Writing Goals Down Versus Just Thinking About Them

In our New Years day blog post, we wanted to remind you of the power of writing goals down.

We couldn’t think of a better way to inspire and support your new years resolution 2018!

Did you manage to find those all important moments to yourself?

If so, did you get anywhere close to writing down 25 goals. It’s actually not the easiest exercise is it?

If like some, you didn’t get a chance, you can always go back when you’re feeling a bit more prepared for delving into your own creative resources. You might even choose do a few and leave the page of your journal open in a place you walk past regularly.

The very beginning of writing goals down is the hardest part and that’s only because it requires your undivided attention.

Focusing on and defining our goals is something that most of us procrastinate on, believing we’ll get back to it when we have a little more time on our hands. Like that ever happens!

Did you know … that by actually writing goals and dreams down on a regular basis, you are 42% more likely to achieve them?

Psychology professor, Dr. Gail Matthews recently gathered two hundred and sixty-seven men and women from all walks of life, from all over the world to study the art and science of goal setting.

In addition, the likelihood of your desires transforming into real life events is even higher for those who not only focused on writing goals down but who also shared them friends.

Why then, is writing goals down on paper so profound?

Put simply … it has everything to do with the way our brain works.

We don’t need to get technical but we all know that our brain has a left and a right hemisphere.

It is the corpus callosum ( bundle of neural fibers ) that connects both sides ( the literal left side and the imaginative right side ), via electrical signals.

These electrical signals move into the fluid that surrounds the brain, travelling up and down the spinal column.

Not only do these electrical signals go on to communicate with every other fiber and cell in our body, they also communicate with the consciousness that operates within us, transforming our thoughts into reality.

Here is the difference between writing goals down and just thinking about them.

When you think about a goal or a dream, you use only the right ( imaginative ) hemisphere of your brain.

Whereas when you think about a goal or a dream and actually go one step further by writing it down, you’ve then connected to the left ( literal and logic based ) side too.

The simple act of writing goals down ignites your subconscious mind in mysterious and exciting ways.

It literally opens your subconscious to “seeing” opportunities that you would have otherwise missed when only thinking about your goals.

So if you didn’t get that chance to begin writing your goals down on New Years Day.

Write down what you would truly love (no matter how big), NOT what you think you can have.

Here area a few ideas to help get you started:

• What things/hobbies have you enjoyed in the past?
• Where would you love to travel?
• What new things do you want to try?
• How would you like to improve your health, whether mental or physical?
• What about a romantic partner – what are you looking for?

Next, write today’s date next to each one, and a target date when you would like to achieve each goal.

Then, write down the two reasons you know you CAN achieve this goal.

What wonderful qualities of yours can apply here?

Don’t forget the all important final task of reading your journal ALOUD to yourself once a day for at least one month, immediately before meditating ( an excellent vehicle in connecting both hemispheres of your brain ).

Then, during meditation, kick back and let your amazing mind pull YOUR inner resources together – your talents, knowledge, experience, ideas, friends, etc. – to make it all happen for you.

What to expect:

While it might be difficult to really believe or even visualise how this plain and simple experiment offers such profound results, here are two facts to consider:

1. You WILL reach a new, higher level of clarity around your goals and dreams, which can only be a good thing, considering the more specific your goal, the more specific the result. The act of writing goals down does require a certain level of clarity that just thinking about them doesn’t.
2. This exercise shifts you closer towards what you tend to focus on throughout your day. Your awareness of new opportunities (often right under your nose) becomes heightened as opposed to over looked when goals are only thought about.

Remember … This is your story. Make it epic!