STEP 1 ~ Day 4

of The Completely NEW YOU

  • 1

    Listen to the “Kids, Money, Working, & a Buddy” Audiobook

  • 2

    Read the “Your Brain on Goals” article

  • 3

    Complete the Vision-Goals Activity 1.4 at the bottom

“Kids, Money, Working, & a Buddy”

Your Brain on Goals

You already have your best asset for success. Your brain is the biggest influencer on whether you’re going to meet your goals or not. And you can use scientists’ understanding of how the brain works, how it reacts to setting and achieving goals.

Neuroscience tells us that serotonin and dopamine are powerful neurotransmitters produced by the brain in response to success, by setting a goal and achieving it. Studies have shown that reward-setting behavior increases the levels of these neurotransmitters in the brain. Set a goal and achieve it, and that flood of pleasure and self-confidence is your brain releasing those feel-good chemicals. And the more you do it, the better you’ll feel.

Setting up a positive mindset feedback loop has a similar effect. Use these five techniques to program your brain with positive statements and thoughts, and your mindset will be positive and focused on success.

     1. Be positive!

Load your brain with positive thoughts, words, and actions to keep it focused on achievement. Celebrate all your accomplishments no matter how small. You can create a positive feedback loop that will increase your self-confidence, boost serotonin, and encourage you to even greater heights.

     2. Visualize accomplishment

Use your brain’s innate capacity to create and visualize alternative scenarios. Imagine what it feels like to achieve your goals – see yourself winning, being congratulated, feeling proud that you did it. You’re giving your mind a blueprint of what you want.

     3. Set small step goals

Set your sights high but don’t forget to include smaller, intermediate steps to keep your brain encouraged and your focus high. As for any project, break it down as much as you need to so that your goal feels manageable. If your brain can see a logic in what you’re doing, you’ll have the energy to get it done. Keep ticking off tasks and achievements, and you will know that you’re making progress.

     4. Fire up those positive brain chemicals

Dopamine and serotonin are the brain’s pleasure chemicals, and they get a massive kick from achievement. Whenever you set a goal and accomplish it, your brain gets flooded with feel-good chemicals and energy. 

     5. Stay on message

If you listen to that negative Inner Critic telling you ‘there’s no way you can run that marathon, win that art competition, write that novel or get that promotion,’ then it will be harder to succeed. You need to send a clear message to your subconscious about your goal, and stay on message. Conflicting messages will undermine all your effort: keep the programming clear to keep your brain focused on achieving.

Your brain is incredibly powerful. It’s one of the most powerful tools you have to accomplish your desires. By understanding the complex interaction of chemicals and mindset, you can reset the huge potential for your brain to be your success powerhouse.

~ The Vision – Goals Exercise ~

ACTIVITY

1.4

Organize your “Goals Blueprint”.

Put all your manageable goals into a binder, a folder on your desktop,

or a mind map.

Finally, I want to recommend that you organize what we call a Goals Blueprint. This is really just a place where you can put all of your manageable goals into a single spot.

If you’re a pen and paper type of person, it could be a binder or a folder and you just stick that in your filing cabinet. Or it could be some kind of virtual file that you put on your desktop of your computer or into a mind map, or even using some of the newer technology these days, there’s programs like Evernote, Trello and DropBox that you can sync up to your mobile devices and you can have it with you on your computer, on your phone or you can print it out on paper if you need to see it in physical reality as well.

But you can have all these goals in front of you and you can manage them and trace them as you go forward.

This is your assignment. That is the overall concept for the first week. These are your action steps.

Now all you need to do is complete the exercises, and simply follow through each and every exercise and you’ll begin to work on your vision and crystallize those goals.

This exercise we’re kicking up your vision and goals a final notch to create your Happiness & Success.

Take each goals list you’ve set up and put rough completion dates next to each goal and mini goal.

These dates don’t have to be written in stone, but setting deadlines is a great way to make sure you work towards your goals. “ASAP” isn’t good enough if you crave true success.

STEP 1 ~ Day 3

of The Completely NEW YOU

  • 1

    Listen to the “Starting Over, Losing Weight, & Fitness Goals” Audiobook

  • 2

    Read the “Five Important, But Ignored Aspects of Reaching your Goals” article

  • 3

    Complete the Vision-Goals Activity 1.3 at the bottom

“Starting Over, Losing Weight, & Fitness Goals”

Five Important, But Ignored Aspects of Reaching your Goals

Setting goals are not the same as just wanting something, or even making resolutions. Deciding you want something won’t get you anywhere without goals and a plan to achieve them.

