When an athlete runs a triathlon, his goal is to beat his opponents and win. When a person
engages in an intense workout, there is a weight goal that he or she would like to meet.
When you apply for a job, your goal is to pass the interview and get accepted.
As you may notice, it is important to set a goal for yourself so that you can meet a
particular objective. Without goals, your actions will all be for nothing. This is the
reason why goal setting is important. When dealing with your career, your finances or even
your personal life, setting goals for yourself will allow you to create an action plan so
that you can work towards, and eventually meet those goals.
The Numerous Advantages of Goal Setting
As a whole, goal setting will allow you to turn your future plans into a reality. Here are
the numerous advantages that you can get to enjoy with the help of goal setting:
Setting long-term goals for yourself will give you that drive to work harder in meeting your
career or your personal objectives.
Setting short-term goals can be a great motivator, especially if you monitor your progress
and celebrate your successes in each small accomplishment that you have.
Goal setting will allow you to determine the possible distractions that you may deal with in
the process of meeting your long-term goals. Once these distractions are identified, you can
exert an extra effort so that you will not be lured away from your goals.
Goal setting is the key to effective time management.
Goal setting will boost your self-esteem since it improves the quality of your life by
letting you know exactly where you are headed in the future.
Getting a Head Start in Goal Setting
Now that you know all about the importance of goal setting, how can you begin setting such
goals for yourself? Here are some useful goal setting tips that you can follow:
Start by creating a list of your short-term goals while still keeping your lifetime goals in
mind.
As you slowly progress and each of your short-term goals are being met, you can move on to a
broader picture: by setting your long-term goals.
Your long-term goals should span your personal, professional, financial, physical,
educational, and even your public service goals.
Answer these questions:
- How would you like to see yourself a few years from now?
- How would you like to make a difference in the lives of others?
- What long-term financial goals would you like to meet?
- What are your travel plans in the near future?
Remember that whether you are setting long-term or short-term goals for yourself, they
should still be realistic. Knowing what you want out of life is the best way to set
realistic goals for yourself.
To sum it all up, goal setting is all a matter of deciding what is important for you to
achieve in this lifetime. Removing distractions, motivating yourself and boosting your
confidence are the steps that you need to follow in order to meet the goals that you have
set for yourself.
Committing yourself to achieving your goals is what will make your journey in life more fun,
enriching and meaningful.
For more information, please visit The Ultimate Guide To Personal Development.
The site is filled with goal setting tips, tips on changing habits, ways to boost
productivity, and so much more!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Setting an Inspiring Vision For Your Life
Mr. Riche is the President and CEO of Percess Technologies, Inc., a company focused on helping business owners and managers develop the personal insight, habits, ... ...
Why Start with Who and Where You Are Before Creating A Vision or Goals
Together, your values and your situation have a significant impact on your satisfaction today and what makes the most sense to focus on going forward. It is often helpful before starting to form Vision statements for your life to do a situation assessment as this will help you get a better picture of how you are doing overall in your life. This way you can reflect on both your current level of satisfaction with your life and which areas in particular are most important to work on.
Similarly, your Values have a significant influence over how you move forward, especially in the trade-offs you will have to make (career/personal time, etc) going forward. This is why it is helpful to spend time both better understanding where you are, as well as who you are (personality, values, etc.) before working to set a vision for your life overall and within key parts of it.
The Difference Between Visions and Goals
It is important to understand the difference between a Vision statement and a Goal. A Vision statement is a qualitative statement about your life (or business) overall and a part of that is described as an outcome. For example, "I love going to work each day and come home excited about what I have accomplished, ready to spend time with my family."
On the other hand, a Goal statement, which may be built from a Vision statement, is very specific in terms of what you are going to achieve (when, how, with whom, etc.). Since Vision statements are the foundation for a good Goal statement, it is very important to start with a strong set of Vision statements, as this will provide the insight, sense of priority and the feeling of importance needed to develop compelling Goal statements. Statements in which you are willing to do what is required to be successful and to achieve the benefits you desire.
