Setting Goals that Work
Now that we know our purpose, its time to look at our goals.
The most important thing about goals is to set clear and concise goals that can be seen felt and recited to ourselves regularly to keep us on track to achieving them. Where most people fail in goal setting is in not getting
every aspect congruent within themselves. Setting and adjusting the submodalities (see explanation notes at bottom of page) to our goals is paramount to being able to your being involved with your goal and being able to
achieve it.
For example bring up a picture, feeling or discuss something you know you are going to do in the next few days, notice the modalities, does it have sound, is there a picture, are there any
feelings, tastes or smells? What about the submodalities is it in mono or stereo, what pitch is the sound, is it loud or soft, where is the sound located in front of you to the left right behind you? Now do the same
for a picture, is it black and white or colour? is it a movie or a still picture?, how big is it?, is it clear of fuzzy?, does it have a frame around it?, are you in the movie or watching yourself in the movie?, where in space
is the picture located?. Now lets do the same for feelings, how does it feel? where are the feelings located? Do they make you feel warm or cool? Happy or sad? What tastes are there? Are the tastes sweet or sour?
Pleasant or unpleasant? Where are the tastes? What smells are there? Where are the smells? and so on, explore each modality and submodality completing each one thoroughly before moving on to the next.
Now
pull up your goal and notice all the modalities and submodalities, are they as congruent as what you are going to do in the next few days? Odds are they are qualitatively different indicating what you have pulled up is a wish
and not yet a certainty.
Check out your goal, picture, sounds and feelings associated with it. Is it congruent with your purpose? Do you feel excited by it? Ask your self if any other parts of you would
rather you didn’t reach that goal? And if you get an affirmative response ask those parts what it is they object to? Walk the through the centring exercise. When you have congruence with all the parts about that future goal,
when you are quite sure that it is something you want to achieve, then pull up the sounds, picture, and feelings. Adjust all the submodalities one by one until they are identical to the ones you in the “certain I am going to
do”.
When you have it totally tweaked so it is identical in all aspects notice how you feel about it. If you still feel good about it and no parts are objecting there is now a certainty about your goal and
a power associated to it which it previously lacked. If you do this properly you will discover that over the next few weeks you will be drawn towards things you would not have noticed before that will drive you towards your
goal. Another benefit will be the ability to accept or reject things, which will either help or hinder your path towards the gaol. In a little while you will find it is no longer a struggle, as it becomes an automatic response
you have learnt and will apply to all future goals you set for yourself.
Modalaties are the main “triggers” we use in everything we do these are the five senses, taste, smell, sound and sight (pictures,
movies) and our feelings.
Submodalities are the individual distinctions within each modality, what taste, what sort of sound, loudness or softness of it, and so on for each one.
Goal Setting Strategy
Setting a strategy for goals is where a lot of people let themselves down, by not having a clear strategy.
To illustrate a good
strategy to you lets look at a freeway, along the freeway there are emergency phones, mileage posts, sign posts letting you know which exits to towns, cities are coming up, then there are the off ramps to these towns and
cities, while the freeway continues onward forever onward.
Imagine each exit to a town or city is a major goal you have mapped out for yourself, take the off ramp and visit the town or as you achieve your goal feel how good it feels hear the people congratulating you on achieving your goal, picture the happiness around you notice all the modalities and submodalities drink them all in, to every fibre of your body. Now buy yourself something to recognise the achievement. It does not have to be expensive but you will make the purchase relate to the size of the goal if it is a major goal then the present you give yourself must reflect that, an expensive watch or piece of jewellery, a new car, a boat, or caravan to name a few items to give you an idea of what I am saying.
Now you have luxuriated in the feeling of achievement its time to get back on the freeway to continue the journey towards your ultimate goal again along the way all the phones and exit signs are displayed. At times
things happen for example a blow-out of a tyre and you find the spare is also flat, you have to walk to the phone and call the RAC or AA to assist you in getting back on the road. With your goals like wise, these times are when
you revisit all your goals past, present and future, are they still congruent with what you feel see and hear is you path in life, also call on mentors friends associates to help you realign your goals to current needs and
values, while keeping an eye on the long term view.
The smaller mileage posts are like small goal achievements along to way for example. You are doing a 4 year course at University or learning to become a motor
mechanic, each semester you have a subject and an exam to complete pass that then on towards the big goal you travel. Now after 3 years you decide to change course or become a car electrician this is like coming to the
intersection of 2 freeways and you decide which freeway to travel along. Also the goals will need to be revisited and adjusted to meet the new plans you have made for yourself again checking for congruency.
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