December 2020
Pantelis C. Fouli outlines a different approach to setting your personal goals.
âIt is a psychological law that whatever we
ORISON SWETT MARDEN
wish to accomplish we must impress on the
subjective or subconscious mindâ.
We have all read countless articles on goal setting that we could each probably write a book. In this article I want to share with you all something new (at least for me) that I have just discovered. Itâs a new approach to goal-setting that I am confident will revolutionise the way you view and attack your goals.
It is true that âwe become what we think about MOST of the timeâ. Please repeat that several times. As humans with predated software (a few million years old) we tend to dwell on negative thoughts. Meaning if we had some random thoughts throughout the day we would think that those moments define our future.
This is just not true, itâs what we think about most of the time that counts. So the first message from me is that we need to always be aware of this and chill; donât be so hard on ourselves.
âWhatever you can hold in your mind on a
continuing basis, you can have.â
This is key and itâs here I want to make the introduction to a fresh perspective on how to view goal-setting. You see positive thinking is important, but it is not enough. Left undirected and uncontrolled, positive thinking can quickly degenerate into positive wishing and positive hoping.
To be focused and effective in goal attainment, positive thinking must translate into âpositive knowingâ. You must absolutely know and believe, in the depths of your being, that you are going to be successful at achieving a particular goal. You must proceed completely without doubt. You must be so resolute and determined, so convinced of your ultimate success, that nothing can stop you.
âWhatever is impressed, is expressed.â
And to impress these goals into our subconscious it is not enough you write down and review your goals once a month, or once a week. What I learned was the power of writing and rewriting your goals every single day (I have been doing this technique for a month now).
Write down your goals each day
Here is where the magic takes places, and this is what I recently discovered. Get a spiral notebook that you keep with you at all times. Each day, open up your notebook and write down a list of your 10-15 most important goals, without referring to your previous list. Do this every day, day after day. As you do this, several remarkable things will happen.
The first day you write down your list of goals you will have to give it some thought and reflection. Most people have never made a list of their 10 top goals in their entire lives. The second day you write out your list, without reference to your previous list, it will be easier. However, your 10-15 goals will change, both in description and order of priority. Sometimes, a goal that you wrote one day will not appear the next day. It may even be forgotten and never reappear again. Or it may reappear later at a more appropriate time.
I remember specifically on day 1 that I wrote: âI drive a Range Roverâ (I donât, I drive a 20-year-old car that my wife bought me in 2002 as I was flat broke and needed a car for work). By day 3 this was already forgotten about. By day 5 my core goals began to flourish and take precedent.
Each day that you write down your list of 10-15 goals, your definitions will become clearer and sharper. You will eventually find yourself writing down the same words every day. Your order of priority will also change as your life changes around you. But, after about 30 days, you will find yourself writing and rewriting the same goals every day.
Your work and personal life will begin to improve dramatically. Your mind will sparkle with ideas and insights. You will start to attract people and resources into your life to help you to achieve your goals. You will start to make progress at a rapid rate, sometimes so fast that it will be a little scary. Everything will begin to change in a very positive way.
In next monthâs PQ magazine I will develop my ideas outlined in this article about a new way to set your personal goals.
âą Pantelis C. Fouli is ACCA qualified and an ACCA Advocate and Student Mentor. Connect via LinkedIn (please mention in the personal message that you are a PQ Magazine reader).
