My Goals – My Resolve

“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs” – James Allen

*****

What must I believe about myself to perpetuate my current conditions?

What must I believe about myself to create the conditions I desire?

What is the disconnect between the conditions I say I want, and the conditions I create?

*****

I create according to my beliefs about what is safe and functional.

If what I am experiencing and what I say I want are different, there must be a disconnect between my stated desires and my deeply held beliefs.

*****

What do I want more than what I say I want?

*  *  *

The above is an e-mail I sent myself the other day.

I had the idea that maybe I wasn’t the only who sometimes has trouble achieving goals so I though I’d share.

I invite you to look carefully at the language above.*

It all started with a quote from James Allen, but it grew into (for me) a powerful set of questions that have 1) put me on notice that I have some things to figure out and 2) that I have some work to do.

What about you?

What do you take away?

*  *  *

* Especially the last bolded sentence. In future posts I will be exploring Kegan and Lahey’s work on Immunity to Change (which for me is very powerful/attractive explanation for why we don’t do what we say we need to do).

Similar Posts

  • What Stops You(?)

    In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. – Bill Cosby The interesting thing about fear of failure is that it’s just one form of the fear of change. What people really fear is change. Why? Because our emotional brain references ancient programming from early Man that…

  • Another Way to Be Wise

    Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. – Plato Another version of this is: only talk when doing so will improve upon the silence (paraphrased, from who I don’t know). Talking just because you want to talk is needy, or narcissistic or disrespectful – or all three….

  • Resource Allocation and the Tragedy of Living-by-Default

    I am reading Clayton Christensen’s (excellent) book How Will You Measure Your Life? (expect more posts inspired by this powerful book… ). On page 72, he says “Unless you manage it mindfully, your personal resource allocation process will decide investments for you according to the “default” criteria that essentially are wired into your brain and your…

  • Wherever You Go . . .

    Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene. – Arthur Christopher Benson Where ever you go, there you are. It is rare that a change of address will solve one’s problems. The great news is that when you get to the core of what’s bothering you it can be…

  • Your Thoughts Are A Thermostat

    Nurture your mind with great thoughts for you will never go any higher than you think.” – Benjamin Disraeli I often listen to developmental audio programs in the car and my current selection is (a re-listening of) Brian Tracy’s The Psychology of Achievement. One of the key take-ways is that our self-concept matters a great deal. In particular,…