Archive for Goals
Acceptance is the first step toward a more successful life
Posted by: | CommentsAny positive change in your life begins with acceptance.
As the video below will explain, this is the starting point. For those people who would rather read it, there’s a transcription below the video.
I invite your comments below and appreciate your “liking” the video and subscribing to my “Jim’s Jems” channel.
Hi this is Jim Donovan and welcome to another edition of Jim’s Jems. I want to talk about the starting point with you today. The starting point for change in your life, regardless of what that change is, could be in your relationships, it could be in your job, it could be in your living conditions, it could be in your health, it could be in your mind, it doesn’t really matter.
The place you need to begin is by accepting the conditions as they are right now. Don’t get me wrong you don’t have to like them but you do have to accept them and I’m going to tell you why in a second.
You have to get out of the denial. Denial is not a river of Africa but it’s where a lot people live. They live with this fantasy of how I think the world should be even though it isn’t. This is how my life should be. It isn’t like that but this is how it should be.
You have to start by here it is, this is – whatever is going on in your life good, bad and different just accept that as it is and say okay here it is.
This is the reality. This is my life as it is right at this moment. This is my health, this is my money. These are my relationships, this is my job. You may not like it. It may not be a wonderful picture.
When I started doing this work my life was a mess. Trust me let me tell you that you will get to know that as we go along. If you have read any of my books, you have gotten all of the story in detail, but by starting there you are in empowered to do something about it. The great teacher, Louise Hay, said the point of power is in the present moment.
This is where you make the change not next month, not last month, not when the government changes, not when your family changes, not when your wife gets off your back, not when your husband stops drinking.
Right now, whatever is going on in your life whatever you want to change accept it, own it, take responsibility. If you study successful people, and I have for the last 20 years you will find that 100% of us take 100% responsibility for everything that happens in our life.
You don’t point fingers you don’t blame. You give up blaming and complaining. Own it. When you own it you are empowered to change it. That is the first step. It is a baby step but it is a big one.
It’s a big power thing because as soon as I do that and now I have got some power to do something about it and next time I will talk a little about how you start implementing those changes. What has to change, it has to change on the inside before changes on the outside.
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They are going to get good information here I promise you that and keep tuning in. Make your life magical. Thank you.
Jim’s Jems celebrates 20 years with new Video edition
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s been ones amazing ride so far.
What began as a simple intention of wanting to share ideas that would help people, became, for me, a life altering act.
Along the way, my desire to share ideas and information has resulted in several books, international recognition as an author, invitations to speak to an assortment of groups, and a life beyond any I could have imagined back when I published the first edition of Jim’s Jems that you see to your left.
It was a simple two page newsletter that included, among other things, an announcement that we were taking a trip to California. Truth be told, that was one of the reasons I wrote it, but rather than simply send a vacation announcement, I chose to add some of my thoughts about personal development and included an article about making small improvements in our lives, each day.
I mailed copies to clients and friends and uploaded it to, at that time, Compuserve and America Online.
Several people wrote that they enjoyed it so I kept doing it, having no agenda other than to share ideas.
I got a kick out of the fact that people in other countries could access it and I started receiving email form all over the world. In 1992, this was a huge deal!
The life changing lesson I learned is that, when you follow your heart, amazing things can happen.
Now, to celebrate “Jim’s Jems” 20th anniversary, I’m adding a new element – video.
You’re among the first to see this new Video Edition” of my “Jim’s Jems” newsletter. To mark the 20th anniversary of Jim’s Jems, I’ve added a weekly video “Jem.” Enjoy and please share.
Treasure Maps can help you attain your goals faster
Posted by: | CommentsIn my international bestselling book, This is Your Life not a Dress Rehearsal, I wrote about using a technique I learned, known as “Treasure maps,” as an aid to manifesting your dreams and desires. You may have heard it referred to as “Dream boards” or some other name. The idea is the same, however, I can trace the use of the phrase “Treasure Maps” back to Catherine Ponder in the 1950′s. Of course, I learned it much after that:-)
A treasure map is one of the most powerful visual aids you can employ and is well worth explaining in more detail here.
