When we talked about happiness recently, we looked at how a fear of failure, a natural pessimism, can sometimes block us from focusing on what we want in life. However, the opposite is actually true. Visualising your desired goal clearly and strongly will give you the positive mindset you need to get there.
Find out more about Hypnotherapy for anxiety here. I am also currently offering a free initial consultation you can book here.
Most of my work as a hypnotherapist involves asking my clients to picture their ideal outcome. This could be anything from a stress-free night’s sleep to a life without cigarettes, and this vision of the desired future gives us something to aim for.
Solution focused hypnotherapy provides us with the perfect tools to focus on an outcome and then find the steps to reach it. We take a look at how you can apply some of these techniques to reaching all sorts of goals.
The end goal is the starting point
Be clear about what your goal is, and make sure it’s tangible. Finding an achievable goal is about striking a balance. If the target is too vague (“I want to have a better job”), putting the steps in place is incredibly tricky. Too specific (“I want to work as the Admin Manager in the Altrincham branch of Sainsbury’s”) and it may not be possible (due to probability and the current incumbent having no plans to hand the job over!).
Borrowing the idea of the SMART target from the business community is a good way to set goals. A SMART outcome is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. So, a SMART goal might be “I will write a plan tonight around 7pm of next week’s healthy meals”.
You can apply the same process to any goal, from weight loss to career success. Just keep focused on the “realistic” aspect of your target when planning, as some outcomes can have elements of chance involved. Focus on a future you can influence.
Address the present
Now it’s time for the honest appraisal of where you are now. What is your current position, and why do you want to move from this to your target?
Sometimes with my clients, we have to address issues before we even start moving towards their goal. For example, before we embark on the techniques and food diaries needed for a weight-loss programme, we first examine whether the client has an emotional eating issue, and what was the trigger for this. Sometimes, we step back before we start stepping forward.
Plan the steps
This is where we take steps to fill the gap between now and the desired goal. “Baby steps” are so important when it comes to focussing on what you want. If you don’t have incremental stages in place, the goal becomes something unreachably vague.
Your series of steps will keep that goal in focus, and ticking off a To Do list gives a tremendous psychological boost.
Don’t discount the future
Sometimes it’s right to focus on a single end goal – if want to stop smoking, that’s a pretty black-and-white result! However, if your target is the SMART example we used, it would be pretty pointless to produce a shopping list and then do nothing with it. So, your next goal may be “I will make a list, and go to the market in Altrincham on Saturday afternoon to buy what I need”.
Don’t let your dreams stagnate. We use the term “end goal”, but in the case of something like managing your weight or fitness, the end is the beginning of a new chapter.
I should also add that there’s no such thing as a “typical” target. Your future focus may not be a stellar stars in the sky goal. It could be to start a new hobby, decorate the house, learn to drive. With many of my clients, it could be shedding a phobia. The principle is the same for everything: know where you are, know where you want to be, and clearly work out the steps to get there.
Need some help in finding focus?
If you have an end goal in sight, and would like to find out more about how solution focused hypnotherapy can help you focus, please get in touch with me for an informal and confidential chat.
