It was inevitable. At that time, I was just a lowly paid analyst. Given the conventional way financial advisors derive their calculations, it was technically impossible for me to achieve something like that within such a short time. In fact after that first meeting, he went back and did some analysis for me. And the final conclusion?

The earliest age I could “officially” retire was 55. And that was provided I had at least $1.5 million worth of cash & investments – with a 1% withdrawal rate – by then. That stash of money would help pay off a pseudo $500,000 mortgage and generate $1,200 a month for my post retirement expenses. $1,200 isn’t a lot but for a 55 year old retiree who spent her most productive years slogging on a 9to5, with grown up kids, a paid up mortgage and few hobbies, that would help.

But to accumulate $1.5 million, I would have to stay dutifully employed for at least 3 more decades for the compounding to work.

Yes, 30 years!

I don’t deny it. I was disappointed when he said that. Though I liked what I was doing in the corporate world then, I found it depressing that I would have to wait so long before I could have the time of the world to do what I truly valued.

And that is what being “financial independent” means to me. It isn’t about having loads of money in the bank while I get around in a posh car or live in a large mansion. It isn’t even about traveling around the world on a lavish fashion. But rather, a modest down-to-earth approach towards living life. When I can have the freedom of time & resources for things, people and activities that really matters to me. While my daily needs and wants are being taken care of. And certainly, I’m not expecting to do all this only in my 50s. I want to do it in my best years.

My Ongoing Journey Towards Financial Independence

It was with this goal in mind – an awakening I got after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad – that I started actively researching on ways to “get out of the rat race”. As I explored and experimented with different ideas, I made several lifestyle choices along the way. And one of the most significant decision was taking the plunge to become a full time online entrepreneur.

Looking back, it has almost been 3 years since I’ve decided to quit my job. While I’m not exactly living in a lap of luxury, my online endeavours and dividends from stock investments is supporting my lifestyle now. Which is relatively simple and low cost since I’m single, debt free, living with my parents and pretty frugal to begin with. The fact that I’m now working from home helps a lot too. Daily commuting & apparel expenses can really add up, you know

I’m fortunate too that my income is kind of residual in nature. I don’t trade time for money and much of my effort these days is spent on monitoring my investments (5%), my websites (5%), family (50%) and volunteering for a cause I strongly believe in (40%). I love it that I’m no longer accountable to anyone for my time. And that – in my opinion – is where I think the “real” freedom is.

But having freedom for freedom’s sake is meaningless unless you’ve got the resources to support what you want to do. And of course your day to day needs. For example, what’s the point of having 8 hours of free time a day when you can’t even afford a proper meal? Or leisure activities that you’ve always wanted to pick up? Such as salsa lessons?

I admit this is one area I got real lucky. I’ve always been a very thrifty person and my lifestyle is kind of minimalistic in nature. Most of my hobbies are either inexpensive or entirely free. I’m that kind of person who’ll rather wait months for a new release at the public library than buying it immediately from the bookstore. And even when I travel, I usually do that on a shoestring. I know, I know. Thriftiness stems from scarcity but I admit this is one “virtue” that put me in a good stead. I don’t have to live miserably just to be financially independent. Scrimping and saving seems to be in my blood. Ha ha.

But much as I’ll like to think I’ve achieved financial freedom, I know I’m still a distance away. After all, there are way too many possibilities which may disrupt this equilibrium. What if I decide to move out? The rent or mortgage payments will add on my monthly expenses, isn’t it? What if a nice guy comes along and I decide to get married and have 2 kids?

Even though my emergency fund can tackle any unexpected one-time expenses, these possible recurring lifestyle related costs can have longer term repercussions. Being the ever prudent girl, the challenge for me right now is to really diversify and beef up my income sources so that I’m “ready” for such changes as they unfold. But one thing’s for sure though. I don’t think I’ll be waiting till 50 to make that happen.

No, don’t get me wrong. I’m not implying that retiring at a later age is inappropriate. Nor am I encouraging you to quit your job and do the same thing like I did. My decision was purely personal. And while it may not be the most foolproof plan around, I know it’s something I call my own. So far the journey has been very fulfilling! What about you? Any goal to achieve financial independence this year?

What You Can Consider In Your Own Financial Independant Plan

While everyone’s circumstance is different, there are things to consider and perhaps even adopt, if they’re relevant to you. Some of these may require a major paradigm shift, but the actual execution can be picked up over time.

(1) Set Up An Emergency Fund

“Cliche!” you might say. But this really works. In case you’re unaware, an emergency fund is an amount you can readily access to tide over unexpected events in your life. This should be separated from your spending account and used for only covering emergencies. You know, things like getting laid off, paying for an unplanned hospital bill etc.

I can’t stress enough the importance of an emergency fund. Before I first decided to quit my job back then, I had at least 10 months worth of daily expenses all stashed away. It gave me a lot of reassurance as I worked on launching my websites and also, learning more about stock investments on the side. I had to dip into it a couple of times over the initial months but since then, the shortfall has been replenished. So, how much should this amount be?

Well, it depends. Popular personal finance expert Dave Ramsey recommends that if you’re debt ridden, keep a buffer of about $1,000 and use the rest for the debts. Once they’re cleared, build up your emergency fund to about 3-6 months worth of required expenses. I think that’s a good way to get started. But for me, 10 months is still a figure I’m more comfortable with so I’ll probably stick to it.

(2) Keep Yourself Covered Medically

Since the demise of my sister, my attitude towards insurance – particularly health insurance – changed drastically. I witness for myself how chronic illnesses can literally cripple a family’s finances overnight. I also learned how one can easily mitigate that risk with a relatively low cost health insurance plan. Believe me, if you’re living in a country which doesn’t have some sort of universal health care, this can be a life saver.

Consult a few insurance agents if you must to obtain several quotations for your comparison. You can even get insurance quotes online. A general rule of thumb? Get a plan that suit your needs and not necessary something that is cheaper. For example, I switched into a comprehensive private health plan when I knew I was no longer covered under my ex-company’s employee insurance scheme. It cost twice as much as the most common option. But at least I know I can sleep better at night.

(3) Reduce Your Debts

Do you know how debts can delay your journey towards financial independence? It basically eats into the amount of disposable income you have for investing in cash flow generating assets such as stocks, real estate or in my case, a portfolio of stock investments and web properties. These assets are responsible for creating the residual income required to fund your lifestyle. And since debt payments and interest usually represent a significant portion of one’s monthly expenses, by tackling it head on, you’re applying the 80-20 pareto rule.

A rather effective method for debt reduction is Dave Ramsey’s debt snowball approach. While traditional methods of debt elimination recommends tackling the highest interest rate debts first, the debt snowball suggests you attack the lowest balance debts first. In this way, you gradually build up a psychological victory of eliminating debts in a quick consecutive manner.

I can see why this method works so well. It encourages the human mind by letting in a few quick wins and by the time one gets into the bigger balances, the whole debt elimination process would have been reinforced. Sure, that doesn’t mean it’s easier. But it somehow becomes so much more habitual.

