While aspects of you encourage, “Go for your dreams,” simultaneously other parts threaten, “Don’t you dare.” A cast of characters lives inside of you and at different times you may receive conflicting or contradictory messages. If you are want to be happy, successful, and fulfilled, consider putting your “dreamer” in the director’s chair.

What are the voices inside of you saying? As you turn the volume up on the voice of your dreamer and down on the voice of your doubter, you can practice discernment allowing for greater clarity. To assist you in hearing these voices, let’s set up a simple scenario. Picture something you want, something that matters to you. Choose a personal or professional dream and consider how these various parts of you might respond.

Dreamer – The dreamer inside says, “What if…” and is open to a creative process without over-analyzing it. This is the part of you that imagines, believes in possibilities, has hope, and seeks kindred spirits. Dreamers talk about their ideas with intention, clarity, and passion. Great dreamers get others excited about their vision. And most importantly, successful dreamers take action to make their dreams a reality.

Doubter – This voice is often heard saying such things as, “I don’t think this is a good idea.” The doubter provides concern touting, “But what if…” and imagines the worst. If you crank the volume up it can even become annihilating with accusations shouting things like, “Are you out of your mind?” William Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are traitors.” Carlos Castaneda said, “In order to experience the magic of life, you must banish the doubt.” My favorite quote on this subject is in The Prophet where Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Doubt is a feeling too lonely to know that Faith is its twin brother.”

Realist – “Be realistic…” Modulate the doubter down a notch or two and it becomes the essential voice of the realist. This part wants to know, “What’s the plan?” including where is the time and money coming from. However, in the early phase of dreaming, you may not know. The challenge is not to allow the realist to immediately turn into a doubter who might judge or obliterate your idea. Honor this voice by (to the best of your ability) giving it the information it needs. If you ignore or reject it, it will cleverly agitate or distract you. Being realistic offers prudence and makes you do your homework but if you are overly realistic or go to strategy too soon, you will most likely compromise the dream and kill your passion.

Visionary – This voice says, “Anything is possible so let’s dream big!” These are the leaders and people we look up to and admire. They have learned the process of realizing their dreams and embody what it means to be a big dreamer. Setbacks or failures do not stop them. Simply put, a visionary has a vision and invites others to join them. They are found in all walks of life and we are often so inspired when they are in the presence of a true visionary that we sign up just to be near them or part of what they’re doing.

A visionary is not defined by the size of the dream since dreams are precious and come in all sizes, shapes and areas of life. If you were living your dream life, how would it be different? What do you see yourself doing? How many lives would you touch? What would you change? Who would you help if you were truly living as a visionary?

Avoid Sabotaging Your Dream

When these different voices merge they can become muddled and result in confusion and poor decisions. For example, you might poison your dream by projecting doubt into it. Then with each step you take toward what you want, you also move toward your doubt. Doubt and fear, which most of us may have at some time or another (especially when embarking on a new or big dream) do not belong in your dream. These feelings are simply part of your reality. This is a subtle and essential point.

Here’s a simple technique for avoiding this sabotaging pattern. On a piece of paper draw a line across the middle. On the top half write out your dream with as much detail as possible. On the bottom write out your reality in relationship to your dream, where you are now. Reality usually includes good news and (so called) bad, as well as any fear or doubt you may have. Just state the facts and your feelings about them.

Now, which one are you more committed to; your dream or your reality? We tend to choose “reality” when we don’t have a clearly defined dream or when we saturate our dream with doubt. If your dream is loaded with your worst imagined nightmares, reality will always seem safer and saner. But doubt placed appropriately as part of your reality, allows two things to happen. First, no longer blown out of proportion, it’s an obstacle that basically requires a strategy to manage it. But more importantly, with doubt where it rightfully belongs, you are free to move forward.

It’s like a play. All the characters have wisdom and insight, but you can’t clearly understand them when they’re speaking at once. Take time to tune in, to listen, and on a regular basis, have the courage to give your dreamer its directorial debut or even the leading role.

Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach, is a best-selling author and speaker known for giving inspiring and moving talks to AT&T, The Gap and American Express. She appeared several times on Oprah and The Today Show. She’s also writes for The San Francisco Chronicle. For more information, to receive a free audio e-book, "Jump Start Your Dream", or to join her community of Dreamers, visit http://www.dreamcoach.com. Come Experience a Powerful Weekend Designed to Help You Exceed Your Expectations & Achieve Your Dreams, visit http://www.dreamcoach.com/dream_weekend.htm to register for the event.

