I like to say that I’ve almost done more than anyone I know. Creating an idea is fun. Writing it down generates excitement. But, after you’ve done that, how do you follow through to accomplish your dreams?
Someone once told motivation speaker, Zig Ziglar, that they didn’t like motivational speeches because motivation doesn’t last. His response was, “You’re right, it doesn’t. But neither does a bath, and I bet you take one every day.”
Here lies the key to making your goals a reality. Repetition.
Negativity is everywhere. It’s the filth that gets in your mind and on your attitude. If you let it affect you, you can lose sight of your goals and that piece of paper will be a useless exercise that frustrates you more.
Just as we take a shower every day to wash the day off, we must freshen up our mind each night too by reminding ourselves of what our goals are.
A Personal Example
When I came to the point in life that I desired a family, I applied this exercise I learned from reading, Dr. Joseph Murphy’s, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. He states that by converting desires to the subconscious mind, we facilitate moving forward what we want in life. If you want something, like the goals you’ve written, you have to condition your subconscious to work on these things, to move you closer to the result.
According to Dr. Murphy, there are three ways you convey something to your subconscious:
- Faith.
- Repetition.
- Expectancy.
So, in my case, I wrote out a description of what I desired in a wife and family. (Faith) Then, every night (Repetition) would read aloud what I had written with enough emotion that I was almost giddy knowing that it was happening. (Expectancy)
I began this in April of 2012. I met my wife in July that same year. One year later, we married. Two months later, she was pregnant with our son.
Why Repetition Matters
This methodology is one of the most misunderstood items in self-improvement. Instead of just taking this at face value, I believe it helps to understand the “why” behind what we are doing.
Faith is the confidence in what we hope for, the assurance of what we cannot see. It’s what starts a belief to be strong enough to be a reality. It’s the unseen element that can’t be explained.
However, repetition and expectancy can be traced more scientifically. Once the element of faith has begun, the process of writing your goal down and saying it with expectancy every day solidifies what you believe.
“Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Your Internal Computer
In the base of your brain, near the spinal connection, is the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS is the filter for determining what commands your focus at any given time. There are millions of bits of data from smells, sounds, and objects surrounding us every second. But, the brain can only handle so many at a time, otherwise, we’d go crazy! It focuses us on what needs to have our attention at any particular time.
So, why is this important to accomplishing your dreams?
You can “train” your brain regarding your focus. Think about your current self-talk. People who always say things like, “I can’t ever seem to be on time,” or “Everyone I work with is a jerk.” Watch their life. Does what they say seem to come true? These statements inform the RAS to focus on those qualities to make it a reality.
That’s why it’s so important to write down, say aloud, and repeat with expectancy whatever it is you desire. You are literally rewiring your brain to think differently. The process forces your brain to focus your activities and thoughts on your desires and FIND A WAY.
For more reading on this subject, I’d recommend Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s, Physcho-Cybernetics or chapter 4 in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
Want to Dive Deeper? – Free E-book
The above is a segment of a manifesto I’ve written on how to know exactly what you want, create your future and re-wire your brain to succeed. This 3 step process is detailed in my FREE e-book: You, The Ideal Candidate: A Short Guide to Getting Exactly What You Want In Your Career — and Life. Click here to get a free copy sent right now.
Originally published at www.mikegosnell.com