Develop a Wish List
Keeping your situation and values in mind, we are going to start the Vision setting process by creating a wish list. Different people have recommended that you think of three different types of items to put on your list:
1) those things you want to do,
2) those items you wish to own, and
3) the type of person you want to be.
While this fairly common exercise has been around for many years, it is most often associated with Goal setting. However, given our ability to create great goals is dependent on the clarity of the visions, and that people are generally much better at reviewing a range of ideas (such as do, be, or have related) for insight they can use to come up with meaningful vision statements, we believe it is important to do this exercise here first.
To start, position yourself in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and start writing out everything you would like to Do, everything you would like to Be and everything you would like to Have in your life, today and in the future.
There are no limits, try to go for at least 50 items total, and spend at least 30 minutes on the list. If you are doing this program with someone else do this part individually and then feel free to compare after you are done. Once complete review the list once, make any initial additions (We'll handle modifications and deletions later.), and then set it aside for a day to give time to further reflect.
Organize and value the Items on Your List
Organize your do, be, and have list. Divide a clean piece of paper into four columns with the following above each column at the top of the page:
Do, Be, or Have
Why this is important
Score
Select/Pass/Delete
Now, reviewing your wish list items, copy them one to a row onto the Do, Be, and Have sheet you have just created. Next, write why each is important in the importance column. Then, after you have done that for each item, assign a score in the score column. one in the "score" column, write a number from 1-10 rating how important it is for you to achieve that item (1 = nice to have; 10 = extremely important). Note, depending on how many items you have you may need more than one piece of paper.
Once you have done this, review your list and for each row (item, why it is important, and score), either write an S (Select; this item is very important to you.), P (Park an item for later; it is important but there are others which feel much more important.) or D (Delete; this would be nice but doesn't really make the priority list.). For example:
Take an annual trip to Hawaii; renew ourselves; 8; S
One note: This isn't about writing down a certain number of ideas. This is about further clarifying what it is you really want in life. Oftentimes people will start with long lists of tangible things to own, Have items, and then realize as they review the list that some Be or Do items actually mean more to them, and they will naturally and easily drop a few tangible items off the list and expand the Be or Do items.
Categorize the Items on Your List
Take a clean sheet of paper and:
Write: "Type"
Then skip a line and write the numbers 1-10 below it, one number to a row
Then skip a line and write "My summary vision statement for this area of my life is:"
Repeat this seven times so you have seven sheets with the heading, seven rows, and the summary line.
One to a page, write the following seven headings in the type heading at the top of the page. This way you will have seven sheet, one for each area of your life:
Relationship
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Environment
Financial
Career/Business
Next, looking at the Do, Be, and Have list, starting with the highest scoring item(s), for each item with an S identify which category page it belongs on and write it there. At the end you will have seven pieces of paper, each with a short list of items on it. Note, you will want to save these pieces of paper as thought starters when you complete the goals work.
One note, why re-write the list again and again? Each time you rewrite the list you are getting rid of potential distractions and focusing your mind on the key points. While this is automatically done in the online tool, doing it on paper, while taking more time, is still very valuable.
You have now categorized the ideas into the various areas of your life. At this point one or more common thoughts may have come into your mind:
The most common realization is that your list is heavily focused in a few areas. This is a key insight. In order to be sustainably successful we need balance. Take a look at those areas where you have an opportunity to enhance your thinking, and write down some ideas (Do, Have, or Be as appropriate) to further refine those areas and help ensure, if you were to achieve those items, you will have achieved what you consider success for that area.
Another common realization is that many of the ideas in a particular area are similar and could be consolidated. Take a moment to do this now. Don't worry about losing too much detail as that will come back when you are working on goals. This step will also help you to better move from a list of wants to compelling vision statements for each area of your life.
