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Decide What You Want
- By Jack Canfield
- Published 06/25/2007
- Goal Setting
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Decide What You Want
Don't sabotage yourself that way!
What scientists now know about how the brain works is that you must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it. Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.
Are you ready to get started?
Be Willing to Dream BIG Dreams As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You�ll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.
Set Goals That Will Stretch You Another value in giving yourself permission to go after the big dreams is that big dreams require you to grow in order to achieve them. In fact, in the long run, that is the greatest benefit you will receive from pursuing your dreams � not so much the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream (an expensive car, impressive house, loads of money and philanthropic opportunities), but who you become in the process.
As I�ve seen many times over, the outer symbols of success can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned, and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher, Jim Rohn advises that �You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.�
Service to Others Something else you�ll discover is that when your dreams include service to others � accomplishing something that contributes to others � it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.
Turn Your Dreams into Goals and Objectives Once you are clear about what you want, you must turn each item into a measurable objective. By measurable, I mean measurable in space and time � how much and by when. For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you, but you would probably protest, saying "No, I meant a lot more money, like $20,000!" Well, how am I supposed to know unless you tell me? Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain, God, the Universe, can't figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What do you want exactly and when do you want it by?
Write Your Goals Down Write your goals down in detail, and read your list of goals every day. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, "What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?" Write down your answers and take those actions.
I recommend writing down a minimum of 3 goals in each of the following 7 areas:
1. Financial Goals 2. Career/Business Goals 3. Free Time/Family Time 4. Health/Appearance Goals 5. Relationship Goals 6. Personal Growth 7. Making a Difference To help your reticular activating system begin finding YOUR wants in unexpected places, take time now to decide what you want and start writing!
If you want help getting started, I have a handy worksheet for you that models this formula, including examples. Click here to download this fr.ee resource and start creating all that you want from your life this year.
Remember, don't hold back!

Jack Canfield
Jack Canfield is one of America's leading experts in the development of human potential. He is a highly accomplished author, a dynamic and entertaining speaker, and an educator who has focused most of his efforts on the empowerment of adult learners in both educational and corporate settings. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling coauthors of the Chicken Soup for the SoulŪ series, currently with 32 different titles in print, and worldwide sales of over 80 million copies in 39 languages. JackCanfield.com Click here to subscribe to Jack Canfield's FREE Success Strategies bi-monthly newsletter.
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