(4) Lower Your Cost Of Living Without Feeling Miserable

In Your Money Or Your Life, financial independence is defined as “having an income sufficient for your basic needs and comforts from sources other than paid employment”. By simply lowering your essential costs of living, you stand a better chance of reaching financial independence earlier. Think about it. Which is easier? Earning a residual income to cover a monthly expense of $2,000 or $5,000? And trust me, you’ll be surprised how little you actually need.

For example, my expenses was cut by 30% after I quit my job. I don’t need to commute to an office anymore since I’m working from home. I can’t remember the last time I bought a new set of “office wear”. You know, those formal power suits? And I’m eating out less too thanks to my mum who cooks at home.

But do you know where the bulk of my savings was? Entertainment. Previously, I would chill out over drinks with my colleagues after work. I still do nowadays with my friends. But it’s so much less frequent. I guess when you’re bogged down with deadlines and tight schedules, you’ll need more booze to soothe the nerves. Ha!

So how do you get started on this? First, write down all your monthly expenses on a piece of paper. Run through each one of them and as you do so, ask yourself these questions

• Can this be cut back?
• If yes, will doing so make your life miserable?
• If not, how should you go about it? And how should you track it?

Remember, every dollar saved is a step closer to being financial independent!

(5) Increase Your Residual Income Sources

While being frugal and cutting back on your expenditure helps, it’s just one side of the equation. Some say it’s just a small part of it. You must have sources that will generate income for funding your needs and wants. And it’s pretty crucial that this income is “residual” in nature. Here’s why.

Residual income refers to recurring revenue you receive long after the initial work is done. It’s very much different from earned income in that you aren’t getting paid for your time, like you would in a job. And when your residual income exceeds your monthly expenses, you’re literally freed to do whatever you want! Because you don’t need a job to pay for your expenses anymore! Examples of such income include :

• Rental from real estate
• Dividends payouts from your stock portfolio
• Advertising revenue, affiliate commissions, product sales from your websites
• Recurring commissions from network marketing or insurance related products
• Royalties from copyrighted works such as the books you authored, music you composed, inventions you created etc.

Now, I’ll be lying to you if I said such income doesn’t require any effort. In fact, the initial work can be very laborious. During a dinner yesterday for example, a friend revealed how she was renting out her property for a net positive cash flow of $600 a month. Not too bad considering she’s still holding a full time job. But do you know how long she took to earn that income? Almost a year sourcing for a suitable property, renovating, furnishing it and getting all the paperwork done!

Come on, all that work for just $600 a month? Doesn’t sound like a good deal, isn’t it? But if you consider how much work she’s putting to maintain it, it’s probably not that bad after all. Yes, there IS effort required to maintain such revenue streams but depending on the type of investment you’re looking at, it can be pretty low.

In my friend’s case, the house’s in a pretty good condition so there were few tenant complaints about it. She also engaged someone to help her with the management so it was pretty much hassle free. Lucky girl.

Or is it? From my own experience, it definitely takes more than just luck to being financial independent.

** Photo by Only Sequel

The fact is, technically, other than Aarron & perhaps M De Jong, most of the participants didn’t “complete” their SMART goal per say. Carmina let go of 5.5 pounds but was still 3.5 pounds short of her target. Lisa did come up with a writing process but wasn’t writing at the intended speed of 800 words a day. Mark Barr talked to 20 people about his network marketing opportunity but was still 1 person short of his goal. As for Imagi? She managed to know more people, learned a lot about herself and acted on the need for continous improvement. But that ideal, perfect partner didn’t turn up in her life during the period. Well, not yet.

So, does that imply that self hypnosis don’t work?

Let’s catch up on the very overdue summary of each of the participant’s final week’s progress before I answer this question right at the end.

1. Aarron

   A weigh in on day 16 itself made Aarron (who was on the “Weight Loss Motivation” self hypnosis program) realized he had already met his goal of letting go 5 to 7 pounds! Over the last week, one can truly attest that eating well & exercising regularly soon became second nature to Aarron. For example, a trip to the baseball match saw him giving up the hotdogs & beers combo for half a portion of a light meal at a Chinese food eatery.

   He also researched on new routines that he could do – without popping to the gym – just to spice up his daily workout. Towards the end of the week, he even adapted yard work in a Rocky Balboa styled cardio/aerobic routine! I definitely could sense the changes in Aarron. And based on the photos he posted in the private platform, I must admit it. It’s very motivational!

   He was totally aware of it as well and was so happy with his results that he was already planning for another goal he would like to work concurrently with self hypnosis! Way to go, Aarron!

2. Carmina

   In her last update on her “Weight Loss Motivation” self hypnosis program, Carmina reported a loss of 5.5 pounds. Though that was 3.5 pounds short of her target for the experiment, she generally felt that hypnosis was effective albeit pretty slow.

   She would continue to listen to the tape a month or two after the experiment as she started to see good changes in her habits over the last week. Aarron left a very encouraging comment for her on the private platform and I absolutely agree with him. Depending on one’s actual body weight, 5.5 pounds was considered great weight reduction. I would just like to remind her on Mark Tyrrell’s advice too. Different people respond to hypnotic trance differently and so, that could be the reason why she thought it wasn’t working as fast.

   More importantly however, I believe it has somewhat kickstarted a growing impetus to complete her goal, which would definitely snowball into great momentum if she keep at it consistently. Persist right till the end, Carmina!

3. Lisa

   Despite the occasional loss of motivation in the 2nd week, Lisa moved along smoothly in the final sprint, deeply thankful for the support from the rest of the participants & the “Write That Book” self hypnosis session she received.

   All in all, she had clocked in an additional 9,342 words since the beginning of the project and learned a great deal about writing a novel which included the important proper outline and character development processes.

   She reckoned. Had it not been for Mark Tyrrell’s outstanding self hypnosis session motivating her to “flow” constantly, she might have omitted the need to further her research and make necessary changes. Now that she had the structure in mind, she would be able to continue making her words flow onto the page with ease, something Mark had been constantly encouraging in his tape.

   Ahh, the determination fire has been ignited! Can she keep it burning? I’m sure she will.

4. M De Jong

   Some unfortunate personal & work circumstances drew De Jong’s attention away from the experiment which she was prescribed the “Find Your Passion” hypnosis program. But as she was deeply entrenched in her career & religious responsibilities during the week, she felt a sense of peace and confidence about her future.

   It occurred to her at that time that the things she desired to do didn’t actually need a direct change of workplace. Her current work was giving her opportunities to use her skills and develop herself. Her buddhist activities were also platforms for her to work with and for people. There wasn’t much practical change needed, but more a change in intensity. Which was happening right then.

   She hasn’t been listening to the tape for a few days since, as she noticed that she didn’t want to hear the stories about the other people anymore. To her, the confidence boost in the tape and other encouraging segments were already helping her. She was feeling happy and could also feel the creativity bubbling within her, asking for her attention.

   In my point of view, I’m glad she had came to terms with herself on her career expectations. Many a time, we’re often given the impression that the pasture is often greener on the other side but it’s only upon reflection that we’re only aware that things we’ve been searching has always been around or with us.

   Thanks De Jong, for the great reminder!