A third one is that an idea can fit into more than one area of your life. For example, biking on a regular basis with a good friend. Biking is clearly something that will help your physical well-being (if not over-done of course) while doing it with a friend can enhance your relationships well being (and also make it more likely you will actually bike on a regular basis). The solution is to put it in both areas. Don't worry about the overlap. The categorization is to help ensure you are focused in a balanced way across your life. When you set up specific goals and work toward them many times, they will support your vision across multiple parts of your life.
Write a Vision Statement For Each Area of Your Life
Review the items on each page and, one page at a time, write a sentence at the bottom of each which captures the essence of the ideas listed in a particular area of your life. For example, possible ideas for the Physical Well-Being area are:
Tons of energy all day.
Enjoy a range of foods without gaining weight.
Never get sick.
Be able to run with my children.
Examples of how those could be translated into Financial Vision statements:
"I want the physical health to be able to fully enjoy activities I love with the people I enjoy."
"I want to experience life, and don't want my physical health to limit me."
Start with any area of your life and repeat for each.
Refine and Complete Your Vision Statements
Look at the vision statements for each area of your life and answer the following questions:
Is it inspiring, and can you emotionally commit to achieving it?
Is it truly important to you?
Is it stretching, but can you still see yourself achieving it?
Is it truly your own vision and not someone else's (parent, boss, etc.) for you?
Is it positive and sustainable over time?
Once you have gone over each statement and made any desired changes, re-write them in the Vision Statement section of the Vision and Objective List page template at the end of today's text. After you have done this, review the list of statements and write the one over-arching statement which reflects the vision for your life in the designated space on that same page. This overall vision statement will by definition be more inspiring than truly specific but should tie in well with the more specific visions for each area of your life.
This overall Visions statement page should include the following pieces of information:
"Vision Summary Sheet" heading at the top
Seven rows divided into two columns where the left column lists th seven life areas and the right is where you write your summary vision statement for that area of your life.
An overall vision statement at the bottom.
Your overall vision statement should reflect your energy, attitude and priorities. Below are some examples for perspective.
"My life's vision is to have enjoyed the trip and left a lasting positive mark."
"The vision for my life is to get the most from every day I am alive."
"My life's vision is to have found and used what is special about me in every aspect of my life."
"The vision for my life is to have made the world better for those less fortunate."
Congratulations!
These overall and by life area vision statements are important, as they will help guide you in what kinds of goals you should be going for and will increase your clarity on why they are important. By completing this important phase you are setting yourself up to create some truly powerful and meaningful goals.
Percess is a leading online resource helping people live a life of achievement, meaning, and enjoyment both personally and in their business. We do this through a bi-weekly newsletter, our online assessments and tools, and educational articles and programs. These resources help guide you from where you are to where you want to be, while enjoying the trip.
Copyright 2008, Percess Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Why Start with Who and Where You Are Before Creating A Vision or Goals
Together, your values and your situation have a significant impact on your satisfaction today and what makes the most sense to focus on going forward. It is often helpful before starting to form Vision statements for your life to do a situation assessment as this will help you get a better picture of how you are doing overall in your life. This way you can reflect on both your current level of satisfaction with your life and which areas in particular are most important to work on.
Similarly, your Values have a significant influence over how you move forward, especially in the trade-offs you will have to make (career/personal time, etc) going forward. This is why it is helpful to spend time both better understanding where you are, as well as who you are (personality, values, etc.) before working to set a vision for your life overall and within key parts of it.
The Difference Between Visions and Goals
It is important to understand the difference between a Vision statement and a Goal. A Vision statement is a qualitative statement about your life (or business) overall and a part of that is described as an outcome. For example, "I love going to work each day and come home excited about what I have accomplished, ready to spend time with my family."
On the other hand, a Goal statement, which may be built from a Vision statement, is very specific in terms of what you are going to achieve (when, how, with whom, etc.). Since Vision statements are the foundation for a good Goal statement, it is very important to start with a strong set of Vision statements, as this will provide the insight, sense of priority and the feeling of importance needed to develop compelling Goal statements. Statements in which you are willing to do what is required to be successful and to achieve the benefits you desire.
