The Difference Between Goals & Affirmations

The following article gives a very simplistic comparison between goals and affirmations. Article was written by Diane Armitage.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, one of my consulting clients asked the difference between Goals and Affirmations. Good question, actually. I’ll give you my take on it - not sure if this is the “official take,” but we’ll give it a shot.

As I’ve worked with my various motivational speakers over the years, the consensus seems to be that Goals are what you put to paper, then organize according to priority, then assign timelines. As Mark Victor Hansen always says, “Goals are simply dreams with deadlines.”

A lot of times, people will write their goals for the year or the month or even the day - but they won’t take a few moments to then prioritize them, or they won’t apply estimated timelines as to when they’d like to have the goal accomplished.

It’s important that you do all three. I know the last item there can be a bit of a wiggle - sometimes you really don’t know how long it will take to achieve a specific goal, but put a date down anyway - even if it’s 5 years from now or 10 months from now. This helps provide order in your mind as to what really is your priority, and what you have there on the back burner that you’ll be moving to next once the goal is achieved.

One note: It’s easy to put a long timeline on a goal that you don’t know how to accomplish or might be a bit afraid to tackle. If you succumb to this tactic, you’re going to be pushing that goal back every single time you look at your list. When you set your deadlines, ask yourself, “If I had all the pieces in place to make this happen, how soon would I want this goal completely fulfilled? Then write down THAT date. I’m serious.

As you’re reminded in the movie, “The Secret,” and as I’ve told you many times in this blog – it’s not your job to determine exactly how a specific dream is going to be accomplished. It’s your job to have passion for it and want it badly enough that you think on it every day and apply action to it every day – no matter how small that action might seem. Start moving in the circles … start seeking out the people who have the pieces to what you need to get this thing accomplished.

So, that’s what I consider a Goal.

Affirmations are positive, present-minded statements you create for yourself that you say out loud, memorize eventually (one would hope) and write on a daily basis (daily affirmation writing is a phenomenally fast track to moving your dreams into reality, I assure you.)

Affirmations don’t necessarily have to be focused on the goal list you’ve created, but you’re going to find that they’re quite similar in nature as what you’re focusing on daily in your life should quite likely be your Goal, don’t you think?!

Choose a goal. Here’s how your Affirmation will be different . . .

So, say your GOAL is to lose 10 pounds by June 1st.

Your AFFIRMATION does not state this. You want your affirmation to be a visualization of what you are becoming … what you’re looking like … how you’re feeling … the benefits you’re experiencing … once that 10 pounds has lifted from your body. So, an Affirmation might be:

I am so happy and grateful now that my body is at its perfect weight. I’m much more lean and my clothes fit loosely on me now. I’m feeling marvelously healthy, vibrant and energetic with this trimmer me.

Say your GOAL is to bring in more clients (and income). Write an AFFIRMATION about the enjoyment of PRESENTLY working with these people, and list some of the great things they bring to the table:

I am so happy and grateful that clients who specifically need our product are suddenly coming in the door from all avenues and venues. They are delighted they’ve found us. They recognize that we provide exactly what they’re looking for and yet we still delight them with added benefits they never expected. They pay us in full – with a smile – and are always recommending us to their friends and peers.

Are you beginning to see the difference? Now, your affirmations don’t have to be this long. And, they can be 10 times longer. I have a single affirmation that takes an entire page every day I write it (It’s an important one!)

Be empowered to prosper!

Irma White

If this information was helpful, click here for more free network marketing training, strategies, tips and resources to help you reach your business goals.

Two Little Words That Scream, "Network Marketing Scam!"

These two words have conned more people into joining a business than you can imagine.

Word #1: probably the biggest scam ever run on people in MLM network marketing is the powerline.

The worst thing you can ever do building your business is to create fear of loss. It's the worst way to build your business. Oh, yes, it definitely works - to get people in. But you have a totally false business, because you've got a bunch of people, and none of them ever does anything.

