Since elementary school we are told that we should be setting goals, both Long-Term and Short-Term, and that is about the extent of the education that the majority of the population receives. Setting goals is the #1 way of achieving prosperity, yet 90% of the population doesn’t even set goals. So we have to wonder, if setting goals helps you become successful, why not set them?

There are 3 main reasons you justify not setting goals. Lets take a look at each of them:

1. You don’t know how: What is a short-term goal, or a long-term goal? What is a goal? So many questions, so many steps, if only there was an easy way to learn all this… like maybe using Google?!?!?!?
2. You are too lazy: You had to wake up early, work hard all day, you just want to come home and relax, maybe watch a little TV. Who needs to set goals, it just means more work, right?
3. You Sub-Conscious won’t let you: My favorite topic to write about, the sub-conscious. Your sub-conscious knows that you are lazy and so will try to talk you out of it by saying: “If I set this goal and I don’t accomplish it, we won’t feel too good, so lets just avoid it all together.”

Ok, so now you know why you are not setting goals, so there is only one thing to do now… SET A GOAL! There are two basic steps here they are:

Why You Should Write You Goals Down NOW!!!!
How To Set SMART Goals

Here are a few projects on my plate: I work 40 hours a week representing a small software company named Microsoft, I work on this productivity website, My daily commute is 2 hours and 100 miles roundtrip, I have a successful Network Marketing business, and I have my own Computer Consulting company, I do at least 1 hour of personal development everyday, and sleep for about 4 hours a day. So when someone asks me how I’ve been, I think about it, and I tell them “I’ve been good, just really busy.”

A few days ago, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in a few years. After the pleasantries, I asked her how she has been. She got a frustrated look and said, “I’ve been good, just really busy.” Then she asked me how I have been, and I thought about all of my projects, and also said, “I’ve been good, just really busy”. Now this is the part that I found interesting, she gave me a look in which I knew that she did not believe me. That’s what got me thinking about this topic.

If you ask anyone, at anytime, how they are doing, you will always get the standard response, “I’ve been good, just really busy.” My question is simple, are people really as busy as they claim? There are several reasons why people give the default answer of “I’ve been busy.” Lets take a look at a few of the top reasons:

• Subconscious: Again, my favorite topic, the Subconscious. The subconscious works by believing in repeated messages. If you always say “I’m Busy”, “I’m Busy”, “I’m Busy”, can you guess what the message that your subconscious receives… “I’m Busy”. Again, it doesn’t matter if you are telling the truth or not, to the subconscious, everything is the truth. So not only do you convince yourself that you are busy, but you feel better about yourself.
• Ego: Everyone likes to feel good about themselves, right? So if you say to someone “I’ve been busy”, even though they most likely won’t believe you, it still feels better than saying “I’ve been slacking off and watching TV.”
• Confusion With Being Productive: There is a huge difference in being “Busy” and bring “Productive”. Playing video games all day will keep me busy, but not productive.
• General Answer: For most people, saying “I’ve been Busy” is just a quick standard response.

Now, instead of saying that I’ve just “been busy”, and sending a message to my subconscious to find ways to prove itself right and focuses on keeping me “busy”, I say that I’ve “been productive”. My subconscious now focuses on finding ways on making me more productive.

Give it a try. For the next few people you meet, take a look at their reactions when you simply say that you are “busy” compared to if you say that you are “productive.” If you say you are busy, they will just pass it off as a standard answer, but if you say that you have been productive, they will ask you what you have been up to and show more interest in you.

This is something new that I will be doing, regular reviews of movies, books, and audio cd’s. Now as always, everything is centered on Personal Development, so even the movies will be reviewed with that in mind.

The first movie is the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, book 5 in the 7-part series. I am going to try to stay away from any spoilers, but just in case, read at your own risk.

Although most people are saying that this is the worst of the 5 movies so far, I found it to be the best because of the leadership skills that Harry discovers were in him all along. So far our hero Harry has found himself isolated, fighting alone for the good side against Lord Voldimort and his evil minions. Up to this point, although he had the support of his friends, he had been going at it alone. All that changed when he realized, through the help of his friends, that he is not alone. Up to now he kept the ones that he loves at a distance, trying to protect them, but it only ended up hurting him. Now he embraces their support and has the role of being a leader thrust upon him. His teaching methods are one based off of real life and not out of a book.

An example of this is the Patronus Charm, which Harry learned in book 3- The Prisoner of Azkaban. This is a spell that is supposed to be very difficult to learn and is too advanced for students Harry’s age. Not only did Harry master it, but he was able to teach it to many students his age. This shows his ability as a teacher, as well as demonstrates the loyalty of those that believe him. Harry only becomes powerful enough to take on Voldimort’s mininions when he has an internal conversation with his sub-conscious. This transformation is very similar to the one that Aragorn has in Lord of the Rings.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie for the growth that Harry Potter goes through, as well as his realization that he is not alone.