Develop a Wish List
Keeping your situation and values in mind, we are going to start the Vision setting process by creating a wish list. Different people have recommended that you think of three different types of items to put on your list:
1) those things you want to do,
2) those items you wish to own, and
3) the type of person you want to be.
While this fairly common exercise has been around for many years, it is most often associated with Goal setting. However, given our ability to create great goals is dependent on the clarity of the visions, and that people are generally much better at reviewing a range of ideas (such as do, be, or have related) for insight they can use to come up with meaningful vision statements, we believe it is important to do this exercise here first.
To start, position yourself in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and start writing out everything you would like to Do, everything you would like to Be and everything you would like to Have in your life, today and in the future.
There are no limits, try to go for at least 50 items total, and spend at least 30 minutes on the list. If you are doing this program with someone else do this part individually and then feel free to compare after you are done. Once complete review the list once, make any initial additions (We'll handle modifications and deletions later.), and then set it aside for a day to give time to further reflect.
Organize and value the Items on Your List
Organize your do, be, and have list. Divide a clean piece of paper into four columns with the following above each column at the top of the page:
Do, Be, or Have
Why this is important
Score
Select/Pass/Delete
Now, reviewing your wish list items, copy them one to a row onto the Do, Be, and Have sheet you have just created. Next, write why each is important in the importance column. Then, after you have done that for each item, assign a score in the score column. one in the "score" column, write a number from 1-10 rating how important it is for you to achieve that item (1 = nice to have; 10 = extremely important). Note, depending on how many items you have you may need more than one piece of paper.
Once you have done this, review your list and for each row (item, why it is important, and score), either write an S (Select; this item is very important to you.), P (Park an item for later; it is important but there are others which feel much more important.) or D (Delete; this would be nice but doesn't really make the priority list.). For example:
Take an annual trip to Hawaii; renew ourselves; 8; S
One note: This isn't about writing down a certain number of ideas. This is about further clarifying what it is you really want in life. Oftentimes people will start with long lists of tangible things to own, Have items, and then realize as they review the list that some Be or Do items actually mean more to them, and they will naturally and easily drop a few tangible items off the list and expand the Be or Do items.
Categorize the Items on Your List
Take a clean sheet of paper and:
Write: "Type"
Then skip a line and write the numbers 1-10 below it, one number to a row
Then skip a line and write "My summary vision statement for this area of my life is:"
Repeat this seven times so you have seven sheets with the heading, seven rows, and the summary line.
One to a page, write the following seven headings in the type heading at the top of the page. This way you will have seven sheet, one for each area of your life:
Relationship
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Environment
Financial
Career/Business
Next, looking at the Do, Be, and Have list, starting with the highest scoring item(s), for each item with an S identify which category page it belongs on and write it there. At the end you will have seven pieces of paper, each with a short list of items on it. Note, you will want to save these pieces of paper as thought starters when you complete the goals work.
One note, why re-write the list again and again? Each time you rewrite the list you are getting rid of potential distractions and focusing your mind on the key points. While this is automatically done in the online tool, doing it on paper, while taking more time, is still very valuable.
You have now categorized the ideas into the various areas of your life. At this point one or more common thoughts may have come into your mind:
The most common realization is that your list is heavily focused in a few areas. This is a key insight. In order to be sustainably successful we need balance. Take a look at those areas where you have an opportunity to enhance your thinking, and write down some ideas (Do, Have, or Be as appropriate) to further refine those areas and help ensure, if you were to achieve those items, you will have achieved what you consider success for that area.
Another common realization is that many of the ideas in a particular area are similar and could be consolidated. Take a moment to do this now. Don't worry about losing too much detail as that will come back when you are working on goals. This step will also help you to better move from a list of wants to compelling vision statements for each area of your life.
