visualize Your Goal - A Philadelphia Life Coach Tells You Why and How
The first step in any life change is to visualize what it is that you want for yourself. Before you can plan the necessary action, you need to know where you are heading. To do this you must visualize your goal.
Conceptualize Your Goal in Positive Terms
The desire to change is usually motivated by dissatisfaction with the present situation. Because of this, when it's time to identify your goals, you may think in terms of what you want to get rid of.
The problem with focusing on what you don't want is that it doesn't really help you to identify what it is that you do want. You can see what you are moving away from but you lack clear objective regarding where you want to go.
When you conceptualize your goals in positive terms you give yourself direction:
What is it that you really want?
What would feel right for you?
If you could write your own script and have things turn out exactly as you want them to, what would the outcome be?
Knowing where you want to go tells you where you are heading. Once you have clear direction, the steps you need to take will become apparent.
You Can Visualize Your Goal, Even If You Don't Know How You Will Achieve It.
You may resist visualizing your goal if you have no idea how you are going to get from here to there. It is important, however, to recognize that knowing where you want to go provides necessary direction that will inform the steps you need to take.
Once you know where you are headed, it becomes much easier to identify the steps to get there. You will become alert to possibilities you might not have noticed, were you not focused on your goal.
How To Visualize Your Goals
While thoughts about how you'd like things to be may come and go, it is valuable to set time aside to focus on your goals. This process can provide clarity, which will help you to find direction.
1. Give yourself some time when you know you will be uninterrupted.
Sit down, take a few deep breaths and allow yourself to relax. Or, if inspiration comes more easily when you are taking a walk or a run or swimming laps, use that time to imagine what it is you want for yourself. What's important is that you give yourself space and time to really focus on how you want your future to be.
2. Now, ask yourself "What is it that I really want here?"
Don't try to figure out the answer to this question. Instead, allow some time for the awareness of your goal to emerge. Be open to anything that comes to you.
3. Imagine that you have achieved your goal.
Notice how you feel with your goal accomplished. Be aware of any unexpected consequences that come to mind as you imagine your goal fulfilled.
If potential unforeseen consequences came to mind when you imagined your vision fulfilled, give yourself plenty of opportunity to address any questions raised. Be very patient with the process.
Suspend judgment for now This is a creative process, like brainstorming. Quiet any critical voice that says "You could never do that!" or "That's impossible!" Encourage yourself to dream big. Later on you will have plenty of opportunity to assess the feasibility of your vision and explore ways you can implement it.
You may need to allow a few days or even weeks for the details of your vision to take form. Be open to any additional inspiration that comes to you after you initially visualize your goal.
You can keep track of your vision as it evolves by keeping a journal in which you record the insights you receive. Taking notes will enable you to feel confident that you won't forget any of the details.
Once your goal is clear, you can explore the possibilities for achieving it. Through this process the 'how to's' will become apparent. Your initial vision may be modified in the process, but you will be moving in the right direction toward making your good life better!
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Drawing on skills and expertise developed over 30 years experience, Jeannette Samanen Ph.D. provides effective life coaching, empowering you to achieve your goals. Subscribe to her "Make Your Good Life Better" newsletter at http://www.achieveyourgoals.com .
How To Stay Motivated To Achieve Your Goals
With so many distractions in our midst, with so many excuses and reasons to quit, how do you stay motivated to achieve your goals?
Staying motivated will help ensure your success in life; it will help ensure that you accomplish your goal of improving yourself.
It is important to remember that all work and no play is not the way to live one's life.
Balance is the key to anything.
When one focuses too much on one avenue in life, all can go to the wayside in another part of one's life.
The imbalance can cause one to feel pressure and stressed, feeling as though giving up would help more than persevering.
This is why finding ways to avoid this and stay motivated is imperative.
Give yourself rewards.
Take the time to reward yourself for your hard work and achievements.
If no one else is there to do it for you, be your best fan, your biggest supporter and your best friend.
Reward yourself with things that will refresh your spirits and keep your positive energy high.
More helpful techniques.
In addition to a reward system there are many other techniques that can help you in your efforts to stay motivated.
Let your imagination go.
Think of the things that you say and do all day long to motivate yourself to go to work, to clean your home, to do just about anything.
You already have the motivating skill inside of you; it pushed you to read this article!
You just need to exercise this skill, practice it until you no longer have to think about it.
In addition some ideas that can help you motivate yourself follow:
Remind yourself of the final reward.
Motivate others! When you do this, it reinforces the skill to motivate yourself! Praise yourself.
It is not easy to take on big risks, this in and of itself is praiseworthy!
It is a brave, brave move that some people wish they could do, live their whole life but never do so out of fear.
By: Tom Straub
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Tom Straub is a successful author and webmaster of the Best Self Improvement website. Discover everything you ever wanted to know about self improvement... but never dared to ask.
