{Series Part 4}–The Ant and the Elephant: Consistently Focus on Performance

Welcome back to “The Ant and the Elephant” series on chasing your dream. We’ve talked about CLARIFYING YOUR VISION and CULTIVATING POSITIVE THOUGHTS, and now we are ready to learn how to CONSISTENTLY FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE.

Adir the ant now knows that goals and dreams take time and effort. He knows that he needs to spend time each day visualizing his dream, and he is learning that he needs a tool to help him keep his focus on his dream. He discovered that the more often he feels the elephant buzz—the emotion that ignites the vision—the more likely he will be able to keep his actions in line with his dreams. Adir needed a trigger.

A trigger needs to be something that won’t lose its novelty too quickly and it needs to occur at random, unpredictable times throughout the day. A bracelet that you wear every day would quickly lose its novelty and isn’t a good trigger. Brendon Burchard, author of “High Performance Habits” teaches about triggers. He says a trigger is a “when this thing happens, then I do or think that.” He sets alarms to remind him of things throughout his day. He also has door frame triggers so that every time he walks through a door his is triggered to remember to act how he wants to be. Adir needed a reminder that would catch him off guard and pull his mind to his dream. He picked a trigger and decided that every time he saw that reminder it would make him think about his dream.

After Adir figured out his reminder, Brio the owl came back to help him perfect this step. Brio taught Adir that he needed to experience his dream in the present. Imagine how it will feel when you have accomplished the goal and visualize that experience. Convince the elephant (subconscious) that it is already real. Instead of “I can’t wait until I lose this weight,” or even “I will lose this weight,” say “I am healthy and fit.” Then spend some time visualizing how you will look and feel and be when you accomplish your dream.

Last, Brio explained the power of gratitude to Adir. He told him that by experiencing and expressing gratitude he could keep the elephant on track. Show gratitude for current situation and be grateful for how things will be.

Brio taught Adir to go through this exercise of detailed visualizing and gratitude every time he saw his trigger. By slowing down and experiencing his dream, Adir imprinted all the details into his memory. He was ready to practice all the things the owl had been teaching him.

Next week we will learn how to STRENGTHEN OUR CONFIDENCE.

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