What The…? 21st Dec 09
Have you set goals for this week? Go on, it’s great fun!
I’m reading: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Actually Re-reading. This is one of the few books that I can re-read and still find something new. A great read and a true classic which you need in your collection)
I’m listening to: Think Tank by Henry Rollins (Last of the great raconteurs? Never has listening to a big tattooed poet talk about life been more entertaining. If you’re intelligent and angry with the idiots, this guy speaks to you.)
I’m watching: Nothing of real note this week – TV isn’t everything, afterall!
I’ve visited: Funny or Die (There’s so much incredibly funny stuff on here it’s unreal. Go there now.)
Goals for LAST week:
- Continue to reduce sugar? – YES! The reduction continues! Should be down to zero processed sugar by ‘10. Could caffeine by next?
- Hit and maintain the 1600 word goal for my novel? Oooh, I’m sucking at this one. Still progressing, still behind my target.
- Begin structured programme of stretching? YES! And feeling great because of it. I can’t recommend stretching highly enough.
- Set aside 1 hour a day for my own research and study in support of new seminar event. Totally YES!
Goals for THIS week:
- Brush up on Gung Fu technique and my Qi Gong exercises
- WRITE!
- Improve my Cantonese.
Can’t wait for next week, guys. A BIG list for the Resources section which you’re going to love and will really set you up for the new year, a Full Contact Reading store for my UK readers, and some more insights into… PERSUASION!
See you there!
self helpwww.blogsurfer.us
Goals +1
Couple of quick points about goals, making your resolutions and what to think about when setting your sights on December 14th 2010.
When imagining what you want to have and where you want to be by Dec 14, there’s a good chance that many reading this will be comfortable with that particular short term aim. More experienced goal setters will know better (And probably won’t be reading this anyhow. No worries, this isn’t for them anyway.)
If you’re comfortable with a goal or milestone, it’s probably not ambitious enough. It’s not going to be taxing enough, give you enough of an opportunity to grow and learn. I like to think that you don’t so much achieve a goal as grow into it. And lets be honest, many are in their current situation in life because it’s comfortable – or you perceive it as more comfortable than the unknown anyway.
It’s fine to feel comfortable with a Point Blank Goal, but for bigger projects it just won’t do. Setting a goal, making a resolution, should by all means be realistic and achievable within a reasonable time frame (There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines), but at the same time you should feel that little rush of excitement, a shot of adrenalin as you set off on your journey towards that goal. Like that giddy feeling you get when you’re sitting in the cinema and the curtains open and you know that the film you’ve been waiting all year for is about to start. Or for some, like jumping off a high board at the pool, maybe sitting in a rollercoaster just before launch. You may have something different but I’m sure you can remember it if you choose to.
So set your goal, and test it. “Try it on” for a while and see how you like it. If you don’t think something like “Blimey” or wonder what your family and friends are going to make of it once you achieve it, if you don’t get a little chill or rush of excitement at the thought of just going for your goal (Never mind how amazing it will feel once you achieve it), if you’re comfortable with that end goal – chances are you’re cheating yourself. You’re selling yourself short. That being the case, it’s time to set a Goal +1.
Set your “safe” goal, then go a step further. I bet as soon as you take that extra step in your mind you’ll immediately get that giddy feeling of anticipation and excitement! (Again, try the goal on for size and see how it feels. Goals can be too big as well as too small, just like sweaters. You want room to grow, you don’t want to be buried under brightly coloured wool.)
If you feel good about the goal of having a surplus $1,000 in your bank by Dec 14 ‘10, then make it $2,000. If you’re going to get that BMW 328 you always wanted, make it the 335 (Unless of course you prefer the 328, then that’s an empowered choice. If it’s just price or some other perceived limitation…) You get the idea. Oh, and if $2,000 still doesn’t feel good, go to $2,500 or even $3,000. Just enough to get the blood pumping, to make achieving the goal “interesting”. You’ll know when you’ve got it.
