HAPPINESS!

Many people often ponder long and hard about the meaning of life. Some people will take extraordinary journeys to try and discover what it is they were put on this planet for. And sadly, some people resign themselves to never actually knowing.
Then there are people who believe that we are pre-destined for some sort of end result.
After talking to many people over the course of my career – and through my own personal experiences – I have come to the conclusion that we are here to be happy!
We are here to create a happy life!
As human beings, we aren’t supposed to stress. We just weren’t designed for it.
It is medically proven that stress can cause so many illnesses in humans. From migraines right though to really serious conditions such as cancer.
Through stress, we really can manifest an illness.
So it just goes to show that the human body just isn’t designed for stress. We are meant to be physically well, and to retain physical health, we need to be happy and content with our lives.
So…how does one actually do that?
When I talk to clients who want more out of their lives, I ask them to take some time out to really assess where they are at in their life.
I get them to examine every aspect of their lives:
• Their family
• Their friends
• Their career/business
• Their health
• Their wellbeing
• Their lifestyle
• Their finances
And I get them to rate where they are at right now.
After this, I get them to list exactly what they want in each of these areas that will bring them the happiness they want.
Everybody can create the life they want!
Once you know what you want and are willing to take action to make it happen, it will happen!
And don’t buy into of negative thoughts that would stop you from doing this.
For instance, if you’re in your forties and want to go back to university to get a degree, don’t let thoughts of being “too old” stop you.
If you want to lose weight, don’t let thoughts of “it’s too hard” stop you.
Know what you want. Be specific with what you want. Then DO IT!
You really do have the power to make it happen, so start today!

How to make 2009 Amazing:Step 4

Keep doing what works until you’re there!

So! You know that to make 2009 you’re amazing year, you need to decide specifically what you want, take action and pay attention to what actually works.
Then you have to keep working on those things that do work until you reach your goal.
If something you are doing is working for you…
…keep doing it!
You can also try and improve your results by making changes to that process that is working for you. Tweak it here and there and see what happens.
If you have great results – continue doing that thing or improve the process again for even better results.
If on the other hand you get a bad result, don’t despair! Remember Mr Edison!
Keep going and never give up!
Persistence really is KEY when it comes to achieving your goals!
You won’t get to your goal otherwise, so keep on keeping on. Focus on the positive things that are working and give yourself rewards for that.
For instance, if your goal is to lose weight in the new year, set milestones for yourself. And once you reach a milestone, be sure to treat yourself.
If you fall off the wagon, don’t worry! Just make sure you get back on for the next day.
What will motivate you to keep on persisting is the achievement of those mini milestones. As great as that is though, you need to focus on the end goal.
Each day, take a few minutes to read your goals out loud to yourself. It’s also a good idea to create a positive affirmation and read that out aloud in the morning and in the evening as well before bed time.
The affirmation should be written as though you have already achieved your goal. For instance, “I am feeling so amazing now that I’m 10 kilos lighter!”
And when you say that affirmation out loud, feel the feelings that come with the achievement of that goal.
By doing this each day, you are staying motivated – and that will help you to stay on track. It will help you to keep on doing those things that work, until the materialization of your goal!
Have fun with it!
Goal-setting and setting up a plan to achieve the goals shouldn’t be an arduous task. Make it fun by following the four steps inspired by Anthony Robbins’ famous quote!
And remember this! 2009 WILL be your amazing year if you decide ASAP what you want, take action to achieve it, pay attention to what works and what doesn’t and NEVER give up until you get there!

How to make 2009 Amazing: Step 3

Pay attention to what works!
Now that you understand the importance of getting specific about your goals and taking action to achieve them, it’s time to elaborate a little more on the action part.
Sometimes in the process of taking action to make our dreams happen, things don’t work well.
We may find that a particular course of action works really well, yet another course doesn’t yield results at all.
Now, this is where people can fall into a pretty significant trap – one that is detrimental to the achievement of a goal.
Many people focus too much on the stuff that doesn’t work!
Say for instance you are really passionate about your £200,000 income goal. You get what you think is an amazing, earth-shattering idea when you are in the shower (yes – that’s where many of us get our lightbulb moment ideas!) and dry off with every bit of excitement!
You put your energy into the idea that you think can help you achieve your income goal.
But then you find that this idea doesn’t help you at all. In fact, the idea you had is a real flop!
What do you do about it?
It’s natural to be disappointed, but given the situation there are two things you can do:
1. Be disappointed, yet get back to the task of achieving your goal by implementing other ideas; or
2. Be disappointed and get into a big depression over it…that stops you dead in your tracks!
Unfortunately, too many people do the latter. They get so down about the outcome of a ‘failed’ idea that they just give up. The wheels completely fall off!
If you are to actually achieve your goals, option 2 just isn’t an option.
You have to do as successful people do!
You have to pick yourself up off the ground after a disappointing outcome and say, “What went wrong? What can I do NOW to get on track to achieving my goal?”
It all comes down to how you approach perceived (yes I’m using that word here) ‘failure’.
All of us will encounter ‘failure’ in our pursuit of goal attainment.
But it’s not so much the failure that can make us fall short of our goal – it’s our response to it.
Failure is an OPPORTUNITY for us to assess what works and what does not. It’s an OPPORTUNITY to help us get on track.
It’s a stepping stone to success.
Imagine for a moment if that wonderful inventor of the incandescent light bulb – Thomas Edison – gave up after the 100th attempt at getting that bulb to light up?
It took him hundreds attempts to finally make it work.
If he gave up at attempt 100, he would never have achieved success.
The reason why Edison prevailed? He saw failure as a stepping stone to success!
He even said in his own words, “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”
Persistence is what will get us to our goal. And we need to focus on the things that work and not the things that don’t. This way we will stay motivated and on track!
And that’s what you too must do in your pursuit of achievement!

