To reach your goal faster, create your own ritual!
by Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
Have you ever noticed that authors of "how-to" best-sellers
create their own rituals?
They design their own form of visualization, affirmation,
or just walking outdoors. Creating a ritual adds energy and purpose
to your goals far more powerfully than following someone else's.
What are the ingredients of a ritual?
1. Up to three clear goals. The clearer you can focus
on your goal, the more likely you can achieve your desires.
2. Paper or word processor. Psychological studies show
that writing can mold behavior. You may write something every
day or just look at something you've written. One writer drew
the cover of her book and posted it on the wall over her desk.
Every day she focused energy on the drawing and, she says, her
book seemed to write itself.
3. A frequency guideline: What will you write and how
often?. You can simply see your goal statements. You can put
energy into them. You can write them out. As a minimum, do this
once a day, although don't beat yourself up if you miss. Just
go back and keep going.
Those are the basic ingredients -- just like the basic ingredient
of an omelet is eggs, milk and water. What makes your ritual
unique will be the spices and fillings.
A simple ritual might be, "Write your goal out in a notebook
every day." You can add, "Think about your goal as
you write it," or, "Play your favorite music, full-blast,
while you focus on your goal."
Another might be, "Write your three goals on a 3x5 card
and carry it with you everywhere. Look at the card every time
you open your wallet."
You could write about your goals at a certain time every day.
Say them aloud while walking in your sacred space.
And there are different ways to record your goals.
You can draw pictures, write scripts, or make collages.
One year I made up a ritual: Every morning, when I
sat down at the word processor, before I began to write, I wrote
a little story about moving to Philadelphia. I described the
place where I would be living and what I was doing during the
day.
Within three months, I had been moved there, all expenses
paid. I found an apartment that was remarkably like the one I
had described - including sunny windowsills for the cats to sprawl.
Luck? Coincidence? Who knows? I was astounded myself. It never
happened again. I've learned that rituals don't last.
I suspect part of the "magic" comes from the
act of designing a ritual or program. That is why, in my
coaching, I avoid using canned programs. They seem to work best
for whoever canned them!
And I encourage clients to do the same. Create your
own ritual -- and realize you may need another one for your next
goal. Stay flexible, stay open and create what feels right for
now..
For serious advice about moving, download Making the Big Move.
Learn more about relocation
resources.
Subscribe to free
ezine.
Read additional
articles. Ezine
subscribers get articles delivered to their email inbox every
month. They also download a complimentary copy of Ten secrets
of mastering a major life change -- and a bonus: Seven tips for
mistake-proof decisions!
You may forward, reprint or post this article anywhere, if
you include the following resource box:
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. is an author, career coach, and speaker.
She can help you rebuild, renovate and revitalize your career.
Visit her site http://www.movinglady.com or call 505-534-4294.
"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change." http://www.movinglady.com/subscribe.html"