A third one is that an idea can fit into more than one area of your life. For example, biking on a regular basis with a good friend. Biking is clearly something that will help your physical well-being (if not over-done of course) while doing it with a friend can enhance your relationships well being (and also make it more likely you will actually bike on a regular basis). The solution is to put it in both areas. Don't worry about the overlap. The categorization is to help ensure you are focused in a balanced way across your life. When you set up specific goals and work toward them many times, they will support your vision across multiple parts of your life.
Write a Vision Statement For Each Area of Your Life
Review the items on each page and, one page at a time, write a sentence at the bottom of each which captures the essence of the ideas listed in a particular area of your life. For example, possible ideas for the Physical Well-Being area are:
Tons of energy all day.
Enjoy a range of foods without gaining weight.
Never get sick.
Be able to run with my children.
Examples of how those could be translated into Financial Vision statements:
"I want the physical health to be able to fully enjoy activities I love with the people I enjoy."
"I want to experience life, and don't want my physical health to limit me."
Start with any area of your life and repeat for each.
Refine and Complete Your Vision Statements
Look at the vision statements for each area of your life and answer the following questions:
Is it inspiring, and can you emotionally commit to achieving it?
Is it truly important to you?
Is it stretching, but can you still see yourself achieving it?
Is it truly your own vision and not someone else's (parent, boss, etc.) for you?
Is it positive and sustainable over time?
Once you have gone over each statement and made any desired changes, re-write them in the Vision Statement section of the Vision and Objective List page template at the end of today's text. After you have done this, review the list of statements and write the one over-arching statement which reflects the vision for your life in the designated space on that same page. This overall vision statement will by definition be more inspiring than truly specific but should tie in well with the more specific visions for each area of your life.
This overall Visions statement page should include the following pieces of information:
"Vision Summary Sheet" heading at the top
Seven rows divided into two columns where the left column lists th seven life areas and the right is where you write your summary vision statement for that area of your life.
An overall vision statement at the bottom.
Your overall vision statement should reflect your energy, attitude and priorities. Below are some examples for perspective.
"My life's vision is to have enjoyed the trip and left a lasting positive mark."
"The vision for my life is to get the most from every day I am alive."
"My life's vision is to have found and used what is special about me in every aspect of my life."
"The vision for my life is to have made the world better for those less fortunate."
Congratulations!
These overall and by life area vision statements are important, as they will help guide you in what kinds of goals you should be going for and will increase your clarity on why they are important. By completing this important phase you are setting yourself up to create some truly powerful and meaningful goals.
Percess is a leading online resource helping people live a life of achievement, meaning, and enjoyment both personally and in their business. We do this through a bi-weekly newsletter, our online assessments and tools, and educational articles and programs. These resources help guide you from where you are to where you want to be, while enjoying the trip.
Copyright 2008, Percess Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Using Influence Skills in Career Development
When you have a clear understanding of what you bring to an organization, you become an empowered individual who uses today's projects to build tomorrow's skills. Using the influence model in career development will give you an extra, powerful tool to achieve your career objectives.
The Three Steps of Career Development
Having a written career development plan with specific goals is important. But first you must understand yourself and your options.
1. Understanding yourself. By developing an accurate picture of yourself, you are better able to educate others to what you can do. You can also demonstrate your potential for future learning. This step begins with the influence behavior of assertiveness. Identify clearly the key skills that you use now and have used in the past. How can you leverage them now?
2. Understanding your options. Today's businesses are constantly changing, and the most successful professionals regularly seek to leverage those changes to achieve personal goals. It's not enough just to do a great job at work. Developing multiple career goals will help you look into the future and be ready for the changes that will take place. Create opportunities for yourself by taking deliberate action. Network within your organization and the industry in which you work. Where will the industry be two and a half years from now? Whom can you talk with in your organization to find out more?
3. Understanding your next steps. Once you've identified your career goals, you are ready to develop your career development plan. Your plan must be written and measurable with a specific time frame for completion. Once this plan is outlined, speak with your boss or a mentor in the organization. Gathering feedback and support for your plan is a key link to achieving your goals.