Step 2 to Making 2009 Amazing: Take ACTION!

In my last blog post where I talked about step 1 and deciding what you actually want to achieve, I introduced you to a visualization technique.
It’s a technique that will definitely help you get excited and passionate about the specific things you want to achieve in 2009.
Now that you’re excited about making all of that great stuff happen, your mind – whether you realize it or not – is already working overtime to help you achieve everything!
Your mind is LOOKING for opportunities!
When you sit down and decide what you want to achieve – then feel the excitement of achieving those goals – it’s as though you’re asking your mind to make it happen.
In your excitement, your mind gets to work on your behalf.
And that’s when you start noticing opportunities.
Allow me to give you an example. Let’s say for instance – we’ll revert back to the goal of achieving £200,000 worth of income – you want to make that much money in 2009.
Now you may not have any idea how you’re going to do that. But once you actively visualize that goal – and feel the feelings of achieving it – you’ll start to notice opportunities.
You’ll get ideas in your mind geared towards helping you make that money.
And when you get an idea…
…You MUST act!
You don’t want to just do nothing! Remember, you have a very specific and very clear goal that you’re passionate about. You want that £200,000 income in 2009, so go get it!
Your mind is already working hard to help you get it. So when your mind gives you a great idea, chase it up!
Take action!
Go over every idea with a fine tooth comb, and pursue the opportunities that come to you!
It’s not enough to just write down what you want. It’s not enough to go into great specifics about something you want…then do nothing about it.
If you do nothing – if you do not act – then you will not achieve your goal.
You must take action to make it happen. No exceptions!
So keep an eye out for the opportunities that will present themselves to you. When you stay focused on your specific goals, it is inevitable that opportunities will come to you.
The people, the places, the circumstances…it will all come to you to help you in the achievement of your goals.
So have fun with that! Enjoy the journey!
Because 2009 is going to be a GREAT year for you!

Step 1 to Making 2009 Amazing: Decide WHAT you Want!

According to world-famous life coach Anthony Robbins, the first step to achieving something is to, “clearly decide what it is that you’re absolutely committed to achieving.”
You have to get serious about your goals and you have to get SPECIFIC about them. There’s no room for being vague here. You really need to specify exactly what your goals are, so your mind can visualize the materialization of those goals – and start working to make them happen!
You have to make a commitment to yourself – a commitment of actually going out and turning your goals into reality!
And it all starts with making a DECISION as to what you actually want!
Not sure where or how to start?
Start right now by asking yourself these questions:
· What will make me happy in life?
· What sort of family life do I want?
· What sort of social life do I want?
· What do I want to achieve work/career wise?
· What do I want to achieve financially?
· What do I want in terms of where I live?
· What do I want to feel when I think about myself?
· What is missing from my life right now?
Think long and hard about those questions and answer them honestly. It helps to write the questions down, and then write the answers down. Take your time and go into detail!
Remember, you can’t be vague.
If you want to generate lots of money in 2009, don’t just write, “I want to generate lots of money in 2009”. Instead, write down how much money you want to generate.
Be specific at all times!

And now for the fun step!
Once you write down what you want – in full detail – write down how you feel about the achievement of that specific goal….as if it’s already materialized.
For instance, if you want to make £200,000 next year, write down how you feel now that you have a £200,000 lifestyle.
Visualise how that would feel. And feel the great feelings that come with the achievement of those goals.
This is a really fun exercise that will make you feel great.
And because you are engaging in visualization techniques, your mind will start doing the work to MAKE your goals a reality.

Make 2009 the Year of Amazing!

Step One: Decide WHAT you want!
Now that the festive season is behind us, we’re looking towards 2009 – the new year, with all its newness and excitement.
So, what plans do you have for 2009?
If you’re anything like the majority of people, chances are you have sat down in years’ prior – with the very best of intentions – and thought about the things you want to achieve in the year ahead.
New year is definitely the time of year when people take stock of their lives and look back with an attitude of review.
From my own experience, it’s great to do this. It’s great to assess your last year and the progress you have – or have not – made.
But most people fall into a trap!
They end up looking back at the ‘to do’ list of years past and think, “I didn’t end up doing most of that” or “I didn’t end up doing any of that stuff at all.”
Or they look at their previous ‘to do’ lists – and they don’t have to be written down mind you – and see that the same tasks keep coming up. Year in, year out!
They focus on the negative!
And the result?
They feel hopeless and uninspired! They feel completely depressed.
They feel doomed to just making the lists of the “I’m going to do’s”…and end up doing nothing.
And in their depression, they just resign themselves to the ‘fact’ that, “I’m probably not going to end up doing any of this stuff, yet again!”
Does that sound like you?
I know a few years ago, that sounded like me. Sure, I might be a coach now and spend my time inspiring others to set goals and achieve them – but there was a time when I too made ‘to do’ lists and did very little or nothing to achieve the tasks!
It’s a pretty demotivating thing. But you can learn from it!
Anthony Robbins summed it up nicely!
He’s one of my favourite life coaches and whenever I listen to any of his recordings, I feel motivated and ready to turn my dreams into a reality!
But he actually summed up this whole achievement thing really nicely.
So nicely in fact, that I’m actually going to discuss in more detail – in my next four blog posts – the steps he outlines in this amazing quote which reads:
“The truth of the matter is that there’s nothing you can’t accomplish if: (1) You clearly decide what it is that you’re absolutely committed to achieving, (2) You’re willing to take massive action, (3) You notice what’s working or not, and (4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.”

It’s an exciting quote isn’t it?

Stay tuned on this blog for the next four posts where I’ll go through the four steps to helping you ACHIEVE in 2009!