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Kori Gouge

Transformational Alchemist | Writer

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happiness

How to create an INCREDIBLE 2018- a lesson in discernment

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Are you tired of being in a state of confusion, over-analysis and overwhelm? Especially now that 2018 is so close you can almost taste it? Oh, the pressure! 

 

Well, never fear! I have just the thing to get rid of that pressure, allow you to have some fun, and set yourself up for an amazing 2018.

 

I created an exercise for you to use when you are seeking guidance on a big decision. This could be next steps in your business or career, your health, your relationship or some other important area of your life, You can also use it for your big dream for 2018.

 

It starts with the idea, a burning desire, connected to a powerful vision. From there, you must take actions that align with that vision. And, you must measure your results to ensure you are getting closer to what you want. But you can’t skip the first part. That is the most important as your vision is what will drive you to keep going.

 

Here are ten questions to guide you to a vision that will serve as your North Star. Following the questions, I walk you through two examples.

 

  1. What do you most desire in the coming year?
  2. What is your stated intention? (use a positive, present tense statement).
  3. What are your hidden intentions? (Limiting beliefs and fears, that prevent you from taking action toward your desire.)
  4. Is this desire strong enough that you are willing to be uncomfortable in order to get it? What comforts are you willing to give up in order to have this desire?
  5. Are you clear what actions you need to take to achieve this desire? What are they?
  6. How committed are you to achieving this desire?
  7. How will you know if you have achieved it? What are you measuring? What is your timeline?
  8. When you don’t feel like it, what do you have in place to support you in completing the action that will lead you closer to your desire?
  9. When you imagine yourself having achieved this desire and are living the life you dream of, what does that vision look like? What do you look like? How does it feel?
  10. Does that vision connect with you on a deep enough level to incite consistent action?

 

Example:

  1. Strong desire:
    1. I most desire improved health.
    2. I most desire to grow my business.
  2. My stated intention is:
    1. to lose 10 pounds and to gain strength.
    2. to increase my sales to $9000/month.
  3. My hidden intentions are:
    1. I don’t want to give up good food. I don’t want to have to deprive myself when I go out with friends. I don’t want to have to work out when I’m tired. I’ve always been a bit overweight. I’m scared I’ll get unwanted attention if I lose weight.
    2. I don’t want to work 60+ hours a week. I am afraid of rejection. I’m scared people will judge me if I make a lot of money.
  4. I am willing to give up:
    1. sugary sweets and replace them with fruit or tea. I am willing to tell people I am focusing on my health and will be eating differently when we go out. I am willing to give up alcohol.
    2. distractions such as social media and the news. I am willing to put myself out there and risk rejection. I am willing to limit how much I watch Netflix.
  5. The actions I need to take are:
    1. to exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week. I will also replace sweets and unhealthy foods with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and protein.
    2. to reach out to ten people a week. I need to consistently be inviting people to get on the phone with me. I also need to work in time blocks so I am more effective and efficient.
  6. Commitment level:
    1. I am 110% committed. I am done hiding. I am ready to be healthy, energetic, and to feel great in my own skin.
    2. I am 150% ready to be successful, make great money, and love my life.
  7. Measurement:
    1. I am measuring how many pounds I’ve lost each week, how much time I have exercised, how many days I exercised, and how I have eaten each day. My timeline is six weeks.  
    2. I am measuring how many people I have reached out to, either by phone, email, or networking. I am measuring how many sales calls and how many completed sales I’ve made. My timeline is eight weeks.
  8. Preparation for resistance and/or obstacles:
    1. I will set my clothes out the night before. I will also ask a friend to meet me to work out at least three times a week.
    2. I will ask a friend to be my accountability partner and schedule a call with her every week to check my progress.
  9. I imagine:
    1. When I imagine being at my perfect weight, feeling healthy and energetic, I see myself smiling. I feel light, free, and full of possibility. I see myself going on a beach vacation and feeling confident in my bathing suit and enjoying the sand, the sun, and the sea. I am not worried about how I look and am able to appreciate everything around me fully, I feel excited and peaceful at the same time.
    2. When I imagine having consistent $9k months, I see myself smiling and laughing. I feel confident, purposeful, and passionate. I see myself having a bigger impact on others than I ever have before. I feel a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation.  I see myself being a role model to my friends and family.
  10. Compelling vision:
    1. I need to add more emotion and celebration to this vision. I see myself wearing a beautiful dress, dancing, laughing and enjoying myself. Now that I am not obsessing about my weight, I have so much more time to play, create, and dream than ever before. I have energy, enthusiasm, and positivity. I am inspiring others.
    2. I need to imagine this vision with more details to make it more compelling. I am traveling outside of the US three to four times a year.  I am leading retreats and workshops in beautiful and inspiring locations. I work with incredible clients. I have a community of powerful entrepreneurs that I connect with each week. My work is helping hundreds of people. I am humbled and honored that I get to do this work, have this impact, and live this life.