The first time I used a treasure map was many years ago when I was beginning to rebuild my life. At the time I owned an old beat up car. Actually that is an understatement.
It was a twelve year old hunk of metal that barely ran. It had a vinyl top but most of the vinyl was worn away and what was left was peeling. There was a hole in the floor on the driver’s side that let cold wind in during the winter. I used to place my foot over it. The paint was fading and it did not run very well. My wife, who I was dating at the time, did not even want to ride in it. Whenever we went out we took her new luxury car.
My goal at the time was a new, top of the line Honda Accord. Knowing about the power of treasure maps, I had visited the Honda Dealer and obtained a brochure of the car I wanted. In addition to having a written goal of driving the new Honda, I placed a picture on the wall above my desk where I would see it throughout the day.
One day I took the picture down because the car was in my driveway. I owned a new Accord.
Please do not misunderstand, I am not suggesting that this just happened by itself. The car dealer did not drive by my house looking for someone to give the car to. I had to do certain things to improve my life to be in a position to make it possible. The treasure map helped speed things up by consistently imprinting on my mind that which I wanted.
Whatever you want to have in your life, use visuals to help your subconscious see what it is that you want. For example, if you want to go on a fabulous vacation to Hawaii, get some travel brochures and make a collage of the pictures of beach scenes, hotels, and other images that will give you visual reinforcement for your goal.
When we were looking for our current home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I created a treasure map using a picture of Georgia and myself, pictures of Bucks County, a headline that said “Bucks County Pennsylvania,” ads for homes, and a picture of the kind of house we wanted. I wrote phrases and affirmations on it as well and hung it where we would see it daily. This helped reinforce our goal in our minds and helped bring it to us.
Visual aids are very powerful, if you doubt this just look at the impact television has had on people’s buying habits. The next time you look at a magazine, notice how much more powerful the ads with photos are as compared to those with just text. You too can use the power of the visual media to help you obtain what you want.
Follow this link if you want to know more about how you can learn to create the life you were born to live.
Goal setting without an action plan is a recipe for failure
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the “secrets” to creating a life that you’ve always wanted, accomplishing your goals, and making your dreams come true, is taking regular focused action towards their achievement. One tool that has had a profound impact in my life, is something that I learned during one of my coach training programs.
You have created a long-term vision, set your one-year goals based on that vision, and then broken those goals into smaller three month goals. We will now take it one-step further.
Look at your three month goals and see what you can do in the next thirty days to move toward this accomplishment. Then, write each of these on an index card, on your smart phone or iPad. These are something you can carry with you and read whenever you want.
You may want to complete a mini version of this exercise for a specific area of your life. I have a mini version for my books and writing, as well as, my seminars and business programs.
I also have one for my health and fitness goals. These simple tools help keep me focused and on track as I actively create the life I want to live.
I use my cards like this: On one side of the card I write the goal in an exciting and positive way, being sure to put a great deal of emotion into it, include why I want this, and how I will feel when it is accomplished.
Then, on the other side I listed specific actions that I will take during the next thirty days that will move me toward making the goal a reality. After using these cards for a period of time, I discovered some interesting things. Before I begin my day, or prior to working on a particular area I will read the card.
This puts me in the high, positive emotional state and I’m already attracting what I want to me. Additionally, I found when I do this, and then turn the card over and read my actions, more often then not, I will think of another small action that I can take to move me toward my desired outcome. I call this inspired action.
For example, in working with the card for my seminars recently, as I read my goal and looked at my list of actions, I was inspired to contact a non-profit agency and discuss how I might help them by leveraging my seminars. This “inspired action” will produce additional income for me and help the struggling charity raise some much needed money.
