Hi all,
I was dragged to a Tony Robbins presentation some years ago (no, I didn't pay for the ticket - they tend to be mega$) and have since read a couple of his motivational books. He's a very well-known figure in the States with his fair share of critics as well as a large following of admirers. (He's the one that often uses firewalks as part of his program - yes, I did it, no I didn't get burnt, yes I'm sure it helps to be in a positive mental state and yes I think it's mostly because the foot doesn't make contact with the coals for long enough to burn ).
He holds workshops on human relationships, goal-setting, creating change, modelling, NLP and all that kind of stuff. He also raises a considerable amount of money for the homeless. Some of his stuff is not for me, some of it I find extremely interesting.
Anyway, I was going through one of his books a little while after the workshop and did an exercise I found very helpful - you basically write down your goals in a variety of areas of your life in an attempt to clarify these goals to yourself and to render them more achievable. Now, I'm not suggesting it's because you've written stuff down that something specific is more likely to happen (if you write 'win the lottery' it won't affect your chances), but once it's written down and you've acknowledged it's an important goal for yourself, you're more likely to make change which will help your goal become more likely (ie. you might actually go out and buy a lottery ticket ).
It is amazing but I think true that once things are written down they seem to become more likely to happen, perhaps because on a sub-concious level we strive (in small and subtle ways) to make these goals (dreams) happen.
I created a 'Dream Big !' document by massaging some text from one of his books into a form I could use to try and record personal goals, and thought I'd share what I created in case anyone else wants to give it a go. When I look back to the document I created in 1999, it's interesting to see how many goals I have indeed achieved, and it's interesting to see how I am still striving to reach a number of them, and also to think about how my goals have changed / developed with time.
Cut / Paste this into Word or a text editor, have a good think and fill in your answers - maybe get your partner to do one too - you don't have to share, although it can be enlightening and can help you sychronise / agree on common goals. It's also quite fun to refer back to the document you'll write regularly or even only once every few years ! I've found it a lot more effective, and enduring than New Years' Resolutions !
Dream Big !
Write down all the things you want to have, do, be and share. Imagine the people, feelings and places you want to be a part of your life. Don't try to figure out how you're going to get there, just write it down. There are no limits !
THINGS I WANT TO HAVE
THINGS I WANT TO DO
THINGS I WANT TO BE
THINGS I WANT TO SHARE
PEOPLE/FEELINGS/ PLACES I WANT TO BE A PART OF MY LIFE
People:
Feelings:
Places:
Print the completed document out and write down next to each item WHEN you expect to reach the above outcomes (now, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, whenever).
Pick four goals to achieve over the next year:
Write WHY you will achieve those goals:
Describe the type of person you would have to be to achieve the above:
I'm not honestly sure how much of the above text is mine, and how much is Tony Robbins' but I imagine it would be only fair and correct to suggest that the copyright to the above text like with the Tony Robbins Organisation.