Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #27

Successful people remain focused on their past successes, not their failures. Their written goals keep their eyes trained on their next action steps, not on distractions.

Remember the most important 45 minutes of the day.
Jack asserts that the most productive time of day is the 45 minutes prior to falling asleep. Whatever we focus on during that time, our brains will work all night to help us internalize.

He points out that if we watch violent TV or the late night news just before nodding off, this is what our subconscious mind will re-play all night long. I agree with this assertion, because if I watch action-adventure movies with Joe right before bed, I have disturbing dreams all night. If we have been abused, just thinking about our abuser will lead us to dream about him.

Jack recommends spending those final 45 minutes quietly planning the following day's activities. We should review our goals book, read something inspiring, and meditate on something positive. When I do this, I do sleep better, and the following day goes more smoothly.

Practice the evening review.
Jack teaches us to sit with our eyes closed, breathe deeply, and ask God, "Show me where I could have been more ______________ today. The blank could include words, such as loving, effective, assertive, peaceful, and so on. We choose the word and then wait for the answer to this statement. In the quiet, God will speak to us and show us what to do better next time.

King David was considered a man after God's own heart. He wrote in Psalm 139:23-24, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Thousands of years ago, David was practicing this important exercise of daily review.

Keep a Daily Success Journal.
I went to www.thesuccessprinciples.com to download this form. Jack recommends utilizing it for 30 days. It is a chart with four headings:

-Success;
-Reason;
-Further Progress; and
-Next Action

He directs readers to fill out this form daily in order to monitor daily successes. He advocates this to help us develop greater self-esteem, which most of us lack.

If I were filling this out based on my activities yesterday, it would look like this:

-Success: I created a logo for my etsy shop, Hope Quilts of Ohio.
-Reason: The proceeds will help exploited girls in Pakistan learn to sew.
-Further Progress: Create business cards.
-Next Action: Go to office supply to order cards.

If we do this activity every day, it creates momentum in our lives. It's hard to ignore the next action when we've spelled out why this is important to us.

I really feel compassion for young Pakistani girls who have become bonded servants, toiling in the scorching sun all day to make bricks. The men who oversee their work sexually abuse them. With my help, a missionary can buy the brick girls their freedom, keep them safe, and teach them how to sew to make a living. Their lives will be forever transformed by the money I send.

Create your ideal day the night before.
I have been practicing this habit for the past few weeks, and I can attest that it works quite well. Before going to sleep, Jack teaches us to visualize our upcoming day. I have been thinking about everything flowing smoothly: the car runs like a top, traffic is light, parking spaces are easy to find, the grocery clerk is efficient, everyone I meet is pleasant.

While we sleep, our subconscious mind goes to work to create our ideal day, just as we have imagined it. Consider what chaos we create for ourselves when we lie in bed, imagining the worst for the following day. Remember, we attract what we think about.

Today's Challenge
Go to www.thesuccessprinciples.com and download the Daily Success Journal. Write down one success, the reason you believe this is important to you, further progress that needs to occur, and your next action.

Complete the evening review tonight, asking God to show you how you can do better next time. And remember to visualize a terrific tomorrow before you fall asleep!