Cycling at the Gym and Goal Setting

It is Monday evening and I am meeting with my 48 Days Group. We are discussing setting goals and there is a lot of resistance and skepticism. When faced with setting goals in so many areas, the task ahead seems overwhelming. Most participants acknowledge that though they may have an organized to do list or an idea of where they would like to be in 5 years, no one has actually practiced this goal setting technique. Coincidentally, just that afternoon while riding the exercise bike at my gym and reading Brian Tracy's book, Time Power, I had happened upon several of his ideas about goals and how to accomplish them. In particular, he had recommended writing down your goals and rewriting them daily while visualizing the goal. I share these ideas about goals with the group and although they seem interested, I can tell they are not convinced that this isn't just a bunch of psychological hoodoo that has little relevance for them. One participant says she sets goals all the time and even puts them on the bulletin board at work. Months later when she has made no progress, she rips them off the board and makes the goal of never setting goals again. We all laugh, end the meeting and I wonder if they will take any of the suggestions to heart. Nevertheless, I begin writing my goals daily and visualizing that they are accomplished. Literally the next day, I am again at the gym on the exercise bike with Brian Tracy's book sitting in front of me. A man I have never seen before stops and says, "I followed his advice after reading his book and won a trip to Hawaii." I am intrigued and ask for the details. It seems that he had set a goal of a trip to Hawaii with his wife and with great skepticism, began writing the goal down daily and visualizing it. Soon after, he saw a magazine he had never seen before called Islands, bought it and found a contest in the magazine for a romantic getaway to Hawaii. He wrote up his ideas, included a few rose petals and won the contest for himself and his wife! Afterwards he wrote to Brian Tracy and expained to him how his goal setting ideas had led to the accomplishment of his goal and a trip to Hawaii. I tell him that I can't wait to share his experience with my group! Who would have thought that you could get so much insight while biking at the gym? Jeremiah 29:11