Monthly Newsletter – February 2015

Remember – if you are not setting positive goals and you are thinking about what you don’t want and concentrating on things that have gone wrong and mistakes that have been made, etc. then you are subconsciously setting negative goals.

One of the most powerful things we can do is listen to the words we speak.  Listen to how we speak so often in double negatives – the mind does not understand a double negative!  “Hello, how are you?”  “Not bad” does not mean “Good”.

When we change the words we speak both out loud and in our minds we can change our whole attitude to life.  Do you know the expression “Change your words and you change your world”?  It’s true!  Turning our words into positives is one of the quickest ways we can make changes to our life.

Those people who you see as being successful, keep a positive focus in life no matter what problems arise or what events happen.  They remind themselves of their past successes (rather than their past failures), and they focus on the next action they need to take to bring their goal to fruition, rather than be distracted by what life often puts in their way.

Let me explain what most people do:

They say, “we’ll do our best” and work the best way they know how towards reaching that goal.  At some point they may realise they are behind in their efforts and unless they change the way they are working towards their goal, they will often fall short and feel they have failed, saying “well, we didn’t get there, but at least we did our best”.

Often our best efforts are not enough.  We can be working against ourselves because of our self-imposed limitations, because of our negative speech, or because we may not be using the most effective methods available to us.

We need a plan, Stan…..(a plan that we can believe in)

In “The Centre Within” course we talk about the fact that most people, when they are faced with a project they wish to complete or a goal they wish to achieve, they will say “How can I do it?”  What about asking the question “How can it best be done?”

The first question puts the onus squarely on you.  The second question opens up all sorts of other possibilities.  It immediately assumes that it can be achieved, and that there are other elements/people we can call on – and it includes the word ‘best’.  Most people respond far better when there is a suggestion of a high standard expected.

Here is a list to apply to any goal you wish to achieve:

• Decide what you want – many people never make the decision.  They may wish for it, but that’s not enough.
• Write it down – now you’re serious!
• Set a date – we all tend to work better when we have a deadline.
• Remove any barriers – move away from people who aren’t supporting you, and situations that may stop you from working towards your goal.
• Establish a plan – there is a reason companies have a business plan, movie makers have a story board, travellers have an itinerary, etc.  So map out the steps in a plan that you can believe in.
• Take action – Recognise that there may be things you need to do, or work at, or learn about, etc. to achieve your end result.
• Focus on solutions – problems may arise, distracting things may occur – always focus on the solutions.
• Keep yourself in check – monitor your efforts and make sure you’re on track – adjust actions as you need to.
• Persevere – diligence is so important, every day.  Keep working at your plan and the things that will bring results.

From Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple:  “That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”  And if you know anything about Steve Jobs, you’ll know he achieved many remarkable things in his life.

Remember the words from “The Theme from Time” – ‘your mind can be a blessing or a curse’.  Make sure yours is a blessing.

Have a great month.  Love and laughter,