So, what’s your plan for 2012? Henry Ford said it best: Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right! What you decide to focus on has a huge impact on the goals that you set for yourself and your ability to achieve those goals. To truly create and align goals with your wildest dreams and aspirations, you have to embrace a bold and audacious attitude. This attitude is one that squashes that little voice inside your head that says things like, “I could do this but…” or “That always happens to me….” These conversations that continually track inside your head build up in your psyche as baggage, are self-defeating, and have a negative impact on your ability to achieve your goals. Transforming to a bold and audacious attitude is all about understanding how you limit yourself, recognizing those limitations, and making a commitment to squashing that negative inner voice every time you hear it. Being aware of how you limit yourself is the first step. Squashing that inner voice that continuously plays inside your head is the next step. To do that, try using a tool called the Pattern Interrupt. The Pattern Interrupt is simply an alarm that goes off in your head and triggers a reaction every time you become aware of a limiting inner voice. Here is an example of a Pattern Interrupt: When you hear that self-defeating and limiting inner voice playing inside your head…
- Change your state: take three deep breaths, make a radical body movement, or yell something out loud!
- Ask the question: “Does that voice serve my best interests?”
- Visualize success – speak and feel the opposite of what you are hearing inside your head.
Here’s an exercise to help you create your Pattern Interrupt and make it a habit.
- Identify the actions or Pattern Interrupt you will take next time you hear that negative inner voice.
- Call your home, office, or cell phone number and leave yourself a voicemail. In your message, remind yourself of your Pattern Interrupt.
- Don’t erase the message until you are confident that you have gained an awareness of how you limit yourself AND you have changed your behavior so that every time you hear that inner voice you trigger your Pattern Interrupt.
The only person who can tell you what you can or can’t achieve…is you! Once you recognize that you can achieve anything you allow yourself to envision, you will be ready to start the goal setting process. Interested in a more guided approach to establishing your best year yet? Checkout the Ultimate Goal Setting Guide.