5. Mark Barr

   Mark’s doubts about self hypnosis seemed go on a roll coaster ride towards the end of the experiment.

   In his last few updates, despite continuing to talk to more people, he wasn’t sure if he felt any more motivated by his “Reach Your Goals” self hypnosis sessions. In one occasion, he was even distracted in listening to his session and suspected that was due to his graduation & daughter leaving on a trip.

   But that took a turn for the better as he went through 2 to 3 focused sessions on Day 16 & 17. With that, he completed the draft for the story he would be incorporating into his product preso and took up suggestions to give product samples to genuine prospects. He managed to talk to 20 people (including the experiment participants) about his product!

   Though he agreed that the results was not too bad, he was still skeptical if the self hypnosis session really helped. Frankly, I could understand his skepticsm. After all, we’re using a hybrid of goal setting/motivational techniques on the private platform which could also have a part to play in his result. But I believe those approaches we’ve been using together with self hypnosis are really complementary in getting the goals to stick. After all, self hypnosis is also one tool that does just that, isn’t it?

6. Imagi

   It has always been an eye opening experience reading Imagi’s updates on her experience with the “Be More Attractive To Men” self hypnosis session.

   And if there was one word that would describe her thoughts at the end of this experiment : it was “GLAD”. She was GLAD to have taken part as it was an important tool towards realizing her chosen goal and the eventual success depends on how effectively she utilize that tool.

   Throughout this period, she had managed to meet some new people and overcame her natural introversion to know new people. Such encounters had not been entirely fruitless, though they weren’t the kind she was looking for. She believed that success was not time bound – especially something as important as a lifelong relationship.

   More importantly, she had gained a deeper understanding of herself as an individual, learning her own unique abilities, flaws in the process and working on accepting and making the most out of them. Imagi, you know all of us are with you. I’m sure you’ll meet that ideal guy soon!

Reading the final week’s updates have somewhat illuminated the fact that even though the majority of them didn’t meet their SMART goals, most reckoned that the self hypnosis had some way or in another helped them get started. In some cases, such as Lisa & Imagi, the self hypnosis session was instrumental in gearing them to view their process/self in a uniquely different perspective. Something they might not have thought of right in the beginning.

Aarron said it best in one of his encouragement to another fellow participant “The actions and the lessons we experience along the way are often more important than the goals themselves. Like Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit, he learns much from his journey. The excitement, strengths and courage to go on in the face of fear, danger and the negative talk of the ego are all derived along the way. In-Joy (Enjoy) the journey and it is success.”

Yes, I’m sure all of them enjoyed the journey because I certainly did! It’s great getting to know a bunch of readers who have such great aspirations and are so eager to accomplish their goals! I also took the liberty to ask the participants their post experiment impression of self hypnosis and its effectiveness on their goals. Here’s what most of them think :

Aarron

“Clearly, hypnosis played an important role in achieving my goal. Could I have done it without – maybe. I think that it is not a pill you take and expect a solution to your problem. You must set yourself into action to achieve the goal you have in mind. Become congruent in your words and actions and the results will naturally follow.

I am very confident I can use hypnosis to aid in any of my future goals. It is important to give yourself as much help as possible when making a commitment to change. This is like having another tool in your tool box ready to use on the job.”

Carmina

“I think self hypnosis and this experiment has definitely helped me to commit to my goal and take it seriously. It had been a great experience. Self hypnosis worked for me and that’s why recently, I’ve also bought other tapes because I think it’s a good way to enrich your goals easily. The experiment made me really committed in listening to the tape every single day for 21 days. Otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve listened to the tape every day. It gave me an extra boost of motivation which I felt was really good support for keeping up with my goal.”

Lisa

“Yes, I do believe the hypnosis has helped me. The tapes were almost like a “guided” visualization and it assisted in steering me in the right direction. The SMART goal also helped in creating numerical goals I was able to “shoot” for. My experience with the 21 day hypnosis experiment will only assist me with other endeavors. When I am serious about a goal I know where I can purchase a hypnosis tape for anything I strive to do! Following the crucial SMART goal process (reminder) proved goals are best achieved using a plan. Our minds like numbers and climbing up the rank or down. With my goals in the future I will always create a specific measurable and time bound plan.”

Mark Barr

“It may have played some role in my progress, but in conjunction with goal setting and being in a group of like-minded people. I may continue to use my tape in conjunction with vision boards, affirmations and EFT. However, I feel nothing works as having a will written achievable goal and a realistic plan to reach it.”

Imagi

“Oh yes, it has. One of the main reasons I took up this hypnosis project was because I wanted to work on myself and see if there were any psychological blocks that were subconsciously, preventing me from attracting Mr.Right. To that extent, this hypnosis has helped me in becoming a better version of myself. I’m not talking of extreme makeovers here. But rather channeling my natural confidence into the area of relationships.

Through the hypnosis, I actually learned to accept that I could just be myself and more importantly, to make subtle changes and improvements in myself that make it so much more easier to relate to others. So I can go out there and impress people and still be my own self. If there is one thing I have taken away from this project, it is the CONFIDENCE in myself and an ability to look at myself OBJECTIVELY. This becomes very important when I am looking at other goals in my life so that I can easily pinpoint areas of improvement without any hang-ups.

And, oh, by the way, I am planning to meet somebody next week. So, in a way, the hypnosis tape still has some work to do!! Frankly, I really enjoyed the experiment. I came here with an open mind on this and treated this as a tool rather than a panacea for my challenges. But I also had some unexpected side effects, such as being fitter & slimmer, as I became more conscious of my diet and Yoga workouts, better time management & organizational skills.

Most importantly, I’ve learned to just chill! Life is great when you feel great! Other things will just follow of their own accord!”

Hmm… I’m inclined to say self hypnosis is indeed an effective tool to help one’s goals given the results and feedback from the majority of the participants. And if you’ll like to give self hypnosis a test run for yourself, here’s a list of self hypnosis programs available from Hypnosis Downloads. But like what I’ve reiterated, it should never never replace action. And I know it never will.

What do you think?

Update 6/8/08 : For your convenience, here are the complete links to the Self Hypnosis Group Experiment logs. And if you’re interested in give self hypnosis a test run, here’s the list of self hypnosis programs. Have fun!

• Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals?
• How to Select the Right Self Hypnosis Scripts & Prescription
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 1st Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 2nd Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : Final Week Results

** Photo By Eliazer

1. Aarron

   Aarron’s disappointment last week – when he found out he weighed in an extra 5 pounds – turned into joy. A check on his own home scale revealed that he had lost 4 pounds instead! Perhaps it was all that clothes and personal belongings which made him seemingly heavier at the doctor’s.

   It was always so interesting reading Aarron’s updates. Not only was it detailed, it was full of his own little trials & tribulations. After getting back on track from his short disappointment, Aarron decided to test if the self hypnosis has been permanently ingrained into his subconscious by not listening to the “Weight Loss Motivation” mp3 for a day.

   Guess what? He actually fell prey to a fast food commercial and ate some fried chicken after 10pm! He even declared that day a break from dieting and went on to down 2 beers and some snacks. Hmm… looks like there’s indeed some co-relation between listening to the “Weight Loss Motivation” mp3 versus the action, isn’t it? Yet on the 14th day of the experiment, he missed another session unintentionally, without losing control of his diet.