Suppose you wanted to take a trip somewhere. What is the first thing that you do? You would get a map showing your destination, of course. Now you can see clearly how to get to where you want to go.

Next comes the planning phase. You wouldn’t just get in your vehicle and drive or hop on a bus or a train or plane and hope for the best. No. You would plan a route. Fundamental to that would be the fact that you need to recognize your starting point. You cannot choose a direction before you know exactly where you are. So, to arrive at a destination point we need to know the point of origin. Only then can we fill in the gaps between.

Say, for instance, that you want to get to town F and you are starting from town A. Your first check point is town B. After that comes towns C, D and E. By monitoring your route along the way you can be assured of reaching your chosen destination.

Sometimes along the journey we take a wrong turn. When this happens we need to check our map. If we don’t, we just keep going in the wrong direction. Naturally this happens most often when we either don’t consult our map often enough or we simply don’t have a map. Checking the map allows us to "get back on track."

It is a fairly well known fact that all airplanes are "off-target" most of the time. However, minor adjustments along the way ensure that the plane travels along the general flight path until it arrives at its location. Failure to make a one or two degree adjustment could cause the plane to be hundreds of miles off course. The same happens with the steering wheel of a car. Failure to make adjustments will see you end up in a ditch on the side of the road.

But what about your life? That is the biggest journey of them all. Why do so many people just blunder their way along without any plan? So many people have no goals, no plan, no checkpoints - nothing. Yet they expect to arrive at some fanciful destination called success.

Write yourself a plan. Mark in the checkpoints - A, B, C, D, E, F and so on. Monitor your progress. Measure it against time. If you do this you will be so far in front of the masses who not only have no idea where they are going but have no idea where they are. Remember, be realistic about your starting point and your destination point. Filling in the checkpoints just becomes a matter of course then.

Take the "Journey of Life" and don’t forget the roadmap. It’s so much easier when you know where you are going.

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

When seeking out a goal, it’s important to completely understand where you are, what obstacles you have been battling, and what strategies you can use to overcome them.

Identifying goals and priorities is vital to a successfully balanced life. A few years ago I was keynoting at a mental health conferences in Washington state. I asked the roomful of professionals to find a pen and a piece of paper and answer the following question within 30 seconds: What are the three driving motivators (priorities) for this season of your life? Amazingly, only five-perfect of the attendees were able to complete the task.

Most people have been asked to do this at some point — either in school or at work or as part of a self-improvement program. Still many people get flustered when the topic of goals comes up. Fear of setting goals too high, fear of commitment, and not knowing what course to chart are just a few reasons people shudder at the concept of goals. Yet goals remain an important part of the value system.

Imagine leaving Los Angeles with the instructions to go to New York. Obviously, it would be easier to accomplish this with a map. Without a map, the trip would be nearly impossible, or require much more time and effort than the simple process of purchasing a map. Goals work the same way. They allow you to identify where you are and the path to get from one point to the other. The most common pitfall of people designing goals is the failure to use their designs as a map.

When goals are recorded and then set aside, this is as useful as putting a map in your glove box, yet expecting to know which road to take. Goals need to be consulted regularly, just like a map, and if you get off course, you need to re-evaluate and make a new plan. To design a goal map, first identify an area of your life where you seek advancement. Use that area to work through the goal process that follows. For this example, I’ll use the goal of starting a part-time business for extra income. Here are the steps needed to make the map.

Identify the exact goal. In one sentence, clarify the goal you are aiming to accomplish as specifically as possible. Example: To open a part-time tax business that brings in $300 a month in extra income (gross).

Identify a completion date. My business will be established in eighteen months.

Identify the evolution of the goal. What major points and steps happen during this time period?

A. The basics of establishing a business, permits, licensing, updating certification, financial.

B. The marketing and announcement of the business.

C. The grand opening of the business. Using this evolution assign each major step a date.

Fill in the blanks. Now take an in-depth look at what is needed to get to point A, from point A to point B, etc. Write these steps down in specific detail and assign each a date.

The basic template construction of your goal is complete. Type this up, print it out, and keep a copy in your planner. Check your progress against this goal regularly. If you get off track, don’t give up, just sit down and retrace your steps, adjusting the plan as necessary.

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We all have dreams and desires, goals and aspirations that we hope one day we will achieve in life. Our wants can range from starting a new job or career, to losing weight, improving the quality of a relationship, starting a family, getting out of debt, or developing our spirituality or overcoming harmful behaviors.

