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The
Ultimate Achievement Challenge
The following challenge is for the
daring few who are serious about making their goals, dreams, and
desires come true. Those afraid to dare might as well stop reading
right here. This challenge will weary the lazy because it calls for
immediate action. It will bore the sophisticated, and amuse the
skeptics. I don’t expect it to be popular because it calls for
courage, guts and perseverance. But for a few of you, for the
priceless few who decide to go for it, it will result in a renewal of
purpose and an exciting, adventurous, exhilarating life.
What I will ask you to do will take you
less than 30 minutes a day. Thirty minutes that over a period of time
will change the way you think, will create a burning desire for your
goals, and will cause you to believe without a shadow of a doubt that
you are destined to make your goal a reality.
Once you reach that point, you will be
mentally ready to take the journey to your dreams. You will be so
mentally strong that you will be absolutely unstoppable. None of the
inevitable struggles that you will face will stop you. You will know
that you truly are bigger than any circumstances and you will do
whatever it takes to make your goals happen.
So here goes…
I challenge you, I dare you, I
double-dog dare you to do the following five things seven days a week,
52 weeks a year, for the rest of your life.
Those of you that do will undoubtedly
accomplish great things in your lifetimes. Those that don’t… well,
you know.
Write
your goals down!
Magic happens when you put your goals
down on paper. Your subconscious mind starts trying to figure out
ways to make your goals become a reality.
In 1960, Harvard Business School did
a study of their graduates 20 years after they had graduated. They
found the top 3% moneymakers made as much money as the other 97% put
together. The only difference between the two groups was the top 3%
had always written and regularly read their goals. As a result,
everything they did on a day-to-day basis was focused on reaching
their goals.
When Tiger Woods was a young boy, he
wrote down on a 3x5 card that he intended to break all of Jack
Nicklaus’ records. Tiger read his card daily and the rest is
history. Even Jack Nicklaus agrees that Woods will do it if he stays
on the track he’s on.
The most effective way to write your
goals down is to take a 3x5 card and on one side write (in the
present tense):
"I intend to ………. by
(date)."
Ex.) For years my card said…
"It is February 2002 and I am in the Salt Lake Olympics. I am
now a three-time Olympian"
On the other side of your card write
what you are doing on a daily basis to make it happen.
"I intend to accomplish this
because…"
Then write at least three things you
are doing daily to get you closer to your goal. By reading the back
of your card every day you will increase your belief. You see, your
mind will say to itself, "I’m bound to make it, look at how
hard I’m working!"
Ex.) The back of my card said….
"I’m a three-time Olympian because: 1) I work out every day,
2) I eat right, and 3) I constantly read good books, listen to
motivational tapes, and associate with winners.
Keep your card on your bedside table.
Read your card first thing in the morning EVERY DAY to stay focused
on the objective. Then read your card EVERY NIGHT before turning out
the lights so your subconscious can work all night on ways to make
it happen.
Tip- Read your card in front of a
mirror while looking right at your eyes. Read it with passion, with
energy. Whenever you say the word "I", touch your chest
with your index finger. Make it like a pep talk. I guarantee that by
doing it that way, you will develop tremendous desire, passion, and
mental strength.
Vividly
imagine what it will feel like when you reach your goal
Several times a day close your eyes
and for a couple of minutes vividly imagine what it’s going to
feel like when you achieve your goal. This does not have to take up
any time. You can do it while you shower. While you’re in the
elevator. On the way to work. Make it a "Victory Shower"
or a "Victory Commute!" Really get into it. Feel it as if
it were really happening. Involve as many of your senses as
possible. What will it feel like? What will it taste like? What will
it sound like? What will it look like? What will it taste like? Get
excited! Your subconscious does not know the difference between
vividly imagining something and it really happening. By doing this,
you become passionate about your desire, your belief becomes
unshakeable and you become unstoppable.
Tip- Get pictures of your goal and
put them where you can see them all the time. The walls of my office
have always been covered with Olympic flags, posters, mementos, etc.
I’m constantly bombarding my brain with where I want to go.
Rubber
band your negative self talk away.
This strategy sounds simplistic but
if you will do it for 30 days, you will be surprised at how powerful
it is. Wear a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catch
yourself saying something negative snap your wrist hard and replace
the negative with a positive.
Ex.) Suppose I did something dumb and
called myself "Stupid". I’d snap the rubber band and
say, "No, I’m a winner!".
Or suppose I said, "I’ll try
to do it." I’d snap the rubber band and say, "No, I’m going
to do it!"
What this does is to make you aware
of all the negative programming we typically do, nip it in the bud,
and replace it with a positive. Becoming aware of the problem is the
first step in correcting it. You will be amazed how much more
positive your outlook will become in just 30 days. Soon you will
notice how most people operate from a negative frame of mind and how
successful people don’t.
Here are some examples of negative
and positive phrases:
Negative
Positive
I’m a
loser
I’m a winner
I’m
failing
I’m getting an education
I’m having a
problem
I’m having a challenge
I can’t do
it
I’ll figure it out if I don’t quit
I should have…(some
action) Next time I
will… (some action)
I’ll
try
I will do it
I can’t
I can do it
Read
15 minutes every day from a positive book
The books you read and the people you
associate with will determine where you are in five years.
Consistently reading good books will boost your self-belief and will
help you to start thinking bigger. For a list of some of my favorite
books click
here. For some unbelievable deals on great books for
achievers click
here.
This does not have to take much time.
I keep a book on my bedside table, one in each bathroom, one in my
briefcase (you never know when you’ll have a few spare minutes),
and one in the car (for red lights and traffic jams). I’ve read
some of my books several times. I’ve read "The Magic of
Thinking Big" about 8 times. Every time I read it I get
something different from it because every time I’m older and ready
for new knowledge.
Believe it or not, if all you do is
read one book a month, you’ll be reading more than 95% of
Americans.
If you have teenagers, you might want
to reward them whenever they read and write a book report on
positive books. Get them thinking success at an early age.
Constantly
ask yourself the winner’s question
What’s the best thing can I do in the
next 15 minutes to get me closer to my goal?
Then do it! Do it right away. Don’t
kid yourself, success requires massive action. The first four steps
will make you mentally strong so you can consistently and persistently
do the fifth step. It’s the action that will make your dreams come
true.
If you will get in the habit of doing
the following things every day, you will be surprised at how you begin
to hit and exceed your goals.
It will take you less than 30 minutes a
day to do all these things.
What do you have to lose?
Ruben Gonzalez, a Peak
Performance expert, speaks at conferences, conventions,
corporations, churches and schools on what it takes to succeed in
life. www.thelugeman.com
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