10 Secrets For Writing Powerful Goals
And Affirmations That Attract Success
Like A Magnet!

Q: After reading chapter one in the "Muscle-Up Training Manual! I can now understand the importance of setting goals.

My question is, how important is it to write goals and affirmations in the present tense? I just can't seem to do that -- it seems weird writing it in present tense because it feels like I'm lying to myself."

A: According to many psychologists, hypnotherapists and personal achievement experts, the most effective way to write an affirmation or goal statement is in the present tense (for example, "I am 9% body fat," "my arms measure 18 inches" or "I have a 30 inch waist).

One reason for that is because your subconscious -- the part of your mind that generates autonomic bodily functions and automatic behaviors (habits) -- is very peculiar in the way it can take things literally.

If your affirmation is, "I will lose 20 pounds", your subconscious mind says, "WHEN???" It's possible that your subconscious will interpret that statement as, "Someday in the future I will lose 20 pounds."

If you keep saying an affirmation in future tense, the literal interpretation by the subconscious mind is to keep the goal in the future, delaying action and postponing achievement.

Goals

However, writing goals in present tense is not the only method that works. If the need to write a goal in the present tense were absolute, then no one who says, "I will" or "I want" would ever reach his or her goals.

Plenty of people have reached goals by simply saying "I want X" or "I will achieve Y." Some people don't write a goal with any tense, they just write: "My goal: 130 pounds, 16% body fat."

What's most important is that you begin by giving your brain a specific target to aim at or at least a direction to move towards.

You see, the subconscious is influenced in many ways -- not just words. What is equally, if not more important as the written affirmation, is the mental picture, the emotion and the belief underlying your affirmations.

Belief Systems

Words, mental pictures, emotions and belief could collectively be called INTENT and it's your INTENT that counts because words mean different things to different people. In some cultures, words do not even exist for certain things or concepts, and if words do not exist, then the experience or emotion of that word cannot take place.

INTENT also has to do with belief.

A very wise teacher once said that INTENT is what you want AND what you believe, combined. You see, you might want something, and write it down as a goal or say it as an affirmation, but on a deeper level, you might not really believe you can get it.

So "wanting," to some people, is negative because they have wanted things and not received them and that's because they didn't believe they could have them.

Believe and Achieve

If you intend to achieve something, this means you must want something and you must believe you will get it and you deserve it, so regardless of whether your affirmation or goal is phrased in present tense or not, your subconscious mind gets the message loud and clear.

Suppose this is your goal: "I will win the Body For Life transformation challenge weighing 172 ripped pounds with 7% body fat on May 31st."

As you read that goal, if you are creating a mental picture of yourself winning and you attach a lot of emotion to the image, steadily holding the picture with belief and faith (you truly INTEND to make it happen), you will be motivated from within to take the actions necessary and it will become reality - even though you said, "I will" (future tense) instead of "I am" (present tense).

Words have great power, but writing and reading your goals in present tense is only one way to help impress the goal into your subconscious mind. There's more to the subconscious goal achievement mechanism than just words -- there is the mental picture, emotion, belief and many other factors that also influence the subconscious mind and help change your behavior, which helps you achieve your goals.

Powerful Affirmations

Here is a complete list of 10 of the most powerful secrets for setting goals and writing affirmations to program your subconscious "computer" for success.

Make your goal specific. Vague goals like "I want to lose weight" make little or no impression on the subconscious and give you no definite sense of direction.
Make your goal positive. Set a target for what you want to achieve, not what you want to avoid. Whatever you focus on will be accepted by the subconscious as a target or an instruction and you will move towards that.
Make your goal personal. Start your affirmations with "I." The subconscious mind is influenced by external conditioning, but it is influenced even more by your own personal instructions and self talk.
Make your goal present tense. Write goals and affirmations with "I am," "I have," and so on. This reflects an already having received attitude, which is a powerful way to influence your subconscious.
Visualize your goal as already completed. Your brain "thinks" in pictures. Making mental pictures of yourself already having achieved your goal (or taking the action steps necessary to achieve your goal) is a powerful way to program your subconscious mind for success.
Emotionalize your goal. Don't just "see" what it would be like to possess your goal, "feel" what it would be like. Strong emotion deeply impresses the subconscious mind. Write, read, visualize and think about your goals with deep feeling and emotion (this one is powerful and most people miss it)
Back up your goal with faith and belief. It's not enough to "want." In fact "wanting" can be negative because it expresses lack (not having it yet). Intent is wanting and believing. You achieve what you intend. The opposite of faith and belief is doubt and doubt cancels out positive affirmations. Remember the biblical proverb about "vain repetition?" vain repetition is goal setting (or "prayer') without faith and belief -- it's powerless.
Impress your goal into your subconscious through spaced repetition. A surefire way to eventually penetrate your subconscious mind and create changes in your behavior and results is to repeat visualization or properly-phrased affirmation or goal statements over and over and over again. It's not fast, glamorous or high tech, but this one always works (Repeat a lie often enough and even that becomes the truth in your world). Carry a goal card with you every day to expedite this process.
Read and or visualized your goals a relaxed state. The altered state of consciousness during relaxation ("alpha brain wave state") allows the subconscious mind to be more easily penetrated. This scientific fact explains why first thing in the morning and just before bedtime are good times to review your goals: your body is physically relaxed and your mind is receptive and impressionable. This is also what makes hypnosis work.

