Friday, October 06, 2006
goal setting system
When you finish reading this paragraph, close your eyes and put yourself in this picture: You are standing on the roof of a 30-story building. You are very aware of the fact that there is no wall, no guardrail, nothing to prevent you from falling. With your eyes closed, imagine yourself walking to the edge of the building, planting your toes right on the edge, and looking straight down 30 stories. Now close your eyes and walk to the edge of that building.
How did that feel? Many people find they can't force themselves to even imagine doing such a thing. Those of you who 'did it' probably experienced some fear and trepidation and had a very real physiological response – you may have broken out in a sweat, you may have felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you may have felt the muscles in your neck and shoulders cramp up or any other type of response that would have been typical if you had really walked to the edge of a 30-story building.
Have you ever been in a serious car accident or a had a very serious close call, that whenever you thought about it days or even months later, you could once again feel a surge of adrenaline go through you? Just thinking about it and imagining the consequences makes you 'feel' exactly what you felt when it first happened. You get the same physiological response, and yet you are perfectly safe as you sit and think about it.
I was a technical rock climber when I was younger and had some rather harrowing experiences and close calls. I have a fear of heights, but as long as I trusted the person on the other end of the rope to belay me safely, I was usually able to overcome that fear. But when I think about some of those close calls, even today, I can feel that surge of adrenaline. I was climbing Mt. Princeton (14,000+ feet) in February. We were trapped by a blizzard and a whiteout just below the summit at about 13,700 feet and had to spend the night up there. The temperature was at least 40-below. That's the lowest my thermometer registered, and the mercury just curled up in the ball at the bottom and refused to come out! Most of my toes got frostbit that night. I have never been so cold before or since. Thirty years later, whenever I think of that night I still shiver.
How often have you heard a particular piece of music and were immediately transported to an event that was very significant in your life – complete with all the sights, sounds and emotions that occurred the first time? Have you ever smelled a certain smell, and were immediately back in Grandma's kitchen, with all the emotions that were attached to that experience?
Here is the point: Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between a real event and a vividly imagined one.
Why is that important? Finish this sentence: "Practice makes ____________." But is that really true? In fact, PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT. What if you practice the same bad habits over and over? You get perfect bad habits. What if you replay your failures over and over in your mind? You make those failure-oriented behaviors permanent. It's time to begin using your imagination to your benefit instead of to your detriment. Stop replaying your failures over and over in your mind.
If perfect practice makes perfect, where is the one place you can have perfect practice every time? YOUR IMAGINATION! Do you realize that you are the only 'animal' in the animal kingdom that has an imagination? Only you can envision the future. It is a powerful tool and you can use it in such a way that it works to your advantage – or to your disadvantage. I am convinced that one of the reasons God gave us this extraordinary gift that we call imagination is so that we can intentionally create CLEAR, SPECIFIC, VIVID experiences the way that we would like them to be. We can begin to envision the future the way we would like it to become. We can begin to see our lives the way we would like them to turn out. We can start to see ourselves behaving in such a way that we can create the life of our dreams. What does all this mean in terms of beginning to make the changes in our lives that will allow us to move ahead? The more you practice your future perfectly (in your mind) the more likely you are to behave in such a way as to move toward your goal.
Please do take a moment to visit our website by clicking the link in the heading
How did that feel? Many people find they can't force themselves to even imagine doing such a thing. Those of you who 'did it' probably experienced some fear and trepidation and had a very real physiological response – you may have broken out in a sweat, you may have felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you may have felt the muscles in your neck and shoulders cramp up or any other type of response that would have been typical if you had really walked to the edge of a 30-story building.
Have you ever been in a serious car accident or a had a very serious close call, that whenever you thought about it days or even months later, you could once again feel a surge of adrenaline go through you? Just thinking about it and imagining the consequences makes you 'feel' exactly what you felt when it first happened. You get the same physiological response, and yet you are perfectly safe as you sit and think about it.
I was a technical rock climber when I was younger and had some rather harrowing experiences and close calls. I have a fear of heights, but as long as I trusted the person on the other end of the rope to belay me safely, I was usually able to overcome that fear. But when I think about some of those close calls, even today, I can feel that surge of adrenaline. I was climbing Mt. Princeton (14,000+ feet) in February. We were trapped by a blizzard and a whiteout just below the summit at about 13,700 feet and had to spend the night up there. The temperature was at least 40-below. That's the lowest my thermometer registered, and the mercury just curled up in the ball at the bottom and refused to come out! Most of my toes got frostbit that night. I have never been so cold before or since. Thirty years later, whenever I think of that night I still shiver.
How often have you heard a particular piece of music and were immediately transported to an event that was very significant in your life – complete with all the sights, sounds and emotions that occurred the first time? Have you ever smelled a certain smell, and were immediately back in Grandma's kitchen, with all the emotions that were attached to that experience?
Here is the point: Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between a real event and a vividly imagined one.
Why is that important? Finish this sentence: "Practice makes ____________." But is that really true? In fact, PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT. What if you practice the same bad habits over and over? You get perfect bad habits. What if you replay your failures over and over in your mind? You make those failure-oriented behaviors permanent. It's time to begin using your imagination to your benefit instead of to your detriment. Stop replaying your failures over and over in your mind.
If perfect practice makes perfect, where is the one place you can have perfect practice every time? YOUR IMAGINATION! Do you realize that you are the only 'animal' in the animal kingdom that has an imagination? Only you can envision the future. It is a powerful tool and you can use it in such a way that it works to your advantage – or to your disadvantage. I am convinced that one of the reasons God gave us this extraordinary gift that we call imagination is so that we can intentionally create CLEAR, SPECIFIC, VIVID experiences the way that we would like them to be. We can begin to envision the future the way we would like it to become. We can begin to see our lives the way we would like them to turn out. We can start to see ourselves behaving in such a way that we can create the life of our dreams. What does all this mean in terms of beginning to make the changes in our lives that will allow us to move ahead? The more you practice your future perfectly (in your mind) the more likely you are to behave in such a way as to move toward your goal.
Please do take a moment to visit our website by clicking the link in the heading