Using Influence Strategies
Once you have written your career development plan, it is time to put it into action using influence skills.
Sharon feels that she has reached a plateau in her career and has decided that she wants some new experiences. She wants to influence her boss to allow her to attend a three-day professional conference and have the company pay for it.
1. Assert. State your objectives clearly and directly.
Sharon's boss likes direct talk, so she approaches him with a plan of action. She states when, where, why and how her objective will be achieved.
"Joel, you know that I really want to attend the Technology Conference next month. We're lucky to have it in town this year, and it will be a great benefit to my continued learning and my on-the-job performance. If I could have your signature on these forms, then the accounting department can send the $60 fee with my registration."
2. Suggest. Many people develop concerns when new ideas are presented to them. This is a natural step in an influence situation. Your challenge is to suggest solutions that are relevant to the concerns.
Joel is worried that Sharon will fall behind in her work by missing three days of work while at the conference and questions how the rest of her group will benefit by her attendance. She has anticipated Joel's concerns and presents her suggestions.
"First, I will make sure that my priorities are delegated to the other members of the group while I'm gone. Second, as soon as I return, I will have a brief meeting with my group to report what I've learned and how it can be applied to our present and future projects."
3. Create a Vision. Paint a picture of the positive repercussions that will occur when the person you're influencing agrees with you.
Sharon notices that Joel is impressed by her forethought but still may be wavering over the decision. She knows she'll get his approval by demonstrating at least one of the important effects that his decision will have.
"It's important that you support me in my continued learning. If you were to do so, I would definitely feel valued by you and the company, which really motivates me to do my best work."
By creating a career development plan and actively involving influence strategies in that plan, you implement a powerful tool for your career advancement. Whether you are at a plateau or just beginning in your career, a strong, written plan accompanied by your practice of influence skills will help you reach your goals.
Alan Vengel is a consultant in management training and organizational development and author of The Influence Edge - How to Persuade Others to Help You Achieve Your Goals. He offers cutting edge training and skill building workshops on influence and negotiation.
http://www.vengelconsulting.com
The Three Steps of Career Development
Having a written career development plan with specific goals is important. But first you must understand yourself and your options.
1. Understanding yourself. By developing an accurate picture of yourself, you are better able to educate others to what you can do. You can also demonstrate your potential for future learning. This step begins with the influence behavior of assertiveness. Identify clearly the key skills that you use now and have used in the past. How can you leverage them now?
2. Understanding your options. Today's businesses are constantly changing, and the most successful professionals regularly seek to leverage those changes to achieve personal goals. It's not enough just to do a great job at work. Developing multiple career goals will help you look into the future and be ready for the changes that will take place. Create opportunities for yourself by taking deliberate action. Network within your organization and the industry in which you work. Where will the industry be two and a half years from now? Whom can you talk with in your organization to find out more?
3. Understanding your next steps. Once you've identified your career goals, you are ready to develop your career development plan. Your plan must be written and measurable with a specific time frame for completion. Once this plan is outlined, speak with your boss or a mentor in the organization. Gathering feedback and support for your plan is a key link to achieving your goals.
Using Influence Strategies
Once you have written your career development plan, it is time to put it into action using influence skills.
Sharon feels that she has reached a plateau in her career and has decided that she wants some new experiences. She wants to influence her boss to allow her to attend a three-day professional conference and have the company pay for it.
1. Assert. State your objectives clearly and directly.
Sharon's boss likes direct talk, so she approaches him with a plan of action. She states when, where, why and how her objective will be achieved.
"Joel, you know that I really want to attend the Technology Conference next month. We're lucky to have it in town this year, and it will be a great benefit to my continued learning and my on-the-job performance. If I could have your signature on these forms, then the accounting department can send the $60 fee with my registration."
2. Suggest. Many people develop concerns when new ideas are presented to them. This is a natural step in an influence situation. Your challenge is to suggest solutions that are relevant to the concerns.
