Creating Your New Year Goals

by Jennifer Baltz

Most of us create goals each new year. But why do some goals happen and others fall by the wayside? What are the "energy mechanics" of setting a goal...and making it real?

A goal starts life as a spiritual creation, before it is manifested into the physical world. Your thought is broadcast out into the universe, like a wave of energy, and it interacts with other waves of energy, creating a ripple effect. Eventually, if there is enough certainty behind it, your goal will come back to you in physical form.

The goal-creation process can be quite time-consuming, and there's a reason why there is often a delay between creating the thought and making it real. Can you imagine what would happen if all of your thoughts, good, bad, and ugly, were all manifested within moments of thinking them? We are not ready for that ability--we do not know how to handle it. So instead, there is a buffer zone, a space where thoughts are tempered, and where only the most determined and clear goals make it through.

In Conversations with God, book 1, God tells the author that one reason why our goals don't always succeed is that we carry underlying negative thoughts that undermine the goal before it has a chance to manifest. For example, if you want to lose weight, but have a negative image of yourself and think you can't do it, your goal will probably fall by the wayside. When you take a positive, can-do approach and have faith that you will create your dream, it happens. Why? Because you are creating continual supportive energy for your creation.

There are a few good groundrules that you should be aware of when creating a goal:

1. Make sure your goal is your own. In other words, someone else's dream is just that--it doesn't match your energy. It is not sychronous with who you are. To really succeed, you have to be an individual, and tailor your goals to match who you are and where you are in your life. If your family wants you to be a plastic surgeon and you'd rather be a veterinarian, follow your own dream, not theirs--and don't feel guilty about it. You will never fully succeed if you are trying to live out someone else's goal for you. Oh, if you are capable, you can make it happen, but you will never be truly happy with it. It will not make you want to sing inside. Make sure your goals are really yours!

2. Be right where you are, right now! In other words, use the right yardstick to measure your success. If your goal is to become more athletic, and you have started walking a few miles several times a week, don't invalidate what you are doing by saying "I'm just not athletic." If you find yourself thinking it, change the pattern by saying "I'm becoming more and more athletic with every walk I take." If you invalidate what you are doing, by thinking that it is not enough, then you are pulling the rug out from under yourself. Your goal will fall flat. If you validate your progress and choose to create more, you are on your way to making it work well.

3. Give your goals adequate time to mature. When you are creating something in the physical world, it takes time. Don't be unrealistic (for instance, saying that you want to get married in three months when you don't even have a potential mate yet.) As a spirit, you travel beyond time and space--you can create thoughts instantaneously on the astral plane. But not in the physical body. Give your body time to catch up, and don't invalidate it for taking longer than you would like. Enjoy the process of creating as much as the end result!

4. Goals need attention to thrive. Pick a few goals that you would like to focus on. Write down your goals. Make them visible around your house. Then, each day ask yourself if there is one small thing you can do to help make your goal a reality. Every few months, stop and re-evaluate your progress. Validate the changes you have made, and, if you haven't reached your main goal yet, decide that you would like to make more of them. Once again, DO NOT invalidate your progress just because you aren't there yet. (I.E. I'll never lose that 20 pounds, when you have already lost five. Celebrate the five pounds you have lost, the greater health you have gained, and the happier body you now have, and go on from there).

5. Your goal is not always someone else's. Remember that when you make goals that involve other people, sometimes they don't happen. Others have minds of their own. Make your goals for yourself only, unless you are making them together. If you are making goals with another person, make sure you both are on the same page (have the same general picture of what you want). If you want a two bedroom cottage in the country and he wants a townhouse with attached garage in the city, chances are that your dreams will collide and at least one of you won't be happy. It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many times we don't pay attention to these little details, or how often we don't listen to own true wishes so that someone else can have their dream.

With these groundrules in mind, what are some good ways of creating your dreams?

I like the childlike approach. When I was a kid, I was pretty good at creating what I wanted. I'll bet you were, too. We lose that ability over time because we get too serious, and we start believing in the limits of the "real world." But the world is what we make it, and by celebrating that creative childlike spirit within, you can move mountains.

Sometimes it helps to draw a picture of what you want (crayons only please!!!) and see what color of energy it is (hint: the crayon you're using the most is the right one!) Then, whenever you think of that goal, imagine creating a big ball of energy of that color, and put it right over your head. Imagine bringing it down into your body and your aura, and giving it space to manifest in your life. You can do this daily, or weekly--whatever feels right. Always have the thought that you give this goal permission to manifest in whatever form and time is right for you.

Remember, the outcome is less important than the process. How you get there defines who you are in many ways. It is by process that we live, Our lives are process, and aspects of your goal may change many times before you get there. So be flexible, and be open to change. When you find yourself going into worry or fear, try to stop and refocus your thoughts in a positive direction, to support your creation. There are many good books out there such as those by Shakti Gawain, Anthony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and many others that can be companions on your road when your friends all say it can't be done!

copyright 1999 by Jennifer Baltz. All rights reserved