Your Vision Becomes Reality and How Your Goals Get Lost in the Shuffle

Years ago, I was interviewing a young man for a position on my leadership team. I asked him what kind of income he was looking to earn his first year or two. He said, “$100,000 my first year, and at least a 50% increase my second year to $150,000.” The next question I asked was what is the highest

income that he’d ever earned in a single year before? His answer was “$20,000.” I then asked him if he thought he was worth $100,000 a year? He hesitantly responded, “I don’t know, I think so.” My last question, and the most important one was, “What do you plan to change about yourself to go from a $20,000 a year person, to a $100,000 a year income earner and then to a $150,000 income earner?” His answer was, “I don’t know.”

You see, if a person considers themselves to be a $20,000 a year income earner, they will never become a $100,000 a year earner, unless they make some sort of change.

There is always something that we can change. In fact it is essential to move to the next level of accomplishment. You can’t use the same thinking, attitude, behaviors of level of goal accomplishment that got you where you are to take you where you want to go.

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Maybe it’s simply having a new opportunity available, and getting inspired by that opportunity.

Maybe it’s a matter of focus and being fully committed to something.

Maybe it’s learning and applying some new skill sets.

Maybe it’s refining your people skills.

Maybe it’s gaining greater self-confidence, or simply having the courage to take a risk.

Maybe it’s changing one or more of our self-limiting beliefs.

Maybe it’s simply a matter of “letting go” of some immobilizing fear.

Or maybe it's getting clearer about what it is you really want and why you want it.

Your income or our goal achievement will rarely exceed your own personal beliefs. And your income and level of goal achievement will rarely exceed your own personal development. If it does, on some rare occasion, it will quickly come back to where it was in a short period of time, that is, if you don’t make a change. This is why it is critical to have a plan for our own development otherwise we’ll continue to produce the same results we’ve always produced.

In order to “get” something different in your life, you must “do” something different.

Wouldn’t you agree? And in order to “do” something different you must “know” something different to do. And in order to “know” something different to do, you must at least suspect that your current methods need improving, and you have to be open to finding a better way.

We always do the best we can with what we know. We set our goals, get really excited about accomplishing them, and then without a moments notice our old ways sneak in and seen to take over, leaving us with about what we’ve always had. On the other hand, some of us continue with our old ways knowing that there is a better way. Why?

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We are comfortable with our old ways. It’s what we know. It’s our comfort zone. Accomplishing new and better goals would require making some changes and changing would mean having to take a risk, to break out of our comfort zone and become someone different.

We set lofty goals that seem possible at the time then the risk of breaking out of our comfort zone brings up our deepest fears. “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if the opportunity I’m becoming involved in isn’t real?” “What if I can’t do it?” “What will others think of me being in this type of business?” It brings up the fear of failure. “I’ve failed before, what if I do it again?” It can even bring up the fear of success! “If I’m successful, if I reach this goal, I may have to leave some of my friends behind or take on some additional responsibilities.”

In order to attain greater levels of goals in any area of your life, there are two things that are required. First, is knowing what’s got you “turned on?” In other words “Why” do you want to accomplish a certain goal? You want to make a million dollars…why? You want to develop a $10,000 a month residual income…why?

In order to get what you want you have to first determine why you want it. In fact in order to even know “What” you want you have to first determine “Why” you want it.

You may want freedom. The question is why do you want it?

And the second step toward accomplishing higher goals is knowing what gets you “turned off.” I call it “vision” and “reality.” Knowing where you want to go and why is known as “vision,” and knowing what’s holding you back, and why, is called “reality.” Your vision may be that you want to earn a million dollars, and the reality is that you don’t believe you can. Now that’s a problem. Your vision becomes clouded by your limiting beliefs (your reality), and your clouded vision supports your limiting beliefs. This is a mutually supporting cycle of going nowhere. It can become addictive.

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Having complete clarity is the place to start. What is clarity? Some of the answers I get from people are: Clarity is focus. Clarity is knowing where we are going. Clarity is being on target or on purpose. Here’s my definition of clarity.

