What I’m about to say might surprise you…
If you set a goal properly, you WILL get what you want. Always.
Regardless of your limiting paradigms.
The reason so many people fail at reaching their goals is they’re setting them the wrong way. They’re not going after things that are more compelling than their paradigms.
Let me explain by way of an example and a definition that has stood the test of time.
Would you trade your life for a Ferrari?
Of course not.
What about a fabulous house? I doubt it.
I ask because we trade our lives for our goals. And most people’s goals aren’t even all that exciting to them. They’re going after things they already know or think they can do.
Look at it this way…
In 1951, Earl Nightingale said, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
Let’s take a closer look at what that really means…
Progressive is not up and down or back and forth. Progressive is continually moving in an upward or forward direction. As long as you’re going after a goal you don’t already know how to achieve, you are progressing.
Now, realization means making something you’ve imagined real or a fact. And worthy means valuable, commendable, or worthwhile.
That brings us to the last word in Earl’s powerful definition—ideal.
In As a Man Thinketh, James Allen said an ideal is an idea that we have fallen in love with.
So another way of putting Earl’s definition is…
Success is continually moving toward making a worthwhile idea you’re in love with real, or a fact.
That means you should set goals that you are in love with. Goals that inspire you. Goals that bring the best of you to the surface.
That’s how you…
Make limiting paradigms a non-factor
I’d like for you to stop for a moment and take a look at what you do each day. If you’ve read any of our recent posts, you know that paradigms generally control everything you do.
Well, I want to be in control of what I do, and I’m guessing you do too. So let’s break the grip our limiting paradigms have on our lives.
Let’s begin by asking ourselves…
Why am I spending my days the way I do?
Answer: My paradigms.
How can I start doing exactly what I want to do with the one life I’ve got?
And the answer is…
Setting a goal that you really, really want!
Why?
Because paradigms are the ONLY roadblocks between you and your goals, so you need a goal that is bigger, more exciting, than your paradigms.
How do you come up with a goal like that?
You use the three stages of creation: Fantasy, Theory, Fact.
Build a magnificent fantasy
Everything in our manmade world started with a fantasy. From the clothes on your back to your phone to Google, they all started as an idea in someone’s mind.
So whether you want to create a thriving business, build your dream home, or become a scratch golfer, start by building a fantasy of what you want.
Take a weekend, go somewhere and sit under a tree. Ask yourself, “What do I really, really want?” And let your mind go there.
Don’t try to figure anything out. It doesn’t matter what it costs. It doesn’t matter what resources you need. Let your imagination run wild, with no restrictions.
I often ask people in their 60s or 70s what their goal is, and they’ll say they’re too old to set goals.
I ask them what they would want to do if they were in their 30s, and then tell them that’s the goal they need to set.
That’s because age, gender, money and resources have absolutely nothing to do with this.
And you want to know something else? What you’ve done in the past has nothing to do with it either.
I’m talking about you setting a goal that you REALLY want, and then I’m going to show you how to get the paradigms out of the way.
Two questions you must answer before moving on
Now that you have your fantasy, you must turn it into a theory.
In this context, a theory is an idea you’re starting to give serious thought to. It’s consciously thinking about your fantasy—what it would be like to be, do or have it.
However, before you can turn your theory into a goal, you have to answer two questions:
1. Am I able to do this?
2. Am I willing to do this?
The answer to the first question is always yes, because according to both science and theology, you and I have infinite potential. No one, not even the most erudite scientist alive, knows the limits of what we’re capable of.
So it’s the second question that can really hang you up…
You have to decide if you’re willing to do what it takes to achieve your fantasy. Are you willing to give up some of the things you like to do? Are you willing to feel uncomfortable or experience pain? Are you willing to pay the price?
When you answer yes to both questions, your theory immediately turns into a goal. Your next step is to internalize it—let it move into your subconscious mind by adding emotion to it.
The moment you internalize it, by Law, the goal begins to move into form. It’s called the Transmutation of Energy.
You see, when energy flows into your consciousness, it has no form. However, you give it form by building the image of what you want. When you internalize the image, it alters your vibration, which causes you to act differently. It also sets up an attractive force that brings to you EVERYTHING you need—people, money, resources—to manifest the goal.
And once your goal moves into form, it becomes a fact. A realization.
How goals are achieved—1,2,3
Here’s a summary of how you achieve a goal that overrides your paradigm:
1. Create a fantasy.
2. Turn it into a theory, and decide if you’re able and willing to do it.
3. Internalize the idea until it moves into form.
And what have you given up in the process?
Your old paradigm!
You see, when you got emotionally involved with (internalize) the new image, you replace the old paradigm with your image and it becomes the new paradigm.
Never, ever make this mistake…
When you’re about to achieve your goal, there’s one more thing you should do…
Set another goal!
Many people get so jazzed by reaching their goal that they don’t set another one. Don’t do that! You should ALWAYS have a goal. Something that, as Bob likes to say, really winds your stem.
Why?
Because that’s how you continue to grow. And it’s how your life, and the lives of everyone around you, keep getting better and better and better.
Happy goal setting!
To more and better,
Sandy Gallagher