The reason this is so effective is that by first reading your goal, with feeling, you create a mental and emotional state that is conducive to manifesting it. The ideas that come while you are in that state tend to be more inspired and creative then what you might normally think to do.
The more passionate and excited you are about your goals and the more that you’re in that state of feeling as though they have already happened, the more you are tapping into the Higher Guidance that is available to us all.
Your sub-conscience mind will go to work to find new ways for you to accomplish your goals. Doors will open. The right people will come into your life. All sorts of things will occur to help you along your path.
If you find this idea a bit to far out, I challenge you to use it for a few months and see if you don’t agree that the actions you are being inspired to take are significantly more creative than you have been used to.
This is not just a nice theory. All of the ideas, tools and techniques I write and speak about have been used successfully by myself and others.
I have never written anything without first using it in my own life for validation. I believe that this is one of the reasons people have responded so well to my books. I am able to write with certainty, having appointed myself as the guinea pig in my own life’s experiment.
Goal setting made simple
Posted by: | CommentsAssuming you’ve completed the earlier post about creating your vision, you now have a clear idea of where you want to be and what you want your life to become. If you have not done so, please go here and complete this important first part of goal setting.
Next, it is time to extract some specific measurable goals you can achieve in the next twelve months. We will then break these down even further and, finally, develop an action plan to keep you on track.
Looking back over each area of your vision find one or two specific goals that are in alignment with your overall vision. Goals that you can accomplish in a year’s time that will move you toward fulfilling your vision.
For example, if in your vision you are living a carefree life, with plenty of money, doing work you love, a one-year goal that would lead you towards your vision might be to start your own business and begin earning a specific amount of money from it.
Write your goal in the present tense as though it has already happened and state it in the positive. Be sure to make it exciting and colorful too. Your one-year career goal might look like this, “I am so excited having my successful business, making a difference and earning an additional twenty five thousand dollars a year from it.”
If, in your vision you have a great, loving, supportive, respectful, special relationship with another person, your goal might look like this: “I am so happy that I am in a warm, loving, passionate relationship with the perfect person for me.” Another might be, “I am blessed with supportive and loving friends who I enjoy spending time with.”
In your journal complete this exercise, choosing one or two goals from each of the key areas in your vision. Think about what goal you could accomplish in one year that will support your overall life’s vision.
Next, beside each goal, write a short sentence about why you want this. What will having this do for you and your family? It’s been said that you can accomplish any goal if you have a big enough why.
For example, none of us want more money for the sake of just having money. We want more money for the things it will do for us, whether to buy something, pay for a great vacation, college tuition or simply to have a better lifestyle.
By the way, if you already have your own business, you may want to complete a vision and goal session for it and if you have employees or a team, have each of them do the same. Companies using these principals have produced quantum leaps in their revenue. As I said before you can use these techniques for any area of your life.
The alternative is leaving your life to chance. The fact that you’re reading this tells me that you are not one of those people willing to settle and live, as Henry David Thoreau said, “in quiet desperation.” You have within you the power to change your life.
Your three month goals
Once again I’m going to ask you to extract measurable specific goals. This time you will look at your one-year goals and ask what you can accomplish in three months.
Take each goal that you set earlier and break it down into a three-month milestone.
For example, in your business area, your one-year goal of highly successful business could become a three-month goal like the following: “I have happily begun my new business part-time and it is growing steadily.”
Your relationship goal may become something like this: “I am so happy having met a wonderful person who I enjoy being with.” Again, do this for each of the one-year goals you identified.
I realize this seems like a lot of work, but it will be well worth it. This is one of the best activities you can do for yourself. You are really taking charge of your own destiny and creating the life you want to live.
You may want to do this with your family and those people close to you, especially your children.
Next, I’ll share with you my little known but simple strategy for incorporating the power of the law of attraction into your action plan for faster and more powerful results.
Be sure to subscribe to either this blog or my Jim’s Jems newsletter to receive this information and please share with your friends.