Whether it’s losing that spare tire, writing your novel or expanding your business, there are some key things to focus on if you want to reach your goals.

     1. Be your best you

If you want to achieve your goals you need to be the best you that you can be. Show up, work hard, be kind, live the life you want to have, and be the person you want to be. Know that you’re doing everything you can and a bit more to achieve the life you want. Be your cheerleader and know that you can do it!

     2. Look after yourself

Part of being your best you is for you to take care of yourself, mind and body. Make sure you eat well, exercise, get outside for some fresh air, and take time out for rest and fun. Looking after yourself and having a balanced life will keep you focused and energized and help you avoid burnout or giving up.

     3. Adapt and change

Flexibility is key to success. You need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances or unexpected opportunities. Check in at regular intervals to see that you’re on track or if a strategy is no longer working. Also, as you achieve milestones, you should re-evaluate your plan and add some further stretch goals.

     4. Choose your friends wisely

You need to have people around you that are supportive and encouraging, not people who will drag you down by telling you you’re dreaming or you can’t do it. Friends, family, and colleagues who are positive will actively support you in reaching your goals.

     5. Have stretch goals

Make your goals challenging. Think big about what you want! What might seem impossible now can become a reality, if you have goals and a commitment to achieve them. Learn to live with and even enjoy discomfort. Being comfortable doesn’t reinforce motivation to change or growth.

Keeping these aspects of development in mind will help to keep you on track and reinforce your commitment to reaching your goals. These five things will energize you to do your absolute best, keep you healthy while you do it, and keep the passion in your life.

~ The Vision – Goals Exercise ~

ACTIVITY

1.3

Break each goal down into a set of reasonable, manageable steps.

Obviously, it’s not just about setting the goal and getting all exciting, visualizing what might come to pass if you were to hit these goals, you want to break these things down.

You want to break them down into smaller, manageable steps that you can start working on right away. That might mean giving yourself a list of things to do, starting today and this week.

Even though you have this long-term vision, and it may take you years to get there, you have something that you can start putting into play right now and you can build momentum and grow that momentum and start seeing, “Hey, this vision really is becoming a reality.”

Write each goal down and then fill in smaller steps (mini goals) that will help you reach those goals.

Now it’s time to manage your goals so you take the actions that will move you toward success.
Goals don’t mean a thing unless you take action to make them real.
The toughest part for many people is taking the first step.
That fear is best overcome by having a step-by-step action plan.

So, for each goal you chose – write an action plan.

STEP 1 ~ Day 2

of The Completely NEW YOU

  • 1

    Listen to the “Know, Set, Pursue, & Achieve Your Goals” Audiobook

  • 2

    Read “Why Writing Down Your Goals is So Important” article

  • 3

    Complete the Vision-Goals Activity 1.2 at the bottom

“Know, Set, Pursue, & Achieve Your Goals”

Why Writing Down Your Goals is So Important

You might not realize how important it is to write down your goals. Every year most people make a whole list of resolutions and then do little or nothing to keep them. How many people do you know who wish they could lose 20 pounds, or get a promotion, go on a round-the-world trip, or change careers? How many people do you know who stay stuck in their comfortable rut because they don’t have a plan to get out?

Achieving your goals is not down to innate talent or luck or being a better person. It comes down to planning and hard work. And the key to success is writing it all down.

A ten-year Harvard study on goal-setting showed that writing down your goals is critical. The study asked students if they had set clear, written goals and specific plans for their futures. 

  • 84% of those students had no goals at all
  • 13% had goals but hadn’t written them down
  • 3% of the student group had written goals.

The study interviewed the students again after ten years. The 13 percent of the class who had goals but hadn’t written them down earned twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. Even more significantly the 3 percent of the student group who had written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent of the class.

Writing down your goals significantly increases the likelihood of success, but most people don’t do it.

And the best way to write down your goals is whatever works for you. There are smartphone apps to set your goals and mark progress. Maybe you like a tangible plan, whether it’s on paper, a diary, whiteboard or wall planner. Work out what suits you best and just get those goals down where you can see them!

