Ever wonder why you achieve some goals and not others?
Well you’ll be happy to know it’s got absolutely nothing to do with a lack of willpower, ability, motivation, or any of the other reasons you might have beaten yourself up with over the years.
In fact, there is just 1 key reason you fail to achieve your goals and it’s all to do with mindset.
You see, your brain and body are just like one big super computer constantly working to keep you alive by running automated programs 24/7 - from maintaining growth and repair, to pumping blood and breathing in air - there’s a lot going on "unconsciously" that you never have to pay any attention to "consciously".
The same conscious/unconscious connection is at play when you set goals. If the goals you consciously set are not in alignment with your unconscious mind and body, you’ll find the results you get will be inconsistent at best. You might find this happens when you set goals about things you "want", without stopping to honestly consider whether they’re realistic, achievable, or even whether they’re good for you - and this is where goals come undone.
Take a moment to work through this activity and you’ll see what I mean:
First, write down your most important goal.
Then ask yourself, what’s important to you about that goal and write down as many answers as you can possibly come up with - the more the merrier!
Now take a look at your answers. Are they stated in positive, or negative terms and how many of each correspond to your goal?
If your results show more positives than negatives, then you’re totally congruent and focused with laser like precision on achieving success and have every likelihood of achieving your goal.
If, however, you have more negatives than positives, the reverse will be true and achieving your goal will feel more like an uphill battle! Instead of being focused with laser like precision on achieving your outcome, you will be totally focused on NOT getting results. The overwhelmingly negative undercurrent of thought you have in relation to your goal will act as a constant distraction, sucking up all your time, energy and enthusiasm for the task, creating inconsistent results and leading to behaviours like procrastination, sabotage, lack of motivation and ultimately giving up on your goal.
What's even worse, is that because all of this happens at an unconscious level, you're not even aware it's going on, so after a few failures, you begin to think that you are the failure, rather than the process you're using.
Thankfully, the solution can often be as simple as changing the negative words you use to positive, or looking at the situation from another perspective so you frame the situation in a more positive way. This can be difficult to maintain, however, if you have other deeper programs running, like limiting beliefs about your own ability and whether you're even worthy of success. The source of these beliefs aren't always obvious and although they may have thwarted your progress for a long time, they can be changed.
As a Performance Coach, my job is to help you identify the unconscious programs you’re running - to see what you can’t see yourself so you can break free of your boundaries and get on with being your best. With almost 20 years of expertise in Performance Development, I've helped people and businesses identify their distractions, remove them permanently and set up more productive behavioural strategies to ensure long term success.
If, like most people, you have some BIG goals you always wanted to achieve and never thought possible until now and you’re ready to start creating the mindset you need to succeed, contact me now. No matter where you are, I've got you covered with convenient sessions in-person, over the phone, and online and for more FREE tips and to stay up to date with the latest in personal excellence, remember to subscribe to our mailing list.
Until next time, keep being your best!
The Author
Robyn Burgess
KINESIOLOGY CO.
Kinesiologist & Performance Excellence Coach