“Clarity is the fuel that takes you where you want to go!” The speed at which you accomplish your goal will always be based upon your own degree of clarity toward that goal…your “What” and your “Why.” Clarity simply means “to remove all obstacles.”

If you want financial success it simply means that mediocrity won’t do. If you just can’t seem to get going, that means that you aren’t clear. Something is holding you back. There is some obstacle that needs removing. If you have a fear of talking to people, that means that you are not clear about the value of your opportunity or why you want what you want. Your fear blocks your clarity, therefore, slowing you down, or in many cases, even immobilizing you. I define fear as “Friction in your thought process.”

Clarity evaporates fear and removes friction! Clarity connects your goal to your opportunity. Without being clear about what you want, it becomes impossible to take full advantage of your opportunity. The slightest element of doubt creates uncertainty, and uncertainty always creates lack of clarity. Lack of clarity produces tension, tension produces fear, and fear immobilizes. And soon you forget the goal you set in the first place. Having clarity means that you are living at a higher level of energy, where no one, or no thing, can interfere with you. You know what you want and every action is moving you closer.

Think of a time when you felt unclear, when doubt was creeping in, or a fear was holding you back…a time when you felt non-productive, or stuck. Now think of a time when you really felt clear, when nothing could stop you. Everything seemed to work with ease; every answer was right there when you needed it. That’s called being clear.

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The question should always be, “Is what I’m thinking, feeling, or the action I’m taking moving me closer to or further away from what I want in my life? Is it supportive or non-supportive? It is always one or the other.

Every action you take, either moves you closer to your desired results, or takes you further away. Every thought or feeling you have and every action you take either attracts the people and circumstances you need to accomplish your goal, or pushes them away.

Success in anything is always a question of “honor.” Which do you “honor” the most, your vision of what you want to accomplish, or the “stuff” you find yourself wrapped up in? If you choose not to make the call because you are afraid of being rejected or afraid of what someone might think of you, it simply means you have chosen to “honor” your fear instead of your vision.

How much time each day do you spend in a productive state, honoring your visions and moving toward your goals? How much of your time is spent doing business and not worrying about tomorrow, or getting caught up in the past, or feeling fearful about some situation? Most people think that in order to reach a goal, all they need to do is just “think positive.” Positive thinking is like walking forward with a giant rubber band tied around your waist that’s attached to the wall. You move forward a little with the thought of success, and then it pulls you right back again into your fears. Positive thinking is like taking an aspirin for a headache. It may be a temporary fix to kill the pain, but it doesn’t get to the real cause of your headache. You don’t have to believe me, simply take a look at your past experience.

What you really want to do instead of trying to push your “non-supportive” feelings away through positive thinking, affirmations, or motivation is simply learn to deal with the real cause of the problem.

www.TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com 5 Here’s the problem we all face. What we are really trying so hard to do is to change our beliefs about what we can and cannot accomplish.

Here’s the way it works:

Our past experiences create feelings… Our feeling start to influence our thinking… Our thinking influences our beliefs… Our beliefs determine our behaviors… Our behaviors create a result that once again influences our original experience…and then an addictive cycle is born and kept alive.

We continually attempt to change our beliefs, with little or no success at all. Why? Here’s an example of how it works. Our beliefs are like a brick wall. Attempting to change them with something like “positive thinking” sometimes feels like hitting our heads against a brick wall. We continually attempt to change the belief, not knowing that the “head bashing” is the cause of our headache not the cure. After so many times of hitting our heads against the wall, to avoid the pain, we sink back into our old ways, back into our comfort zone.

So, how do you change a non- supportive belief? “Letting go” is the answer, not pushing against.

Your beliefs are the bricks, and your feelings are the mortar that holds those beliefs(bricks) in place. Your feelings are what attract your circumstances. You can do all the “positive thinking” you want, but if you are feeling doubt, fear, etc., you will produce a corresponding result.

What we need to do is learn to deal with the non-productive feelings that keep your beliefs in tact. In other words, you need to learn to “let go” of what’s holding you back, so you can then remove the blocks.

