| Hocus, Pocus, it's all about focus. That's the real | | | | that I picked up in a yard sale and hung around my |
| magic of goals! | | | | bathroom mirror. |
| 'Once set, the final thing to do is to make our goals | | | | I made an audio recording and listened to my own |
| visible. Put our written down goals where we will see | | | | voice on tape of how I was making things happen, |
| them everyday. Look at them often and surely | | | | and I visualized (imagined) how successful I was at |
| success will follow, as day follows night.' | | | | taking each of the actions necessary. I set out my |
| The above success principle has been praised by just | | | | intention. (Positive Self Talk in my car) This was |
| about all those who have applied it. Those who do | | | | weird stuff, believe me I felt weird at the beginning. |
| not apply it usually get left in the dust, goal-less. | | | | I talked about it all the time. It served it's purpose |
| There are some who are able to bypass this principle | | | | though and kept my focus strong, and concentrated |
| and still enjoy great succcess, but they are few and | | | | my power! I never let myself forget for a moment |
| far in between. | | | | that I wanted this Hawaii trip badly, and that I was |
| In my experience with goal setting, past and present, | | | | on the hook for this. I kept reminding myself in every |
| I find that in addition to writing them out, pictures of | | | | way possible that this trip was important, I mean, |
| my goals and associated items, help me to visualize | | | | almost life or death important. |
| actually having them, just as if they are in a layaway | | | | Well, I made that trip happen just the way I wanted |
| catalogue, all I have to do is pay the price to pick | | | | it, and my wife was ecstatic. One week on Oahu, |
| them up. This allows me to think that it is just a | | | | and one week on Maui. We took 33 rolls of film in |
| matter of time until they arrive! This really helps to | | | | two weeks, a visual reminder of the fun and good |
| allay any negative vibes that may crop up during the | | | | times we had. My wife had her dream trip, and I had |
| adventure. | | | | a real life reference that would change how I went |
| At the time, I was rarely successful at staying | | | | after my goals forever. |
| consistent and focusing steady on anything important. | | | | Making this trip happen really made it clear to me |
| I mostly just played at life. I knew all the rules of | | | | that goal setting really works big time, as long as you |
| success but was haphazard at applying them, no | | | | keep your eye on the ball. Since then, I work on my |
| consistency. This does plague me from time to time. | | | | goals regularly, always keeping them in mind. I have a |
| That is until I got serious . . . 1987. That year I quit | | | | dream collage of pictures framed on my wall, and I |
| smoking, quit drinking, and quit being lazy! I dropped | | | | have a long list of 'wishes' that I have yet to take |
| 60 lbs. in 3 months, and worked up to running 5 miles | | | | action on. I just have to pump up the volume from |
| a day. I experienced the power of Focus! I wrote an | | | | time to time. |
| article about how I made that happen. I called it "Set | | | | I am not perfect by any stretch but I keep at it. |
| Your Mind To Win" and you can read it on The | | | | After I met this challenge, I sure haven't got any |
| Realgoalgetter Website. In it I explained some of | | | | excuse for not having or doing something.The best |
| what I did to achieve those goals. This article actually | | | | reward I got from that experience was the feeling |
| follows up on that one, with a little more detail, and in | | | | that I could achieve basically anything providing I |
| a different way. | | | | stoked my desire high enough, and managed my |
| That next year, 1988, I made a decision to take my | | | | thoughts and focus. |
| wife to Hawaii. I remember it was a vacation trip | | | | When you have one gargantuan goal, that by going |
| though that I really wanted for my wife and I. It was | | | | after it, you automatically achieve all of your others, |
| her dream trip to Hawaii, she had never been there. | | | | this helps to keep your focus concentrated, and your |
| So we planned two weeks in October that year. It all | | | | energy does not get dissipated by going in a lot of |
| seems so long ago, actually it was. At the time of | | | | different directions. Just like Napoleon Hill writes about |
| this writing it is 2004. | | | | how powerful a 'Magnificent Obsession' can be. |
| Back then, I didn't have any of the the resources | | | | Please do not take this as 'bragging' as my intention |
| that I needed to take this trip, and I didn't know | | | | is only to demonstrate that anyone can do, have, or |
| how I was going to do it. I was flat broke. But I did | | | | be whatever they want as long as you pay the price |
| know that I wanted it for my wife and I. This was a | | | | asked. Who in their right mind would brag about a |
| tremendous amount of cash for me to come up with | | | | small amount like $8,000.00 anyway in this day and |
| in so short a time. For me this was nigh impossible! | | | | age? |
| There were no past references in me to even think | | | | Let's see some of the focus activities I used in doing |
| this was possible. I didn't even have a savings | | | | this: |
| account at the time. | | | | 1. Write down my goal and review it frequently. |
| Being in Sales and Supervision at the time, one of the | | | | Immerse myself in it. |
| procedures to make it easy for people to buy was | | | | 2. Surround myself with associate items, pictures, |
| to break down the necessary actions, payments etc. | | | | smells, feels, and/or tastes. |
| to the ridiculously simple, so they would believe it | | | | 3. Think as if it's on layaway, it's in the bank, and |
| was not only possible but absolutely doable! I | | | | confidently pay the price. |
| brainstormed all the things we wanted to have and | | | | 4. Create future references by visualizing you have |
| do on our trip, all that it would cost, and totalled it up. | | | | received them already. |
| I would need at least $8,000.00 in order to make it | | | | 5. Talk about them all the time, and record my own |
| happen. I needed to break this down into timelines. | | | | enthusiastic voice to listen to. |
| I pushed the negative self talk aside every time it | | | | 6. Control my focus by crowding out the negative, |
| came up. (And it came up often, believe me) I came | | | | overwhelming it with positive. |
| up with ideas I needed to act on and I started to | | | | 7. Break down my actions to the ridiculously simple, |
| break them down into 5 smaller actions, and then into | | | | be specific. |
| 5 smaller actions until I came up with a ridulously | | | | 8. Commited to myself, my wife, and everyone I |
| simple thing, that I could believe I could do and that I | | | | cared about. (built up importance) |
| could do right there and then, and just waded into | | | | 9. Set my mind to 'win', there is no other option to |
| them one at a time. | | | | consider. |
| I booked the trip in May, without having all my ducks | | | | 10. Have faith that this will happen, use the peak to |
| in a row, heh, heh. I booked the time off at work | | | | peek principle. |
| and having told all my colleagues what I had planned, | | | | One focus to success. Build momentum in all things |
| I couldn't back out. Talk about a public commitment, | | | | instead of distraction. It is all about focus. You can |
| and a commitment to my wife is not easily broken, | | | | make this work for you too. The real question to ask |
| so I pulled out all the stops to make this trip happen. | | | | yourself is this: |
| I tightened my belt on a lot of things that I didn't | | | | How can I take these 10 'focus' strategies, use them |
| need and also worked my tail off to earn extra | | | | as a ckecklist of sorts, apply them to my most |
| income so I could save some for the trip. I lived and | | | | important goal, make them work for me, and enjoy |
| breathed that trip every day. | | | | the process? |
| I surrounded myself in my car, house, and office, | | | | Well, how can you? And will you? You Can Do It! |
| with post cards, pictures, magazine articles, travel | | | | Go for it! |
| books, videos, sun tan lotion, even a fake grass skirt | | | | |