Articulating Your Goals and Dreams - The Affirmation Spot for Monday April 14, 2008
Today's Affirmation: My dreams are the fuel that powers my life. Today I choose to follow them.
Can you articulate your goals and dreams? Are you making your goals and dreams concrete enough to bring them to fruition? Are you putting your intention for their realization out into the universe? This week we are going to look at some ways to bring your goals and dreams closer to reality.Articulating Your Goals and DreamsWords have such power. Most spiritual traditions around the world talk about God or the gods speaking the world into being.From the beginning, words have been the source of creation. They are the first step in manifesting thoughts in our head out in the world. They are also the bridge between thoughts/ideas and actions.It's nearly impossible for your goals and dreams to become a reality, if you are unable to articulate them. The ability to clearly articulate your goals and dreams is the first step in clearly envisioning them.You often hear successful people talk about their mission statements. These statements are nothing more than a formalized articulation of who they are as a person and an affirmation of their dreams and goals.Articulating your goals or dreams need not be that formal. It can be as simple as a phrase that succinctly describes your goal. To begin, use some simple questions to get your thought process going."What is your dream?""What do you want to be doing in five years?""If you could be doing anything with your life what would it be?"You're not worried about "the how" at this point, only "the what". "The how" takes care of itself once you clearly envision "the what".Here's a simple 7-step process to begin articulating your dreams and goals.
- Ask yourself the preceding questions or similar questions you devise.
- Brainstorm answers by writing down everything that comes to your mind when you ask these questions. Listen carefully to really capture your true heart's desires.
- When you're happy with your list prioritize your answers.
- Select 1-3 key goals or dreams (that's all most people can really focus on at any given time). These are the ones that really speak to you right now. Keep the rest for future use.
- Write a brief statement describing the goal or dream and your desire to achieve it. Add a timeframe to your statement. Spice it up with extra detail to motivate action.
- Memorize your statement.
- Articulate the statement regularly - out loud and to yourself. When someone asks you what you want to be doing answer with your statement. Use the statement as an affirmation for yourself. Share it with friends, relatives, and colleagues.
Following are a few examples to get you started:Instead of saying:"I want to be a published author."Say something like:"In five years, I want to be sitting on a beach writing novels full time." Instead of saying:"I want to be a football coach."Say something like:"In five years, I want to be a successful college football coach at a divsion I school."Instead of saying:"I want to a better mom."Say something like:"In the next six months, I want to create more time with my kids and devise ways to be more engaged in their learning."The next post will discuss putting your intention for achieving your goal out into the universe.Be peaceful Be positive Be prosperous!Ray