People who are on the same journey tend to band together, and the journey of life is no different. Throughout the Internet and in the real world, like-minded travelers have joined to form support groups, newsgroups, goal-buddy groups, chat rooms, tele-groups (using conference call telephone bridge lines) coaching groups, and mailing lists (email or snail mail) – just to name a handful of the available support resources – all dedicated to making sure that every member or participant has a real chance to make to their goals a reality. You can find these groups through Internet searches, the “community events” section of your local paper and by word of mouth, and I heartily suggest that you do.
If there are none available that meet your needs, start one! Set down all the things you want to accomplish, and in what format you want help, and then print out some simple, eye-catching flyers announcing your new group. Put them up where they are likely to be seen by the people you need to reach – if you’re working on weight loss, post them at a gym, or doctor’s office; if your goal is worldwide travel, post at a local travel agent’s or at the library.
You can meet in your house, take turns meeting in the participants’ homes, or take advantage of the public spaces available to you in your town or city, such as parks, conference rooms in the library, food courts in the malls and other such areas. Or set up an online forum or group, if that suits you better. There are many free venues such as MSN or Yahoo! Where special interest groups can be easily set up with just a few minutes’ work. Again, locate fellow participants by putting up hard-copy flyers, posting your link in your favorite forums or newsgroups, or by emailing your friends and family to see if they, or anyone they know, would like to join.
[Note of warning: Take advantage of these resources freely and enthusiastically – but use caution and common sense make sure you aren’t taken advantage of in return. Don’t forget basic Net and real-world self-preservation, and don’t get too caught up in your excitement to pay attention to obvious and not-so-obvious warning signs.]
It’s just that simple, and it’s very effective. There’s nothing like being accountable to a group of fellow seekers and strugglers to keep you on the straight and narrow when it comes to doing the work involved in setting and meeting your goals. It’s easy enough to justify sitting around all Sunday watching X Files reruns when it’s just us, but knowing that on Monday night, fifteen people are going to be eagerly waiting for you to tell them all your accomplishments and progress of the previous week, makes it mighty uncomfortable laying there on the couch if you haven’t gotten your goal work done.
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of
. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