Thinking about and articulating what we want out of life will mean that we are going to have to make some changes in order to reach our goals. Yet coping with change isn’t always something we easily adapt to, despite the fact that change is a normal part of life and will keep occurring whether we want it to or not. So, even if you don’t want to change anything about your life, and are working to keep it secure and predictable, change is one of those things that will be as certain as death and taxes! It will happen! So, whether you are instigating new changes or have become an unwilling participant of change, the following points will help guide you through.

Change is Uncomfortable Accept the fact that change, no matter how large or small brings discomfort, once you accept it you will understand that the discomfort is a normal part of the process of change. When we don’t understand it we will view discomfort as something to be avoided and we may be tempted to run back to what feels safe and secure (even if it is harmful!)

Half Full or Half Empty?

What is great about this change? You might have difficulty seeing the blessings right now but one day you will look back and see an enormous amount of growth and change in you. Don’t let change make you bitter and stuck in the past. Life is forever moving forward and encouraging you to ride with it!

Learn to be Flexible

The more rigid we are, the greater the stress we will experience when change comes. Learn to relax, go with the flow and look for the lessons that life is teaching you at this time.

Face Your Losses

Change will bring loss; so don’t be surprised if you feel like you are in mourning. It’s good to grieve, so allow yourself to go through the process of grieving what is being left behind.

Find Support

Find a good supportive network and speak about your feelings, don’t keep it all bottled up inside. It is especially helpful to meet with others who have been through the same changes as they can offer tips and advice on what to do and identify with how you feel.

Instigating Change?

How do you eat an elephant? That’s right, one bite at a time! Break down what it is you need to do into small achievable goals, too much too soon and you will become overwhelmed and distraught with what needs to happen.

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Take the "Are You Ready For Change Assessment" to see if you are in the right place for change.

As a speaker in the area of goal setting and achievement I am often asked my opinion on what I believe are the keys to reaching one’s goal and objectives. While the answer to this question alone can take up a half-day seminar, allow me to spend the next few paragraphs covering the top ten.

However, before I get started, please realize the one thing that above all launches you towards your goals faster than all the top ten lists you will ever hear or read is consistency. All of your goals, dreams and aspirations are going to require not only effort but also a sustained effort. The best analogy I can give you is pushing a car. Most of you during the course of your life may have had to push a car that ran out of gas or broke down. You strained your muscles to get that car in motion. The sweat poured from your bow and finally the wheels began to turn. Once the 1200 pound car was in motion, the pushing became a bit easier. All you had to do is continue to put forth a little effort and you’d be at the gas station shortly. (Barring any hills of course). But if you would at any time stop pushing, even for a moment, you would have to put forth EXTRA effort again to get those wheels rolling.

Achieving your goals is much like pushing a car; you cannot work hard for a day or two and then stop. Pick up your goal again later and work for a day or two and then stop again. You need to put for the consistent effort that will get those wheels rolling. Then once you have that 1200-pound monster rolling forward at a good speed all you need to do is keep putting forth a little consistent effort. With this type of consistency you will reach your goals far faster than with the start and stop method so many people practice these days.

Here are ten of the ways you can focus that consistent effort to get even more out of the effort you put forth. I have found these ‘techniques’ very useful and honestly believe that if you put them to work for you that you too will reap their rewards.

1. Write your primary goals down. There is something that happens when you put pen to paper and write out your goals. It seems to activate your mind and your goals become ‘written’ into your sub-conscious, making your more aware of situations, people and events that will bring you to your goals faster.

2. Re-write your top tens goals daily. Each day re-write your top ten goals without looking at your previous lists. This process accomplishes two things.
a. Deeply imbeds your high priority goal into your sub-conscious.
b. Weeds out those goals that are really important TODAY. Those goals that are not truly high on your long-term priority list will not consistently remain in your top ten lists. This will help you focus on what is truly important rather than those whims all fall victim to.

3. Narrow your focus – by focusing on only a few goals at a time. Pick those goals that are truly yours and your hearts deepest desire. Then focus all your efforts like a laser beam upon their completion. Take the top ten and zero in on those three to five goals that mean the most to you. The three to five goals that you know you have the deepest desire to achieve.

4. Develop an action plan. Once you have determined what you want to accomplish you must now begin to lay out how you will go about accomplishing it. What skills do you need to develop? What contacts do you need to make? What steps do you need to take to get your from where you are today to where you are trying to get? Be aware that your plans may change as you go along gaining new insights and information. But you need to have a plan in order to know what comes next. The knowledge of what your going to do next will do wonders to keep you focused.

