The secret to attracting your goals is to believe you already have it. This is a mental shift because most people focus on what they lack instead of what they want. So, the next question is, how do you shift your thinking from wanting to having? If you haven’t read it, you might want to read this blog first: Attract What You Want Without Really Trying.
Write down what you want 15 times a day. I know this sounds ridiculously simple. However, if it worked for Scott Adams, the top cartoonist in the world, then why can’t it work for you, too? Adams is the creator of “Dilbert.” Adams himself was initially skeptical of this method, but he tried it anyway. He started out with small goals—impressing a certain woman and picking a winning stock. When he got those wishes, he decided he needed more empirical evidence.
Adams was about to take the GMAT test to get into business school and wanted the precise score of 94. When the results came in, he had received a 94. He was now convinced of the power of writing down his goal 15 times a day. He started to write down, “I will be the best cartoonist on the planet.” At that time, it seemed pretty impossible. Ahead of him in the rankings were Gary Larson (“The Far Side”) and Bill Watterson (“Calvin and Hobbes”). An astounding thing happened: both of these cartoonists retired, leaving Adams in the top slot. It should be noted that Adams was also taking action toward achieving this goal. He was creating cartoons and writing a book.
Although Adams wrote his goal in the future tense, it is even more powerful if you write it down in the present tense. For example, start your sentence with “I am…” instead of “I will…”.
If you are not getting what you want, then it may be that it isn’t in your best interest or in the best interest of all concerned. So, keep your thoughts completely positive. Negative thoughts boomerang back to you with negative results.
Who would you like to be? Write down your biggest “I am” statement 15 times a day. As a result, the genie of the universe will go to work.
A coaching client of mine, Matt, an editor at a major publishing house, was in the process of interviewing with another company. He knew they were going to make an offer and they would ask him how much he wanted to be paid. After some discussion with his wife, Matt came up with the figure he wanted. He then wrote it down 15 times, “I earn $X thousand and have four weeks of vacation a year.” This number was a significant leap from his current salary.
So, when the new company asked him how much he wanted, Matt rattled off the figure without missing a beat. And he got it! He got the four weeks of vacation, too. Matt called me afterwards to thank me. He said that if he hadn’t written it down and kept writing it down until he believed it, then his voice would have wavered. And as a result, he would have been awkward or embarrassed. Then he would have blown his opportunity to get a significant pay increase. The only thing Matt wishes now is that he had asked for even more money!
Jörn Kamphuis used a personal variation on this tip to win the Mr. Germany competition. In his own words, he says:
I actually did not write it down 15 times, but what I did that made me feel confident I would become Mr. Germany was the following. I had a picture in my workout book where I would write down my exercise reps. There you could see me with a Mister Germany banner Photoshopped in with the headline: “I am Mister Berlin.” In the beginning, I did not believe that I could be Mr. Germany or even Mr. Berlin. But I looked at this picture and repeated this short sentence as often as I could when I was training (six times a week). After a few weeks, it did not feel strange at all and I actually knew that I would become, at least, Mr. Berlin.
So, why write down your wish 15 times a day? The point is to beat it into your brain until you actually start believing it is true. The first time you write down what you want, that little voice in your head will start screaming, “Who do you think you are? You’ll never get this. Who are you kidding?” Let it scream. Just keep writing.
Eventually, you will get to the point where the little voice is saying, “Hey, you can do this. Piece of cake. What’s the big deal?” Then you know you’ve made the necessary mental shift from wanting to having.
So get out your pen and get busy!
Tip 92 excerpted from Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips to Accomplish Your Personal and Professional Goals