For your compelling vision, KEEP GOING. Make it come alive – bring emotions, all your senses (I feel the wind and sun on my face. As I jump in the cool, ocean water, I feel exhilarated.  …. keep going….. you can listen to this guided visualization to help you.)

Now it’s your turn. Allow yourself to tap into your deepest desire as you contemplate the coming new year. Engage your imagination, your emotions, and all your senses to create a vision that pulls you forward. Then, set up actions and measurements to turn that desire into a reality.

 

This is your life. This is your time. It’s time to elevate it.

 

I’d love to hear what it is you most desire for 2018. Let me know and I’ll share a tip or tool to deepen your vision and actions. Even better, let’s chat! Schedule a time for us to elevate your vision and actions here.

 

Here’s to an incredible 2018,

 

Kori

Tap into the power of your mind to recreate your life

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I have been delving more into the power of the mind, reading books such as Quantum Reality and listening to audiobooks such as The Power of Subconscious MInd. I have always been fascinated by the mind. I first began studying it on my own as a teenager and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in psychology. My interest in the mind was spurred by my own difficulties with disordered thinking. I had developed an eating disorder at the age of 16 and I knew this was not my natural state so I sought out every book I could to help me understand why I was attacking my body with such negative thoughts. It was difficult at the time to rewire my brain because I had trained it over time to think a certain way. Your thought patterns, when left unchecked, become a sort of tape on repeat. Unless you stop to take the tape out, throw it away, and choose a new tape, you will continue to get exactly what you’ve gotten which is exactly what you don’t want.

 

While I eventually healed myself and recovered from an eating disorder and body hatred, I noticed my thoughts then took on a new target. Once one issue was resolved, my brain looked for a new problem to focus on. When you focus on the problem instead of the solution, you simply perpetuate the problem.

 

This also correlates with what Gay Hendricks calls the upper limit problem. He states that when you are happy in one area of your life, you reach a level of what is perceived acceptable and more than that is uncharted territory so instead of venturing on, you create a new problem or start to worry about something. This brings you back to your level of comfort. The trick is to catch yourself when you’re doing this so you start to break through to a new level of satisfaction and happiness instead of limiting that. When something is going well, allow yourself to stay in it. If you notice you start to worry or shift your thinking to something negative, stop and then think of a positive memory, something that brings back those feelings of satisfaction.

 

The more you practice this, the less time you will allow your mind to take you to negative town. In the book, E-Squared, Pam Grout uses an example of thinking of an undesirable situation (which could be your current reality) as a location where you don’t want to hang out and then contrasting that with what you do desire as the most amazing destination. When you notice your mind shifting back to problems, ask yourself if you want to continue spending time in this undesirable place or if you would rather continue on the path to what you ultimately desire. It is always a matter of choice. When you start to realize you have the power to change your thoughts and also notice how different you feel when you focus on the solution and the desire, you will start creating new pathways in your brain so that eventually your default thought patterns shift to being more positive.

 

The cool thing is you have nothing to lose by experimenting with it. (Well, you will lose your old thought patterns which have kept you stuck, but that’s a worthy sacrifice.)

 

So what can you do to start to practice this? Start small. You can set an intention to see a certain color of car and then notice how many cars of that color you see throughout the day (this is one of Pam Grout’s experiments.) This helps demonstrate to your rational mind that you get more of what you focus on. When you focus on seeing a certain car, that is exactly what you will see.

 

Once you start to see that it works, you can experiment with bigger things. It is all about setting a specific intention/request and then expecting, no trusting, that it will indeed come to pass, even when there is no evidence to indicate that. When doubt creeps in, send it away. Refocus. Steel your faith and trust that what you want is on its way and that you no longer need to worry about it. Then, act in accordance with that belief. Talk as if it is already settled. Embody it.

 

You are not here just to get by, my friend. You are here to live your fullest expression in all ways – in your work, your relationships, your health, your finances, and all that you desire. Know that the greatness within you is seeking its expression through you. You are meant to live a rich and deeply fulfilling life. Now it’s up to you to choose just that, focus on it, and be it.