Achieve Your Goals With Four Steps

Typically, the end of a year brings thoughts and reflections of what goals we achieved, or perhaps did not meet, and what our dreams and goals are for the new year. Many people choose to make new years resolutions, but I would like to focus more on goals and how to achieve them. How do we make our dreams true, what do we need to do to really achieve our goals? Why do some never achieve their goals? What about the economy, how can I make these dreams true when the news is so dismal? Let’s look at four important steps, hopefully with a pad and pen nearby.

Learn to be still. Before we can become clear on what we want in our lives, we first need to learn stillness. Find a quiet place where you can be alone with no distractions and begin to practice being still. I say practice, because it does not happen overnight. It requires practice just like any other skill. Breathe slowly in for seven seconds and exhale slowly for seven seconds. Do this at least six to seven times to calm yourself. Do not move around, listen to your breath. Don’t worry about the thoughts going through your mind, tune more into your breathing rhythm. Neuroscientists now know that our brain states change with breathing patterns, enabling us to create our own calm and peace. When our mind is calm, we can think more clearly. Once we have achieved this stillness, we are ready for the next step.

The second step is awareness. We have become still in step one enabling us to think clearly about our life situation. Now we must become aware of what is working and what is not working in our lives. It’s time to be completely honest, and remember, we need to be very open and honest about our lives if we truly want to achieve our dreams. Sometimes this is where people fail to make realistic goals, because we do not look truthfully at the ‘isness’ of our life situation. Do not make the mistake of masking or hiding a problem. Make a list of what is working in your life and make a list of what is not working. In this stage, we’re simply looking at our life, not judging or trying to make changes yet. When we’re aware of our life as it is now, we can better reflect on what brought us to this stage of our lives, and how best to move forward. Awareness allows us to have clarity to think and see clearly. We’re now ready for step three.

"The more often you picture what you want, the more quickly you are likely to see results and to overcome the apparent obstacles between where you are and where you want to be." Charles J. Givens ~

"Hold tight to your dreams, for they are an elegantly engraved invitation to discover life and realize expectations."

"Your success and happiness lie in you." Helen Keller ~

"When we are mindful of every nuance of our natural world, we finally get the picture: that we are only given one dazzling moment of life here on Earth, and we must stand before that reality both humbled and elevated, subject to every law of our universe and grateful for our brief but intrinsic participation with it." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Focus is the next step. We are now clear and ready to specify our goals, being able to distinguish between unrealistic and realistic goals or dreams. I like to call them dreams as they are something that comes from a place of stillness within, making them our soul's desires. After reviewing the list of what works and what is not working, we can better focus on exactly what we need to do. Obviously, we want to eliminate what is not working with what works. Often it is just doing the opposite, which is not always easy, but necessary if we are making our goals from a place of awareness. Focus on the target (goal), and write down what needs to be done to reach the bulls eye. These are our goals. Perhaps we have one or we have five. Keep them realistic and authentic. Keep them posted or in an easily accessible location to review.

The fourth and final step is trust. We should now have a list of goals and the steps necessary to achieve them. Trust is essential, or we are saying that our obstacles are bigger than our goals, our dreams. None of us are in this world alone, even if living alone. There is a huge network of support ready to help dreams become real. It requires trust in ourselves, in something outside of ourselves, and taking action. It is easy to be pessimistic in today’s world, but it is equally as easy to be optimistic. Be around uplifting people, keep yourself vibrant! With trust and optimism comes enthusiasm and hope. There is a magnetic energy that pulls us toward whatever we focus on. As we trust and focus on our goals, we will be better able to achieve them.

In conclusion, the four steps to achieving our goals are stillness, awareness, focus and trust. Once we are sure that our goals have been made from a place of focused concentration and awareness, our future is bright with promise. There will be distractions and pitfalls, and perhaps a goal may need to be modified, but trust that your goals can be achieved and make them happen! The time to take action is now.

Beautiful photos courtesy of Flower Story.