5. Envision your goal already achieved. The great achievers of yesterday and today all had one key-ability – the ability to see their goal as already accomplished. Be detailed in your vision of your goal; feel the pride of its accomplishment. What will your friends and associates say once you have reached your goal? The more detail and emotion you can insert into the vision of your accomplishment the more that vision will drive you towards its accomplishment.

6. Empower yourself with affirmations. When take the time daily to write down your top ten goals, write them as present tense personal affirmations. I.e. “I weigh 160 pounds,” rather than “I want to lose weight.” Or “I earn $10,000 a month,” rather than writing “I want to earn more money.” Then read these goals aloud. Stand tall; hold your shoulders straight and your head high. Then in a firm positive voice read your goals aloud. This will ignite the passions and pride within you. The passion to achieve your goal and the pride of what it will feel like to reach it.

7. Take daily action, no matter how small. Do not let a day go by that you do not take some sort of step towards your goal. This is where your consistency will pay big. Do not let the 1200-pound car stop rolling or your will have to push even harder just to get it moving again. Break your large goals down into smaller tasks and work one those tasks daily until complete.

8. Track your progress. You cannot effectively see that which you do not track, and you cannot change that which you cannot see. Create ways to see how far you are towards reaching your goal. Create charts and timelines so that you will see when you are falling behind or pulling ahead – make adjustments to your plans as necessary. A program like Microsoft Project is great for this, but use anything that will motivate you by allowing you to see where are along your road to success.

9. Celebrate Milestones. Another great reason to track your progress is so that you can set and celebrate your milestones. All large goals are made-up of smaller goals and milestones that you need to recognize and pat yourself on the back once you complete them. As you reach each of the milestones, applaud yourself. Pause to feel the accomplishment. As you savor this triumph you will believe more strongly that you will in fact reach your goal.

10. Network and surround yourself with a group of like-minded people. Surround yourself with those that will not only encourage your accomplishments but challenge you towards them as well. None of us will accomplish any big goal alone. You are going to need assistance from others.

Any time that I have put all ten of these techniques to work for me at the same time – I have reached my goal far faster than I could have imagined. Any one of these alone are a way to reach your goal faster but I would highly encourage you to put all ten of these steps in action today. If you do I know I will be hearing about your success in the very near future.

Think successfully & take action!
Tracy Brinkmann

http://www.SuccessAtlas.com Tracy Brinkmann is an goal setting and success counselor. Through his company Success Atlas, he provides goal-setting, motivational & educational material, & training via live presentations as well as digital/audio products. Sign up for his free e-Zine http://www.SuccessAtlas.com

I know you have heard that old disclaimer by science that planetary bodies are too far away to have any effect upon the lives of human beings. But now that belief is no longer held by the scientific community. In fact, it has been proven by Dr. Percy Seymour, an astronomer at Plymouth University, that the effect of planets upon our lives is not dependent upon distance. This means that we are all affected by the magnetic influences of the planets whether we believe it or not.

The power of the Moon has the most immediate effect because it changes signs so often. The Moon magnetizes a different astrological sign (energy field) every two and a half days. This means that it travels through all of the 12 signs of the zodiac during its lunar cycle.

What does this mean for you?

Think about the sign your Sun was in at the time your were born. This means that if you inherited the attitudes of Virgo when you were born, your Sun was in the sign of Virgo. Since signs are attitudes, you have the tendency to be efficient, organized, seek perfection, and like to be of service. Each month, when the Moon passes through Virgo, it will energize your Virgo tendencies. Your Virgo, nit-picking attitudes will be very strong during the Moon’s two and a half day journey through the sign of Virgo.

This means that everyone’s specific attitudes are stimulated by the Moon at some time during each month.

This is why it makes perfect sense to use the energies of the Moon to bring out a particular attitude (sign) that you want to express. For example, if you were born at the time when Mars was in the sign of Aries and need a lot of physical strength to compete in an event, you would be a lot more energetic if you did so on a day when the Moon was in Aries. This would be especially true if the Moon were full. It is full of energy. This is the essence of proper timing.

If you will use the energies of the Moon to help you get specific goals accomplished in your daily living, you will soon discover its power, and it will no longer be a mystery to you.

(c) 2005 Randall Curtis

Randall Curtis is a professional astrologer with world-wide clients. If you wish to become a certified, professional astrologer, check out The Institute of Professional Astrology. Click on this link for insights into your relationships, free astrology lessons, professional analysis of your secret energy cycles and complete life reading.

