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The Process Determines the Results

May 21, 2014  |  Practical life coaching

By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.

Do you want a happy future?  One where you are enjoying your lifestyle?  A future where you take delight in being alive?  Human beings are the only creatures on earth who can change their present circumstance in anticipation of the future.  No other creature can consider the future, and then take action now which results in their anticipated future, in fact, becoming a reality.

We are not victims of the past.  As long as we are alive, we will influence the future by what we do today.  To effectively design and create a desired future, we need to become aware of how we do it.  We need to know the technology for creating our desired future by what we do now...today.  There is such a technology, and here is a simple overview of it.

First, imagine and identify the exact desired outcome you want. Picture it in your mind as clearly as you can.  Then write down a description of that picture in great and  specific detail.  Write it down in the present tense as if it were already happening today.  For example: "I am attracting more money, people, love, free time, joy and happiness.  I am doing this by enjoying who I am, and through the habits I have developed.  I am content with myself and my lifestyle. I am at ease with every action I take."  Write out a description of whom you wish to become.  How you will feel, think and behave.  How you will act when you have what you desire.  Call such a description your "personal vision," and display it where you can re-read it regularly.

Put a time frame to the outcomes you desire...e.g. "Three years from now, on January 31, 2018, I have 20 friends, live in a condominium in Florida, and am working for myself creating and marketing..."  You get the idea.

Create a plan of specific, step-by-step actions you will take, and tasks you will have accomplished (goals), in order to have reached your imagined future.  Begin from three years out and work backward, month by month, describing the objectives, skills needed, people required, necessary resources to have, and actions to take each month...then each week...then each day.  This becomes your personal plan of action...your track on which to move forward into your future.

Begin now.  Learn while you are taking action.  Improve, adjust how you are doing.  As you move down your planned track, be alert to the results you are generating.  Learn from the results you know about.  Change your behavior and ask directly for the responses and results you want.   If the results are not in keeping with your desired outcome, change your course.  Quickly forgive yourself and others for mistakes made (everyone makes mistakes).  Get back on the track which leads most directly to your envisioned future.

Every morning, renew your awareness of who you really are, and where you really are on your track to the future.  Every evening, go over what you did and what happened during the day.  Look for the small events which nourished you and your relationships.  Always be grateful for the small delights in your life.  "Count your blessings."  Develop an "attitude of gratitude" for others impacting you and your lifestyle.  Express appreciation's continuously.

Have free days.  Take at least 24 hours per week to disconnect entirely from the track you are on.  No thoughts, actions or behavior relevant to your plan.  Over time, increase the number of free days.  You will discover you will be more effective, have greater focus and better results on other days.

Be patient and gentle with your progress.  Enjoy the process.  We never know from heartbeat to heartbeat if we will be alive the next moment.  So we need to maximize our enjoyment of what we do now.  We live in the present moment.  But we have the ability to shape each moment to conform to our plans for the future we desire.  Make the best use of that human ability, and you create a present-day reality, as well as a desired future, which conforms to your happiness and inner peace.

Being human and being alive is the greatest joy we know!

 

Dr. Thomas is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and life coach.  He serves on the faculty of the International University of Professional Studies.To subscribe yourself to Practical Life Coaching, click on the following line (or copy and paste the address below into your web browser): http://lists.webvalence.com/listmgr/subscribe?lists=practical_life_coaching