When it comes to setting goals – whether quarterly aims for your business, New Year’s resolutions, or any change you want to create in your life – it’s important to know what you want before moving into action. To do that, there’s a process I use that’s radically different to other goal-setting techniques out there. It’s helped me to achieve some extraordinary things, and I want to share it with you today so you can see if it has the same effect in your life if you’ve found yourself wondering how to know what you want.
This approach is probably very different to others you might have tried when it comes to creating change. But when it comes to figuring out how to know what you want, I believe it’s important to be open to trying new ways of doing things.
After all, many of us find traditional goal-setting, even when we start with the best intentions, leads to stress and exhaustion. The tendency is often to push and strive our way towards the thing we’ve decided we want.
Often, it’s because we go into “Superwoman” mode once we’ve set our goals – and achieve them at the expense of our own wellbeing.
Starting with a different energy from the outset is crucial if we’re going to avoid that old-fashioned way of being and find a new way to create. If there’s anything we’re a stand for here at One of many, it’s creating with less force, push and grit.
So let’s get started.
Cynic or intuitive, this process is for you
You might be someone who’s really happy when you’re using your intuition or connecting to something outside of you – whether it’s a religion, a spiritual practice, or a connection to “Source” or the universe.
But for this process to work, you don’t need to believe in any of those things.
The trick to making this work is simply to work through the steps – even if you’re a cynic or a natural sceptic. With a science background, I certainly approach the idea of “manifesting” with a healthy dose of scepticism, and it’s not the word I use to describe this process. Rather, I think of it as “Forming dreams”.
In my experience, when you allow yourself the space to dream and imagine accurately and using your unconscious rather than your conscious or “ego” mind, you can start to create things beyond your expectations, and with far more ease.
2 key principles
Before we get started, there are two important things to remember.
Firstly, don’t start this process by thinking of what you want. Rather, think of this as a process to help you get clear on what that might be. You might be surprised by what emerges!
And when it comes to you, there are four words to keep in mind: “This… or something better”. Be open to receiving what it is that emerges from this process – or something even better.
Can you see how that already activates an exciting, open energy?
The second thing to bear in mind is this: Make sure your intention is to receive what you want in divine timing.
After all, we have no idea what’s around the corner. Sometimes what we think we want simply isn’t right for us at a given time. And getting into Superwoman mode to “make it happen” isn’t the most effective way to approach things.
Accept that what’s right for you will come when it’s the right time, and you instantly remove a whole lot of pressure.
Using the Sorceress PowerType
We use 5 powerful female archetypes – called PowerTypes – to step into a new kind of leadership that creates truly empowered results. The PowerType to connect to for this process is the Sorceress. She has absolute faith in being able to achieve things that might seem unlikely or even impossible, and knows that unseen forces support and inspire her.
Start by getting yourself into Sorceress energy, and allow your actions to flow from that.
Step One: Set the scene.
At the very least, you want to be somewhere quiet and distraction free. When I’m using this process I often choose to create a really beautiful space – lower the lights, light a candle, and make sure I’m in an undisturbed place.
Choose to honour this process and give yourself the space and time to really embrace it.
Step Two: Enter a relaxed state.
This kind of state has been described in many different ways – as an “alpha brainwave”, or “wordless”, or “meditative” state. It really doesn’t matter what you call it. But you want to try to get to a point where your internal chatter has gone, and you’re thinking more in pictures than words.
Here are some ways you might be able to access that:
- Lie on the floor and relax all the muscles in your body
- Listen to your heartbeat
- Focus on your breath
- Listen to soothing, wordless music
- Stare at a candle or peaceful image, like a mandala
- If you find it really hard to quieten your brain, you might want to “dump” your thoughts into a notebook and consciously choose to return to them later
The goal is to get to a place where you’re no longer hearing the “chatter” of your mind, and are connected instead to a deeper, more peaceful state of mind.
Step Three: Feel connection
Tune into your feeling of connection with everything in the universe.
If you’re religious, that might be accessing your connection to God or Creation. My trick is to think about things on a scientific level. Under an electron microscope, I know that my body is largely made up of space. We are literally interconnected, at an atomic level, to the air around us, and everything in the universe.
Really feel your connection to all that is, and open up to the sense of energy flowing through and all around you.
Step Four: Open your imagination
Now, open your imagination to receive the images of what is going to come into your life.
I use the word “receive” mindfully here – because this is very much a sensation of feeling images or visions come to you, rather than trying to create them.
Some of the biggest things I’ve achieved in my life – massive financial goals, professional achievements – have been things that have come to me as visions like this without me understanding necessarily exactly how they were going to pan out.
Focus on receiving what’s there for you in the context you’re dreaming about. See the images, hear the sounds, feel the feelings. Really experience the image fully.
Step Five: Let it go
Once you’ve really absorbed the image, sounds, and feelings of the vision or dream you’ve had, it’s time to release your attachment to it. The easiest way to do that is to literally imagine cutting a cord, or letting go of a balloon – watching the vision float away.
This isn’t a goal you need to guard or hang on to. I know – if you’ve seen a really juicy dream in your mind’s eye, that might feel hard to do!
Trust in the process.
An important part of it is the concept of surrender. Allow change to happen without feeling you need to push or rush it.
Step Six: Write it down
Remaining unattached, grab your journal and write down as many details as you can of what you’ve experienced. This step is a fun one – it means you can return to your dream when it’s come into your life, and see how the details match up!
Step Seven: Move into inspired action
You don’t need to be attached, and you don’t need to grit your teeth and grind this vision into action – but you do need to be willing to take a step towards making your dream happen.
I used this process before I met my husband, when I wanted to find the relationship I was ready for. And my first step after completing the process was to join an online dating site. As it happened, that wasn’t where I met Greg. But I believe it was a vital signal that I was ready for the dream I’d had, and willing to take action to bring it to life.
What’s your dream?
This might seem like an unconventional way to figure out what you want, but it’s one that has given me some truly incredible results. So I’d love to know how it works for you – when you’ve tried it, share your vision in the comments.
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