May 2009 – How To Put “Desire” In Your Goals
Hello and welcome to the APD Marketing May newsletter.
The weather has been brilliant here in the UK up until a couple of days ago…and we are being promised a really warm summer. So, on that note of optimism, I thought I’d write about goals this month.
Before I get started properly, it’s interesting to note that Lee and I set ourselves some serious “big hairy audacious” goals when we planned out our new product Instant Social Traffic Formula. After all, you might as well go for it. Think about it, if you set BIG goals and just miss, you still achieve something very worthwhile.
Set pathetic little goals and miss, well…what’s the point? You might as well go for it!
Anyway, we’ll be going into pre-launch in a couple of weeks. I know Lee was working on the pre-launch sign up yesterday, so why not get along and get yourself on the pre-launch list.
Instant Social Traffic Formula
What’s it all about?
Page ONE ranking on Google…overnight!
Yep, we’ve tested the system and it’s come up trumps every single time.
Do have a look, this is very hot…AMAZING stuff!
Instant Social Traffic Formula
So, let’s talk about goals! Did you know that only 5% of people actually have written goals?
Did you also know that 5% are all in the top 5% of earners (US based figures). Come what may, the message is clear…if you want to succeed you simply have to have goals set and written down.
Now I know that “life” gets in the way. But having your goals set in stone, written down and ideally backed up by picture “proof” will move you towards those goals much more quickly.
You may well have heard that doing this “tricks” your subconscious mind. This is indeed what happens. For my part I really couldn’t care a jot how it works as long as it gets me to where I want to be!
So whatever your particular goals are, be it a new car, getting out of debt, running a marathon, or simply that luxury holiday in the Maldives, you need to be completely focused on them.
Now having set your goals, it’s no secret that they can be a little awkward to keep focused on and working towards. Some days it all seems too much and you will shirk the task, and maybe need a little motivation to keep moving forward. But you must try your hardest to keep your goals in focus…because if you do the outcome is so worth it!
So, having accepted that you need goals, I am going to offer some help on how you can keep the fire to achieve your goals burning. Because if you don’t have a consuming desire to achieve them, you’ll fail. Plain and simple.
There will be days when it is that “burn” that drives you on through what might seem insurmountable obstacles. Without that burn you will fall at such obstacles!
When I first started online I failed so many times I lost count. But I just was not going to be beaten. I kept my goals in clear focus and they drove me on.
How do I “manage” my goals?
I have a scrapbook with one page dedicated to each goal. I have a heading with the goal and then I have as many pictures as I can find to reinforce the goal, make it real in my mind’s eye.
Now you may think “what a load of old mumbo-jumbo”. OK that’s fine. But let me ask you two questions.
Firstly, do you have written goals? If the answer is yes, great, you are on your way to where you want to be and further forward than 95% of the population.
If not, is your life where you want it to be? Ouch, tough question. Answer honestly!
And, finally, before I get into how to maintain that burning desire, remember success is a journey not a destination. Always keep that in mind…and enjoy the journey.
There will be times when it seems so dark you don’t know where to turn. But if you keep that burning desire and focus on your goals and enjoy the experience, you WILL get there.
So, how do you maintain that burning desire? Here are five steps that have helped me maintain focus and achieve many of the goals in my life. I hope they can do the same for you.
1. Pick the Right Goal. O.K Derek, specialist in the bleedin’ obvious! But is it? Do you really, truly know what you want? If you’re not passionate about the goal you set, you won’t have the burn and you won’t achieve the goal! I could never get passionate about knitting so it’s pointless me setting a goal to knit a jumper, because it isn’t going to happen!
How do you know if you’re focused on the right goal? The answer to this depends on you as a person, but the following test will give you a very good idea:
- If money didn’t exist, would you still do it? (a good example to apply this test to is your job – would you still do your day job if money was not an issue?)
- Are you already working towards it in your life?
- If I gave you $20m right now would you still do it?
The last question really gets to the crux of the issue. You see many goals are simply a desire for money and are nothing to do with the actions needed to build financial independence.
In itself, money won’t make you happy. Remember it’s a journey and you have to enjoy it…it’s the process of getting there that you should enjoy. If you answered no to any of those questions then you may need to have a re-think. It’s important to get this right.
2. You Can Do It. Some people will tell you how much they would love to achieve their goals, and how amazing it would be. Others run away at the first mention of the word goals. Some will tell you how wonderful it would be to achieve their “true purpose”.
So why is it that most people just don’t do it?
The only answer I can come up with is that quite simply most people either don’t truly believe they can achieve their goals or don’t believe in their goals. So, and this really hurts me, they don’t bother to try. Maybe “the system” knocks it out of them, maybe it’s fear. I don’t know, but I find this horribly sad when really, it’s so very easy.
