"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination" -Fitzhugh Dodson
Not too long ago I had a conversation with a dance studio owner about the topic of setting goals. She had mentioned that in order to set a goal and to be sure that it actually happens, making a list of things one wants to change might be a good way to achieve success. I agreed, but with a few stipulations. Thinking you want something to change, and actually taking the steps necessary to see that change through can be two totally different things. It all comes down to the reason why so many of us don't see our wishes, hopes and dreams come true and it has everything to do with the difference between saying you'll do something and actually doing what it is you originally said you would do.
There are a couple of points you might want to keep in mind when it comes to making a resolution or goal. See and feel the end result as if it's here with you right now. Here's what I mean; Say you set a goal to lose weight. According to the process we've been looking at in this chapter you'd ask yourself how much you want to lose and what schedule will you put into place as to when the pounds will start to drop off. What methods of weight loss will you use to get there? What steps will you take to see it through? By what days and dates will you lose what you need to lose? Most important, how will you feel and look once you've achieved your goal? Seeing the 'future' as if it's already here is a huge tool that you should always use to bring things to you. If you want the perfect job or the perfect mate, if you want to teach the perfect class season after season after season, what steps will you take on what days and months along the journey to make your dream a reality? How will it feel right here, right now, once you've gotten there? The trick is to see your dream, your goal, your resolution realized each day before you go to sleep and each morning just before you get out of bed. That can be the hardest part because you are asking your mind to consider something that is not yet in the present. Just do it anyway! Put it out there and feel good whenever you do and you just might be overjoyed to see what you'll eventually get in return.
Be patient! That's one of the hardest pieces of this puzzle. We want things to appear shortly after we've asked for them but end up giving up faith that what we've asked for will manifest if it doesn't do so quickly. Keep the end always in sight and you'll get there. Sometimes the exact steps will be filled in for you. The more you stay out of the way the better. Know that you'll get there, that's the important thing.
Within each moment lies a world of possibilities. That's truly an amazing fact, isn't it? What also lies within each moment is unlimited potential. How do you realize it? By making sure your intention is clear and focused. The second part of realizing has to do with believing your goal will indeed occur. Feeling what it is you want even before it has happened. That expectation, that knowing, sends out strong signals to manifest your desire. Upon hearing what it is that you want in your life, the Universe immediately goes to work making your dream come true.
Don't believe you can do something? Well, maybe that's the problem. The fact that you don't think or feel that you can do something literally means nothing will happen unless you change your mind set. Thoughts of future actions can indeed be scary, but you have to move past whatever fears might come up so you can get to accomplishing the task at hand. If you don't believe you can do something, that's the message you are sending to The Universe and it knows nothing more than to respond to your 'wish' in kind. You get what you ask for.
How do you move past a belief that is negative and self-defeating in nature? You just do it! If you don't think you can do a task that is right before you, just change the thought process connected to your disbelieve. If you felt differently about the situation, could you indeed do what you originally thought was beyond your reach? Instead of saying "I don't think I can do that", change that up to this; "I definitely DO think I can do that!" Even if you don't know how that will physically happen, create the mental expectation by saying that affirmation over and over. Don't be surprised if you start feeling that you can do what was once thought to be impossible. Make sure you know that you deserve it and that you allow it to happen. If you start to feel that you can do it, energies shift and rework themselves in your favor and lo and behold, you'll find that what you once refused to believe was possible, is unfolding without any resistance right before your eyes. Is it magic? Yes! It's the magic of belief and the knowing that things are possible if you think and feel they are. You can do it...just get out of your way and let it happen. Put one foot in front of the other and move forward. That's what achieving goals is all about.
Once you've made this work for yourself, how powerful would it be to pass some of this knowledge on to your students? What we're talking about here are powerful tools that can be used to change lives. If you believe it works for you and can become walking proof that it does, then others will want to know what that pep in your step is all about. If they knew how to create change in their lives by realizing the goals they have hoped and longed for, how powerful would that be for you to share this with them?
All of this and more can occur once you put some simple goal-realizing tools into place. Make it work for yourself first. You'll feel so much better once you have. From there you can pass this knowledge on to those that you teach and love. Part of being here has everything to do with realizing how powerful you really are. You can indeed change things for the better, in and out of the studio classroom. But it won't happen on its own. You have to take the ship's wheel and steer your vessel to where you want to be. With clear intent and the planning of exactly how to get there, you can be a true teacher, a leader and role model, not only for others but for yourself as well. When you really think about it, isn't that what life is all about anyway?
