Willingness

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones rock band famously sang the line:

  • You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might just find you get what you need.

Isn’t that the truth? When we really need something we almost ache for it so that there is a feeling attached to it. So if we’re willing to be changed then we’re willing to set some goals and make a commitment to life, trusting in God, in that which is unbelievable.

  • This step is to Suprise ourself by achieving a goal we previously thought was out of our reach.

For this, we are going to have to come into a new consciousness, new states of mind, new attitudes, and this requires the willingness on the part of the individual, because until we ask for it and reach for it with all of our hearts, it will not happen to us.

Mary Catherine Bateson (Noted author (1939-2021), daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson) said:

  • We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.

And John Roger and Peter McWilliams (Authors, spiritual leaders) said:

  • For the most part, most people often choose comfort—the familiar, the time-honored, the well-worn but well-known. After a lifetime of choosing between comfort and risk, we are left with the life we currently have.

Setting lofty goals involves risk and risk is real; we all know that. But here are some concepts to greatly enhance our chance for success.

  • Define your goals:
    -Many publications give advice about defining goals, but for me, I never really know what they are until I get feedback from God. Feedback in the form of those great inspirational thoughts and feelings. When they occur, write them down. Don’t forget, write them down. For myself, I expect this feedback will happen and it always does because I ask for it and always stay inside the portal.

  • Put goals into categories like:
    -Things to Do – Experiences, travel, adventures
    -Things to Be – Personal development, character traits, career
    -Things to Have – Material possessions, property, debt elimination, relationships
    -Miscellaneous – Everything else

  • Dreams vs. Fantasy:
    -Author James Baldwin said: Nowhere is man more godlike than in the limitless scope of his imagination
    -Creative imagination builds achievable dreams; fantasy is escapism; know the difference
    -Subconscious Programming: Your subconscious mind can’t distinguish between imagined and real experiences
    -Maintain a burning desire despite outer circumstances
    -Life tests everyone’s persistence before allowing goal achievement

  • Overcoming Obstacles:
    -Expect and welcome resistance as a sign you’re moving forward
    -View obstacles as opportunities in work clothes
    -Maintain focus on goals, not on the resistance
    -Use setbacks as feedback for course correction

  • Maintain Enthusiasm
    -Enthusiasm definition: From Greek meaning “God within”
    -Energy Source: Enthusiasm connects you to universal power
    -Sustained Effort: Keep excitement alive throughout the journey

  • Take small steps
    -Worry about the spares and the strikes will come (When I was very young and learning to bowl, a professional bowler gave me this great advice)
    -Break your goals down to their smallest steps so you can make progress every day
    -Shorten your focus: Don’t look beyond today and tomorrow

  • Goal Refinement
    -Weeding Process: Remove goals that don’t serve your higher purpose
    -Priority Setting: Focus on goals that support your overall vision
    -Plan Development: Create detailed plans for important goals
    -Flexibility: Adjust plans as circumstances change
    -Discipline ensures consistent progress: Control your thoughts and actions

Og Mandino (Author Greatest Salesmen in the World (1923 - 1996)) said:

  • For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me. The first day is yesterday with all Its blunders and tears, its follies and defects. Yesterday has passed forever beyond my control. The other day is tomorrow with its pitfalls and threats, its dangers and mystery. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow, for it is still unborn. With God’s help and only one day to concentrate all my effort and energy on, this day, I can win.

Summary:

  • The human mind is a goal setting and goal achieving mechanism
  • Imagination is your divine power
  • Never give up on true goals
  • Desire must become an emotional obsession

Willingness