Wayne's Blog

We are now well into February so I was wondering if you were still sticking to the new years resolutions you set after the excesses of the festive holidays?I am going to make a rather blunt statment here and suggest that generally speaking these  annual 'statements of intent' (and usually aimed at changes in lifestyle and health) , just don't seem to work for the majority of people, however well intentioned.

The unfortunate fact is that despite going to school and possible college or university we never get any real help or guidance on how to set  goals in our lives and in such a way that they give us the best chance of success. 

I could write thousands of words of advice on such a crucial subject but in a blog I have to keep it simple. The thing is - resolutions don't work - AFFIRMATIONS do! And an affirmation is an inspirational dream expressed as 'reality' in a well written goal.

This means you unleash your imagination and picture what true success will actually be like, and as if it is happening right now! Bombard your written goals with as much exciting and positive detail as you can, employing all  senses so that you KNOW EXACTLY what real success feels, looks,tastes, and sounds like.

An example of this in action was when I set myself the challenge of cycling solo around the 2,256 miles of the Tour de France in June 2004 - I wrote my affirmation 10 months before I set off (i started working on my affirmation BEFORE I bought myself a bike!). Can you imagine how I described my final ride up the Champs Elysees? - the vibration of the cobbles, the noisy traffic, smells of coffee, the taste of champagne and the utter pride and elation of finishing. I committed it all to paper and my words and therefor the images and emotions attached to them became a passion that programmed me for success.

My 7 simple 'top tips' for writing magnificent affirmations are:

1. Expressed as an exact date in the future.. "It is...... 2. Written in the first person "and I have ... - 3. Brief and very powerfully phrased to engage your emotions and utilse many of your senses  "arrived at the Arc de Triomph...- 4. Challenging yet believeable to you.   - 5. Expressed only in positive terms 6. With no comparisons to others.    and       7. Repeated many times daily.

Good luck and hope this helps you make 2010 your best year yet. 

Mohammed Ali said "It is the repetition of affirmations that lead to belief, and once that belief becomes a deep conviction - things start to happen" and lets face it, he was great at them!