Mindful Goals
Have you ever wondered why you can't achieve the goals you set for yourself? for example on New Year's Eve when we set our goals for next year and then we realize that halfway we have not done what we promised ourselves.
Another example could also be that at work I have a goal to deliver a project in a certain amount of time and then when the end of the day comes my goal is not met.
This can happen to us both in the personal and work area, one of the reasons it's because there is a combination of consciousness and the subconscious.
As Rasmus Huckert has explained in his book “One Second Ahead” the mind has two sides: the conscious and the subconscious. The capacity of conscious information processing is set to 7 bits per second while the subconscious mind processes information to 11 million bits per second.
You can check this when you go to sleep and you realize that your dreams are quite cultured or of different mixed images that appear meaningless. It's because your subconscious is awake while the conscious part is off and you can observe at that moment how the process information from your subconscious comes to light.
When we set a goal for ourselves we do it consciously. Your conscious mind wants to run 5 kilometers per day but the chaotic subconscious will mix it will distract you distract you from that goal that will be the mission of your subconscious.
The solution for that is have a regular mindfulness practice that will help you sharpen the mind to be able to practice daily concentration and realize what i'm doing
everyday life.
How to achieve my goals: two techniques that will help you to be more successful
I like to apply two different techniques to the goals I set for myself and make sure that I am able to meet them, whether these goals are personal or are they goals that I set for myself in my work.
The first is about visualization where what I do is close my eyes and when I'm setting my goal I visualize it fulfilled. For example, if I want a new job in particular, I visualize the movement of an office to a new place and feeling the space. I will visualize that goal many times until I can achieve it.
So the next time you have a goal in mind remember these simple steps:
1. Sit comfortably in a chair, a sofa or on the floor, meditation it must be comfortable.
2. Close your eyes and inhale deeply then exhale fully 3 times through the nose.
3. Visualize the Goal you want to achieve, see it, feel it, smell it, be inside it, hear it and feel the sense of success.
4. Breathe 3 times again.
5. Stay a few minutes enjoying the visualization, and if your mind asks questions return to the goal itself.
6. When you are ready, open your eyes slowly.
7. Repeat every day to make sure every day you will take a step forward towards your goal.
The second thing to try to do is give specific instructions to the subconscious. As I mentioned before, remember that the subconscious has a much greater faculty to process the information. 11 million against 7 bits per second is a big difference so if my goal is light and without information enough to be processed my subconscious will not take into account that objective.
For example, if I want to practice yoga every day, I will have to give more information to my subconscious to make sure I make it go in the direction I I want. I'll have to tell myself without hesitation "I'm going to practice yoga classes for 30 minutes every day in the morning around 6:30 AM as soon as I wake up".
I hope you enjoyed the article and remember to focus your attention on the present moment as you work towards creating a better future with the help of your goals!