Joel is worried that Sharon will fall behind in her work by missing three days of work while at the conference and questions how the rest of her group will benefit by her attendance. She has anticipated Joel's concerns and presents her suggestions.
"First, I will make sure that my priorities are delegated to the other members of the group while I'm gone. Second, as soon as I return, I will have a brief meeting with my group to report what I've learned and how it can be applied to our present and future projects."
3. Create a Vision. Paint a picture of the positive repercussions that will occur when the person you're influencing agrees with you.
Sharon notices that Joel is impressed by her forethought but still may be wavering over the decision. She knows she'll get his approval by demonstrating at least one of the important effects that his decision will have.
"It's important that you support me in my continued learning. If you were to do so, I would definitely feel valued by you and the company, which really motivates me to do my best work."
By creating a career development plan and actively involving influence strategies in that plan, you implement a powerful tool for your career advancement. Whether you are at a plateau or just beginning in your career, a strong, written plan accompanied by your practice of influence skills will help you reach your goals.
Alan Vengel is a consultant in management training and organizational development and author of The Influence Edge - How to Persuade Others to Help You Achieve Your Goals. He offers cutting edge training and skill building workshops on influence and negotiation.
http://www.vengelconsulting.com
By Applying the Law of Gestation Goals Are Born
As the mother of ten children I have a lot of experience with the Law Of Gender or Gestation which states that everything has a gestation period for its creation. I was pregnant for seven and a half years. Fortunately, not all at once. As soon as I knew I was pregnant I knew that I needed to be pregnant for around forty weeks if I wanted a healthy baby. As it turned out, it took from 39 weeks to 41 weeks and in every case I was blessed with a beautiful healthy baby. You can be sure there were many times I wanted to cut the time short. Every time I went past the due date, I wanted to be done more than anything. However, in every case I was grateful for the outcome just as it was.
When I started working with the Universal Laws, it was helpful to learn that the Law of Gestation determines the length of time it takes to manifest a wanted change in my life. Again I expected a positive outcome. The most troublesome part, however, is that we aren't given a list of seeds of thought and the time it takes for them to be born. We must have faith in our goal, knowing that it will come to pass. If we know, just as surely as I knew I was going to have a baby, we can be sure the goal will be born.
Some goals take a long time and others happen quickly just as when you plant garden seeds. We get radishes in 35 days and winter squash in 90 days. After planting a Japanese bamboo seed, if it is given enough care, it grows at the rate of two inches a year for five years. And then all at once it grows eighty feet-yes, eighty feet in one year. That is its gestation period and we can depend on it.
What if we knew it would take over thirty years before a child would understand the sacrifices we have made for them and be grateful? Perhaps we would never have children if we knew the payoff was so far away. I remember when one of our daughters called to apologize for being belligerent as a teenager. She begged our forgiveness. Her daughter had just told her, as she emptied the dishwasher, that her mother does nothing around the house and she is a slave. We laughed and, yes, what goes around comes around. It was pay day for parents.
What about the seeds that are planted in our minds whether by us or by other sources? The media uses all sorts of ploys to plant their seeds and draw us to their products. Through research they know just how to get the results they want with and unconscious audience.
Other people around us are influencing us by introducing ideas which we welcome or resist. If we accept any of these seeds into the fertile soil of our minds, there surely will be a crop in a certain length of time. We just don't know when. Have you ever succumbed to a repeated advertisement after a while? If we want to know what seeds we have planted in the past, we just need to look around and see what our results are. What if we want to change those results? Plant new seeds and give them care.
Just as when we are pregnant or plant seeds in the garden there are things we can do to improve the rate of their success. We wouldn't think of depriving our bodies of food and water while we are pregnant. We wouldn't plant a seed in soil and not water or fertilizing it if we wanted a good crop. When planting a goal we can enhance the predictability of its coming forth by writing a detailed description and holding the image in our mind of its completion. We can keep our thoughts positive and change them when they start to slide downward.
