Oh the blocks that oftentimes surface when you set out to write down your goals. Have you already felt it (perhaps even more than once during this process)?  There you are writing your goals down, the sharpie is in your hand, you are staring down at the paper and then the idea comes:

I want to….

And then BANG.  Up come the barriers, fears and challenges.

It is all good.  Know that you are doing perfectly.  This is when you turn those thoughts around and use them to your benefit. Instead of trying to resist them and allowing them stop you in your dream building and goal achievement process, pay attention to them. Write down the perceived obstacles and concerns that have surfaced and see them with a fresh perspective.

• They’re not meant to make you quit.  They are meant to highlight areas that will need attention in the goal achieving process.

• They are shedding light upon possibilities for new areas of personal and professional growth.

• They are providing insights to opportunities for creating bonds and partnerships with people who know how to do the things that you don’t.  Have you heard the phrase, “That which we resist persists”?   By actually writing down the perceived barriers, challenges, fears and limiting beliefs that come to your mind, you cease to resist them.  You are giving them the space to be expressed, and in doing so you can address, examine and move beyond them.

You can use some of the information you gather as valuable information--things that you should consider, people you need to meet--action steps you will want to take to achieve your goals.  Having courage to work through these phases is the cornerstone of the difference between setting goals and achieving them.

Match Your Goals with Affirmations

This is often a good step to practice in the space between setting your goals and achieving them. If you want to change your outer world, you must first change your inner conversation and thoughts that led to your current circumstances.  Your mind is used to responding in a certain way based upon past experiences.  You now want to stretch out of your comfort zone to create and attain new things.

In order for things to change, YOU must change and it begins in your mind. Your mind and your thoughts are the driving force for your actions. Your mind is constantly making up stories that create your belief system and programming, which then influences your actions. Sadly, these stories are usually about our past, what happened, how others felt about us and how we feel about ourselves and are not necessarily true.

 It is up to you to retrain yourself to think in a way that serves you best in creating your ideal life.  Using affirmations and consistent attention to your thought process is the best way to retrain your brain.

How to Make Those Affirmations Stick

If you are new to affirmations, I suggest that you read Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles, and followhis guidelines for creating affirmations. I like his way because he offers a slight shift in the way I had been creating them.  His approach may take a little getting used to. Be patient with yourself and play with them until they feel right. They don’t have to be perfect--they just need to feel right for you. The fundamental guidelines for creating your affirmations are:

1. Start with the words “I am”.

2. Use the present tense.

3. State it in positive terms.  Affirm what you want--not what you don’t want.

4. Keep  it short and sweet.

5. Be specific

6. Include an action word ending with“ing”.

7. Include at least one energizing emotion or feeling word.

Now is a good time to return to the goals you listed on Day 1 and an affirmation for each of the goals.  Once you have done so, commit to reviewing, reading and reciting them aloud at least once a day.