I kept hitting a roadblock so I decided to revisit and study the Universal Laws of abundance and prosperity.  Pretty much whenever you read about abundance and prosperity, gratitude it is one of the keys that leads to abundance and prosperity.  As I read the word gratitude, my intuition told me this is where I was hitting that roadblock.

I know I am grateful and yet I am having a hard time feeling gratitude.  Then it dawned on me!  I had no idea how gratitude felt in my body!  So before going to bed the other night I asked my guides, guardians and helpers to please show me why I am having difficulty feeling gratitude. 

The answer did come to me and it hit me like a bolt of lighting! Underneath it all I didn’t feel as though I deserved what I had in my life.  I felt guilty. Guidance further went on to show me that I am capable of feeling gratitude however, my feelings of non-deservability were overshadowing my ability to express gratitude in a deep and meaningful way!

So I have began searching, delving deeper into why I didn’t feel as though I deserved abundance.  The next level again took me by surprise.  Old situations began to resurface where I still had unresolved feelings – guilt, resentment and shame.  These situations are long past and yet I had not forgiven myself for being human and doing the best I possibly could at the time.

Did I learn from these situations – absolutely yes!  Have I repeated the pattern – probably!  But holding onto the resentment and shame was serving no one, especially me.  In your life experiences you will find that, when the good you wish has not appeared, it is usually because you need to release and let go of something to make room for it.  In my case that was forgiving myself.

Forgiveness creates a vacuum within which your desired good can begin manifesting.  Nature abhors a vacuum, and when you begin moving out of your life what you do and do not want, you automatically are making way for what you do want.

Perform this exercise in forgiveness to create a vacuum within which your desired good can begin manifesting.  Whenever you dare to form a vacuum the substance of the Universe rushes to fill that empty space.  This applies on the spiritual, mental and physical planes of life.

Exercise:  Forgiveness is the Answer

1.  Find a quiet spot and take several deep breaths.  Allow your mind to wander and let rise to the top anything you are out of harmony with, feel badly towards or are concerned about.  Have you criticized or gossiped about anyone?  Are you involved with any legal matters that are causing you stress?

2.  Acknowledge the situations and/or names that come to your consciousness by writing them down on a piece of paper.  Do not judge or edit.

3.  State the name each person on your list and repeat the following:

 “I fully and freely forgive you.  So as far as I am concerned, that incident between us is finished forever.  I do not wish to hurt you.  I wish you no harm.  I am free and you are free and all is well between us again.”

 Repeat this step as many times as needed for each situation and or name until you feel a sense of release.  (Your body will feel lighter.)

 When you have gone through all of the names on the list, shred the paper and throw it away.

 4.  Then forgive yourself by declaring the following:

 “The Universe’s forgiving love has set us free.  Divine love now produces perfect results and all is again well between us.  I behold you with the eyes of love and I glory in your success, prosperity and complete good.  I am forgiven and governed by Universal love alone and all is well.”

 Repeat this step as many times as needed for each name until you feel at peace. 

 5.  Thank the Universe.

Join me for my free call on Wednesday, March 10th at 7pm EST.

However, goal setting itself isn’t enough. Goal setting is just the first step to achievement but you also need to have a goal setting strategy to help you accomplish the goal you have set. Without a goal setting strategy, or series of actions, that you are going to use to work towards the goal, whether or not you achieve the goal you have set is just a matter of blind chance. And in today’s business climate, blind chance is no way to run a successful business. To be successful, you need to make things happen, not just let things happen.

So when you are setting business goals, or any other goals for that matter, I use a goal setting formula that a mentor of my taught me that incorporates a strategy or strategies for accomplishing the goal: 

“I will (goal + performance measure) by (specific actions).” 

For example, suppose that you want to increase revenue. First specify the goal. “I will increase revenue this month by 25 percent. Setting a specific goal builds in the criteria you will use to evaluate your success.  In this case, at the end of the month, you’ll either have increased sales by 25 percent compared to the previous month or you won’t. Then, specify the strategy that you will use to work towards accomplishing the goal. “I will increase sales this month by 25 percent by offering a 10 percent off sale on all inventory and advertising this sale in the local papers.”  

When you go beyond the basic step of goal setting evaluating your success or failure is easy, because your goal is specific rather than general. And suddenly, instead of just having a goal that you may or may not achieve, you have a specific plan to follow and achieve the goal you have set.  

If you avoid goal setting, here are a few tips: 

Have Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

The first thing I do when setting goals is to consider where I would like to be 5 years from now. Once I have determined my long-term goal or ideal scene, I work backwards breaking this ideal scene down into short-term goals, specifying those milestones that need to be achieved along the way to this long-term goal. I picked this tip up from reading The Millionaire Course by Marc Allen. It is a wonderful book business book that stresses the importance of visualizing and goal setting. 

If it seems to daunting a task to start with a 5 year plan, establish 90-day goals. Limit them to 3 specific things that you want to accomplish – such as a monetary goal, developing a brochure by a specific date, or obtaining a new client. Write out each goal and put a due date next to it.  Then write out each step that needs to be taken, by when and what type of support I need to accomplish that goal. Then take out your calendar and schedule in the time you need to honor the commitment you just made to yourself.

 Be Relevant

Goals should help you attain a specific aim. Beware of goals that are just going to keep you busy but do not contribute directly to the overall goal you have set for yourself and the success of your business. If you don’t believe your goals are worthwhile, you won’t make the necessary effort to achieve them. For example, a couple of years ago I really wanted to work a 4-day work week. I set the goal, but did not really believe that I could or should only work 4 days a week – guess what it never happened because I was not truly aligned with this goal.

 Review Your Goals Constantly

Review your goals daily. Keep them in plain view – by your desk or next to your computer. Goals are not something that you write down and file in a drawer. The more you embody your goals, the more real they become and the more aware you are of opportunities that cross your path to help you achieve those goals.

I put my goals on colorful 4×6 index cards and keep them by my bedside. I read them over first thing each morning and then again before I go to sleep at night. This keeps me focused and moving towards my goals.

 Staying on Track

Once you establish clear goals you will begin to notice that a lot of opportunities will begin to present themselves. When this happens, I ask myself a very important question which helps me to decide whether I should look further into the opportunity or let it go – “Does this opportunity bring me closer to my goal or further away from it?”

By asking yourself this simple question you will be able to take decisive action towards accomplishing your goals. For example, a lovely sales person from ADP has been calling me to schedule a meeting to show me their services and how they have changed. By asking myself – “Does this opportunity bring me closer to my goal or further away from it?” – I have no problem figuring out whether or not I should schedule the meeting.

Linda Hunt delivers simple, practical strategies for creating systems and structure that create stability helping business owners to grow their business and earn more money.  For more FREE tips like these, visit her at http://www.sumsolutions.com