   That got me wondering, has the self hypnosis really settled onto his subconscious? Or was it a coincidence? I really loved it when Aarron ended the 2nd week’s progress with a mention of his friend’s “Where is your butt?” comment on his new physique. I agree with his perspective that someone was indeed noticing changes in him. It’s often easier to see a change in the upper torso than the lower. So, when that person mentioned that, boy, that’s indeed fantastic news!

2. Carmina

   Though she commented that her body was relatively slow when it came to weight loss – and didn’t experience any further decreases after her first 2 pounds since listening to the “Weight Loss Motivation” mp3 – Carmina noticed a gradual improvement in her junk food binging habit. After all, lately it seemed much easier for her to refrain from eating in between meals even when she was hungry. Especially in the morning.

   She had also been going to the gym just for Pilates and continued to believe that going for more classes would help her to lose more weight. Oh well, Carmina you may not have lost any more weight this time but you’ve still got another week to play catch up, don’t you?

3. Lisa

   As the 1st week’s excitement fizzled out, Lisa found herself slipping on her goals. She didn’t listen to the “Write That Book” session for 2 days and noticed that there were 3 days she didn’t write at all. Picking up the self hypnosis session once again gave her a great motivational boost. In fact, she was so impressed with the instant motivation that she was considering getting other tapes to help her with cleaning out her cupboards and reorganize her stuff! Sure, Lisa. Here’s the entire Hypnosis Downloads list of mp3.

   As she started to get back on track in the later part of the week, a recent spate of news led her to further research into her writing. She continued to write, but not as much as she did in the first week. Nonetheless, she was grateful that “at least” she kept on with the writing. And when she did so, she found herself increasingly concerned about the knowledge of the plot and characters that she vested more research onto that.

   Keep it going, Lisa. You know we’re behind you!

4. M De Jong

   Frustrations continued to plague M De Jong since listening to the “Find Your Passion” self hypnosis mp3. Many times she felt held back and restrained by the very thoughts and visualizations which brought her excitement and happiness moments before. As a form of escape, she began to seek refuge by playing computer games & watching television. And even justified to herself why she needed to do that.

   In my opinion, that was probably her subconscious’ way of telling herself, she was on the wrong track. But what would she feel that way? Weren’t she supposed to feel clearer about what she wanted out of her career after the self hypnosis session? Why did she become even more confused? I knew I had to clarify that with Mark Tyrrell.

   And I did.

5. Mark Barr

   Due to work and personal commitments, Mark Barr wasn’t able to update as much. But it was good to know he was still progressing fine with the “Reach Your Goals” mp3. He had opportunities to speak to some more business prospects about his network marketing product and brought the total tally to 6.

   He also came up with a good business idea of including his story – of how he got involved with the network marketing company – as part of his preso materials! In fact, he promised to post it in the private platform for reviews when he had finished. Good! Mark, do let us know what else we can help!

6. Imagi

   Imagi found her social and professional circle expanding and ease in opening up to people who might help her connect to that particular ‘someone’. Something she probably didn’t thought she would do before listening to “Be More Attractive To Men” self hypnosis tape.

   However, what was really troubling her was her anxiety for results. A high achiever and doer, she found it particularly frustrating to not see results in this goal as fast as she did in other areas/goals in her life. She understood such frustration and anger would not do her good and was working hard to replace that with more peaceful thoughts. Thoughts of strength.

   It was only during this while that she became more aware of herself and her behaviour. Especially when mingling with people. She felt the challenge to impress people but on second thoughts decided to just be herself.

   Yes, Imagi. Just be yourself. I liked it best when Aarron advised in one comment “… Being congruent is absolutely critical to your success. You can dress up the outside as pretty as you want, but if the inside doesn’t match, it will easily be communicated through the morphegenic field to those you encounter.”

   It’s true. I’m a believer in change too. But change for yourself. Not for someone else. The former is a conscious decision that’s likely to be more lasting and genuine. Which will have more far reaching impacts than the latter.

Likewise in the 1st week’s progress update, I’ve invited the participants & Mark Tyrrell to join me in this interview. Unfortunately, one of the participants M De Jong is unable to join us today due to her work commitments.

Hello guys & gals, how are you? This week’s updates were kind of mixed.

Two of you maintained your progress, despite suffering some slight setbacks. Some continued to do well or moderately well and one of you who’s not here today is stuck. Now, in your own words, how would you describe your progress?

Aarron : Oh well, there was definitely progress, but there were also a few bumps in the road. Perhaps the ego was hard at work or perhaps just long hours and a plate full of responsibilities to take care of, but one day I totally fell off the program – yes, the day I didn’t listened to the mp3 – and went back to the old way of doing it. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. I corrected course and continued to make progress toward my goal. I may have needed a reminder of how it felt the old way and in that received the impetus to propel myself forward with renewed vigor and motivation.

Carmina : Well Ellesse, as you’ve noticed, I’m actually moving very slowly. In the 2nd week, my total weight loss still stood at only 2 pounds. But I was kept motivated by listening to the tape every night.

Lisa : My initial excitement wore out during the 2nd week and I slipped in reaching my daily goals. There were three days I did not write at all. This was an outstanding learning experience for me as far as goal setting and hypnosis were concerned. I learned “when” I needed to buckle down and use more force with myself in order to stay on track.

Mark Barr : During the 2nd week, I started to see more significant progress towards meeting my goals.

Imagi : Almost midway through the project, even when I’ve been regularly listening to the tapes, taking relevant action, I was seeing no result. It was frustrating, to say the least. That began the process of self understanding and acceptance. I began to delve into my basic nature, into me as an individual and how others might perceive me. That led me to focus on refining myself and my reactions – not that there was a lot to do. Now it was not so much about finding that “someone”, but was more about finding my own ideal self.

Cheer up, people! The issues you were facing were pretty inherent in goal setting. You start out motivated and excited but as that die down, what used to something so fascinating and interesting to you become routine.

In other words, it became “work”. Especially if you don’t see any immediate gratification. It’s during this time that most people give up. But don’t! Continue to take small steps toward your goal and remind yourself of why you’re working that goal and keep the faith that you’ll succeed.

Alright?

All : Yeah, we will!

Way to go, guys! Aarron, on the day that you fell off the program, you actually didn’t listen to the hypnosis mp3 right?

Aarron : I think at that time I was feeling the effortless ease with which I was able to resist eating the old way and thought I’d test the programming to see how well it had embedded at a cellular level. I’m actually combining this work with a symbol technology developed by Dawn Clark, which opens the chakras instantly and allows for rapid cellular embedment of any program or learning. I had often used this technique in other 21 day applications with outstanding results.

I also recall having had a very long day and getting less than an adequate night’s rest the night before and that probably added to the falling back into the old pattern of comfort from eating. It also could have been the resistance of the ego/brain a lot like those who quite smoking or drinkiing. I was in a typical environment that triggered an old response and I was just too tired to care or resist at that time.

But despite that, on the 14th day – when you didn’t have time for your self hypnosis session in the morning – you were able to control your diet without any conscious effort, right?