"You don’t get points for predicting rain. You get points for building an ark." Louis Gerstner, former Chairman and CEO of IBM

It’s that time of year again: time to reflect back on the past year and evaluate relationships; examine areas where you spent your valuable time, money, and energy; ponder goals set last year and revise new ones accordingly; and count your many blessings.

As I spend time these next few days looking over notes from years past, I will make every effort to draft goals for the New Year that will help me move further down the path. To becoming more of the person whom I hope to become. My goal every year is to become more saint-like, and many areas in my life need to be addressed in order to help me evolve–step by step–to that end.

I will not suppose that what works for me will work for you. I will only share what I do in the hope that it might help you as you prepare for the coming New Year.

I rely on my Filofax, where I write all of my goals down in colored ink on colored paper. Over the years I have called my goals various things, but as of last year they became known as the "6 F’s." Here goes…

1) FAITH

How can I get myself further down the spiritual path and become more saintlike? Specific steps I might record to get me closer to my goal would include: disciplined and consistent reading of scripture, journaling, reading books on spirituality, plugging into a charitable organization whose vision fits that of my family’s, taking a mission trip, maintaining a "bloom where planted" attitude about life, etc.

2) FAMILY

How can our family–including my husband, our four kids, myself, and the dog–become the strongest and happiest group of people as we share life together? And what things do I need to be pro-actively instilling into our family’s structure to ensure happy childhoods for each of our four kids? What is my vision for each child? What gifts and talents does this child have and what do we need to do to help him develop them for other people’s benefit? Specific steps might include: planning a family summer vacation, replacing TV with a family reading night, investments in music lessons, commitment to sports teams, scheduling weekly date nights, etc.

3) FRIENDS

How can I maintain the many friendships that I have formed over the years given the great physical distances that separate us, and how can I form new friendships with people who cross my path? Specific steps would include scheduled trips to visit girlfriends, frequent long-distance phone calls, celebrating birthdays with gifts and cards, continuing Christmas gift-giving traditions, etc.

4) FINANCIAL

How do we become more financially independent? How do we reduce debt and increase wealth? Steps would include my making a list of a realistic number of books to sell, seminars to schedule, articles to write, investments to make, savings goals to meet, tithing commitments to keep, etc.

5) FITNESS

How can I maintain a health and fitness regimen that keeps me in optimal physical and emotional health–while maintaining kids who are too young to maintain themselves? Specific steps would include scheduling a realistic number of trips to the gym per week, weekly commitments to swimming and tennis, and to weight training, etc.

6) FUN

What things would I enjoy doing personally and with my family that would help me enjoy life to its fullest? I would include specific trips and dates with Ernie, plans for vacations with the kids, Broadway shows, season tickets to the philharmonic, oil painting classes, etc.

Studies show that people who record their goals IN WRITING have a much greater chance of accomplishing them. Spend quality time thinking about specific goals that you’d like to make in your life. Begin the process now. Let your sub-conscious absorb the goals and let it help you figure out ways in which to make these goals realistically attainable. Consider your life stage. A trip to the gym might be quite realistic for me but a pipe dream for you if you have a newborn or a couple of toddlers underfoot. Don’t fret that your goals seem out of whack or not grand enough. Go easy on yourself and resolve to come up with goals that fit where you are and where you’d like to be by the end of the year. And remember to have fun with the process. Enjoy a glass of red wine and sit by the fire while you doodle your thoughts. Dream. Imagine.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT: Remember to count your blessings of this past year. Make a list. We are each coming to the dinner table New Year’s Eve night with our individual Top Ten Lists. Consider making this a New Year’s Eve tradition in your family, too. Nothing makes one feel better about the world than counting all the ways in which you have been uniquely blessed.

Please let me know if I can help you in your journey.

Have a blessed New Year. PEACE!

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; homeschooling for ten years provided fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is available on Amazon.com, in bookstores everywhere, or by calling 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via parenting classes and radio and TV interviews. Please visit http://www.rocketmom.com to subscribe to her free ezine and get a weekly shot of inspiration.

Webster’s Dictionary defines goal \.2 as the end toward which effort is directed.

Do you have goal(s) in your life? Have you reduced your goal(s) to writing? Studies have been done by respected universities which

indicate 90% of us never set goals; of the 10% who do, only 3% actually write them down. This latter group consists of some the most successful people in all fields of endeavor.

Goal Setting requires first of all specificity. In other words “to be a success” is not a valid goal. Rather goals should sound like this: “By 2010,

I will have my own Carvel Franchise in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst Section” or perhaps: “By next year this time I will have completed my first novel and submitted the manuscript to 10 publishers.”