I can’t remember who said this but “all we have to fear is fear itself”. This is so true.
It may well have been my own limiting beliefs that caused my early failures online. In fact I’m sure it was! I had to change my belief systems and I did that through goals and proof.
I think it was Tim Ferris that said (in the 4 Hour Work Week), “Get out of your own way.”
You are the only one holding you back. You can do it. You can achieve every single goal you set. I’ve done it many times, use me as proof if you like! However, you must truly believe. When this belief becomes part of your fabric it will act as a catalyst for generating that burn I talked about earlier.
3. Build Proof Through The Success Of Others. I mentioned proof in the last section. In 99.9% of cases, someone has already done what it is you wish to achieve. Find them!
Find out how they did it. Find out what they used to achieve it. What helped them along the way? Can they help you / mentor you. Can they show you proof? These are crucial questions that you need to answer. They will offer valuable insight into your goal and…provide proof that it can be done!
Not only will this provide practical help in getting YOU to your destination, but by seeing the proof, you will then know for sure that you can do it too.
When I made the quality decision I was going to become an Internet marketer, I found mentors and followed people who had done what I wanted to do. OK, it took me a while to find my trusted people, but I simply copied what they had done. Simple, but outstandingly effective :>)
4. Find “Soul Brothers” On The Same Journey. When you are experiencing “times of trouble”, it is a great comfort to have people who understand your issues and who you can share with. It is helpful if you can find and talk to people who have overcome your particular problem.
I’ll use the Internet marketing example again. There is so much to learn when you first get started. I found some really helpful forums like the Warrior Forum and the sadly departed Adwords Excellence.
I overcame so many problems with help from the people in these forums. Indeed, I met my business partner Lee Brooker at Adwords Excellence. We started out just helping each other out where one of us had a skills gap. We quickly came to realise we had complementary skills and formed a partnership
That partnership has moved both of our businesses so much further forward than we would have got on our own!
Finding others on the same journey will give you a yardstick to measure your own progress and keep you encouraged to stay on track.
5. Become “Goal Aware” Simply put, make sure you are aware of and can ‘home in’ on things that will help you achieve your goals. To give you an example, if you are reading a book relaxed on the sofa and your son is playing away in the background, you would be able to maintain concentration.
However, if an angry mountain lion were to burst into the room, it would definitely attract your attention and evasive action would be instantly taken (well, I would hope so anyway).
So, we naturally focus on things of high importance to us. This “response mechanism” can be trained to help achieve your goals.
How do you do this? You’re probably not going to like the answer, in fact I can hear you groaning already…visualization! For at least 5 minutes during your day you should visualize your life as it will be with all of your goals achieved.
I love my visualization as I find somewhere quiet and drift away into my own little dream world of sun, sea, and a few other s’s! I feel that sun on my back, I feel the warm sand between my toes and I splash around in the cool crystal blue sea.
This really “turbo charges” and brings the goals to life. It tells my subconscious that these goals are important. And, it’s also why I use pictures to bring the goals to life. And, once the subconscious has “got” the message, it will drive you on to achieve your goals.
So, I know all this stuff about goals and visualization might sound a bit “wishy washy”, but…ask any successful person about goals and I bet you every last one of them will have set, written, picture-backed, visualized goals.
Why? Because when they do this…they achieve ALL of their desires!
You must have clearly defined goals backed up by the techniques I have given you here.
If you’re still sceptical, try to suspend that disbelief and commit to giving it a go for three months and see what happens!
I remember once writing some goals down and then losing or forgetting about them. One of the goals was to get an Audi Quattro 2.8. As I said, I totally forgot about those goals. I was having a clear out some four years later and found them.
I was amazed when I read that goal because…sitting on the drive was that Audi Quattro 2.8. I didn’t even get a picture or visualize, yet I still achieved the goal! The power of the subconscious is truly amazing!
Moving on, enough of the wishy-washy stuff for this newsletter :>)
You may be thinking, come on Derek, what about all the hard edged money-making stuff?
Well, I haven’t forgotten that! I have taken to publishing all of the “nitty-gritty” “how to” stuff on HubPages, so…since the last newsletter I have published the following “how to” stuff. It’s all free so please go enjoy!
7 Steps To Easy And Prolific Internet Product Development
Do You Have The Millionaire Mentality?
5 Steps To Internet Marketing Success
Why Most People Fail At Internet Marketing
There’s enough “how to” stuff there to keep you going for a while. If you like the Hubs, please give me a “thumbs up” and leave a comment.
Well, that brings another lengthy newsletter to a close…I do like to make sure I give you great value!
Until next month, set those goals and go for it!
As always, to YOUR success
Cheers now and have fun!
Derek