Let go and detach from the outcome. Worry, like doubt, is goal setting in reverse. It's like setting a goal for non-achievement because worry is visualizing something going wrong or not working out. Relax, and understand that if you plant the seeds and take the daily actions necessary you will and you must reach your goal in time.

Using Goal Statements

I recommend that you use ALL of these methods and write your goals in the present tense for maximum impact -- with one exception:

If you feel extremely uncomfortable reading your goal statement phrased in present tense and doing so triggers doubt, disbelief and negativity, you'd be better off NOT writing your goals in present tense. Instead, write your goal in a way that makes you FEEL good about it and focus on the other 9 methods of impressing your subconscious mind.

For example, suppose you have 39% body fat and you weigh 280 pounds and this is your goal statement: "I am so happy and grateful now that I weigh 172 lbs and my body fat is only 12%."

Old Programming

If your mind has a lot of old, negative programming, this kind of goal statement might make a negative voice pop up in your head that says, "Who the heck are you kidding? You're so far from 12% fat its not even funny."

This voice is accompanied by a negative image of you being stuck forever at your current weight and that triggers negative emotions and makes you feel bad.

Do you see the problem here? A positive affirmation under these circumstances can actually be detrimental. If this happens to you, then simply write your goal as a statement you can believe such as, "My goal: 172 lbs and 12% body fat." Or you could simply write, "I will weigh" "I want to weigh" "I'm going to weigh" in order to set a direction.

Another method is to use PROGRESSIVE PRESENT TENSE. In other words, phrase your affirmation as if you are in the process of making progress towards your goal rather than already being there.

Act As If

The most famous example of this affirmation, from Emile Coue's book, "Suggestion and Autosuggestion" is "Every day in every way I am getting better and better."

Although this is not specific, it embodies the principle of progressive present tense.

Here are some specific examples in the health and fitness context:

I am becoming leaner and leaner every week.
I am getting better and better at choosing natural, nutrient dense foods with every passing day.
I am on target for successfully reaching my goal of 14% body fat by May 31st.
I am losing at least two pounds of body fat every week until I reach my target body weight of 132 pounds.
I am beginning to enjoy my Bully Xtreme workouts a little more every day.
I am becoming the type of person who leaps out of bed and does my Bully Xtreme exercises early every morning to start my day in a positive way.

If you're uncomfortable with present tense, try progressive present tense and see how that makes you feel. If it makes you feel positive and optimistic, and does not trigger any negative or disbelieving emotions, you'll know it's the right affirmation you.

If you start an affirmation with, "I AM" and you want it badly (burning desire) and believe it to the point of experiencing it in your mind as if it has already happened, that is certainly the most powerful affirmation of all. The words "I AM" have great power. But remember, to invoke the power of "I AM", you have to want it, believe it, image it, feel it, intend it and let go as you work and take action to achieve it!

Action!

And let me finish by re-emphasizing that last point -- action. There's a lot of talk these days in the personal development world about attraction, manifesting, intention, visualization and positive thinking and these are all important and powerful success-attracting principles -- but they are all next to worthless by themselves.

Positive thinking without action will achieve almost nothing. Positive thinking + positive action will achieve almost anything.

The power of affirmations is in their ability to build belief in you that you CAN achieve the goal.

Write your own affirmations/goal cards.

Or you can try my personal favorite:

I am so happy and thankful now that I made the decision to buy the Bully Xtreme and now I am in incredible physical shape. My arms and chest are rock hard. My stomach measures 30" and is flat and lean. But the best part is all the admiring looks that I now get from the young girls.
This just makes me say YES. It was all worth it!
I get up early every other morning and do my Bully Xtreme workout. I feel great and I can see and feel myself becoming stronger, leaner and more muscular with each workout!"

Click here to order the Bully Xtreme Home Gym

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Frank Sherrill is a former U.S. Army Ranger, martial arts expert and the
creator of the Bully Xtreme Portable Home Gym which offers up to 600 lbs of resistance and 82 muscle pumping exercises. Frank has written hundreds of articles. Learn how to build your body and turbo-charge your metabolism without drugs, using his little know secrets by visiting Bullworker Bully Xtreme. To receive Frank's free muscle building report and free monthly newsletter, visit www.bullyxtreme.net