It’s that time of the year. It’s January and when 99% of the population consider goal setting or maybe it’s the one time during the year you sit down and review your goals. Honestly, it’s pretty mind blowing to think about how few people actually set goals for themselves. Then combine that with those who do set goals some of the common mistakes where they could potentially achieve more.
Why is it that so few people take the time to spend thinking about what they want outta life? Is that not why we are here as beings, to experience all the joyful and blissful moments we desire…
Yet so many of us get caught in the rat race of life. Bouncing from one moment to the next without ever being present. Even when we do achieve wonderful experiences within our lives we forget to stop and celebrate those moments.
You find this extremely present within the sports and corporate world. Athletes have their “eyes on the prize” and if they experience a moment of success coaches and their own inner voice says things like “Congrats you did your job” or “Great Job but we want/need more out of you”…
Maybe you’re an employee that achieves a high performance standard and leaders of organizations give a quick congrats “now let’s go after more”.
This is just one reason few people get excited about setting and achieving goals.
It’s been said that only about 3% of the population set goals and less than 1% of them actually write them down!
Most people never set goals because of fear. Fear because maybe they don’t know how. Fear of actually feeling accountable or even fear of being judged about your goals.
In my own experience of mentoring fewer write them down because they just do not see it as an important step. They do not understand the power of physically writing them down towards hardwiring those goals from the conscious brain to the subconscious.
Over the past decade between my readings, research and coaching from my mentor have developed my own 3 Step Goal Setting Framework.
This simple framework has done wonders in both my personal and professional life!
Goal Setting Formula
- Ask: Think & Write
- Believe: Allow, Behavior & Action
- Receive: Emotionalize
The first step is asking. It’s taking the time to sit down and think about what it is you want to experience in your life. So many people see it as a waste of time and productivity to spend considering what they want outta life.
This is partly true because the majority of people believe that most of life is based on circumstances, and at a certain point life it is just the way it is. They think in very vague terms while they are driving to work or in the shower at night.
Vague thoughts flood their minds like “I want more money” “I wanna be a state champion” “I want a relationship” “I wanna perform better next game”…
Most likely followed by negative thoughts of things like “that’ll never happen” or “be realistic”.
And BOOM just like that we are stuck in the rat race of life!
Step 1 Goal Setting: Asking
Instead start with and find 20 minutes of your time to consider what are your wildest dreams. What would get you really excited about waking up in the morning to live the life YOU want to live. Not goals that please your parents, spouse or boss. I mean shit that truly ignites your soul on fire!
As you begin to think about these ideas it should give you a jolt of energy. Maybe even send chills across your body!
Now you are starting to think about the person and life that you want!
Immediately have a pen and paper ready (not typing) and start to write down these goals as if you have already accomplished them. Write down and feel the person inside you as if they are done! Because that’s the power of your thoughts. IT IS DONE!
Do not worry about the HOW or WHEN! When you learn to “Let Go” they tend to show up in your experience quicker. This is a learned practice. I struggled with letting go early on. I would write down goals, get excited, and start looking around every second of the day thinking when are they going to show up.
Just continue to think and feel your experiences!
Step 2 Goal Setting: Believe In Your Goals
The first step was about thinking and feeling. The second part is about allowing and believing. The above step is critical because how you think and feel is going to determine many of your behaviors.
As I mentioned before I struggled with this part early on because I was constantly obsessing over my goals and this completely shuts off and closes the door for you to ALLOW them into your experience.
You have to believe it is done, because it is done! You already have everything within you to achieve and experience anything you want in this life. When you believe it is done then your behaviors and actions align with the person or things you desire.
As my mentor explained to me you can not desire more money but live in lack. Your behaviors do not match up with your desires therefore blocking more money to show up in your experience.
You can not crave a loving relationing and have the belief that all the “good ones” are taken.
I tend to use money as an example because it’s easy for most people to imagine and/or relate to.
This goes along with your actions as well. You can not crave more money and talk about how everything is too expensive living life with a closed fist all the time.
These behaviors and actions shut off the ALLOWING of your desires.
One last point that I want to make because I used the words “behaviors and actions” and most people associate those words with working hard. This does NOT mean that you have to work extremely hard for things you want in life. Huge misconception with the way many people teach goal setting.
Step 3 Goal Setting: Receiving Goals
The last piece of the puzzle is to receive or emotionalize with your goals. I touched on this briefly in step one when I talked about your goals that should give you a jolt of energy or might send chills down your spine.
When mentoring I tell individuals it’s those types of goals that can keep you awake at night because you’re so excited. It’s those desires that provide you real energy throughout the day…
Not energy from a cup of coffee with espresso. It’s the excitement as many authors and influencers talk about being in the state of flow. It’s when you get lost in what you’re doing because you are living with true fulfillment.
Remember Emotions
You remember things better with emotions. Ask any adult where they were on September 11th and they can tell you exactly where they were, but ask where they were on October 11th fewer will know. Why?
Because we all experienced an extreme amount of emotion that day. Or maybe you and a significant other have a special song and when it plays on spotify it triggers a certain memory…
That’s the way our bodies and brains are wired. So, what if we did this on purpose?
This is another concept I use from my mentor and it’s the idea of celebrating our goals immediately after we write them down or define them. I do this for multiple reasons…
Frist, as I mentioned in the opening section we have lost the art of celebrating achievements. We just pass them by with the idea that it was just supposed to happen. It’s time we get more excited about all our progress and achievements in life.
Secondly, if I can train my brain and body that those goals have already happened they have NO CHOICE but to show up in my experience. It’s not some fake celebration. I stop and consider if I achieved X what would I do. Then I go do it like it’s already happened.
I get in the emotions and feelings of those experiences. There is an energy out there when you feel and emotionalize with your desires that will attract them towards you!
Get Everything You Want Out Of Life
Life is meant to be lived exciting and energetic not sleep walking throughout the day waiting for every weekend.
We have these superpowers within us to attract our desires. We must take the time to consider what it is that we want and live life as that person.
If you start to play with this formula you will go from dreading or thinking it as pointless to wanting to spend time doing this every single day. You will want to rewrite your goals daily. You will look forward to all your celebrations!
Do not sit back in the rat race of life letting life just happen to you!
Spend some time today and everyday CREATING and goal setting!