Goal Setting Step 8: Affirmations

GoalTrak™ Knowledge Base

KB 018

Category: Help Title: Affirmations Summary: The chapter in "Make It Happen!" that discusses the eighth step in creating a goal: Affirmations
Product: GoalTrak™ EV, GoalTrak™ CV, GoalTrak™ PV	Version: All

Description:

GoalTrak EV - Affirmations

In Step 8, we move into a "soft" area, the intangible territory of our mental world. Before you skip this step and pooh-pooh it, keep in mind many people fail to reach their goals because they don't believe, deep down inside, that they can! You are trying to improve your goal achievement percentage, right? Well, then use every advantage you can. Affirmations give you an edge, first on the inside, then on the outside. Try them. Use them. Master this Step. Goal achievement can be more enjoyable and attainable if you do.

This step can be opened at any time during the GoalTrak EV process. Affirmations are statements made in the present tense that relate to what you are trying to achieve in the future. Here are some sample affirmations:

"I am an excellent network technician"
"I attend networking classes at least twice a year"
"We live in a four bedroom home on two acres"
"We have a wonderful home for our children to enjoy"
"I spend the majority of my time working on top payoff activities."
"We are a profitable company."
"I see what needs to be done and then do it."
"I communicate my ideas clearly and persuasively."
"I hire only the best salespeople."
"I am excited about my work, my goals and my life."

The "magic" of affirmations is that when we state them and write them down, even though the skill or condition that we desire may not exist as currently stated, we make every effort to become what we are saying. Our sub-conscious and unconscious mind adapts our attitude and behavior to support our goal. The down side is that this works equally as well when we tell ourselves we can't do something. It is important to follow the rule of only stating POSITIVE affirmations. You don't want to be the result of "garbage in, garbage out", do you? No, you don't and we don't want that either. Double check what you wrote. Make sure each and every statement is POSITIVE! Write several for each goal. Then print them out or copy them on 3" x 5" cards or sticky notes, any paper will do, and put them in several places so you can review them periodically throughout the day. Some people recommend placing them on your bathroom mirror! The first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night are positive reminders of how well suited you are to achieve your goals.

Affirmations, or self-talk as it is sometimes called, are powerful motivators for achievement. This applies to groups as well as individuals. Entire companies have become "#1" by committing to make it happen, and having an affirmation/motto of "We are #1!"

At the high-achiever, super-achiever level, the difference between who wins and who loses is in the mind. At these levels two or more humans can develop nearly equal talents and skills, so when it comes time to determine who is better, it comes down to who wants it more and who believes in himself/herself more. This is the Inner Game that athletes talk about. In the world of work there is also an Inner Game that everyone plays each day. It is entirely dependent on our attitudes and what we tell ourselves when things happen. Affirmations are a way of feeding your mind the thoughts you WANT to have instead of what is there now that might be defeating you or holding you back. It's not so much what we are presented with, as it is how we respond to it.

While there are many theories and thousands of articles on how we develop this self-talk, the chances are that we inadvertently picked up what was said to us in our early years by parents, family, friends, teachers and others and began to believe those thoughts were our own. Some of those thoughts are positive, but unfortunately human beings tend to criticize more than compliment so we accumulate negative thoughts very quickly. The good news is that no matter how old we are now, we can regain control over our mind and start to reprogram it more to our liking and advantage.

Specifically, we recommend you write several affirmations for your goal to create an internal mechanism of self-support. If it sounds corny, think about how many people in your life are going to actively, outwardly cheer you on as you pursue your goal. Not many. Not that your friends, family, spouse or colleagues don't care. It's that we are all preoccupied with ourselves these days and there isn't much time set aside to cheer for others. While we don't think twice about jumping up and screaming for our favorite football team to score on television, it never occurs to us to emit such enthusiasm when our spouse comes home from work with news that he just successfully finished Project A at work. "Oh that's nice honey. Did you get the milk?" is about all we can squeeze in during our hectic, overloaded schedules.

Set yourself up to achieve the goals you are setting for yourself or your organization by completing this intangible step. You may as well have your internal mechanisms working in tandem with your external ones to double team those pesky obstacles and challenges. It doesn't take much time to write a few affirmations and it takes even less to use them!

Links to the chapters for each of the nine steps are listed in Related Topics below.

Related Topics:

Author: Richard Lewine

Published: January 15, 2006

Revised:

  Quantum Voyage
  2571 Whiteway Court
  Aurora, IL 60504

  Phone: 630-236-5332 Steve
  Phone: 215-997-5954 Rich