Goals need proper maintenance, small adjustments that build on the main goal.

Immediately and audaciously begin to take action. Refine your goal(s) more and more. Post visual images of your goal in prominent locations, like your bathroom mirror, your pillow, refrigerator, your work area, your car, your brief case, and any where else you might regularly eye it.

Write down the benefits of achieving your goal: I will be happier, healthier, wealthier, etc. when I achieve ‘your particular goal.’ Act as if you have achieved your goal and are just filling in the details of how you got there. Keep a smile on your face. Reward yourself for each positive step you take, and don’t beat your self up over miscues/minor failures. They are a part of the ‘rungs of the ladder’ that lead you to the top.

Consider every obstacle you might encounter, along the way. Develop strategies for handling each circumstance. Common obstacles you are likely to confront are naysayers, lack of capital, small failures, digressions, competition, poor time management, etc. Know beforehand how you will overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

Gain as much knowledge as you can about your goal. If your goal is to be an Indy Car Driver, learn every detail about the car, the track and the competition. If your goal is to be a sports agent learn every detail about your competitors (fees they charge, who their clients are, what their shtick is, where they hang out, when and how they approach clients).

Develop support groups/mentors, who can provide you honest advice and counsel, help you overcome obstacles and keep you motivated.

Construct a plan of action, and meticulously work the plan. A popular adage says: “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” One common error is, mistaking activity for accomplishment.

Be committed. To paraphrase W. H. Macy, don’t be committed like a kamikaze pilot on his 12th mission.

Seek and seize opportunity. The mass of men call this luck; they believe success is serendipitous. As Zig Ziglar says: “Arise each morning when the ‘opportunity clock’ sounds” and greet God boldly with the words: “Lord we are going to have a great day.” Who could be a better partner than the Lord?

Remember you have the same number of hours in a day as any doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur, or for that matter, your average billionaire like Bill Gates. Use those hours wisely, “Age quod agis” – “do what you are doing,” always remaining focused. Understand you aren’t making sacrifices by giving up some habits and activities you enjoy, but rather that you are now investing your time and talent in yourself instead.

Don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Make them happen. Ed McMahon isn’t going to knock on your door. If you want to succeed you must proceed without hesitation. Until you are truly committed and begin the journey to success, there is a good chance you may draw back. Don’t! Move forward and “seize the day.”

If you would like more information or personal assistance on setting and achieving goals contact Ann Marie or Al Parisi at lunchbagnotes.net.

Ann Marie is a teacher and author and speaker. She resides in Agoura Hills, California, with her co-writers and speakers, her brother Anthony and dad, Al.

One of the fundamental and basic aspects of modern personal development is the idea of having well formed outcomes in your life. It is very well documented these days, but so very few people actually do use them, and even fewer people create them properly and in a way that is useful.

Having NLP’s Well formed outcomes for your life can create well being in business, our personal lives, in relationships and so much more. So please be as flexible as you possibly can be while reading this; and I don’t mean read it while doing the splits!

In NLP (neuro linguistic programming), goal setting becomes more than just goal setting. We go beyond that and step into the realms of “desired outcome development.” By that, we are going beyond setting goals and moving into the realms of setting outcomes.

As you think about any area of your life that you would like to update or change or plan better for, or if you have an unfulfilled dream or something you are working towards, then creating an NLP well formed outcome can begin to get your unconscious mind and its related processes driving you towards that without you even having to know how.

How do goals and outcomes differ? Goals are general and outcomes are specific. An outcome represents a goal developed with specificity that enables us to have a very clear understanding of what to do.

A well formed outcome enables us to create specific pictures, sounds, feelings and words. Then that image, that outcome activates our abilities and resources for achieving that outcome. The NLP well formed outcome model should have the following characteristics;

1. The outcome should be stated positively in terms of what we want: The human mind does not directly process a negative. You regular readers will have read that idea over and over in previous editions of Adam Up. Have a read through the Adam Up archive for more information on that notion.

2. The NLP outcome is described in sensory based language: In terms of sights, sounds and sensations; what will we see, hear and feel with that outcome. See how we are forming the outcome, crafting it?

3. Ensure that the NLP outcome is self-initiated and self-controlled: It needs to be something that is not reliant on others in any way. Changing others directly lies outside of our control – changing them indirectly by changing ourselves – we can do that!

4. Make your desired outcome appropriately contextualised: When, where, how and with who do you want this outcome? Detail the context.

