Set Your Goals Again and Again

An Article By Jeanie Marshall

You must set your goals again and again if you want to be empowered when your dreams come true. Achieving little goals or larger life goals is an ongoing process. It may seem like a destination when you haven't yet achieved your goals, but it's a journey.

A Goal or Dream by Any Other Name is Just as Powerful

When people think about what they want to experience in the future, they're likely to use one or more of the following words or phrases: dream, goal, vision, dream for the future, imagination, plan, expectation, life goals. These words and phrases certainly do not all mean the same, but in context, the practical meaning can be very similar.

You have your own unique dreams and visions and imaginings and views of things to come. Some dreams or goals are splashes and flashes you may not fully comprehend. Others may be as clear as you see with your physical eyes. Some arrive in your nighttime dreaming, remembered in the morning or days later. Others show up during processes like goal setting, meditation, writing or reading poetry, or conversations with others.

A common expression in our language is "a dream come true," which usually means you are pleased or surprised or fulfilled that something you had hoped for or imagined or dreamed about has materialized. There are variations on this interpretation, but this basically captures the essence of what most people usually mean. The expression usually conveys a feeling of closure, rather than an indication to activate new dreams or to set your goals again.

After Your Goal or Dream Comes True

After realizing or manifesting a long-time life goal or dream, you might be unprepared for the emptiness or depression or aimlessness that comes from living without a goal or dream for the future. This is a very common dynamic, unless you have begun to imagine a new life goal or dream.

Without a new dream, you might become either complacent or agitated, without recognizing the reasons. The logical mind expects that after achieving goals or dreams you will be joyous and satisfied. When you are not or are not for long, you will likely try to explain the discontent by the closest available stimulus or stimuli in your environment to make sense of feeling "down and despondent" or "up and agitated." To be without a dream or vision of the future is a truly aimless condition. That is why I encourage you to set your goals again or set new goals.

When you make a connection between the power of your intentions and the goals you identify, you deepen your realization of your dreams.

Opening to a New Vision of a Goal or Dream

Recently, I guided a client to see a vision of his future. Here's a little background: Alex (a pseudonym, of course) is an accomplished, exceptionally intelligent, powerful professional who is highly regarded in his field. Indeed, his sphere of influence extends far beyond his own field. He is 50ish. He's accustomed to achieving goals. In fact, he has far exceeded his childhood dreams and those of early adulthood. He's ready for a new dream, one that is beyond his realized dream.

Alex has far more to contribute to the world. I chuckled both silently and empathetically as he expressed feelings of his life being over. "Over!?!" I kept myself from screaming, and then said calmly, "you have just begun, my friend! Your true mission is yet to be realized." My awareness of his life mission served as some slight comfort to him in his despair.

However, I had a greater gift for Alex than describing my interpretation of his life goal yet to come. After leading him in a brief guided visualization, I did some Focused Energy Work, which is a unique and powerful process I use with clients. He lost conscious awareness of the experience, which was fortunate, as he might have resisted the new vision. Through my mind's eye, I could see this vision of his life mission drop into his energy field with a sound of gentle thunder and a splash of lightening.

As I coaxed him back to consciousness, he said he had gone very deep. I encouraged him to describe the vision that had dropped in. At first he focused on his present crisis and transition. I cleared that from the energy field so that he could step into the vision, which he was then able to describe in precise detail. Since I could see what he saw (before or as he did), I asked him questions that led him to specific objects and people and feelings and thoughts.

After he had embodied the vision, Alex moved back into the present, to live in the here and now, re-energized by the vision of his goals and dreams that will become even clearer with time.

Happiness is Envisioning and Achieving, Again and Again

As I said above, dream and goal achievement must be ongoing, considered more as a journey than a destination. In other words, you must set your goals and then set your goals again and keep setting your goals. A common disempowering belief that many people have goes something like "As soon as I achieve ____, I will be happy." When an achieved goal is a prerequisite for happiness, happiness never comes or is short-lived.

It's important to be happy while you're identifying, setting, seeking, and achieving your goals and dreams. When you're in a state of happiness, goals and dreams manifest more quickly and more fully. In addition, when you're happy, dreams and goals also replace themselves naturally, nourishing you and encouraging you to move forward. When you set your goals spontaneously and regularly, you find yourself more in the flow of life and easily activating your inner smile.

What is Your Goal or Vision or Dream?

What is the vision, goal, or dream that you're holding that you want to realize? Is it a life goal that guides you for years? Is it a dream you want to manifest today or this week? Do you have a goal you want to achieve this month or this year? Do you need to create a time and space to intentionally set your goals? Whatever your answers, enjoy the journey.

Copyright © 2008 Marshall House. All rights reserved. Jeanie Marshall, Personal Development Consultant and Coach, has developed Empowering Personal Development at www.empowering-personal-development.com to encourage you on your path. This article is not available for republication without express written permission.

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