How many books can you read about attracting what you want into your life? A limitless number, it seems.
That’s why I was lukewarm about reading Manifesting Change, by Mike Dooley (author of Infinite Possibilities). But because a friend recommended it, I ordered a copy from Amazon ($14.58) and ended up reading it in a single sitting.
It’s not that the information is new (it’s not), but for some reason the penny dropped in a way it hadn’t before. The idea: Work from the big goal backwards.
Let me explain.
Goal Setting from the End to the Beginning
As freelance writers, we’re incredibly goal-oriented:
- what magazine should I target this month?
- what client should I go back to (following the 80/20 principle)?
- what’s my financial goal this week?
- how can I re-purpose that article that took me three months to research?
So, to accomplish these goals, we make lists, we make plans, we strategize. Dooley suggests were actually tackling this backwards. The easier (and more effective) method, he says is to work with the big goal clearly in mind, take steps to “move in the general direction of your dreams”, and let the Universe deal with the “cursed hows”.
For me, that was a light bulb moment.
I get so hung up in the “cursed hows” that I focus most of my attention on them instead of on the goal itself. Now don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean you set a goal and then sit on your duff, waiting for the Universe to deliver.
What he’s saying is that you HAVE to take action – to move in the direction of your dreams, but then don’t get caught up in so much “mind fuzzling” [my word] that you get in your own way.
What if you’re not 100% sure what direction that is? Doesn’t matter. Just do it.
Does This Method of Manifesting Change Work?
I know I’m condensing a 200-page book into just a few paragraphs – but I feel so strongly about the core message that I wanted to convey it to other freelance writers.
Giving up focusing on the “cursed hows” has already made a difference to me. It’s relieved me of the stressful burden of always trying to figure out every teensy, weensy detail and lets me focus on my big goal and forward movement.
Does it work? For me, within 7 days of reading the book, focusing on the big goal and giving up those “cursed hows”, I received e-mails from three new clients – - all wanting me to write for their websites, and all (without exception) readily agreeing to my quoted fees and availability.
Will it work for you? That’s for you to tell me.
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