Many people that I work with and encounter operate in a stimulus/response mode. Something happens, they respond. Something else happens, they respond. Instead of reacting to various stimuli involved, with outcome based thinking, you are looking at how to control your own world instead. Outcome based thinking allows you to decide what you want and shows you how to achieve it.

Outcome based thinking with NLP is the ability to visualize the precise outcome of a process before beginning that process. It is the ability to set goals and keep them in mind all through the negotiation process.

World class athletes from all over the world use outcome based thinking to achieve top performance in their field. The best golfers visualize a shot before they hit the ball, the best football players imagine scoring a goal before it happens.

Here are a set of very useful questions to ask yourself when forming your desired outcomes in life to ensure that they are really going to serve you well.

Questions to ask oneself for effective outcome based thinking. This can be applied to many situations and circumstances as someone looking to create a desirable outcome. I recommend that you take time write down the answers to these questions and then use the answers to provide you with a skeleton to then hang around the details of your well-formed outcomes for life.

Firstly; What exactly do I want out of the process? Think of the successful conclusion that you expect.

Secondly, if other people are involved in any shape or form ask yourself; What does the other person want? If you don’t know, then think about what are they likely to want?

Thirdly, What is the least I will accept out of the process? Think about the minimum of things that you want to occur in your sessions for you to be satisfied.

Next up, think about (briefly, don’t loiter on this) What problems could come up in the process? Make a note, if not in writing, then in your mind of everything that could arise.

Then, ask yourself; how will I deal with each one and, if possible, use the problem to benefit the outcome? Make a list of possibilities or the things that could crop up, or differences in contract expectations.

Then put together your solutions for remedying that before it occurs. Being prepared to deliver your solutions if and when they arise.

Finally, ask yourself; How will I bring the process to a conclusion? Run this over and over in your mind. You can also ask that wonderful question; how will I know when I have achieved this outcome? Make a note of that. Whenever I ask myself that question in relation to a well formed outcome, it sends a HUGE smile across my face.

Knowing the outcome in advance is exceptionally powerful. So go and begin to design your future, make them as sensory rich as possible. Create them and allow your unconscious mind to deliver the results.

I was listening to a recording recently by a highly acclaimed coach talking about "the horizon." He explained that the horizon does not really exist; that it’s just a mental construct. He made the point that, no matter how fast or how far you travel, you do not and cannot actually reach the horizon. Wherever you are, your brain creates a new horizon ahead of you. Really interesting thought. This notion can be applied to how we go about driving ourselves to create our well-formed outcomes.

So, like the horizon, our NLP well formed outcomes are mental constructs, and not actually aspects of reality. However, and I am getting excited by telling you this, they can be an excellent marker to help us set a direction and keep motivated to creating wonderful sensory rich well formed outcomes. What our outcomes and dreams are not useful for is measuring progress. Let me explain.

People with dreams and NLP well formed outcomes, in my experience, fall into two categories: those who are happily achieving those dreams and fulfilled by them, and those who are lacking fulfilment and dissatisfied with their life.

The main difference between these two groups is that the people who are happy and fulfilled measure their progress by comparing where they are against where they have come from. The people who are stressed and dissatisfied measure progress by comparing where they are against their dreams. Having dreams that are unfulfilled can hinder us and damage our motivation to create powerful well formed outcomes.

So before you go off and start writing your NLP well formed outcomes about making your dreams come true; just think about that idea for a moment; The happy, fulfilled people look at how far they’ve come.

The unhappy, dissatisfied people look at how far they have to go to reach their dreams.

When you bear in mind that the dream, your NLP well formed outcome is in fact just a mental construct that cannot be reached, you can understand why they may have been feeling unhappy and dissatisfied.

So here are some steps to take to avoid dissatisfaction:

Firstly; think of something that you have been working towards for a while or something that you wish to work on. It could be something to do with your health, your finances, your relationships, a habitual change, something you want to overcome, a skill you wish to acquire, or something that you want to do.

Secondly, think of your dream, your desired outcome for this particular area. If you are exploring wealth, your dream might be financial freedom or owning a flashy new car. If you are focusing on health, your dream may be to be a certain size, to stop smoking or to run a mile in a certain time. Hey, it may even be how to stop clinging on to the safe place you might be in life.

Thirdly, have a really good think of where you started. Where were you at when you first decided you were going to do something about it? Really assess that. Get it clear in your mind/

Fourth, now compare where you currently are to your dream or your desired outcome. Now get a sense of how you feel about that.