Aarron : Yes. I believe after the incident on the 12th day I had found the resolve to not treat myself badly anymore. The 12th was very motivational and instructive as to finding my feelings and trusting that they would be my best guide in the actions I needed to take. I began using my feeling as the map to reach the destination.

Hmm… your vastly different responses on those 2 occasion led to me another question.

Mark, as in Mark Tyrrell, can you give us an insight as to what causes this difference in Aarron’s reactions and any recommendations when one can effectively wane off from listening the tape?

Mark Tyrrell : Well for anything to become established it either needs to be extremely powerful or extremely…repeated. For example, someone could have a very powerful scary one off experience at that powerful one off time could be enough to establish the ‘habit’ of fear around say cars (if it was a car crash) or someone could just have the experience of feeling a little nervous time after time to eventually establish a fear of cars.

So, people don’t always have very powerful one off responses to the hypnosis sessions – although of course many do – but it’s the repetition that can establish a new habitual pattern. I’m guessing that Aarron’s new pattern needed to a little time to stick. Habits can be hard to break and fortunately that applied to good habits too. Once the ‘good habit’ is established we can start weaning from the tape just listening again if ever the need is felt.

Ok, that makes sense! Now that we’re at it, Mark, can you also shed some light on M De Jong’s situation? She seemed to be going through an internal turmoil in her 2nd week and got trapped into an escapist mode. What do you think could be the reason behind her emotional confusion and behaviour? And what’s your advice to her?

Mark Tyrrell : Well it’s interesting sometimes as if parts of a person almost rebel against new positive patterns. We certainly see this sometimes when working with smokers or other people with addictive behavior. Like what Aarron mentioned earlier in his own situation, it’s as if the old negative pattern senses that it may be under threat and puts up some resistance.

I’ll suggest that De Jong keep on keeping on just to see this as turbulence on a flight – it may feel dramatic but you’re actually still on course for your destination.

But how do you know if it’s turbulence and not an imminent plane crash?

Mark Tyrrell : Well progress is rarely completely smooth. Once we make progression, go back a little to review and then progress a little further. The general pattern is one of improvement. Airplanes don’t just go forward they go up and down but they get you to where you need to go. The So-called black and white thinking can cause people problems because it can lead to perfectionism (‘this has got to be completely perfect or it’s a disaster, I can’t love this person if they exhibit any imperfections etc.) or catastrophism (‘Things are going to go completely wrong’)

One of the first signals that someone is, for instance, coming out of depression, is that their thinking starts to become less absolutist. Rather than feeling their whole life is, for example, ‘a failure’ they start to see that bits are more successful than others. That is, they see the gray. To do this the mind needs to be calmer and they need to be able to challenge their own all or nothing thinking-at least on occasion.

Of course we never know completely for sure that the turbulence on a plane doesn’t signify imminent crashing but planes are meant to experience turbulence; to go up and down to some extent. But if we are using too much ‘black or white’, ‘all or nothing’ thinking then turbulence inevitably signifies something absolute (like a crash) for us rather than….the normal turbulence which it is.

Part of the value of hypnotic relaxation is that it can quiet the mind so that objectivity and multiple view points have a chance to operate and the type of thinking based on fight or flight, all or nothing recedes to the extent that our judgments can become ‘shaded.’ I hope this is useful.

Thank you Mark for the excellent advice! I guess it’s a matter of perspective to always stay postive and see all changes towards the improvement of our lives. Trust in your instinct that all things will definitely work well and it WILL! Ah, it’s back to our thoughts again, isn’t it.

Thanks Mark once again. It’s really great to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, with an expert in the house! Now back to the rest of you. What are the things that work – and didn’t work – when you set out to implement the plans you’ve mentioned last week?

Aarron : Most worked just fine for me. I would have listened to the Mp3 daily as an added measure rather than experimenting to see if the programming was strong enough to skip a day or two. Having a balanced meal plan that was easy to implement was critical to my success as well.

Carmina : For me what was more difficult was stop snacking between meals. Second week I still couldn’t totally avoid it despite working out and eating healthy meals. But I did see some improvements in that.

Lisa : I’m assuming this question is in reference to the smart goals specifically. Listening to the tape before bed time worked well for me through out the process. My smart goal did not have any breathing room for the structuring problem I ran into, as I had not included any “research” or “planning” time. I thought my 800 words a day worked well for me also.

Mark Barr : As I became a bit more accustomed to the tape, I started to relax more and become more focused. Writing in private platform and being in supportive communication with other members was also helpful.

Imagi : Though things were not moving at the speed and in the exact direction I desired, I persisted. Diligence and faith became my watch words. I worked on my Vision Board. And persisted with relevant follow up action.

You guys rock! Despite the mixed responses this week, I’m very glad that you’ve taking all these positively.

But what I’ve also noticed is, those of you who were more actively engaged with their goals (either through updating their progress on the private platform or continuously brainstorming on new ideas/ways to get a step closer to their goals) achieved more growth in their goals than others.

Mark, from self hypnosis’ point of view, what’s the significance of that?

Mark Tyrrell : Well, Ellesse. Basically, hypnosis is primarily a way of enhancing focus. Being more focused on your goals mean you already have a hypnotic advantage. We can all learn from highly focused people (as long as they are focused on productive and healthy things).
The participants who were continuously writing their progress in the private platform were in a way regularly reminding themselves what it is they want to achieve.

They’re developing real vision. Strongly imagining you’ve already achieved what you are aiming for then writing down in detail all the steps that got you there, then strongly imagining carrying out each step is actually a fine quasi hypnotic technique.

I think people should always strive to regularly remind themselves of their goals.

But in your last progress update, Mark, you mentioned letting the hypnosis “settle” as listening to the sessions alone should be effective in itself or when used with other non hypnotic approaches.

I take it to mean that even if the participants were to do nothing except listening to the tape, there should be some improvements or changes in their goals. Right?

Mark Tyrrell : Yes, this is the idea and certainly hypnotic intervention can have very powerful results. This is not to say that other approaches can’t be used in conjunction with the hypno approach but just that we don’t need to analyze’ too closely the contents of the hypnotic experience or consciously ‘try’ too much.

Oh I see. Thanks for the clarification. In your point of view, what are some of the best non-hypnotic approaches people can use to derive the most out of their self hypnosis experience?

Mark Tyrrell : As far as non-hypnotic approaches are concerned, doing one new thing each day that is broadly or even loosely connected to you goal is a great way to expand horizons. Telling yourself “Today I am going to do at least one small thing I wouldn’t have normally done’ is a good behavioral adjunct to hypnotic approaches. Although of course the hypnosis itself will also be promoting this behavior.

Visualization & writing out your progress, like what you’ve encouraged the participants to do in the private platform are something very helpful too.

Ok. In the case of Mark Barr, who was constantly unsure if his actions were as a result of his self hypnosis. What do you think he could do to enhance his experience?

Mark Tyrrell : Well of course we can’t always be certain what exactly has produced good results but I suggest really upping the experience (whether whilst relaxing to the tapes or at any other available time) of visualizing yourself speaking to people and congruently enthusing.

