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By Mahal Ramos, Sugarpoint Concepts

Have you noticed that celebrities and people in successful positions sometimes take a sudden downturn in their careers? Have you met someone who “used to” have a lot of money, a great job and then found themselves in a bad situation?

There are many reasons why people run into unfavorable circumstances.  If you had a collection of methods that empower you with maximum foresight and control of your success, would you use them?

Goal setting, goal writing and goal planning are all very important in personal and business development. There thousands of cd’s, dvd’s and books on goals. The first step that many of these books talk about is visualizing and deciding exactly what you want. A popular method for the visualization is the Magic Wand Exercise, in which you imagine having a magic wand to create exactly what you want in your job, your relationships, your finances and wealth.

This exercise is closely related to that visualization stage. It is called “2 Degrees North” because, like following a map, you target your “location” or your “goal,” then you stretch your mind slightly, a mere “2 degrees,” to see for yourself what happens after you hit your first target. 2 Degrees North is like the act of seeing past your nose in goal planning and you can answer, “Now that I’m here – now what?” 

DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU’VE REACHED YOUR GOAL TO DO THIS. It can be devastating on a large scale. Planning for success includes how to maintain and evolve with it. Presidential candidates make their goal to win the election. After that, they actually have to fulfill the duties of being in office. If you buy a home or a car, you still have utilities, maintenance and insurance to consider. It may seem like small details but isn’t it worth the calculation?

Our goals are typically stepping stones to what we are striving to become, that state of being that stretches our potential and we don’t view our lives with limited opportunities. The specific numbers or items that we assign to the objectives are usually part of a larger, more compelling vision.

Let’s take a common goal that people have at the new year: losing weight.  Specific numbers or objectives are benchmarks. These are measured items like ideal weight range, percentage of body fat, heart rate, cholesterol levels, running time and so on. The ultimate goal for losing weight could be health and wellness, longevity and continuing in lasting relationships. What are some things we do to inject momentum in the goal of losing weight?

Join a gym.

Hire a personal trainer.

Enroll in cardio/ yoga classes.

Refrain from fatty foods for a period of time.

Resolve to cut out certain sugars in our diet.

The list includes some excellent behaviors. It looks like the right activity if we want to lose weight. I am an enthusiastic advocate of writing goals, physically putting them to paper with pen in hand.  We write our ideal weight, the number of times per week that we will exercise and train, the types of meals and number of times we eat per day.

It could look something like this: Target weight: 185-190lbs, train four times / week at the gym and cardio class; snack seven times daily with high protein diet. Check waist measurements every three weeks. These are all helpful, clarifying details on moving us closer to our goal.

HOW DO YOU APPLY THE 2-DEGREES NORTH METHOD?

This is a writing exercise. Typing it is fine as long as you are physically engaged with getting your thoughts to words. Just a couple things that might help you before you begin:

•It’s actually less than five minutes on your first try.  But if you find that these questions take you deeper into defining what you want, then allow yourself the extra effort. It will actually save you time when you’re in the act of fulfilling your goal.

•There is no wrong answer. Many people discovered that when they write their answers, it sounds silly or irrelevant. I encourage you to write it anyway and the ideas will come together sensibly after you look it over.

•Do this in a quiet place where you can expect mild to no interruptions. The best times are early in the morning. If your schedule doesn’t permit that, try late evening. You need to ensure that your environment is conducive to creating something mentally and that you aren’t distracted with noises or events of your current situations.

Here is how we begin:

WRITE your goal. Include as much detail as you can, including sensory information like smells, textures, colors, tastes, etc. If your goal is to lose weight, you can write about how your clothes will fit and feel on your body when you are at the target size or weight range. Envision how your body moves, how much stronger you feel, that you are more efficient with your movements, enjoying the rhythm of a new body that is healthier and more energetic. I really encourage you to indulge in those details. If you haven’t written it down yet, then write it all now and include the 2-Degrees North at the end. (If you need more help with this phase, then I recommend that you email me about the Magic Wand exercise. Instructions are included at the end of the article).

PLACE YOURSELF DIRECTLY IN THE GOAL.

Let’s say that you are already the ideal size, training the number of times per week that you visualized, wearing the clothes you wanted and actively playing the sports and activities of your choice. You eat the right foods and your family and friends are amazed at how great you look. You wake up feeling refreshed and rested and you have endurance and energy during the day. What’s next?

Do you teach others how to achieve the same thing that you did? Are there people who can directly benefit from your experience? What are some hobbies that you can now physically handle? What are new, healthy recipes that you that you can share with people you know? What trips or vacations where you’ve wanted to take your family and now you have the energy to do it? Do you change the types of clothes you wear? Are there people that you can reach out to now that you are in better health? Are there ventures in your career that you can now explore with this new level of fitness? Do you form new relationships, both personal and professional? Does your environment change like the way you arrange your home, your space, your office? 

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS.  These opening questions are mild yet thoughtful. You can do this exercise with other common goals, like earning a certain amount of money. When you earn that amount, are you equipped with a distribution plan of how much is allotted to your retirement, your savings, your investments, your children, your businesses? What will change in the relationships with your clients, the type of work you take on, the direction of your career? If your goal is home ownership, will you be looking at other areas to cut cost? Will you consider other opportunities to generate additional revenue?

When I first tried this method, I had a tendency to overlook the questions because it took me longer than 5 seconds to answer it. But once I actually saw my answers on paper, it gave me new motivation. The questions are not intended to overwhelm you or have you racing to what you think will be a logical next step. It is designed only to stretch your creativity and open options to you that may have been undiscovered.

WHEN CAN YOU DO THE 2-DEGREES NORTH EXERCISE?

This exercise can be done at any stage of your goal setting. If you have a timeline for yourself, you can do a quick 2-Degrees North at the halfway point. The end picture could change and bring other details to your attention that you may have overlooked. Another good time to do this is when you’re in a low state, possibly discouraged or challenged in reaching your goal. We encounter setbacks frequently, especially when we’re working so hard toward something that’s better for our lives. Look up. Look ahead. Stretch just a little further, just 2-Degrees North, slightly beyond what your life will be after you’ve accomplished the goal. You may find that had it all figured out. Or your entire perspective can shift. Now, you are more definite in knowing what you’ll do when you get there.

MAGIC WAND EXERCISE: This is a common, fun and enlightening exercise. You get to create without limitations or boundaries. Email your goal and a description of your current situation. I’ll email back customized questions for you to use in the Magic Wand Exercise. You can keep the answers to yourself or share them with someone you trust. If you want to know how to use the 2-Degrees North exercise after seeing your results from the Magic Wand, email me. It’s free. mahalramos@gmail.com.

Sugarpoint Concepts.

Think. Act. Enjoy.