What goals do you have in life? What are your dreams?

Do you know how to achieve them?

This article is going to provide you with some valuable techniques for achieving your goals. This may seem a bit strange to start with, but stick with it as it really does work.

Let's take an immediate goal that you want to achieve. Perhaps you want to get out of bed at 6am every morning feeling great so you can get to work on time. Yep, it's time to end your relationship with the snooze button.

How would you achieve this goal? Many people would set the alarm for 6am and force themselves to get out of bed through sheer willpower. They may get out of bed, but will they be feeling great? Others may sabotage their snooze button, but I know people who actually reset their alarm just to get a few minutes more in the comfort of their bed.

So, what's the best way to achieve this goal?

Through the power of visualisation.

This may sound like hogwash to you, but visualisation is an incredibly powerful tool - I imagine that you already use it in your life to some degree; probably without realising it. Do you rehearse a conversation in your mind before you have it? Imagine what you are going to do for the day? Run through in your mind how you are going to give that presentation at work? Or ask your boss for a raise?

You do? Then you are accessing the power of visualisation.

To continue, you need to have a few immediate goals in your mind. We are choosing immediate goals because you will then see immediate results. Once you have seen that this method works astonishingly well, then move on to some of your longer term goals. If you want help setting goals, then download the goalsetting ebook at http://www.shapingyourdestiny.com/ebooks.htm

We'll assume that you have three goals in your mind that you really want to achieve right now. Firstly, write them down on an index card, or on some paper. However, make sure you write them down legibly, neatly, and correctly.

Your goals must be written in a positive tone, without any negative statements. If you are assigning targets then be precise. Don't just say "I'll give up smoking". Instead, say "I will give up smoking by …" and set a date. This way you know when you have to achieve it by. And don't let the date slip either whilst you're working towards the goal.

Write out the goals as discussed above. To get you started, here are a few examples. Write out your own according to what you want to achieve.

"By December 31st 2002, I will have cleared all of my debt, and be permanently in the black"

"Each day I am becoming a better person, releasing my negative thoughts and traits, creating amazingly positive replacements for them."

"My creativity is flowing better and better each day, allowing me to write with ease."

"I used to find it hard to learn German, but this is changing. Every day I find it easier to speak, read, and understand German."

"I can achieve anything I want to, the whole world of opportunity is open to me."

"Every day I am becoming less selfish. I feel more generous towards others, and wish to share my good fortune with them."

"I am becoming less irritable. Things do not annoy me as much as they used to."

There are a few ideas for you, so take a few minutes out right now, and write down your immediate goals on that card. Write down no more than about five goals.

Now, you must carry your goals around with you wherever you go, in your purse, wallet, or whatever. This allows you to look at them regularly throughout the day and remind yourself of what you want to achieve. What you are about to learn here will blow you away with its potency.

It is important that this particular set of goals is not seen by anyone else. If someone sees them by accident, it's not too big a problem, but try to keep them to yourself. Obviously, don't let yourself get into any marital strife because you are hiding a bit of card from your partner! The reason for this is you do not want their expectations or negativity to influence the outcome.

This exercise will take you no more than ten minutes twice daily. Do it in both the morning and in the evening.

Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for about 5 to 10 minutes and take out the card with your immediate goals written on. This could be in your car in the office car park or even in the toilet! Look at them, and calm your mind. Focus your mind on the goals, and know that you will be successful. Now start the exercise.

1. In a firm, decisive voice that is full of confidence and the knowledge of your success, read aloud your first goal. (If you can't read it out aloud, then read it in your mind, but with the same tone of voice).

2. Close your eyes and visualise the success of your goal. Imagine how it would feel to have achieved it. If your goal was to loose weight, see yourself with the weight lost. If your goal was to clear debt, see yourself writing out cheques to clear the debt, and receiving statements saying the debt is cleared. Do this for about a minute. Focus on the outcome.

3. Open your eyes and repeat the first two steps for each one of your immediate goals.

4. When you have done this for each of your goals, say in the same certain tone of voice, "And so it will be."

This is a very powerful exercise, and works very well if you are dedicated to doing this every day. Don't be tempted to skip days as the potency of this will be diluted; the success you desire may take longer to achieve. When you achieve a goal on your list, replace it with another. To start with, you might want to put some goals that are within your reach, for example, getting up in time for work, and build up to achieving bigger goals. Using this technique is very much like using a muscle in your body - it needs exercise before it can handle the bigger weights.

This works because you are putting out the intent and expectation of your success, and so it will happen.

Now you may well be looking at some of your goals and thinking to yourself, "I'm never going to achieve that." Or "How am I going to achieve that?"

At this stage, it's quite natural to do that. Though you need to not worry too much about the how part of achieving your goals. Just know that you will. The how will become clear later on. You need to understand that there is always a way to achieve your goals if you are committed to them. The way will be revealed to you via your intuition or synchronicity (gut feeling and luck as many people call it).

You will know the way - trust me on that! I know you are more than likely sitting there thinking, "How?" If you are committed to achieving your goals, you will find a way. You may not know how you will achieve them at this moment, but an idea might hit you tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after . . . Whenever, but it will come. Trust in yourself.

With all goals, you should remain flexible to the outcome. You may have a goal of getting a lot of money. You may think that the best way for you to achieve that is to become, a pop star. However, what happens if you are trying that method and it does not appear to be working? You need to be flexible and change your approach. Perhaps there is a different opportunity presenting itself to you that will be better. Stay committed to your goal, and be creative about achieving it, though always stay on the right side of the law!

In summary, focus on your goals daily, repeat the visualisation exercise, believe in your success, and remain flexible and open to ideas from the universe. Doing this, you cannot fail to achieve your goals.