E-tip #12 – Want it to happen? Write it down!

18^th July 2006

This is a pretty simple technique, and one of the most effective I know to start to make what you want happen.

I meet many people who say they know what they want and it’s in their head.  Well that’s where it usually stays – in their head!  Writing it down makes it real.  For some people that’s scary – they might actually get what they want!  And you wouldn’t want that, would you?!

Some of the things that happen when you write stuff down, aside from freeing up your mind to be creative and generate other ideas, is that the physical action of writing locks it into your neurophysiology.  Looking at what you’re writing connects you with the visual part of the brain and you start to imagine now what it would be like to have that.  And as you write, you say it to yourself. When this happens your tongue makes micro movements as you say the words and it locks the words into the auditory part of the brain.  So the very action of writing something down engages all your main senses so much more real than just thinking about it.

And when you’ve written it down, put it to one side, and every now and then, look at it and notice how it’s starting to manifest itself in your life.

You may be one of those people who find it difficult to sleep at night because stuff is buzzing through your mind.  You know, you may be thinking of what you need to do the next day, or replaying what happened today, or just worrying what may or may not happen.  Then this is a good time to write it down.  Get it out of your head onto a piece of paper, and put it aside until tomorrow, and then you can free your mind to go to sleep.

And the worry thing?  At night, we have dreams, and in the morning, we dismiss them as dreams, and that’s it.  During the day when we’re awake, we have thoughts or worries, and for some reason we think they’re real.  When in fact, to the brain, they’re just the same as dreams!  And that part of you that’s incredibly creative and inventive about pursuing your dreams can be just as incredibly creative and inventive when it comes to worrying!  And, as you know, thought’s become things, so pick the good ones!

So, rather than use the power of your mind and energies to make happen what you don’t want, use it to make happen what you do want!

This week’s exercise:

·         Take a piece of paper and write down what you want in your business – give it as much detail as you want – the number of hours you want to spend working, how much you want to earn – is that gross or net?  What about how much holiday?  Where do family and friends fit in? What you want your business to look like and how do you want others to perceive you.  Who do you want to work with?  What about customers?  And the service or products you offer?  How do you want people to feel or think when they buy from you? You can choose whatever you want, and just keep writing your stream of conscious and unconsciousness.  Then put it aside and look at it from time to time.  That’s it.  And then notice what you notice.

·         For the more advanced, take another piece of paper and write down a list of 101 things to do before you die.  Include anything you want, or places to visit, or people to meet, or parachuting (insert adventurous activity here), or watching the sun come up at Machu Picchu (one of mine), or meeting (or even becoming) a famous person or your idol, or whatever.  However outrageous and seemingly impossible it may seem now – even joining the Mile High Club if you want (J)!  If you can’t think of 101 things, just start at No. 1 and keep adding to the list as you dream up stuff.  Then, every once in a while, look at it and notice how they are happening in your life.  And, because it’s your list, you can replace things if they no longer excite you.

My friend Steve did this, and being a little sceptical of this at the time, he wrote a very short list of about 6 things he wanted to happen.  One of which was to take his father to see Manchester United play, something he’d wanted to do for a long time and never got round to doing.  At the time, Steve worked in IT and noticed that a lot of his colleagues spent time looking at football cub websites (obviously during their lunch break!), and so he discovered the Manchester United website (again, in his lunch break!), and discovered you can book tickets online, and so he did just that.  And within 2 months, he and his father found themselves in the stands at Old Trafford watching Manchester United play an international match!  And the rest of his list started to happen too and so he wrote a much longer list including his ideal job.  And last week I got an email from him to say he’d just got his ideal job!  Well done mate!

I know this e-tip is read by the JCB World Land Speed Record team, and so I trust you guys have written down what you want to achieve, rather than what you want to attempt to achieve.  If you haven’t, now would be a great time to do that.  Maybe the actual speed you want to go, or the margin you want to go faster than the existing record.   How do you want the vehicle to behave, or whatever works for you, and make it real and then go and achieve it.  Which I know you will do anyway.

For more info on the team, go to: http://www.jcbdieselmax.com/html/home.php.

And remember, whatever you do, have fun too!

Anthony

 

©Anthony Davis 2006. All rights reserved