In the vast majority of cases, people almost certainly find that there is a gap between where you are and your dream, of course, otherwise it would unlikely still be a dream. For some people, thinking about this gap is a disheartening experience. This is the habitual behaviour of unfulfilled people. So resolve to stop doing it today! Please! Just stop it.

Next up, compare where you currently are to where you started. Get a sense of how this feels. Now we are talking.

If you have made any progress at all, it will typically be more and more enjoyable to compare where you are with where you were. This is the habitual behaviour of happy, fulfilled people, of happy high achievers and those developing personally as they want to. This is really crucial in creating well formed outcomes for your life.

Many people have learned to compare themselves to the dream or the desired outcome. But once you know how this works, you can compare yourself to where you started, and feel good about the progress you have made, however minor it may be. The great thing is, that gives you energy and motivation to continue with your journey towards your NLP well formed outcomes.

Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. His website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products and can be found here; http://www.adam-eason.com

Any time of year is a good time to set goals and start working towards them. However there are certain times of year when it feels very natural to set goals. One of these times is the New Year, and another is ‘Back to School’ time.

What would you love to have achieved by December? What would you feel really proud of accomplishing? As students head ‘Back to School’ to achieve their academic goals, we can take inspiration from them and apply it to our goals.

When we begin to see advertisements for ‘Back to School’ and children get ready for the new school year, it is a great time to set goals for ourselves too. However, our goals can be related to any aspect of our lives, and not just limited academic goals.

When we think of going ‘Back to School’ we picture fall colors and cooler weather. There is a ritual of going shopping for new supplies and setting off on the first day dressed in a new outfit. There is also an element of optimism and enthusiasm, ready to embrace a new and exciting challenge of the school year. So what can we learn from students who are heading ‘Back to School’ this fall?

Resources

When students go ‘Back to School’ they are surrounded by many different resources. These include tools such as new books, pens and pencils, clothes, etceteras. Although these tools have practical uses, they also make an important impression on the subconscious mind by providing strong motivations such as confidence and courage at a time that is generally filled with apprehension.

Students are also surrounded by many types of people resources. They have friends at school who share common interests and who are working towards common goals. They have access to teachers, librarians, counsellors, etceteras who impart their wisdom and motivate and guide them to learn new information and skills.

In addition, in order for students to be successful in achieving their academic pursuits, they also need to master the resource of time management. They need to make effective use of their time at school, and then they need to have the self-discipline to manage their time at home to do homework and prepare for the next day.

Therefore, no matter what goals you would like to achieve, you need to think about which specific resources you would need (i.e. what tools do you need, which people would help the most, where will your time come from, etc.). For example, if you wanted to get fit, then your tools might be a new gym outfit complete with cross-training sneakers to motivate yourself to go. Your people resources might be the trainers at the gym and your friends who share common fitness goals. Finally you would need to set aside time each day to attend the gym, to pack and repack your gym bag etc.

Structure

Going ‘Back to School’ also provides structure. After the freewheeling nature of summer vacation, structure can seem to be a very unwelcome thing. Even adults often think they dislike structure, and prefer to be spontaneous. However, having structure in place is a very valuable mechanism to facilitate the achievement of your goals.

Structure provides a framework so that you can do your best work effortlessly. If you decide your goal is to get fit, then structuring your workouts would be beneficial. You would need to schedule when you would attend the gym, and exactly what exercises you would be doing at each workout session.

Students have their time automatically structured. Their day-to-day time is structured with class schedules, and the exams that determine whether or not they have achieved their academic goals are structured by major holidays. The first such major holiday is in December, which gives them approximately 12 weeks to work towards their goals.

Twelve weeks is also a perfect length of time for you to work towards your goals; long enough to see results, yet short enough not to feel overwhelmed. Plus, if you are feeling melancholy that the summer is over, working towards a goal can direct that sad feeling into positive energy.

New Leaf

When children go ‘Back to School’ there is a feeling of newness and excitement in the air. It does not matter what happened last year; this year is a clean slate or a ‘new leaf’. Examples of the new leaf mentality might be: homework will be done the night it’s set, rather than the night before it’s due; library books will be returned on time, etceteras. Why not take this mind-set and apply it to your goals? It does not matter that past attempts to get fit were not successful, this time you WILL succeed.

So get ready to apply the ‘Back to School’ mind-set. Write down the goal(s) that you would like to achieve by December. Then determine the resources you need. Ensure you have the structure in place, and then turn a new leaf and jump right in!

Jacqueline King works with individuals wishing to achieve their goals in life. For more information, please visit http://www.montrealaddcoach.com