What's Better Than Your Current Goal?

I hired a pool repair person one day who told me he would be at my estate promptly at 9 am the next morning. That was five months ago. I still haven't heard from him.

Why didn't he follow through?

This isn't uncommon among self-employed people. Nerissa hired a web designer who promised to help her with a subscription box on her site. But the designer never did the work. Never apologized, either.

Why is that?

When Nerissa and I went to Ohio recently to visit my parents, we had lunch with a friend of ours. Over the meal he confessed that he had a problem.

"I find myself only doing enough work each day to survive for that day," he explained. "If I make enough money right away in the morning, I stop work for that day. If I make enough money for the week, I don't work any more that week."

Why is that?

A few days later I overheard a well-known marketing professional confess that the most money he ever made was a sudden $50,000 in one month. The thing is, he took the money and quit working for the next four months.

Why is that?

There are at least two psychological principles going on here:

1. People often sabotage their own efforts to succeed. Why? For a variety of reasons, everything from not feeling they deserve the wealth, to having limiting beliefs about money, how they use it, how comfortable they are with it, etc.
2. People often don't have big enough goals. Wanting to just pay the bills keeps you on the survival level. Having goals to make a difference in the world, or to get yourself or loved ones luxurious things, will stretch your acceptance levels and push past your limitations.

Personally, I think having a bigger goal solves most issues. But the goal has to be something that affects more people than just you. If the desire only benefits you, you may still sabotage your own efforts to succeed. But if the goal helps you and other people, you're on the way to massive success.

Here's an example of what I mean:

I have a new book coming out soon. It's the revised, expanded, and greatly enriched new version of my "Spiritual Marketing" book. It will have a new title, too: "The Attractor Factor." I'm very excited about it. One reviewer said, "This book has the potential to change humanity."

Now, a goal I have is to sell 100,000 copies of the book the first week it comes out. That's an okay goal. It certainly helps me, and the publisher, and since the book changes lives, it will help others.

But what would be an even bigger goal?

Well, selling one million books the first year it is out is better. And that would also influence at least one million people. Now THAT's a goal worth getting up early to pursue.
But what would be better than even that?

Now my mind is buzzing with possibilities. I'm thinking beyond my book, myself, and even the immediate customers who get the book right away. I'm stretching my mind to go for what others might call impossible.

This is what everyone has to do who wants to succeed in life. The people who just want to get by are just going to get by. The people who just want to pay their bills are just going to barely do that. But the people who shoot for the stars are going to hit the moon, go into space, and break records.

Where are you?

Do you just want to make enough money to pay the bills?

If so, you'll struggle to do so. When I first met Pat O'Bryan, he said he just wanted to make enough money to pay his rent. Now that we've coauthored several books and he's making thousands every month, his goals have changed. Now he wants a new truck.

Do you want to pay off all your bills, pay off someone else's bills, and maybe buy yourself something big? If so, you'll surpass all the people who just want to pay their bills. Jose Silva once said a goal should benefit you and at least two other people. When you state a goal that helps many people, you are moving beyond your ego and your limitations.

Do you want to be financially free and make a difference in the world in some giant, unforgettable way? If so, you'll soar through life with an energy others will envy. You may or may not achieve your wildest dreams, but you'll certainly make more progress and break more records than the person who just wants to get by.

My new goal is to establish an Intentional Meditation Foundation with hubs around the world, all using my book, and the meditation I teach in it, to lower crime and increase wealth globally. Now THAT is more than a goal, it's a mission.

No one knows what is achievable, or impossible, so any giant goal -- or mission -- you can imagine is fair game.

What's yours?

You see, not only do you need to take action to attract money to you, but you also need to leave your comfort zone.

You need a big goal – at least something that stretches you a little – and you need to be fearless about doing what it takes to achieve it.