The Danger of Goal Posters –
Is your head on someone else’s
result?
Goal posters can be a great
visual tool to help you increase your belief and
motivation…if they’re done and used properly.
But did you know that if you
don’t have the right pictures to look at, you
can actually be cementing NON-belief and
DE-motivation? I believe that most consultants
and directors would be better off with no goal
poster at all because most people don’t use the
right pictures.
For instance, if you cut out your
head and put it on a picture of a National’s
suit, or a Directors’ suit, or took a picture
with yourself in someone else’s Cadillac, you
might actually be doing more harm than good.
Here’s why…
Whenever you look at that
picture, thoughts and emotions are triggered.
That’s the whole purpose of goal posters – to
trigger belief and motivation.
However, if looking at your head
on another person’s result, like the suit or
car, triggers a different set of thoughts –
negative ones instead of positive ones – you’re
ruining your efforts. Again, the question to
ask yourself is – “What kind of emotions come up
when I look at my goal poster?”
If there’s any disconnect
whatsoever, you’ll probably trigger negative
thoughts. Here are 3 main reasons for emotional
disconnect when looking at goal posters:
1 – What you’re focusing on is
too far away – like wanting to be a National
when you haven’t figured out how to be an Elite
yet, or wanting to be a Director when you
haven’t recruited anybody yet, etc.
2 – What you’re focusing on is
too big and overwhelming – when it comes to your
goals, your mind wants clear and concise
objectives that it knows how to create. It’s
perfectly okay to dream a little and see
long-term visions for yourself, but you’ll be
better served to break those down into more
manageable, attainable objectives for daily
focus and motivation with a goal poster.
3 – What you’re focusing on is
not really what you want – this is huge! Most
women believe they want to be a National, or a
Director, or they want to get the Pink
Cadillac. But none of those rewards have any
inherent emotional value. Neither does money.
What you really must tap into is
the why behind what you’re after. You’ve
heard this time and time again, but don’t forget
the importance of it when you make your goal
poster, or “vision board” as I call it.
Instead of writing “Director by
Seminar ‘08” or having a picture of you in the
new purple suit, ask yourself why do you want
this particular goal? And most importantly,
how will it make you
feel?
Here’s a great exercise to figure
out what really motivates you. Pick any goal
you have and allow your mind to play a 1-minute
commercial of what it’s going to be like when
you achieve it. For instance, if you want to be
a director, how will it play out? Let your mind
visualize the whole scene however it wants to
experience it. Do not try to direct the
production – let your intuition guide you.
What you’ll usually find is that
there are bits and pieces in this little
commercial that have more emotional “juice” than
the other parts. Maybe you start to cry, or get
goose bumps, or a lump in your throat. These
juicy parts are what really excite you
emotionally, and that’s what you should focus
on.
For example, I had a DIQ in one
of our seminars one time that had been focusing
on becoming a director, and I told her that’s
not even what she really wants. After doing
this little commercial exercise, she started
crying as she shared with us her vision of
picking her two sons up from school in a
stretched Hummer limousine and taking them to
eat ice cream after she finished DIQ. That’s
where the real inspiration was for her.
So I told her to take down all
references to becoming a director, because
that’s not emotionally relevant, and put up a
picture of a Hummer limousine and another
picture of her sons eating ice cream. Those are
the visuals that trigger motivation and belief
for her, and have a much better chance to
inspire action.
Now, understand that it is
possible for a picture of your head on a suit or
you in a car to trigger that same type of
inspiration – to make you emotionally salivate,
but for most people they don’t. For most
people, it’s simply a reminder of what you
haven’t achieved yet, which generally triggers a
series of negative thoughts and emotions
questioning whether you have what it takes to
ever get there, and reminding you of all the
goals you haven’t gotten in the past, which
usually matches a limiting belief that you’re
not good enough. ;-(
And in that frame of mind, it’s
going to be pretty tough to make the calls,
wouldn’t you agree? My experience tells me that
less than 1 out of 20 people who have those
types of pictures on their visions boards are
doing themselves any justice whatsoever.
If you’re one of the remaining 19
out of 20, take those negative triggers down and
replace them with whatever visuals will trigger
the emotional fuel you need to do the activities
that will lead to your results. Then appreciate
yourself every step of the way when you do the
activities, and the results have to follow.
And remember to always enjoy the
journey. ;-)
SS
Canada
is AWESOME!!!
Water
parks. BBQ's. Mini golf.
Beaches. Paddle boats. Sea-Doo's.
Speaking of which, a client of mine brought over
her Sea-Doo so I could go jet-skiing in the
lake. That was a great idea, until I rode
it too close to shore after about 5 minutes of
fun. It sucked up 3 rocks and shut down
immediately - sorry Sheila! In this
picture on the left, you can see me trying to
pry the rocks loose (unsuccessfully).
McKenna
and Ecksley had a great time too. Kenna
was sick for the first 3 days of the trip, but
she starting feeling better just as the good
weather came back. They both traveled so
well
on the plane. And all you parents out
there who've traveled with little ones know how
big of a deal that is!
Sean hosts the
