Using EFT for Goal Setting

By AnaMaria Herrera

Are you playing pin the tail on the donkey with your goals?  Remember the games we played as kids at birthday parties?  You were blindfolded, given a paper tail on a stickpin, spun around a few times and then tried to pin the tail on the donkey.  I remember as a child pulling off the blindfold and hearing the peals of laughter from my friends, only to see the tail was not even close to the donkey’s bottom!

Do you know you might be attempting to reach your goals in the same manner ... not sure where the target is and hoping you are going in the right direction?  One of the reasons we don’t reach our goals (you can also call them targets) is the goal or target is not clearly defined and therefore we aren’t aimed straight for our goal.

The subconscious mind is very powerful and will take you in the direction that you desire, however you must be clear and concise of what you desire to do, be or have.

Goal Setting Principle: Be Specific

• Often we are too vague; here are some examples of goals that are too general:
  I want to lose some weight
• I desire/want to have an abundance of clients
• I want to have an ideal mate
• I desire to have a better relationship with my spouse
• I would like to be more confident in my business

Here are the clues that your goal is not specific enough; the words: some … ideal … better … abundance … more.  These words are too vague.  What is losing some weight ... two, four, or twenty pounds or kilos?  A better relationship ... better than the last one you had or better than your parents had?  More confident ... how will you know when you are more confident?  Abundance ... is that 1 more client or 100?

Here is my suggestion for you to create a goal that is specific so you and your subconscious mind will know where you are headed AND when you have arrived or achieved what you want.  Please get out a piece of paper, and write down your desired goal or target.  Describe in detail what you desire and quantify what you want.  (For now, put aside any concerns of how you are going to achieve it and if you are using the perfect wording for your goal, we will address that in the upcoming lessons of this series.)  Here are goal makeovers from the above examples:

• I now weigh ____ pounds/kilos
• It feels so great now that I have ___ new clients a week/month
• I am in relationship with my ideal man or woman who has these qualities (list them... yes, each specific quality!)  I intend to feel more connected to my wife or husband by committing every Friday as our date night
• I feel confident and at ease calling one potential joint venture partner every Wednesday

Feeling a little squeamish about your goal?  Congratulations!  That is a good thing!  You are raising the bar for a new standard or experience in some area in your life.

But because our beliefs about what is possible for us to achieve is what will determine our outcome (whether we achieve it or not and if the process will be comfortable and enjoyable), it is essential to address the doubts and fears that arise.  If you don’t, it is like driving with one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake at the same time trying to reach a destination.  My aunt used to actually drive like that, and I always felt nausea driving with her as the car lurched back and forth!

This is where EFT comes in.  If you are feeling a little nervous, uncomfortable or doubtful about being specific with your goal, bring out your secret weapon - EFT - and address what arises.  Here are some sample setups:

Even though I am nervous about being so specific with my goal, as I don’t want to fail again I have anxiety about putting down the exact (weight I want to lose, traits of my mate, how many new clients) because it feels more comfortable to be vague so I am not disappointed if I don’t make my goal, a part of me is afraid to write down what I want, another part me is getting excited at the thought of having exactly what I desire...

As always be as specific as you can.  Also, just as important, include in your setup memories, associations and past failures with achieving your goals.  Also, I really don’t like saying the word failure.  Remember sometimes chefs or inventors have to experiment with a recipe or invention several times before it comes out just right!They just chock up the failure as a lesson of what to do differently the next time. Here are some examples of memories and associations that could come up with the goals mentioned above:

Weight goal:
Even though I still remember being told by my Aunt Lucia at the kitchen table I would always be fat because it runs in our family, and I am afraid it is true, so why even bother.

Business goal:
Even though last year I have set goals in the past to have more clients and I didn’t work and I don’t want to feel like a failure again…

Ideal mate goal:
Even though  I remember telling my parents what I wanted for Xmas when I was 8 and they said I was being too greedy asking for so many things and I felt ashamed, so I don’t want to be too demanding with the traits of my ideal mate...

Improved relationship goal:
Even though I feel there might be deeper issues in our relationship and having a date night might not fix them, but I am afraid to bring it up with my mate…

Business goal:
Even though the last time I contacted a potential business partner I was tongue-tied and felt like a fool, so I am going to put off making this goal…

Stick with EFT and use it to neutralize the apprehensions and doubts.  You are paving the way to a clear, concise target.

AnaMaria Herrera