Okay…okay…okay. Sorry about the hyperbolic title. It’s slightly dramatic, fine, but it’s in the Bible! Stay with me…I just want to share a few things that will change your 2022 before it starts.

Let me be clear…this is NOT a blog on setting goals or making new commitments to yourself for the upcoming year. In fact, it’s very likely that you’ve done that for years and years only to rarely, if ever, actually see any of the goals or resolutions make it past Valentine’s Day let alone the full year. Ever wonder why?

Here’s why. Your goal, often, isn’t really anything more than a wish that you hope comes true. It rarely does, like they all seldom do, and by Valentine’s you’ve convinced yourself it won’t happen. What if, though, something was actually happening? What if you were subconsciously achieving an objective you didn’t even know you were after? What if, by not, having your wish come true, an alternate version of it did? The opposite version, to be exact.

Back to the title for a second. There’s a famous biblical scripture, “where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18…see? I told you it was in there.) What stands out to me about this in the emphasis the teacher puts on vision and pairs it with the end of humanity (“the people perish”). More importantly, notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say hopes, dreams, or wishes. The teacher intentionally uses the word “vision” because of what it means to truly be able to see a future, for if you can see it – you can create it.

Just for a point of clarity – the difference in a vision and a dream is a vision occurs while you’re awake and alert and involves both the conscious AND subconscious parts of the mind. It’s this that then creates the pathways for you to begin to turn thoughts into actions, actions into results, and visions into reality.

Here’s how it works.

Where focus goes, energy flows.

Tony Robbin

We have to start with the fundamental understanding that EVERYTHING is energy in some form, and originates through the transfer of energy from another source (since energy is neither created nor destroyed, thank you Einstein). Since EVERYTHING is energy, then our thoughts are a form of energy, and the more focus (energy) we put into a specific thought, the more energy it will have behind it, thus, the vastly greater likelihood that it will come to fruition. This is extremely important because the energy is directed by focus, not desire. Still with me?

Energy is directed by focus not desire.

Simply put – your subconscious isn’t able to tell the different between positive and negative, it just follows the bulk of the energy. For example, focusing on “not getting fat” isn’t the same as “becoming fit.” In fact, it often works in reverse. Your goals are never something you don’t want, they’re always something you’re striving for, but through frustration (often because things aren’t happening fast enough) our focus shifts from “I will be X by the end of the year” to “I’ll never be X by the end of the year,” which actually brings me to the point of this entire blog.

You’re not failing at your goal, you’re actually achieving the goal you switched to without even realizing it. When you begin to doubt, the “new goal” takes over, becomes the primary objective, and everything within your subconscious goes to work on it. You actually create the world where your goals are never reached by actively chasing that as reality.

Without a clear vision your goals perish.

So here’s what you do.

First – ask yourself these questions:

  • What is something I want to achieve in the next 12, 24, or 36 months? Remember, we often over estimate what we can do it a short amount of time but grossly UNDERestimate we can do over an extended period of time
  • Why MUST you accomplish this no matter what? Because what we can’t, we MUST!
  • What is a small step you can take RIGHT NOW to get started?
  • What are some smaller/attainable objectives (30 days/60days /90days/etc) you can set as benchmarks to keep yourself on track and accountable? Reverse engineer the big hairy audacious goal into bite-size chunks. When we’re able to see the steps along the way, the objective becomes more realistic and achievable. This is where a lot of people get lost – we too often compare our starting point to another’s success.

Then, work on your focus. Keep the vision of the end result as crystal clear in your mind as you possibly can, and laser focus in on it. If your dream is a new job, picture yourself getting dressed for the new job, driving the new route to work, sitting in your new office, meeting with your new clients/co-workers, depositing those big new paychecks into your bank account…all of it. See it. Feel it. Experience it. Multiple times a day, every single day.

  • Meditate on the idea. This allows you to separate from everything around you and focus on nothing but your true intentions.
  • Incantations are unbelievably powerful. The repeating of key words or phrases to really solidify the vision into your subconscious. “I AM…” “I WILL…” “I CAN…” “I MUST…”
  • Move your body. Your body’s physiology says even more than your words, especially within your inner dialogue. When you’re meditating – sit up straight and with certainty. When you’re doing incantations be (at the very least) standing, walking or running is even better. When you’re to connect a strong desire to massive positive energy and movement, the amount of focus and energy behind the idea increases exponentially.
  • Write your goals out on paper. Make small note cards with just a couple words that represent your goal and have them placed in all the most common areas for you. Put one by your bed so it’s one of the last things you think about before you sleep. Have one on the bathroom mirror, the dashboard of your car, at your desk, in your wallet/purse, truly place them in places that you’ll see them multiple times a day and keep that vision prominently in focus.

Tony Robbins talks about the opposite effects and people without deeply focused goals and visions are like the leaves on a tree. Flimsy and only remain on the tree until a higher power (the wind) forces them off. They’re powerless to the stronger force and can do nothing to change it and are forced to live a “reaction” based reality.

You do these things daily, and truly believe in your ability to achieve them…you certainly will.

With clear focus and intention…You’re now in control, and taking action becomes natural. You become the wind.

And just because it’s my favorite and it’s application here is SO relevant…here’s the Burton Bailey poem taught to me by Les Brown:

If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace and your sleep for it. If all that you dream and scheme is about it, and life seems useless and worthless without it. And if you’d gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it, and lose all your terror of the opposition for it.

And if you simply go after this thing that you want with all of your capacity, strength, and sagacity; faith, hope, confidence and stern pertinacity. If neither cold, poverty, famine or gall, sickness and pain of body can keep you away from a thing that you want. If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it, with the help of God you’ll get it!

Dream big and win.