When you write down your goals, do they seem bigger than you are? Are they insurmountable? Will you only be happy once you've accomplish them?
For many people, buying the big house, hitting 7-figure revenues or being on the best sellers list is a huge goal they have for themselves. Setting these goals gives you something to strive for, but the goal is not the end game. As Bob Proctor has often said, "Goals have a purpose. They are designed to get you to grow." Think about it for a minute. When you set a goal and you accomplish it by having the house, the revenue or making the list it's great, but it's just the side benefit. Who you have become in order to make it happen is the real prize. You had to be a little uncomfortable and move outside of what's safe to get what you want. You have to stretch yourself to get there.
Stretching sometimes involves merely stretching your consciousness, stretching your belief system: what do you believe about that goal? What do you believe about achieving that goal? Do you need to stretch your belief? Do you need to suspend disbelief, create some new beliefs, stretch outside of your comfort zone so that you're feeling grateful, and experiencing all that you desire?
Goals are not about what you're going to get. Goals are designed to cause you to expand more and to be more, which in turn will bring you more. It reminds me of a quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, "A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions."
This is so true. Try to remember a goal you set and accomplished 5 years ago, even 10 years ago? It seems small now, doesn't it? Your beliefs about yourself have expanded. For example, you may have once believed you could never leave the safety of a steady paycheck to go out on your own. For many people who have done just that, there is no looking back. We could not imagine working in a corporate office again. Our mind has expanded and it will never return to its original desire.
When you set that 7-figure goal you may think you have no idea of how you will do it, but it will cause you to be more, expand more and do more in your business. You might have to create and launch new programs to generate more revenue or partner with someone to expand your reach. The only thing you need to know for sure is to set the objective to stretch yourself and grow.
Just like any stretching, you need to do exercises and create new disciplines every day. What are your daily practices? What are you doing every single day? Not once in a while but every day. Are you looking at your goals and taking one step each day? Remember, the growth is the reward and the goal is merely a benefit.
Peggy McColl is a New York Times best-selling author and an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal and professional development and Internet marketing. As an entrepreneur, business owner, mentor and professional speaker Peggy has been inspiring individuals to pursue their personal and business objectives and achieve ultimate success. She provides effective Internet marketing solutions for entrepreneurs, authors, publishers, professionals, and business owners, who want to establish an online presence, achieve bestseller status, build their brand, grow and/or expand their business online. You can find out more about Peggy at her website, Destinies.com.