina” hanging off the edge, letting go and wanting desperately to be brought back to safety. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years: you don’t go to Bob for handholding or coddling!
He leaned back in his chair and said, “Yeah, that’s a C-Type goal alright. That even scares me.”
In a millisecond, I hit the terror barrier, ran back to relative safety and uttered, “What about $1M?”
At that moment, I knew I was in for a lesson from the master. “No, no, you said five. Why did you go back to one? That’s your paradigm talking.”
I’m thinking, “No! That was the flipping Terror Barrier trying to talk some sense into me.”
Bob and I began to brainstorm my idea. I had typed up some of my ideas and Bob began to plus them. I was so nervous; several times, I needed to stop and catch my breath. But, in his presence, I felt somewhat safe.
When the exchange of ideas was all said and done, I arrived at:
I WILL release 75 pounds and in the process, raise $5M for the Unstoppable Foundation.
Ironically, months before I’d set the goal to raise money for Unstoppable, one of my best friends and co-worker, Kim Klein and I, were chosen to travel to Africa in May 2015 with the founder of the Unstoppable Foundation, Cynthia Kersey. Each year, two members of our company are chosen to go to Kenya to see, first hand, the work that’s being done by Unstoppable and where our money is being spent. This past May, our Social Media director, Cory Kelly and her 15 year old daughter Emma visited Kenya and were joyfully overwhelmed at all of the lives being affected by the donations being made. It’s making a huge difference in so many lives.
I know that regardless of what is raised (is that my paradigm talking??), it will change me forever, and I will feel proud to have been a part of this worthy ideal.
Will you help me? Please take a moment and go to: www.PayPerPound.org
Gina Hayden
If you are looking to start your own campaign to lose weight and help educate children make sure you take a look at what Gina is doing. You can either support her or start your own adventure and make a big difference in this world. Go here to find out more: www.PayPerPound.org