Focused goals are more achievable than goals without focus. For each of your goals write down a specific three-step plan on how you will accomplish it. Three actions are easier to commit to and simpler to achieve. It also focuses your mind on the essential things you need to do to meet your goals. For instance, if by summer your goal was to lose 10 pounds, you could write:

  • I will walk for at least half an hour every day
  • I will cut sugar from my diet
  • I will replace fizzy soda drinks with water.

If you want to take that world trip, you could write:

  • I will save $x every month
  • I will book airplane tickets by x date
  • I will book accommodation by x date.

By writing down your goals and committing to specific actions you can turn your dreams into reality.

~ The Vision – Goals Exercise ~

ACTIVITY

1.2

Choose 5 goals to focus on.

Action Steps

Let’s talk about some specific action steps that we’re going to be doing throughout the course of this week.

We started by writing out a detailed vision of your unique life, at its most successful.

This should have be a lot of fun. If you really sat down and took the time to think about your ideal life.

The problem is, most of us never even take a minute to really think about our ideal life, what we actually, truly want if we could have anything.

Most of us, let’s face it, we’re too busy with the day-to-day ongoing of what’s happening in our lives. We go to work, maybe we’re commuters and stuck in traffic for two or three hours a day and we’ve got to get the kids to school and to sports and we have to get the house prepared and we have to go visit our neighbors and go to family functions.

Before we know it, there’s no time left to actually do the things that we want to do that are most important to us.

We often lose touch with this ultimate vision or the things we truly want at a gut level.

So now we’re going to start thinking about some specific goals. Specifically, we’re going to recommend that you identify five major goals that will help you propel towards this ultimate vision.

Because when you start creating goals, you start realizing that there are steps you could be taking, actions you can put into place that will begin making this vision become more of a reality.

When you first begin setting this vision, it almost feels detached from reality, because it’s so far beyond what you’re doing right now. It’s so far beyond what you’ve allowed yourself to think about having for your life.

But when you actually start assigning goals to these things, to these visions, you start seeing, “Maybe this is possible, because if I were to at least start working on these goals and if I could take these goals from step A to B to C and further, then really my ultimate vision will start unfolding naturally, as long as I persist.”

We want to make sure you set at least five major goals that will propel you forward.

Think about goals you would like to reach in the next twelve months.

Think about your ideal life from exercise 1.

Choose 5 goals you would like to focus on right now

STEP 1 ~ Day 1

of The Completely NEW YOU

  • 1

    Download your Files for STEP 1

  • 2

    Listen to “The Goal Guide” Audiobook

  • 3

    Read “The 7 Life Areas to Set Goals” article

  • 4

    Complete the Vision-Goals Activity 1.1 at the bottom

“The Goal Guide”

The 7 Life Areas to Set Goals

Goal setting is a key element in building and growing a successful business, but did you know that setting goals can help you in so many other aspects of your life?

Think of where you want to be in six months, a year, five years. What are your dreams? When you think about them, do you find yourself smiling and thinking ‘but I could never do that, never be that’?

But you can! If you want to live your dream life you need a plan, goals, and milestones to get you there. You can take control of your dreams and make them a reality, not just at work but in every area of your life.

1. Career and business

Everyone has a career or business goals probably connected with what you’re already doing. But think big! Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to be CEO? Would you like to take a sabbatical and make art for a year? Whatever you want to be or do, this year, next year, in ten years’ time, if you have a plan of action and milestones to reach it, you can get there.

2. Finances

Financial goals can support your career or business goals. Do you want to be able to afford that sabbatical or that gap year? Plan for it so you can afford it.

3. Education

Having educational goals can expand your future. Do you want to change careers? What do you need to learn to get there? What are your options: online study? Part- Time face-to-face classes? How will it work with your existing obligations at work and home? If it’s not a 180-degree change, perhaps your current organization would support you.

4. Relationships

Goal setting and planning can also help improve your relationships with family and friends. Whether it’s keeping in touch or prioritizing spending time with loved ones, you’ll see the benefits.

5. Health and fitness

Setting achievable and measurable goals are essential for losing weight or being marathon-ready. Goals also make exercise fun and keep you motivated.

6. Personal growth

Think of what you would like to achieve on a personal level. What do you want to do for you? It might be to become proficient at public-speaking or ceramics, learn a language or commit to a yoga practice.

