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Setting and achieving a goal is as simple as placing an online order. If you perform each step in the order process, you can be certain that the thing you want is actually on its way, and that it is only a matter of time before it materializes.

Suppose I've set a goal to sell 20 widgets during the month of February. I'll compare the online bookstore where I purchased an antique copy of "As a Man Thinketh" the other day, to Life's Distribution System.

1. Decide what you want. Just as I can't expect the bookstore to send me a book before I've submitted my request, neither should you expect life to supply the clients who will support a vague sales goal. Pick the dollar figure you want to reach so that life can deliver the right clients.

2. Put it in Writing. Before I could place the order for the book, I had to find the right order page for that book. However, before I could find the right order page, I had to type the right key terms into the search bar. I wouldn't have found the right order page if I hadn't used the right terms. Wouldn't it have been absurd if I had entered "not Catcher in the Rye, not Tale of Two Cities, not anything written by Poe . . . " in my search for "As a Man Thinketh?" Even if the search feature was smart enough to exclude all of that, how long would it take me to get to the book I want? Precision saves time. Write what you want, and be as precise as you can.

Don't talk about "losing weight" when you really mean that you want to be "lean and energetic." Don't talk about "getting out of debt" when you really mean that you want "financial freedom." We must choose our search terms carefully so that we can be taken to the right order page of life.

Focusing on "debt" brings a constant supply of it into your life, even if you are trying to get rid of it. After all, it's like putting "no debt" into the search tool. You're not looking for the "debt" order page, so quit using that term!

Life delivers whatever we order. Vague orders bring vague results and so we never see the connection between our requests and what shows up. Too often we're placing careless orders unknowingly, and then wonder why life doesn't go the way we want it to go.

Remember, you can't place an order for what you want from order pages designed for things you don't want.

Now, commit to the thing you want by putting it in writing. It is like entering it into an imaginary search box. It's the fastest way to get to the right order page. One more thing: write it in present tense as though it has already happened. For a deeper explanation on why that's important, read The Jackrabbit Factor.

So, maybe your goal statement in writing will look something like, "February 28th, 2008: I have now sold 20 widgets." Getting it in writing automatically takes you to Life's "order page" . . . but you're not done yet. Neither the book, nor the clients are on their way until you've completed the order all the way to the end of the process.

3. Add to Cart. In my book buying experience, after I entered "As a Man Thinketh" in the search tool, it took me to a long list of "As a Man Thinketh" books. Some were brand new reprints; some were from the 1980's. I spent some time narrowing them down, until I found the one that I wanted which was more than 100 years old. After identifying my specific choice, I clicked "Add to Cart." This is a logical step; after all, I can't expect the store people to ship the book until I have told them precisely which one I want.

This step is comparable to the step of adding detail to your goal statement. You need to spend time creating a more detailed description of the thing you desire. Instead of "February 28th, 2006: I have now sold 20 widgets," you write, "February 28th, 2006: I am so happy and grateful now that I have sold 20 widgets. I am astounded at how easily the clients came into my life. I am grateful that I was able to provide them something of great value that will help them accomplish their objectives for a price that was fair. We are establishing a positive relationship and expect to do more business together in the future."

Do this step, and you have just added your desired thing to the big Cart in the Sky.

4. Enter your shipping address. After the book was in my shopping cart, I had to tell the book people where to send it. This step is the part that assigns the book I want to the location where I am. It brings together two key pieces of information into one virtual place. Without this step, the bookstore cannot send me the book because they have no address for the package.

Goal setting is no different. Just as the book and my address had to merge into one database, the thing you want needs to be merged with your personal information, too. Notice that during this step, it isn't the actual book that came together with my actual house; it is simply a representation of the book that came together with a representation of my house.

The same needs to happen with a representation of the thing you want, and a representation of you. How? You must picture yourself signing those final contracts. It might take a few minutes to really generate the images in a vivid way. (When doing this step, a few minutes can feel like an eternity, and you'll realize that it takes an incredible amount of energy to control your thoughts for that long.) Nevertheless, with the power of disciplined thoughts, you merge the thing you want, with the person you are. Your mind is the virtual database where it all must come together before Life can fill that order.

5. Receive Confirmation of your order. After I filled in my shipping address, it asked for my credit card info. This is where I "pay the price" for the thing I want.

In setting a sales goal, to "pay the price" traditionally refers to "pounding the pavement," "making the phone calls," "pulling late nights," "skipping lunches," etc.

But that's wrong. At least, it's wrong if you really want to excel.

So what is the price you pay? Ah, it's not an easy price. But it's easier than "paying the price" with long hours and constant, frantic activity. To take the final step in the order process, to do the last thing required before you receive the order confirmation, is to allow yourself to experience the feelings you expect to feel when the goal is reached. It isn't easy to do, but you need to take your visualization exercise just one step further. Here's an example:

You're signing those final contracts, and shaking the customer's hands, and having the warm exchange of good will. Then you feel the elation well up inside your chest, and you escort them out of the room and close the door after they leave, and feel the cool, metal doorknob in your hand, and hear the heavy wooden door click shut, and you walk to your desk and sit down with a big, huge grin on your face, and tip back for a moment, then reach for the phone to call your spouse, and you hear the dial tones, and then you hear he/she answering, "Hello?" and with tears in your eyes, you tell him/her, "I did it! It was a miracle, but I did it! Let's go out for dinner tonight!" And your spouse screams on the other line and can hardly speak, and the kids are chattering in the background, "What? What's going on??"

That's your price. That's it. (Don't watch yourself doing it, BE yourself doing it. Don't be an outsider looking in, be in it where all you see of yourself is your arms on your armrests and your lap in front of you, and your feet way down there.)

If you spend some time generating those kinds of images in your mind, and feel the exhilaration and genuine gratitude for the success, you've done it. You've paid the price. And, as those feelings swell inside of you and as tears really well up in your eyes, that is your confirmation. Print that receipt.

Trust Life to keep its promise, and go about your business in peace. No need for frantic rushing around, phone calling, pushing, forcing, you've already paid the price. Go about your business with a calm assurance that it is already a done deal. Do continue business as usual, make the phone calls you'd be making anyway, but do it all with peace of mind.

The right clients are on their way and will connect with you in a natural way as you go about your day to day activities. Spend time with your family. Enjoy a little recreation. Be at peace. In the right time, you'll have a thought to call so-n-so or follow up with someone else. Simply follow the thought. Do what it dictates.

6. Expect it to Come, and be ready to Open the Door. After my online bill was paid, and I received my order confirmation, the book was on its way. I needed only to expect it, wait for it, watch for it, refrain from canceling it, and answer the door when the bell rang.

As for your goal to sell 20 widgets by the end of February, if you've gone through the entire order process, and you've received confirmation, all you must do is expect it, watch for it, refrain from canceling it with unbelief, and when opportunity knocks (because it will), simply answer the door. By faith it comes to you; by action you receive it.

About the Author
Leslie is a wife and mother of 7 children. She is the two-time best-selling author of "The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can," "Hidden Treasures: Heaven's Astonishing Help with your Money Matters," and founder of PrinciplesofProsperity.com Leslie Householder may be contacted at http://www.principlesofprosperity.com. Click here to view more articles by Leslie Householder.