Self fulfilling prophesies are so powerful and a very effective way to producing them is to keep strongly imagining the pattern you want to activate in reality. Talking a lot about doing something without actually doing it just strengthens the pattern for…talking about it. But strongly imagining actually doing it creates the right ‘blue print’ or template.

Awesome! I hope the rest of you’ve learned as much as I did in today’s interview! Back to our usual check, what do all of you intend to do to move yourself closer to your goal in the last week?

Aarron : Yes! I’ve the motivation now to achieve my goal and ahead of schedule. For me, I’ll just doing what I’ve been doing.

Carmina : I intend to keep concentrating with my goal… keep going to the gym as much as I can… keep avoiding snacks between meals. I’m so motivated because after 21 days listening the tape seems that work really well for me.

Lisa : The notion of having only 1 week left for this experiment is already a great “end of the project” motivator. I’m excited to write every day and include additional research.

Mark Barr : I plan to focus more toward the finish line and what my daily actions are doing to get me there.

Imagi : I always knew that I was an ambivert and preferred a reserved attitude while among acquaintances. Now, I decided not to fight this natural trait but to just be my comfortable self. I had for a long time wished to join a public speaking course. During this week, I decided to finally go ahead with this. Like I mentioned earlier, it was about getting as close to my ideal self as possible, while keeping the ultimate goal in mind. I tried to not be overwhelmed by my ultimate goal nor did I lose sight of it.

Great guys! Let’s make full use of the last week of the experiment to make a full effort dash towards the finishing line. Before I sign off, Mark, any encouragement you’ll like to give the participants?

Mark Tyrrell : Yes! Always remember that we’re all capable of way more that what we currently know. Even if you consider yourself an extremely positive goal orientated person. Although you may sometimes think you’re alone with your goal, you’re not….We’re a mutually supporting team-working together

You bet! I’m with all of you too. Let’s run!

Update 6/8/08 : For your convenience, here are the complete links to the Self Hypnosis Group Experiment logs. And if you’re interested in give self hypnosis a test run, here’s the list of self hypnosis programs. Have fun!

• Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals?
• How to Select the Right Self Hypnosis Scripts & Prescription
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 1st Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 2nd Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : Final Week Results

** Photo By Ishrona

Let’s take a peek at what the participants went through, shall we?

1. Aarron Light

   Aarron wanted to let go of 5-7 pounds and regularly participate in a fitness routine of 30 minutes (aerobic work out) at least 3 times a week. In his case, he was prescribed with the self hypnosis session “Weight Loss Motivation“. So, how did he fare?

   Clearly, Aarron’s disciplined character and previous experience with self hypnosis literally put him on a great start. When he first listened to the mp3, he got very relaxed during the instruction and found his mind drifting away from it from time to time. What made it really interesting was, after his first session, on the several occasions when he did think about having a candy or sweet, he actually had no desire to eat it. Which he would normally have no second thoughts about popping one into his mouth. In fact, he didn’t even crave for food in between meals. Something rather unusual for his standards.

   He also found his sweet tooth slowly disappearing. Which in my opinion was kind of quick. But as what Mark Tyrrell mentioned in the last interview, some people respond faster to hypnotic trance and I believe Aarron was one of them. On the third day after a walk for example, he threw away an ice cream cone after just 2 licks! Something that never happen to him before.

   From his first 6 days’ update, one would’ve expected him to lose some weight. Surprisingly during a visit to the doctor, he realized he had gained an extra 5 pounds instead! One of the other participant, M De Jong raised a very good point about it being a muscle growth. That was very good advice!

   No matter what, I knew Aarron wouldn’t give up. And as we progressed into the 2nd week, I knew I was right.

2. Carmina

   Carmina reported similar results with her snacking. Like Aarron, she was also given the self hypnosis prescription “Weight Loss Motivation“. Her plan to lose 9 pounds during the 21 days seemed to go on well as she was able to keep off snacking in between meals in the first week. Especially on cutting down the cookies and junk food she enjoyed so much before.

   And you know what? She lost 2 pounds in the first week! Not too bad, huh? From what I observed, she was beginning to adopt healthy habits that would definitely last her for a lifetime if she continue with what she was doing. Keep it up, Carmina!

3. Lisa Powers

   Despite only 1 week into the self hypnosis program “Write That Book”, Lisa was already doing quite well. In case you’ve forgotten, Lisa is our aspiring author. She wanted to kick off a personal writing process to help her complete a book.

   By the 3rd day, she was calling herself a “writing fool”. Why? Because she found herself more dedicated and relaxed towards her writing and thought it was more personal and ideal than what she went through in her last smoking cessation tape. She was so encouraged by the first session that she even roped in a girl friend to be her goal buddy with whom she would be comparing progress with in the coming days! Good for her!

   By the end of the week, she mentioned that she was enjoying the constant writing as well as the new process relating to her writing project. My, has she already achieved her goal in the first week? We’ll see.

4. M De Jong

   De Jong kicked off well in the first 2 days. She was pleasantly inspired by the stories mentioned in the self hypnosis session “Find Your Passion“. Particularly this quote that was mentioned “… do as your manhood (womanhood in her case, or humanity) bids you to do, and expect applause from none but yourself.” Interestingly, she found it progressively easier to manage her feelings and did well to shift her attention from negativity, doubts, etc to positive feelings, determination and trust. Good for her!

   However towards the 3rd day, she began to face some slight frustration. In her point of view, the tape was very inspirational in keeping one on their goals but turned out to be quite frustrating for someone like her, whose goal was in finding her goal/passion. But while relating her last update, she actually found revelation in unloading her thoughts and sounding out her ideas through the writing.

   I believe the frustration was probably her subconscious’ signal on the confusion of thoughts and hence writing it out WILL and SHOULD help. After all, the answers were all within her. It was just a matter of tapping into them. Easier said than done, but I know she could do it!

5. Mark Barr

   When Mark first started on the session “Reach Your Goals“, he had a difficult time winding down, clearing down to focus on the session – something Aarron aptly called “The Monkey Mind”. Mark believed that was probably due to the stress in his day job. But as he continue to listen to the tape, he found the mind chatter milder and noticed a better quality of sleep from the experience.

   By Day 5, Mark began to experience some urgency and anxiety in working his goal of sharing with 21 people about his network marketing product and opportunity. He wasn’t sure if that was due to the self hypnosis or the synergistic momentum of being part of the experiment. In my opinion, it seriously didn’t matter! I knew he had embarked on this experiment to verify if self hypnosis work but at the end of the day, what mattered more to me was his goal achievement!

   And I certainly think he did work his goal the way he intended. On Day 7, he mentioned that he shared with a few people about his network marketing product!

6. Imagi

   Due to her busy schedule, Imagi hadn’t been updating much. Yes, Imagi was the beautiful lady who wanted to attract a life partner through the experiment and was prescribed “Be More Attractive To Men“. Her 1st week progress was very motivational. Through the self hypnosis, she mentioned that she had learned to appreciate the attractive elements within herself and had also taken steps to connect with a different side of her. The anger. The frustration.