We must make a concerted effort to not pull the seedling out with doubt or criticism of others who don't believe in our goal. We mustn't become discouraged. Just because we have set a date for completion and it doesn't come doesn't mean it isn't coming. If a woman goes past her due date she is not less pregnant. She is even more assured of having that baby. It will surely come. We must be just as certain of the goals we hold in our minds and hearts, knowing that they too will come. If your goal is even close to being as precious to you as my children are to me, you can be sure of a good harvest in time. It is the law.
Renae Pelo is a passionate teacher of the universal laws of prosperity and success.
"I am here to champion those who think they can't live the life they want. I know from experience as a wife, mom, grandmother and business woman, that you can create a life of prosperity, strength and happiness if you want it, and who doesn't?"
She has put her learning and experience with the universal laws together in her coaching practice. Visit my website at http://www.renaepelo.lifesuccessconsultants.com
When I started working with the Universal Laws, it was helpful to learn that the Law of Gestation determines the length of time it takes to manifest a wanted change in my life. Again I expected a positive outcome. The most troublesome part, however, is that we aren't given a list of seeds of thought and the time it takes for them to be born. We must have faith in our goal, knowing that it will come to pass. If we know, just as surely as I knew I was going to have a baby, we can be sure the goal will be born.
Some goals take a long time and others happen quickly just as when you plant garden seeds. We get radishes in 35 days and winter squash in 90 days. After planting a Japanese bamboo seed, if it is given enough care, it grows at the rate of two inches a year for five years. And then all at once it grows eighty feet-yes, eighty feet in one year. That is its gestation period and we can depend on it.
What if we knew it would take over thirty years before a child would understand the sacrifices we have made for them and be grateful? Perhaps we would never have children if we knew the payoff was so far away. I remember when one of our daughters called to apologize for being belligerent as a teenager. She begged our forgiveness. Her daughter had just told her, as she emptied the dishwasher, that her mother does nothing around the house and she is a slave. We laughed and, yes, what goes around comes around. It was pay day for parents.
What about the seeds that are planted in our minds whether by us or by other sources? The media uses all sorts of ploys to plant their seeds and draw us to their products. Through research they know just how to get the results they want with and unconscious audience.
Other people around us are influencing us by introducing ideas which we welcome or resist. If we accept any of these seeds into the fertile soil of our minds, there surely will be a crop in a certain length of time. We just don't know when. Have you ever succumbed to a repeated advertisement after a while? If we want to know what seeds we have planted in the past, we just need to look around and see what our results are. What if we want to change those results? Plant new seeds and give them care.
Just as when we are pregnant or plant seeds in the garden there are things we can do to improve the rate of their success. We wouldn't think of depriving our bodies of food and water while we are pregnant. We wouldn't plant a seed in soil and not water or fertilizing it if we wanted a good crop. When planting a goal we can enhance the predictability of its coming forth by writing a detailed description and holding the image in our mind of its completion. We can keep our thoughts positive and change them when they start to slide downward.
We must make a concerted effort to not pull the seedling out with doubt or criticism of others who don't believe in our goal. We mustn't become discouraged. Just because we have set a date for completion and it doesn't come doesn't mean it isn't coming. If a woman goes past her due date she is not less pregnant. She is even more assured of having that baby. It will surely come. We must be just as certain of the goals we hold in our minds and hearts, knowing that they too will come. If your goal is even close to being as precious to you as my children are to me, you can be sure of a good harvest in time. It is the law.
Renae Pelo is a passionate teacher of the universal laws of prosperity and success.
"I am here to champion those who think they can't live the life they want. I know from experience as a wife, mom, grandmother and business woman, that you can create a life of prosperity, strength and happiness if you want it, and who doesn't?"
She has put her learning and experience with the universal laws together in her coaching practice. Visit my website at http://www.renaepelo.lifesuccessconsultants.com
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