But, that said, don’t go too far. Over-reaching yourself like that is a great way for you to tell me “I told you I couldn’t make it” in your best nasal loser-whine, but that’s based on the presumption that I won’t see through your ruse and decide not to care how you intentionally mess yourself up. It’s a Goal +1, not +4 or 5. It’s not about self sabotage. Sure, go for the BMW 335. It may take a little more effort, thought, creativity and resourcefulness. Going for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage on the other hand, is possibly setting yourself up for disappointment. Your unconscious will also know this from the get-go and actually slow you down. Setting a Goal +1 is meant to stop you cheating yourself out of what’s really possible, (You’ve done enough of that, and look where it’s got you), and pushing yourself to achieve what you deserve. Your Goal +1 will seem ambitious, but you can have it so long as you get out of your own way. And once you’ve hit your goal, it’s going to feel all the sweeter isn’t it?
I reckon you’ve got the idea…
Last point: One of my clients the other day was under the impression that a Point Blank Goal is just a milestone (I used one as a milestone in a blog the other day, talking about cutting back on sugar. That was just a convenient way to link you back to the relevant article on Point Blank Goal Setting. I’m sneaky like that.) Clarification: A Point Blank Goal is NOT a milestone, or an intermediate goal that you meet on the way to a bigger goal. It is the final goal, albeit a simple one to achieve. Point Blank Goals can be very important, especially for those of you who need to build your goal setting muscles, but they are simple to achieve and require no milestones to get there.
Hope that clears that up.
Moving on…
www.blogsurfer.us
Never Too Old For A Happy Childhood
As you’re thinking about your resolutions for 2010 – you know, the ones you’re going to keep to and that will pave the way towards that great place you’re going to find yourself in by this time next year – I’d like you to use this idea to underpin your decision making process. Like a couple of previous Full Contact Lifestyle posts, this idea comes from the father of NLP, hypnosis legend and all round good egg Richard Bandler (And so does the title of this issue!) Or at least the last part of it does. I’ll point it out when we get to it.
What if we lived in a reality where, on December 31st each year, it wasn’t tradition to make a resolution. It was tradition to make a wish. And in this fantastic universe, wishes come true. If you were living in this universe, what would you be wishing for?
Well, I ask you why can’t you live in a universe where wishes come true?
Now, we’re all grown adults so I’m not going to suggest that Tinkerbell is my best buddy or try to sell you a magic lamp. But when you make a commitment to create something in the material world that currently only exists in your imagination – and succeed in doing so – haven’t you essentially made a wish come true?
And for those who say “But that’s not magic”, I’d encourage you to rethink what you consider to be “magic”.
For the remainder of this year, I want you to continue to paint a clear picture in your mind of where you will be on December 14 2010. Let this picture be the focus of your resolution – knowing with certainty that once that resolution is made, that imagining will be made reality. You could almost call it a wish, couldn’t you?
Now while we need to bare in mind that this is a relatively short term goal that we’re aiming to achieve (Though an awful lot can change in a year, believe me!), as we make that picture of our “Dec 14 world” in our minds we should adopt a child’s sense of hope, potential and limitation. What does this mean? This is where Dr Bandler’s words take over.
Next time you get the chance, ask a small child what they wish to get for christmas or their birthday. Just make sure you’re comfortable when you do so, you could be in for quite the list! I’ve yet to meet a child who seriously stops to give consideration to what’s “reasonable”, likely or “possible” (Whatever that means). They have no time for what other people might say, they’re not concerned with any of the risks (Even the risk that Santa can’t fit 98% of what they want onto his sleigh), they pay no attention to anyone who tries to tell them “You don’t really want that” or that they can’t have an item, and they definitely don’t care about budget, incomings/outgoings and the like! Hell, they’ll add things to the list as they tell you the list!
There’s just a complete and uninhibited joy in how that child dreams. And wishes. You remember that, don’t you?
So get ready for December 31st. We’re not going to be making any resolutions. We’ll be making wishes. And how much more fun does that sound?
www.blogsurfer.us
Quick one…
I don’t just like to write things, I like to draw your attention to other like-minded blogs and sources of enlightenment that I think you may enjoy.
