Before you make a goal poster #Remember
It's that time of the year when we give thanks, countdown to Christmas, significantly reduce the world turkey count and begin to make plans for the new year. Plans such as: how much weight we'll lose, how much money we'll save, what new heights we’ll achieve etc.
I love setting goals and more importantly achieving them; that’s why I wrote GROW with Goals!
As I began making my preparations for 2019 however, I asked myself if there was a right way to kickstart the process of goal setting and if there is a pre-process?
My research led me to the studies of Prof Donna Rose Addis of University of Auckland and her study on the importance of episodic memory. Episodic memory simply means a recount of previous life experiences.
Her studies found that:
- When imagining future events, the brain network that is active is strikingly similar to the network that is activated by remembering our past
- Studies on individuals with some degree of memory loss have revealed that when access to episodic memory details is compromised, there is a corresponding loss of details in the future events they imagine.
And she concluded that "episodic memory not only allows us to remember the past but imagine our future"
What does this mean? I remember having a conversation with my daughters about this time last year prior to them writing their 2018 goals and creating their vision board. I encouraged them to recollect times they came out of situations knowing it could only have been God and use this as a yardstick for the stretch they put on their vision board.
The result of this was two very audacious boards from the girls.
Referring to my past experiences and Donna Addis studies, I realise that the strengths you draw from your past can provide inspiration for your future ... and vision is simply an imagined future!
So what next?
I have a November assignment for you - create a remember board.
This is a sample of one I created before recording this vlog
- Show board
- Explain 3 items- what happened and what it propels you to imagine/believe
- GCSE result - no matter how close I am to disaster, something will snatch me
- Are - integrity prevails
- Miscarriage - don't reminisce over what I lost but expect better
- Tewa - a moment of obedience can change the course of my life forever
Did you like my Remember board? Now it’s time to create yours!
You can make it a collage on your computer or phone, it doesn’t matter.... just create one.
Also, don't forget to get your copy of GROW With Goals, it is definitely the best tool out there for not just setting goals but actually achieving the goals you set.
