Hello
Do you dare to dream?  Do you dare to make your dreams come true?  In this issue I’m going to share with you the 10 secrets of successful goal setting.  Also check out one of my favourite workshop offerings coming soon! 

10 Secrets of Successful Goal Setting

Secret # 1 Dream big dreams

Dreams and goals provide the compass for your future, they give you direction, a focus.

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”

Fitzhugh Dodson

If you could have your life any way you want it, what would you want it to be like?  I dare you to dream big dreams.  Really go for it.  Why?  If you let yourself have a free rein, you’ll connect with what’s really important to you. 

For instance you may dream about living in a picturesque villa nestling into a hillside overlooking the Adriatic Sea.  What your soul may actually be yearning for is beauty, freedom and adventure.  These are just a few values that may resonate with who you truly are.  Once you connect with your heart, with your passion magic starts to happen.  Opportunities open up and you’re on your way.

Secret # 2 Desire

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

Carl Gustav Jung

What do you long for?  What will make your heart sing?  What is the fire in your belly?  The more compelling you make your dream, the more you connect to your values and the more likely you are to create the motivation to achieve your dream.

For instance maybe you want to lose weight  (or stop smoking)? Ask yourself what will you achieve by losing the weight (stopping smoking)?  You’d feel fitter, healthier and full of vibrant energy.  Now doesn’t that sound much more compelling and would be honouring your value of good health.

Secret # 3  Vision

Give yourself permission to daydream.  Set aside all the considerations and negative reasons why you can’t achieve your dream.  Allow yourself to really get into visualising yourself in the daydream, where you are, what’s happening.  Now imagine yourself having achieved your dream.  You did it!  Allow yourself to feel that sense of pleasure and achievement.  How would you be feeling?  The more detail you add in the more real the experience becomes the more enthusiasm and energy you’ll have.  Energy and enthusiasm are powerful drivers!

“Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.”

Belva Davis

Secret # 4  Believe you can

When you hear that inner voice of self-doubt, kick it into touch, turn away, just don’t listen to it!  Re-connect with your vision and the values you will be honouring.  Self-belief is crucial to making your dreams a reality. 

For instance on cold, wet and windy mornings when you want to pull the duvet tighter and certainly don’t want to go out and walk, remember the values you are honouring (feeling vibrantly healthy and alive).   Picture yourself having achieved your dream.  Really believe that you CAN do it.  Keep practising believing in yourself!

Secret # 5 Be specific

I had a friend who set himself the goal of getting a new job by a certain date.  What he forgot to specify was the place  where he wanted the job to be and ended up moving from one end of the country to the other.  Make your dreams and goals SMART.  Specific, Measurable Achieveable Results orientated and Time bound. 

For instance I am going to finish my book and send a synopsis to a publishers by 1st September 2007. So now you know!

Secret # 6 Stay focused

Become an ace time manager.  You will probably have to make space in your day or week to make your dream a reality.  How much time will it take?  What’s going to have to change?  You may need to get up an hour earlier or cut back on watching TV.

Secret # 7 Act!

Remember breaking your dream down into bite sized chunks will make it far less daunting and much more do-able.  What can you do today to move you in the direction of achieving your dream?  What’s the step after that?  Remember a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.

Secret # 8 banish fear & doubt

The biggest block to achieving your dreams is your self limiting beliefs and fear of failure, and strange as it may seem fear of success.  Most of the fears holding you back are imaginary.  Learn to distinguish real and imaginary fears.  Remember that inner self critic voice that’s ready to knock you down at the merest hint of you taking charge of yourself?  A strategy to drown out that negative inner dialogue is to come up with an affirmation, to remind you to be positive.  For instance ‘I feel fully alive and in vibrant health now.’  What we tell ourselves becomes our reality.

Secret # 9 Persistence

You may encounter hurdles and obstacles on your way, life happens...  This is when the dreaming and visioning will pay off.  Dive back into your vision, reconnect with those feelings of being fully alive, happy and confident.  Know that this moment (of frustration, or negativity) is your opportunity to flex that ‘persistence muscle’ and keep on keeping on.

Secret # 10 Get support

Surround yourself with like-minded people.  Create support for yourself; get feedback on how you’re doing from those whose opinion you value.  Support comes in many guises. There is the buddy type of support when you enlist someone to go running with you.  Or there’s the championing support from those who know what you’re going through.  You decide what kind of support you need.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can – begin it.”

Goethe

The truth is, there is no secret to achieving your dreams and goals, there are principles.  Follow these ten principles and they will work for you.

My thanks to Lionel Opita-Pathirana for sharing his 10 principles with me.

If you’re  struggling to keep your new year resolutions or having problems knowing what goals you’d like to achieve.  A sample coaching session will help you get started!  Please call me on +00 44 (0)1451 850788 or email me at: maria@creating-results.co.uk

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ALLOW YOUR LIGHT TO SHINE
A confidence building 1 day workshop.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.  We ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?  Actually who are you not to be?”

Marianne Williamson

If you are drawn to being powerful beyond measure then this one-day seminar is for you. 
I will be teaming up with Colour Me Beautiful Image Consultant Sue Trevaskis in the spring in Cheltenham to help you develop your inner and outer self confidence. 

Register if you want to:

• Clarify your values.
• Connect with your strengths.
• Discover what sets you alight.
• Learn about colours and styles.
• Boost your self-confidence.

We promise you a fun, interactive and creative day.

What clients have said about working with us:

About Maria:

 “Maria has been able to give me clarity to issues  n both my private and business life and has given me the impetus to achieve certain goals.”

R.W. Partner

About Sue:
“It has changed what I wear and given me the confidence to do it.” 

S.S. Estate Agent

Cost £75 to include buffet lunch.

We will run the day when we have 10 participants.

For more information and to register your interest, please email: maria@creating-results.co.uk

Stay sparkling,