January 2021
In part two of his article on personal development, Pantelis C. Fouli outlines a different approach to setting your goals.
When writing down your daily goals you need to use the ‘Three P Formula’. Your goals must be written and described in the positive, present and personal tenses (the three Ps).
Your subconscious mind is only activated by affirmative statements phrased in the present tense. You therefore write down your goals as though you have already accomplished them. Instead of saying, “I will earn $50,000 in the next 12 months,” you would say, “I earn $50,000 per year.”
Your goals must be stated positively as well.
Instead of saying, “I will quit smoking,” or “I will lose a certain number of pounds of weight,” you should say “I am a non-smoker” or “I weigh X number of pounds”.
Your command must be positive because your subconscious mind cannot process a negative command. It is only receptive to a positive, present tense statement.
The third ‘P’ stands for personal. From now on, and for the rest of your life, write out every goal beginning with the word “I”, followed by a verb of some kind. You are the only person in the universe who can use the word “I” in relation to yourself. When your subconscious mind receives a command that begins with the word “I” it is as though the factory floor receives a production order from the head office. It goes to work immediately to bring that goal into your reality.
For example, you would not say “my goal is to earn $50,000 per year”. Instead, you would say “I earn $50,000 per year”. Begin each of your goals with phrases such as: I earn, I weigh, I achieve, I win, I drive such-and-such a car, I live in a such-and-such a home, I climb such-and such a mountain, and so on.
Trust the process
When you begin writing your goals, you may have no idea how they will be accomplished.
But this is not important. All that matters is that you write and rewrite them every day, in complete faith, knowing that every single time you write them down you are impressing them deeper and deeper into your subconscious mind. At a certain point you will begin to believe, with absolute conviction, that your goal is achievable.
Once your subconscious mind accepts your goals as commands from your conscious mind it will start to make all your words and actions fit a pattern consistent with those goals. Your subconscious mind will start attracting into your life people and circumstances that can help you to achieve your goal.
Just do it!
Whenever you write down a new goal of any kind you may be sceptical and doubtful about the likelihood of accomplishing it. You may have the idea in your conscious mind, but you will have not yet developed the total belief and conviction that is possible for you. This is normal and natural. Don’t let it stop you from using this method every day.
Even if you are sceptical about this method, it only requires about five minutes each day to try it out for yourself. What do you have to lose? Time will pass anyway.
You can multiply the effectiveness of this method with a couple of additional techniques.
First, after you have written down your goal in the positive, personal, present tense, write down at least three actions that you could take immediately to achieve that goal, also in the present, positive, personal tense.
For example: “I have a 32-inch waist”.
1: Exercise first thing in the morning, five days a week.
2: Eat nutritious, healthy food six days a week.
3: For one meal a week have a treat.
Whatever your goal, you can easily think of three action steps that you can take immediately to achieve that goal. When you write down the action steps, you programme them into your subconscious mind along with the goal. At a certain point, you will find yourself actually taking the steps that you wrote down, sometimes without even thinking about it. And each step you take will move you more rapidly toward your ultimate objective.
I would love to hear from you all if any of you undertake this new way of writing out your goals.
I would also be able to answer any questions you may have.
• Pantelis C. Fouli is ACCA qualified and an ACCA Advocate and Student Mentor. Anyone wishing to get in touch with him can connect via LinkedIn, but please mention in a personal message that you are PQ reader.