The sites I link to may not always be totally in line with what I would consider to be a Full Contact Lifestyle, but they do challenge, expand horizons and offer and alternative viewpoint of the world. Whatever, I really like the blogs I recommend and visit them regularly. If I don’t believe in the blog or the author, they don’t feature on my site.
I really like the blog Alternaview and the author too. Go visit!
New Years Revolutions
Why is it that people get worked up when athletes don’t deliver the results on the field that we expect? Most of us can’t play football anywhere near as good as David Beckham – even now when he’s past his prime – yet we’re quick to call him “Donkey” when he misses a shot at goal. Shaq will draw criticism for his penalty shots (I hear, I don’t follow basketball), or Tony Romo is too slow getting rid of the ball, the Dallas Cowboys defensive line lacks co-ordination, and he gets sacked too often as a result. Similarly, when a musician produces an album there’s sure to be at least a handful of people who feel that “It’s not as good as their first album.”
I’m too short to play hoops, I wouldn’t last 20 seconds in the NFL and can only throw 12 yards, and I hate soccer. I’ll conveniently ignore the music example at this point as it would ruin the illustration. I’m a talented musician and oftentimes I could do better.
So how is it that a bunch of middle aged, overweight guys in a bar can feel justified in criticising the people who achieve more on an off day on the field than the entire bar put together did in their entire lives? It’s not that you and me think we can do better – it’s that we feel that they could do better.
It’s often a similar reason behind our negative self talk, or when I talk about mediocrity. It’s not mediocrity compared to me, or Donald Trump, Brett Favre, The Beatles, Ernest Hemingway, or Pele.
It’s your mediocrity. It’s about you knowing that you could have more, do more, be more… but settling for less. Sometimes “less” isn’t so bad, so you can fool yourself that it’s ok to settle for what’s already there. I’m sure Trump would be happier than most to “settle” – but he doesn’t. And neither should you.
I believe it was basketball coach Morgan Wooten (Correct me if I’m wrong!) who told his team something like “Give it your all on the court and lose, you’re still winners. Give less than your best and win, you’re losers.” Definitely worth thinking about.
When you settle, the illusion doesn’t last long. Soon enough you begin to feel restless, unfulfilled. You may look to blogs like Full Contact Living (Thanks!) or other personal development gurus for inspiration (Never a bad idea!). You may begin to feel stressed or down, have trouble sleeping.
At a certain time in life, many will even think “Is this really it? Is this all there is for me?”
The answer is clearly, definitely and without question: NO! There IS more for you out there.
And you can have it all. In fact, it’s waiting for you. It wants you to find it, to achieve it, to be it. It’s actually calling to you – why do you think it is you feel dissatisfied?
New Years is coming, a time for resolutions and change. Over the years, I’ve heard many resolutions from my friends and clients – and from myself! – and I know as soon as they’ve told me whether they’re going to stick to their promises or not. I challenge you to make it different this time.
Make a resolution now – make the resolution that your 2010 new year resolutions are going to count this time! You don’t even have to decide what you’re going to change, in fact I’d advise not to. Right now, you’ve got a few weeks to think about what you’re going to resolve to do – to make it count. Forget the dieting or stopping smoking – it’s a habit in itself to resolve to quit those habits every new year, so break that pattern now. We’re going to take care of all those in good time, anyway.
This week, we’re going to look at resolutions so by the time Dec 31 turns up, we’ll be raring to go.
I’m going to make 2010 the most dynamic, successful, positive, powerful, life-changing, fun year ever. Not just for me – but for you too, if you’ll let me! So before tomorrows post, here’s a MUST DO assignment for you: It’s now Mon Dec 14 2009.
How will your life have improved by Dec 14 2010?
Where will you be in life? What will you have achieved in the previous months? What will your bank account look like? Your waistline? Your business, car or home? Think about it, dream about it, play with it… write it down if you like though it’s not necessary at this point. But you must give it consideration. For now it’s more than enough to just enjoy the process of playing with your future.
Now, more than ever, we’re Moving On…
www.blogsurfer.us