   She had also created a Vision Board, met a few new people in her life both of which I was absolutely happy for her. Regardless of whether those might lead to anything at all, the fact that she had began to see those changes was already a great step in her own self discovery, wasn’t it?

   I couldn’t wait to hear how those new encounters would work out for her

Now if you’re ready, let’s hear from the horses’ mouths as I interview all 6 participants about their 1st week’s progress and their plans to improve their self hypnosis experience. I’ve also invited Mark Tyrrell in the panel.

Hello Team! Nice having all of you here with me today! I’ve been reviewing all your updates and boy, you guys and gals are doing great!

Now, from what I understand, other than Aarron, Lisa & Mark Barr, the rest of you don’t have much experience with self hypnosis. So for the first timers, how was your first day listening to the tape? Let’s start with Imagi.

Imagi : Hello to you too, Ellesse! I apologize for not updating regularly on my progress. Well, that didn’t mean I did not have any experiences to share, it’s just that I had no time to put it up on the private platform! Haha. My experience with this project so far has been good.

The first day I went through the session, I followed the tape very closely and took in every single word being said. That gave me a clear idea as to what was being mentioned and also helped me plan how I could utilize these suggestions in the coming 20 days. I also found the voice of the hypnotist very smooth and comforting and could visualize easily. That I felt was an important component of my success.

Carmina : I pretty much had the same good feelings. On the first day, I was so excited and motivated about the experiment. In fact, I had such a good feeling listen to the tape for the first time that it made me literally “addicted”.

M De Jong : Most of all it was relaxing. I liked the hypnotist’s voice very much too. I’ve not much experience with hypnosis, and it was interesting to feel only at the end of the tape – when the hypnotist called me ‘into the room’ again – that I’ve been in another place. I liked the inspirational stories that were told on the tape.

Looks like all of you had a good time. Oh by the way, Imagi & Monique, that voice you heard in the tape was none other than our very own Mark Tyrrell! Ha ha.

Imagi, I remembered you also asked whether there’s any side effects to self hypnosis. Mark, what’s your take on that?

Mark Tyrrell : Thanks Imagi, that’s a good question.

Well firstly, all medications have side effects because they introduce outside and/or artificial elements into the body or brain. Because hypnosis is entirely natural, no chemicals are used so therefore no toxicity is possible. The side benefits tend to be numerous though.

For example, someone using self hypnosis to improve their sleep may find themselves enjoying better sex or being more confident at work. The increased relaxation from the sessions and positive suggestions can work on many different levels. And also there is a beneficial knock on effect from better sleep itself.

I’m often asked whether people can become addicted to self hypnosis. Certainly it can be hugely enjoyable but most people don’t have the time or inclination to do it more than say, 30 minutes a day maximum. It’s not a replacement for living. It’s an enhancement.

Thanks Mark for your assurance! I’m sure the participants are well ready to continue their sessions. Now, back to all of you, how do you feel about your progress over the past week?

Aarron : Frankly, I was kind of surprised to have already felt a change in my cravings right from the very first day. That really became the catalyst to go “all the way”. My progress was for the most part steadily forward almost everyday. I was also pleased to realize how natural it felt (not to battle with myself over an ice cream or cookie) and the ease – for the most part – that I was able to stay on target with the goal I had set.

Carmina : I was conscious about do not eat in between meals, but I couldn’t stop eating some cookies yet. Now that I’m in my second week, I’m starting to feel motivated even though I didn’t really lose much weight.

Lisa : At the beginning of the project I was less aware of the actual structure of a good “story”. But fortunately as I progress with the writing, I’m learning and therefore growing as a writer. Now that I’m going into my second week, I find that I’m writing more words, although it was technically not at my 800 words a minute goal due to stagnation brought forth by research and rethinking of the plot.

M De Jong : Actually, it was a bit frustrating. I encountered my old fear of never being able to really know which direction to take. I found myself falling back in old habits that distracted me from my goal. At the same time I felt deep in my spirit a faith and certainty that everything will be alright.

Mark Barr : Frankly, I didn’t notice much of a difference.

Imagi : As for me, I started listening to the tape twice everyday. The first two days I simply listened to the tape and tried to internalize the suggestions. It seemed to have worked, because at the end of the first week, I got to interact more with people I had never met before. And made some good friends too!

What else did you do to ensure you’re closely aligned to your goal?

Aarron : I check my written goal at least once a day. I also found motivating quotes and made sure to buy decent healthy food that was easy to prepare. Daily, I kept up with my updates on the private platform you’ve setup for us and checked in with other participants, offering motivation and encouragement whenever possible.

Combined with the urge to see results in my physical appearance as well as feel better mentally about myself and the new body I’m achieving, I was able to really stay on goal and target.

Carmina : I topped it up with exercise although I agreed it could be more regular. But well, it’s not always that I get the time to go to the gym. I was also careful with my diet, trying to eat more healthy and less fad foods.

Lisa : I had a section in my planner marked. However, I’ll be re-creating a much more formal plan for keeping track in the future. And yes, that means even after the experiment ends.

M De Jong : My daily chanting ritual is a way of keeping aligned with my goal. Furthermore, I’ve been very alert and in touch with my feelings. I made a deliberate effort to stop my thoughts when they tended towards negativity and to be in the moment. I noticed that that made it easier to be conscious of my real feelings and the surprising thing was, much of the resistance to situations I experienced, subsided. Also during the course of this experiment I’ve taken up journal writing again, which proves a helpful tool to stay on track.

Mark Barr : I guess I really didn’t think about doing any activity other than reviewing my SMART goal and updating my progress in the private platform.

Imagi : I followed up the hypnosis with action geared towards meeting my goal and ensured that almost everyday, I did something to take me closer to my goal. It did get me to interact with some people.

Awesome! It’s good to see that you guys are not just relying on the self hypnosis alone. After all, self hypnosis is just a tool like Visualization and should never be used to replace action!

Personally, I’m in favour of each of you reflecting on a daily basis, this question “What Can I Do Today To Take A Step Closer To My Goals?” and take a step further by answering this question in your updates and incorporate that into your daily action plan. What do you think?

Aarron : That’s a great idea. Fuel the fire!

Thank you, Aarron! Besides all of your goals, did you experience any noticeable benefits from the self hypnosis session?

Aarron : I normally like to work into the early morning hours. Sometimes it is a challenge to get to sleep after. I found the mp3 to be a wonderful relaxation tool and often would fall asleep within minutes. Thanks to Mark’s wonderfully hypnotic voice.

Carmina : Actually, I usually listen to the tape before going off to sleep. It’s really complementary because the session relaxes me a lot. Usually after listening to it, I’m ready to doze off. Which otherwise, would take me few minutes.

Lisa : Yes I certainly did! I believe that at any point of time when one is on track with their goals, they’re going to feel a better sense of well being.

M De Jong : My overall well being has improved. However, it is difficult to say if this is thanks to the hypnosis or other factors. The fact is, I’ve been more conscious and that makes me more present which in turn makes me happier. Oh yeah, I’ve also lost weight, just by being a bit more careful with what I eat and by changing my mindset to ‘slim’ instead of ‘I am a bit overweight’. I found that changes come about by simply making a decision, believing it and then let it go.

