Relax to succeed!
When I first began to work, I decided that I wanted to save. I remember planning what I would put away each week and getting excited about how much I could accumulate.
It didn't work! Every other week there was some reason why I couldn't save. Then a time arrived when I needed to have £300 in savings. I believed that was a good 'safety net' amount of money (this was back in the 70s) and having spent that much money on a holiday I didn't even enjoy but had to pay for when I returned I vowed I'd never let myself be in that position again. I felt a little stuck because I had already failed miserably at this saving lark, so instead of focussing on the detail I simply decided that I would have £300 in the bank in 6 months time. Without focussing on the detail I just told myself that I would do it and .. I did it! I still had to save but the amounts would vary from week to week and also extra money (e.g. tax rebate) appeared and helped me to get to my goal on time. It was an early life lesson. I wish I could say that it changed my life but unfortunately it was a lesson I had to learn over and over again. You see, I equated effort with reward and so I believed that I had to work hard and perhaps even suffer in order to get something I really wanted. This simply deciding and then letting it happen seemed far too simple. As time has gone on I've discovered a few 'rules' to this relax to receive technique. Firstly it has to be what I call an authentic goal. This means it has to be something I really want (rather than something someone else has suggested) and it also has to be possible in reality (deciding I want to be a world class poll vaulter is pointless as I'm only 5.1). Secondly I must believe with all my heart that I will do/get/become it Thirdly visualising myself having already achieved the particular thing makes a real difference. |