Think for a moment about what’s stopping you from achieving your goals. Doubt, worry, uncertainty, lack of confidence…these are all fears that

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hold you back. Is there anything stopping you, or impairing your ability to be the best you can be? “Letting go” of any non-supportive feeling requires three things: intention, willingness and commitment. You have to “intend” to let it go, you have to be “willing” to let it go, and you have to “commit” to let it go. On the other hand, to hang on to a non-resourceful feeling, requires three things: intention, willingness and commitment. It’s just requires a change of focus.

Just changing your focus “is” letting go.

Think again about your fears. Do you intend to hang on to them or let them go? Hanging on requires a tremendous amount of your energy, while “letting go” requires none at all. The real question is how much of your energy are you willing to spend hanging on to your fears? For most it’s about 90%. That’s why most live a mediocre lifestyle. It’s a choice to honor your fears or to honor your vision.

Think for a moment about a past experience you’ve had. Think of a hurt, failure, or maybe even a bad experience you’ve had in network marketing. Think about when the upset first began. Got it? Get in touch with the feeling that is holding you back: a fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, uncertainty about your future, concern about money, or whatever.

Now think about when it ended, that is, if it has ended. How long from the beginning to the end? I’ve heard all the way from 10 minutes to 60 years. No matter how long you’ve been hanging on to it, the question should always be, “Does this feeling support my vision, my goal of what I would love in my life, or does it support my fear.” “Does hanging on to it make me more productive or less?”

Self-observation is the key to staying clear with your vision and removing what’s holding you back. It’s the #1 key to accomplishing your goals! Without self-observation your goals are nothing more than a passing thought. What do you observe? Simply this: “Is what I’m feeling right now moving me closer to my objective or further away?” Your thoughts you choose your direction in life, and without self-knowledge through self- observation there is no foundation for correct thinking. Without correct thinking, you have doubt, which creates uncertainty. Uncertainty produces a lack of clarity, and when you lack clarity, you are moving away from your goal.

www.TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com 7 Without a clear “Intention” of what you want, you don’t know what to focus your “Attention” on. Self-observation creates reality and moves you toward your goal.

When you are in this state of confusion, you feel stuck and off track. When you are in a confused state, you will attract confusing circumstances into your life, into your businesses. Why? Because that’s your focus! That’s what you are giving your attention to. As an example, even if you goal is to earn a million dollars, if you are focused on lack of money, what you attract in return is “lack of money.” Why? That’s your focus!

There are really only two ways to make the necessary corrections in order to stay on target for your goal. The first step is to go back to your goal and re-clarify “What” you want and by clarifying “Why” you want it. The second step is to “let go” of any thought, feeling or behaviors that are not supportive of accomplishing your goal. What do you want and why? What’s stopping you?

Clarity is the key. Without being totally clear, doubt is always present. When doubt is present, so is uncertainty. Your clear intention will direct the energy that produces the results you desire. On the other hand, your unclear intention will direct the energy that produces the results you do not desire.

“Correct thinking” backed up by “Correct action is the key to having all you want in life. Focus your attention on the spot you want to land and then let go of everything that doesn’t take you there. www.TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com 8

Jim Britt is the author of numerous best selling books including "Rings of Truth", "Money, How to earn it, How to make it grow", "Unleashing Your Authentic Power" and "Do This. Get Rich" just to name a few. He is an internationally recognized leader in the business community and a highly sought after key note speaker for all audiences. He is a result producing success coach and one of the leading experts in peak performance training for the small business entrepreneur.

His background includes all levels of experience, research and education. Jim served as President of Dr. Denis Waitley's Psychology of Winning, Vice President of Jim Rohn's Adventures in Achievement and President of Dr. Maxwell Maltz's, Psycho Cybernetics International.

Jim has served as a human behavior specialist, performance educator and success coach, to more than 300 corporations throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, helping their employees improve their performance, access their true potential and to live lives filled with advancement professionally and personally. Throughout the world for over three decades Jim has presented seminars on The Power of Letting Go, personal achievement, entrepreneurship and small business success strategies, and all aspects of peak performance and personal fulfillment to audiences totaling more than 1,000,000 people.

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