2. Divide and conquer. Henry Ford said: “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Elite athletes, for example, routinely set both long-term and short-term goals, but sports psychologists have discovered that repeatedly focusing on long-term goals can be counter-productive. Instead, focusing on short-term goals, and small changes needed to achieve them, leads to more motivation, greater confidence, enhanced performance, and more happiness, both for athletes and non-athletes alike.

Basketball coach Larry Brown, who is currently leading Detroit Pistons against Los Angeles Lakers in NBA finals, typically starts each game by encouraging his team to “win first three minutes.” He uses same technique throughout game, focusing his team on near-term goals and small changes needed for victory. Football coaches often use a similar tactic, encouraging players to mentally consider 16-game season as being comprised of four 4-game mini-seasons.

3. Schedule a time for small changes. Often we don’t simply don’t make time for small changes that can make big impacts. We may (wrongly) consider them to be inconsequential, or shy away from them because they remind us of how far we are from our more ambitious goals. Try scheduling a time for these modest behaviors, and sticking to it.

This technique is similar to “activity scheduling” – a tactic commonly used as one element of treating depression. Depressed people are often reluctant to engage in activities, such as going to a movie, even though they believe these activities will make them feel better. Committing themselves in advance to engaging in these activities can significantly boost their activity levels and their mood, helping to ensure they make small changes that have big impacts.

REFERENCES

The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

© 2004 Stephen Kraus

Set aside quiet time for yourself on a regular basis to get real clear about what you really want to attract in your life.

Use this opportunity to ask yourself questions. Ask yourself: "how can I create more prosperity and abundance in my life?".

Once your head is clear, you will allow answers to come to you. Meditation is a great way to start clearing mind.

4. Appreciate life's abundance

Appreciating life's abundance is another way to opening yourself up to accept more abundance and prosperity in your life. When you fully appreciate what you have in your life, Universe has a way of giving you more.

Keep a gratitude journal and at end of each day, write down everything that you appreciate in your life. You'll begin to change your energy and vibration and become more internally aligned with what you want to create in your life.

5. Use prosperity affirmations

As you write your gratitude journal, it is an opportunity to write down prosperity affirmations as well. Affirmations are statements of acceptance that you use to manifest your destiny or what you want to create in your life. They are powerful, positive thoughts and words sent out to universe.

If you want to use affirmations to create positive changes in your life, then you must first BELIEVE that this is possible. It shouldn't be a half hearted "well, I'll give this a go and see what happens".

To make affirmations more effective, put as much positive energy in writing and saying them as possible. Visualise what you want to create and let this inform your prosperity affirmations.

When you cease operating from a position of lack, you start to create fertile conditions to make more informed decisions, identify greater opportunities and attract more abundance and prosperity into your life.