7. Spiritual growth

Spiritual growth might seem an odd area for goal setting, but think of how you want to grow this part of your life. It could be as simple as keeping a gratitude journal, committing to daily meditation practice, or a stretch goal such as becoming a yogi master.

It’s great, essential even, to have dreams. But know that you can make your dreams reality with some thinking, planning, and commitment. Take control and live your dreams.

~ The Vision – Goals Exercise ~

ACTIVITY

1.1

Write out a detailed vision of your unique life at its most successful.

For inspiration think about questions like:
What would you do if you had all the time, money, and resources you wanted? Who are you? What do you want?
What is worth your commitment and hard work?
When you visualize yourself at your most successful, what do you see yourself surrounded by?

Describe your family, friends, work situation, home, cars, and anything else that shows up in your vision.
Throw in a few dreams —

GO BIG!
It’s your life!

~ WELCOME ~

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE!

  • STEP 1: Vision – Goals

    This is STEP 1, where we’re going to be talking all about goals.  

  • STEP 2: Motivation

    STEP 2’s topic is on the concept of motivation; a very fragile topic in a lot of our lives.

  • STEP 3: Accountability

    What does accountability have to do with success?  The short answer is everything.

  • STEP 4: Persistence

    How persistent are you?  That’s really what I want to ask you and really get you to contemplate on.

  • STEP 5: Facing Fear

    STEP 5 we discuss everybody’s favorite topic, the topic of fear, more importantly, facing fear.

  • STEP 6: Acting As If

    You’re going to suspend disbelief and act as though you have an abundance of confidence.

  • STEP 7: Asking for Things

    This ability can take you from frustration and failure to success and happiness.

  • STEP 8: Time Management

    The world is busier than ever and time management is more important than ever before.

  • STEP 9: Communication

    This is a skill that cannot possibly hurt you, and so it is your duty to learn how to do this.

  • STEP 10: Keeping Score

    The cycle of success: Small wins lead to big wins. The concept is called keeping score.

  • STEP 11: Finances

    Even if money isn’t your end goal, it’s an important building block for most of other goals.

  • STEP 12: Giving Back

    One of the most powerful things you can do to ensure your success is to give of yourself.

~ DO IT NOW! ~

THINK RIGHT

DO RIGHT

BE RIGHT

OBJECTIVE

Did you know that one of the most powerful things you can do to ensure and speed your success is to give?

This might not make complete sense at first. How can you succeed by wasting time or resources by “giving back”? Giving back to people is one of the best ways to generate good will. When you “give back” you build stronger relationships – business or otherwise.

It also helps with your personal satisfaction and happiness. Giving back is a key to happiness. Happily working towards your goals is a huge boost towards your success.

In our final Step, we’ll be exploring the power of giving.

OBJECTIVE

Worldwide, many of us are suffering financially from the actions of governments and financial institutions that did not have our best interests at heart. That’s unpleasant, to say the least, but that’s the past. Our success depends on moving forward with all the financial intelligence we can acquire.

In Step 11, we’ll put the basics of successfully managing our money into practice. We’ll learn the difference between wants and needs and we’ll begin to track our finances. Each of these steps will contribute to our financial success.

OBJECTIVE

Small wins lead to big wins. That is the cycle of success. Far too often we strive for the big wins and don’t really take the time to appreciate the small victories along the way.

This might not seem like a big deal, but it isn’t great for your motivation. If you track your small wins, you will have one area where you can see and reflect on your successes with a glance. This will help keep you motivated, as well as potentially remind you of lessons learned along the way. This week is all about setting up and using a method to track your successes.

OBJECTIVE

It doesn’t matter how brilliant your idea is. If you can’t communicate it effectively, it won’t be successful. There’s more to communicating than just saying words. Successful communication requires thought and preparation as well as clear, straightforward delivery.

This week we’ll learn the importance of “who, what, and why” in successful communication. We’ll also discover the many aspects involved in delivery. The more consideration you give to all of these, the more successful your communication and public speaking will be.

OBJECTIVE

Successful people know how to manage time. There’s no success without it. Do you feel that you’re as busy as you can be but not getting where you want to be and not achieving even a fraction of what you want? Everyone has heard the expression, “You become effective by working smart instead of working hard.” “Well, yes, but how?”

This week you will learn some strategies and techniques that will build your effectiveness. Your ability to plan, organize, and manage time is critical to your success at work and many other areas of your life.

 

© 2020 SuccessWave

Take Charge of Your Life!