It's About Time: Did You Sign Your Permission Slip?

schoolbusRemember elementary school field trips?

You couldn’t get on that bus until your parents had signed a paper verifying that they were giving the school permission to transport you and supervise you on some outing.

In elementary school you probably stood by eagerly waiting for your parents to affix that precious signature on your passport to a day away from school for something fun.

By high school, if you wanted to go on that trip desperately enough you forged your parents signature because you forgot to get the authentic one before you left home.

Now that you are all grown up you must still get permission before you can go on this trip called life. The only difference is you are the one who must sign that permission slip now.

No matter how much you want to pursue a given goal you won’t make much progress until you give yourself permission to do so. Here are five tips for getting your signature onto your permission slip:

1. Determine your destination.

You must know where you are going before you head out on any trip. This applies regardless of your goal.

It’s essential that you are specific, of course. Saying you want to make more money, for example, is not very useful since “more” is relative.

Set a specific intention, such as making $5,000.

2. Set a target date

Your goal to make $5,000 is a wonderful start, but you must set a deadline or time frame. Is your goal to make $5,000 by next Friday, per month or per year? The way you answer this will determine the actions you will take to get to the goal.

3. Check to be sure your goal is in line with your values and beliefs.

If you believe that it’s impossible for you to make $5,000 by next Friday you will not do what is necessary to reach that goal. Your subsconscious will be unconvinced that you are serious, so you won’t see the opportunities right in front of you that can help you reach your goal. Your actions are guided by your beliefs.

Then if you place a high value on spirituality and believe that desiring money is somehow evil, your values are in conflict with your goals and will thwart your efforts to go after your goal.

4. Do what it takes to reach your goal.

When your values and beliefs are in line with your goal, you will know that you deserve your heart’s desire. Now you will be free to take action to go for your goal.

Back to our example of getting $5,000 by your time deadline, you must be willing to use your skills to bring this goal about. If you are self-employed, it may mean taking on new clients; if you work on a job it may mean working overtime or taking on a second job. Perhaps you create a new project designed specifically to raise these funds.

With the first three steps in place your creativity with flourish with ideas for positive actions toward your goal.

5. Celebrate when you reach your goal.

You deserve congratulations for setting your goal, adjusting your mindset and taking the action that lead to your success. Celebrate to reward yourself and bolster your self-esteem. After all, this is something you did and can now do again.

To continue to enjoy success and happiness in your life now you know that all you need to do is sign your permission slip.

For more tips on managing your time and getting the life you want, click here.