In the first article I gave you the basic outline to my “goal to success” formula.  In this article I want to delve into why the language of goal setting is very important.

The first step in the “goal to success” formula is to ask yourself the what of your goal.  What is it that you want.  I mentioned that it needs to be something specific and very clear.

A general goal is non specific and will not be as easy to achieve. If the goal is not very clear the mind will not know what to focus on as even we do not know what we want!.  Setting too general a goal is as bad as not setting any goal at all!

Remember the mind focuses on what you feed it so if you are not clear the mind will not know exactly what it must focus on!

Mind your language!

Although we may set a specific goal, your what needs to be framed in positive language.  Our mind is a a somewhat complex beast, however our subconscious is quite black and white. It responds to the information it receives.  Feed it positive thoughts and you will feel more positivity, feed it negativity and it will find and recall negative events.  Therefore it is best not to feed the subconscious with negative language, thus when creating a goal you must ensure that everything you write down is a written as a positive statement.

Let’s take an example:

“I want to give up smoking” – sounds like a great goal, or is it?  We are hard wired not to like giving anything up, it is something we don’t like to do.  Not only this but to give something up has a negative connotation.

Although the goal is admirable it is likely that the person may not succeed in their goal.  What will go on in the background is that the subconscious will find and recall instances of giving up something, and will realise that it is not a nice experience and may then prevent us from doing so.

Thus we have the important question – How can we frame this goal in more positive language?  Instead why not say “I want to become smoke free” or “I want to purify my body and live a healthy life”  – there’s no negativity there, it is all positive statements.

We could improve even more on this statement, by changing it to “I will purify my body and live a healthy life.” This is even more positive then the first statement.  The will is a more definite word. We may want many things but that does not always mean we will achieve them.  When you were a child you may have said “mommy I want a new toy” – your subconscious will remember this and replay the idea that you didn’t always get what you wanted!

Remember although it may sound strange the more positive we make a goal the better it is for the subconscious.

Visualize the goal!

Once your goal has been defined in positive language, you need to visualize the goal very clearly.  Can you really see yourself achieving this goal? if so can you immerse yourself and your senses in this goal so that you can live an breath the goal?

What do I mean by this? I mean you have to be able to experience what it will be like to “purify my body and live a healthy life.”  Right now I can see myself on top of a mountain with my arms outstretched, breathing deeply and looking out around me at the beauty of nature, as I take in the sounds that nature is playing, as i feel the wind whip around my body.  I feel free, I feel exhilarated, I feel amazing.

That is the feeling that your what must produce. It has to be so powerful that you can change your state of mind at will and enter into this goal state each and every day when you visualize.  your goal.

Commit it to paper!

You have to also make sure that you write out your goal.  Research has shown that writing out your goal will also help you commit to it.

This goal statement must be posted in an an area of your house, office or other place you frequent, where you can see your goal each and every day. Ideally you will read your goal once in the morning and once at night.  You will commit it to memory and begin to realise that there is no failure.  Achieving this goal is the only way.

In my next article I will detail more on finding out the why and how you will break down your goal to ensure that you achieve success.