Hillary Carlip, my collaborator and the co-founder of Worship the Brand, and I both swear by the power of goal setting. We've been doing it for decades, and both of us have found it to be an invaluable tool toward achieving our successes. Getting clarity about your goals and the results you're wanting allows you to laser focus your intention, set a direction and path to follow, and chart your wins and daily victories on a timeline to get exactly where you want to go.
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to hone in on your biggest dreams and desires. Do you ever give yourself the luxury to take time and really contemplate what you want to happen in your life? In your career? Do you ever imagine and visualize the exact results you want? Do you have an action plan to get there?
Well, if you've answered a big phat NO to any of the above questions, it's time to make it happen and set a new course for success!
Take just a few minutes every morning when you wake up to center yourself. Monitor your mood, and visualize all that can make you excited about the new day ahead. See yourself achieving your big picture goals. Breathe in, relax, and feel the happiness and joy that would bring you!
When I wake up, I take the first five to ten minutes to lie in bed and visualize my life at its best. Where do I want to be in five years? In one year? What do I want to happen today? How do I want my interactions with other people to go? What outcome am I looking for and why? How will these events and interactions make me feel?
Let's face it -- the only reason we do (or should do) what we do is because ultimately, we think it will make us happy! Well... what if we just felt happy to begin with? What if you started your day from a place of gratitude and appreciation for all the wonderful things you have NOW in your life? And then you pile on and feel and visualize what could make your life even better! If you can do that even five days a week, you'll be well on your way to manifesting your dreams.
I named my consulting company 68 Seconds, Inc. because several years ago, I heard a spiritual teacher say, "If we can visualize a single thought for 68 seconds – and hold the space for it, then we can manifest it!" Try it. What have you got to lose?!
So much of our day is spent freaking out over bills, circumstances, or taking care of others so it' s super easy to put our own goals on the backburner and focus on the minutia of things we don't necessarily want to be dealing with. And that can make us depressed, angry, or resentful. How are we supposed to get enthusiastic about changing our world from that state of mind?
Add to the mix that most of us who are artists are self-employed and freelance, we don't have the security that comes with a full time paycheck, or have a boss to give us marching orders. So we're on our own when it comes to motivating ourselves and identifying and achieving happiness. Once we get that through our thick skulls and own that it's up to us -- and quit running the same old tapes or playing the victim card, or blaming others, and instead step it up and commit to being accountable for our own success, setting positive intentions, creating an inner awareness joyful determination, well, I'm here to tell ya, your circumstances can change almost overnight.
What do you want to happen in 2015? Do you know?
For years I have asked fellow artists I work with to clearly express their goals to me, and you wouldn't believe how many have absolutely no idea what they want, or why they want it in the first place! On top of that, they're afraid to feel happy and ask the Universe for what they want! Guess what happens when you're waiting for the other shoe to drop? It drops! Why do we get in our own way so much of the time? Is it fear of success? Fear of failure? Apathy? Disappointment from past experiences? Whatever it is, many of us wile away our lives waiting in a state of anxiety, and wondering why all the good stuff happens to other people. It's time to change up the energy! Put your true desires and goals out into the Universe and once you do, commit to taking the action and steps to get you there.
Now comes the part where you get to answer and write down:
What are your top ten career goals for the next five years?
What are your top 10 career goals for 2015?
Of those 10, what are the top three in 2015? Why is it important to you to achieve them? What is your motivation?
Are you willing to commit yourself and your energy for 90 days to make significant progress toward achieving them?
WHERE WILL YOU BE 90 DAYS FROM NOW, TOWARD YOUR BIG PICTURE GOAL?
WHERE WILL YOU BE IN 60 DAYS TOWARD YOUR GOAL?
What actions can you take in the next 30 days to get you closer to this goal?
Of these actions, which seven actions can you take this week? What will the results be of taking these actions?
What one action will you commit to taking today?
Write out your mini goals and action plan for this week.
Start with the Big Picture, then Smaller Picture – 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, 1 week, 1 day.
Identify the big kahuna goal, then chunk it into bite size pieces. You don't win a gold medal by running one race. But the one thing world class athletes really know how to do, besides dedicate themselves to a singular vision WHICH IS HUGE, is to FEEL their success before it happens! They put everything they have, their intentions, their body, mind, soul into how it will feel in front of that audience in the stands, making that perfect dive, or crossing that finish line in record time, then standing on the top spot on the podium bursting with pride, hearing the National Anthem.
What's your podium? What's your gold medal race?
Try goal setting for 90 Days. Create a daily plan, and stick to it – no matter what. Your plan can change – but make a plan.
Be accountable for your own happiness in 2015.
We here at Worship the Brand wish for you all you wish for yourself. A happy, joyful, creative, inspiring, abundant, successful, and giddy New Year.
Now... Go get 'em, Tiger!
Photo Credits:
Image #1: Richard Matthews, Darts
Image #2: Rob Ellis, Bullseye!
