When police agents are trained to recognise counterfeit money, they are trained to focus on knowing all the characteristics of the legal currency. They are trained using real money and work with only the legal tender, until they know every counterfeiting measure printed on or in the money. They study the money on both sides, until they know every feature of the money, which makes it legal tender. By knowing the real money so well, when they encounter any counterfeit money, they will immediately recognise it as counterfeit. Their training is very specific and focused on teaching them to know everything about the legal money. Their minds are therefore not cluttered with all the possible things, which could be wrong or the mistakes that are commonly made. They are completely focused, because they are specialists in the real thing. This way any counterfeit money is glaringly obvious to them.
The same is true for your life. When you focus your energy on the penalties of failure or you are constantly worried about all the things that could go wrong. You are far more likely to infuse your performance with those penalties and potential mistakes. One of the most crucial steps in the process of ensuring you stay focused on achieving your vision and goals is to concentrate on what you need to do. Do not allow yourself to focus any attention on the things you must not do. For example, if you feel you are carrying a little too much weight. Do not set a goal to lose weight, or if you are a tennis player do not set a negative goal, not to double fault. Avoid setting negative goals like not being late all the time or not to speak so fast and loud all the time. These goals are framed in negative terms and try to get us to move in a positive direction, by focusing on the negative. No wonder achieving goals seems so difficult.
We need to steer clear of negative goal setting. It is impossible for our minds to focus on a reverse idea. For example: when the tennis player focusses on the negative term, namely the double fault. He is reminding himself of the very condition he wants to avoid at all costs. The person, who is constantly late for everything, by setting a negative goal about not being late, does not offer a solution, but only highlights the challenge they want to overcome. When we think in terms of all the weight we have to lose, we have a negative self-image in our minds of someone who is overweight. To succeed in achieving any goal we set we must create a vivid picture in our mind of what we want to do, or achieve, not what we do not want to do, or what we do not want to achieve. In the case of losing weight we need to create a vivid image in our minds of what we will look like when we reach our perfect weight. Using this image as our goal we have a positive image and a solution to focus on, rather than a negative picture of being overweight and the kilograms we need to lose.
Try this little experiment: Get a picture in your mind of a time you were really angry or upset. Focusing on that picture, try to concentrate on not being upset or angry. How does it make you feel? Now get a vivid picture in your mind of a time you felt energised and happy. Focusing on that picture, concentrate all your energy on feeling elated and happy. How much better do you feel using the second technique, where you focused on the positive outcome you wanted to achieve, rather than trying to overcome a negative picture or emotion?
When you understand this really important characteristic about how your mind works and you understand that your brain can’t focus on an idea in reverse, you can now appreciate why you must only set positive goals. Try to never again tell yourself not to make mistakes, rather focus on visualising a picture of a perfect or flawless performance. When you focus on the positive outcome you want to achieve, you will perform far better. Can you imagine a tight rope walker who constantly tells himself, not to fall? How long do you think he will survive as a tight rope walker?
The best way to improve performance or to set goals is as follows:
The tennis player, should say things like “First serve in every time”
The person who wants to lose weight, should say “I am reaching my perfect weight”
The person, who speaks loudly and too fast, should say “I speak, slowly, clearly and with confidence”.
The person, who is always late, should say “On time, all the time, every time”.
These are all examples of positive goal statements and they help you to create positive images of achievement in your mind. These positive images, then act as a strong pulling force, to pull you in the direction of the desired new behaviour you need to adopt, to achieve any goal. This small shift in the way you set goals will have a remarkable positive effect on your ability to achieve any goals in the future.
Andrew is an expert and master teacher that speaks and teaches self-leadership, expanded awareness, effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. He guides individuals and business professionals, to identify, prioritise and carry out the right activities, consistently, so that they can maximise their personal effectiveness and deliver their best; on time, every time. All the tools and techniques Andrew teaches; have been tested in the laboratory of his own life and the many successful businesses he has owned and led, over the past 20 years. These strategies have seen Andrew achieve financial independence and reach a point of harmonious balance in all areas of his life. His purpose is to help as many people as possible, achieve similar or better results and to show them how they can realise their full potential, both personal and professionally and to help them live a meaningful life, where they are fulfilled in all areas. http://www.andrewhorton.co.za