Friday, 20 March 2009

What The Secret Didn't tell you

Have you seen the movie The Secret?

If you have you'll know that it practically became the goal-achievement 'bible' overnight due to it's very simple, yet very powerful message about how you can be, do and have practically anything in life that you want as long as you do one or two key things.

They are:

1. Think about what you want on a regular basis
2. Think about it positivelyThat was it really.

That was the 'secret' of The Secret!

Now, I'm not knocking this at all, far from it.

First off, most people (myself included) can be really unfocused and unclear about what they want and spending some time focusing can be really beneficial, right?

And thinking positive, well, that's just obvious isn't it? After all, going through life with a dark cloud over your head is not really going to help you feel good about even STARTING your goals, let alone achieving them is it?

So I've no real problems with the advice that The Secret shares, it makes sense and, truth be told, thousands of people have already gone on to achieve great things as a result of following this simple advice, but again, there are a lot of people who couldn't seem to make it work for them and are now dismissive of the who goal achievement 'thing'.

Maybe you're one of them?

I certainly used to be.

I tried thinking positive and holding my goals in my thoughts but still, the bills piled up and the same old hassles that were always in my life before were still there so I did what most people would do. I gave up the whole goal-setting thing as a waste of time.

That is until I came across (yet another) goal achievement program that was saying some things that were very different to what I'd been hearing from the thoughts become things crowd.
In fact, this program said that thoughts DON'T become things, but rather, they could become things, but not necessarily.

It jokingly explained that if thoughts really did automatically become thingsthen most teenage boys would materialise pretty young girls into their bedrooms. After all, this is what's on their minds most of the time, right? : )

Sounds funny, I know, but it struck a chord. After all, if thinking clearly of something that's important to you, holding it in your mind and thinking about it a lot works to bring goals to life, then it should work, right?




And as to thinking positive...

I'd always been told that thinking positive was a critical step to making your goals come to life, but again in this program I was told that this simply wasn't true. After all, if being positive made your goals come to life you should be able to sit in the middle of a busy road, smile and say 'I won't get hit, I won't get hit, I won't get hit" and sure enough, all the trucks will completely miss you.

Not a strategy that I think I'd like to try : )


It all makes sense doesn't it?
The idea that you can't just put on a happy face, think about your goals and have them come to life?
I think so anyway : )
So what's the real 'secret' to goal achievement?
Well, I guess it's simply that there isn't one. Not as in one hidden thing that once exposed will bring your goals to life. It's more a case of having a strategy that is proven to work rather than relying on hope or wishful thinking.
What's the strategy?
It's coming... I promise!
In fact, I've persuaded my friend Dax Moy, author of The Magic Hundred to spill the beans right here on my blog over the next week so DEFINITELY stay tuned.
Speak soon!
Darren
P.S - Don't forget to leave your own comments about this post. What do YOU think are the not-so-secret secrets to achieving success?

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

77 down - 288 to go

What were you doing 78 days ago?

I know, funny question, but there is a point, you see, today is day 77 of 2009 which means that 78 days ago you were celebrating New Year’s Eve and, like most people, you were setting up your New Year’s Resolutions and goals.

And look, here we are at day 78 already.

Time just seems to be flying by, doesn’t it?

But I’m not just writing this to act as some kind of timekeeper or clockwatcher, rather I wanted to share with something that I’ve been thinking about a lot this week.

As you may remember, I started my own goal achieving journey on my birthday nearly 4 weeks ago and as I was reviewing my list I realised how many goals I hadn’t even started yet. In fact, many of them haven’t even been thought about. It’s not like they’re not important to me.

They are, many of them would REALLY change my life for the better if I could bring them to life but, well, I just haven’t seemed to get around to them.I bet you’re the same right?I

bet you have a huge list of things that you KNOW would absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt change your life for the better, yet you haven’t taken a single, solitary action on them, right?

Weird isn’t it?

For instance in my own life I know that these goals are important to me:

1. Have Sunday’s completely off work – I don’t train any clients or run any camps on a Sunday but I still manage to find myself at the computer, this takes my time away from my family.

2. Get away walking at least once per month – Again this is related to spending time with my family, but I love being in the mountains, the views, the fresh air, it really helps to clear my mind.

3. Keep expanding Achieve Bootcamp – I’m so passionate about my job because I get to help people achieve their goals. The bootcamps are giving me the opportunity to help more people achieve.

4. Get a massage once per month and stretch daily – I find it hard to take time for myself, I need to spend more time looking after my body. Having more balance in my own training.

5. Keep looking for a venue for my own personal training and health studio - This is one of my biggest goals and I need to spend more time searching. The right place is out there and now that I’m travelling around more I know I will find it.

Most likely you’ve got a bunch like this too haven’t you?

For example, what financial goals did you set for yourself on New Year’s Eve?

What about your health goals? I KNOW you had a bunch of those!How about adventures?

We all want to travel more and experience more and I bet you had set some goals in this department, right?

Not to mention relationships, education, family and career goals.

I bet you had a bunch, yet where are you with them?

That’s not a rhetorical question, I mean it. Where are you with these goals?

Did you achieve them as you said you would?

More to the point, did you even START them?

I know that I didn’t even BEGIN many of the goals I set on my birthday. I know they’re important to me, I know they’ll change my life in more positive ways than I can even begin to tell you but for some strange reason, I haven’t even begun to chase them yet.

Like I said, weird.

So look, I’ve got this mad, crazy idea.

I want to help you achieve YOUR goals over the course of this year and I want you to keep ME on track. Sound like a fair deal?

It starts today.

Tell me what your most important, most pressing goals are and I’ll tell you mine and (hopefully) together we can see 2009 through in great style.

Of course, you could simply ignore this and pass it off as silly but, well, that’ll just mean that the next 77 days are just like the first, and the ones after that, and the ones after that.

I need help to bring my goals to life.

So do you.

So let’s do this!

Darren
http://www.achieve.me.uk
http://www.achievebootcamp.co.uk

P.S – I got my idea for this email from my friend Dax Moy, Author of The MAGIC Hundred. I’m glad he kicked me in the butt today : )