Word #2: Many companies that do a powerline - or even a binary or a matrix - focus their promotion talk on spillover. Now, I have met people who have gotten spillover, definitely. BUT - none of the people that were spilled over on them ever did anything! Why? Because the promise of "spillover" creates a welfare mentality. What happens when you tell people, "Oh, get in NOW, and you are going to get spillover!" They're afraid of losing something for nothing. So they do get in now - and then they sit and wait for all that spillover to make them rich. Isn't That A Wonderful Business Plan?

It's like joining a binary because you can get a position that already has $1 million volume in the strong leg. The reality is, you don't make a dime, unless you build the weak leg, But people get so worked up about losing that "$1 million position", they join - and never do anything, and never earn any income.

So never forget those words, powerline & spillover. Anytime you see them, their purpose is to promote the welfare mentality. Something for nothing, something for nothing, something for nothing.

The fact is, you are in network marketing. Network marketing is a business that takes work. It's net-work marketing, ok? it's not net-free marketing. It's not net-spillover marketing. It's not net-zero marketing, it takes work. Anything you do that promotes the "something for nothing" mindset will not work. End of story.

But you will draw in a bunch of couch potatoes who are convinced that you are going to build it for them. Matter of fact, you can even give them your bank account number, and you'll just pass the money directly to their account. They don't have to leave the couch. They can stay on the couch, drink their beer and watch a football game. No problem.

Use Those Two Words As A Tip

Whatever company or whatever distributor is saying them to you, that is not the company or the person you want to depend on long-term. They will not be successful. Keep on looking. There are lots of good companies & MLMers out there. Keep looking, and you'll find the right mentor.

Be empowered to prosper!

Irma L. White

This article is reprinted by permission of my friend and mentor, Michael Dlouhy, author of Success in 10 Steps. To subscribe to the free MLM letters, visit Get Free Mentoring.com.

If this information was helpful, click here for more free network marketing training, strategies, tips and resources to help you reach your business goals.

Lessons Learned From a Five Year Old

My grandson visited me a few months back. It was a blessing to have him for a month but it was certainly a challenge to work my business every day. For one thing I couldn't concentrate or hear myself think because from the time he arose until the time he went to bed there was constant chatter. Keane talked non-stop and freely expressed his thoughts. And throughout the day, he jumped from one activity to the next.

I realized that is how I used to be. I had a lot of chatter constantly going on in my mind. Most of it was negative, most of it was disempowering, and most of it was discouraging. Also, because of my "blue" personality I would often jump from activity to activity, from project to project and from network marketing company to network marketing company. Boy, am I glad I learned how to stop the negative chatter and how to stop program hopping.

Keane taught me a lot. From observing him I realized I needed to become more like a child. He has no problem asking for what he wants, even if it's help to do something. And, if he doesn't get it the first time, he will persist and ask again, and again, and again. As adults we sometimes stop asking for what we want. We often settle for what we get. And when we need help we suffer in silence instead of asking for it. I know I have been guilty of that. I suffered in silence when I didn't know how to build my business until I finally sought help.



Keane taught me how to use my creativity. Since he knows I can sew, he asked me to make an outfit for a teddy bear. When I said I didn't know how to make those clothes, he simply said 'yes you do.' He accepted no excuses. And so I did. He kept asking until I relented.

Two lessons learned from this: 1) persist until you get what you desire as he did and 2) when you think you aren't capable, someone will believe in you until you believe in yourself.

One other thing I observed from Keane. He is impatient. He wants every thing now. For instance, he wanted a hot dog so I put water on the stove (I am old school with my hot dogs.) He said, that will take too long. Why can't you put it in the microwave? Is that impatient or what?

I remember when I was like that about building my home business. I was impatient and wanted microwave results. This only caused much frustration. Thank God I started understanding principles like the "slight edge" which is simply taking consistent actions each day - actions which are easy to do but just as easy not to do (be sure they are the right actions). I also learned how to follow a simple recipe for success which eliminated the frustration and I now enjoy building my home business without expecting microwave results.

Be empowered to prosper!

Irma White
A Mentor with a Servant's Heart


Get the desired results in your business. Free help is available here. I believe in you.