Mark Barr : I did seem to have better sleep.

Imagi : Well, physically, there was no difference. But at the mental level, I subconsciously started getting more aware of myself as an individual and was able to compare my current self with my ideal self. I also tried to improve myself (or rather soften the rough edges) so that I was more in sync with my ideal self image. This was basically an effort to be a “better me” rather than be like somebody else or for somebody else.

Alright, so what do you intend to do to move yourself closer to your goal in the next week?

Aarron : I love the saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” In this case, I’m already very happy with my results and the methodology I’m using to add improvements and achieve the goal I have set for the first 21 days. So, I’ll continue doing more of the same.

Carmina : I’m gonna try to be able to go to the gym two hours a day, keep eating healthy and keep listening the tape. All this should move me closer to my goal.

Lisa : I plan to create a new section in my life binder (includes life goals, brainstorming and marketing ideas for my botox reviews web site) for concrete goals for my book.

M De Jong : I’ll keep on listening to the tape. Besides that, I’ll strengthen my conviction that I already know what my goal is. I’ll also keep track of my feelings with all the activities that I do, so that I can use them as a guide for what really excites and motivates me. In a way recording my life in a journal.

Mark Barr : I’ll continue to listen to the mp3 and try to relax and focus more.

Imagi : Me too. I’ll continue to share my experience so far and review how I intend to take it further. I consider this first week a success because at some level it has taken me closer to my chosen goal.

Ahh… I’m very comforted to know that all of you’ve putting so much efforts in this experiment. Wishing you all the best for the coming 2 weeks!

So, Mark. I mean Mark Tyrrell. Do you have any take home advice how these 6 participants can complement their self hypnosis session for next 2 weeks?

Mark Tyrrell : Sure Ellesse! For self hypnosis to work effectively we can just let it ‘settle.’ We know things are changing hypnotically when something ceases feeling too much of an effort and starts to feel more right and natural.

For example, forcing oneself to exercise is all well and good but starting to feel that we want to activate our bodies is even better. So the short answer is, listening to the sessions regularly should be an effective approach in and of itself in conjunction with other non-hypnotic goal orientated approaches that I noticed the team’s already making.

Gee, that’s excellent advice! Thanks Mark. And a great thank you to all the 6 participants!

Update 6/8/08 : For your convenience, here are the complete links to the Self Hypnosis Group Experiment logs. And if you’re interested in give self hypnosis a test run, here’s the list of self hypnosis programs. Have fun!

• Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals?
• How to Select the Right Self Hypnosis Scripts & Prescription
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 1st Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 2nd Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : Final Week Results

** Photo By Kevindooley

Conducting the 21 Day Self Hypnosis Group Experiment, however made me realize that getting the right prescription is as important as clarifying your goal. If your goal’s vague, it’s likely you’ll have difficulty deciding a suitable prescription. And I believe that’s also the same reason why people has reported mixed success with self hypnosis.

To shed some light on choosing the right self hypnosis prescription, I’ve invited Mark Tyrrell, Creative Director of Hypnosis Downloads (who is also a professional hynotherapist cum hypnosis trainer) to share with me his insights in this exclusive interview and how he went about choosing the tapes for the 6 participants in our experiment.

Mark, first of all, thank you and your company Hypnosis Downloads for supporting this 21 Day Self Hypnosis Experiment.

I remembered when I first worked with Mark Heald on the experiment, he mentioned that it would be more effective if the participants specified their goal and your team assisted in prescribing the downloads.

I know you guys are professionals and since you understand each self hypnosis tape offering in your store more than anyone else, it’s naturally more effective that you’ll be able to match the right prescription with their intended goals.

Now, for someone who doesn’t have the luxury of having you guys to pick a prescription for him, how would you advise him to make his own selection?

First and foremost, like what you’ve said in the introduction, I think it’s really important to be clear about what you want to achieve out of the hypnosis experience.

For instance, in the case of a weight loss situation, someone who’s having issues binging on junk food, will definitely have a different set of requirements as compared to another who’s having issues motivating himself to exercise. Though on the surface both of them want to lose weight, the suggestions we run through the self hypnosis session are actually different. The clearer you’re on this, the easier it is to choose a download that really pinpoints to the crux of issue. Generally that increases the effectiveness of the session as well.

We need to match your goals with the self hypnosis program. The good thing about most online hypnosis downloads stores nowadays is that they’re all designed for self selection. That means even if you’re not a professional hypnotherapist, you can still customize your own self hypnosis prescription.

If you take a minute to refer to the product listing on Hypnosis Downloads, you’ll find that each comes with a detailed product description that elaborates on its usage and objective. There’s also my blog which discusses some of the ideas and purposes for the downloads. It’s important to look at these two references carefully if you’re getting a download from Hypnosis Downloads. Anything that’s so personal that it relates or appeals to your specific goal right away is likely suitable.

At the same time, it’s also worth reading if the testimonials from other people attached to each download (before they were helped by the session) matches your goals as that definitely tells whether a particular session may well be for you.

Great, that certainly doesn’t sound too difficult! Let’s go through the process of how you came up with the prescription for each participant, shall we? First, Aarron Light & Carmina. Both of them had similar weight loss goals. What have you got for them?

For both of them, I’ve prescribed “Weight Loss Motivation”. This hypnosis for weight loss has been prescribed because of the perennial human problem. Which has to do with not just getting motivated but staying motivated. It’s also known as ‘running out of steam’ or ‘motivation leakage’.

At first it’s great. You’re losing weight, feeling better, and this newness is great motivation in itself but after a while, you get used to being a bit slimmer, the excitement of weight loss slows down and so does the motivation. But long term success needs more than initial enthusiasm. It needs sustained intention.

The weight loss motivation session seeks to maintain the new healthy behaviors as something you do as part of who you are, like cleaning your teeth. It seeks to use more than just excitement (which is transitory) to maintain motivation.

We all know how it feels to be revved up by something and excited by it. This is a great initial stage to adopting a new healthy set of habits but for long term motivation the healthy behavior needs to become something you just do. This session really aims to look at long term sustainable adoption and maintenance of healthy weight loss patterns. Getting slimmer and what I call ‘finding your real shape’ doesn’t just pay health dividends but boosts self esteem and can help with motivation in other areas. That’s what we call a happy ‘ripple effect.’

Hmm… that brings me to another question. Based on your experience, what’s the results like for 2 different people using the same prescription?

Ah, good question. Well, of course people are different and therefore respond differently. Some people take more naturally and readily to hypnotic trance and others need more practice and repetition to learn how to use hypnosis.

For example the boy who used our wart treatment download to clear the fourteen or so warts covering his hands (and, painfully, under his cuticles) took two months before he was clear of them. See his story here.

Whereas Danna Gonzalez listened to the Healthy Eating session just three times before she started seeing major results. Her story can be found here.

Wow, thanks for the examples! I’m sure Aarron & Carmina’s results are going to be different even though they’re going through the same program. In your point of view, what could be the factors causing any major deviation in such cases?

Well one factor would be the amount of weight loss desired. For someone very large, the initial weight loss can be pretty huge. On the other hand, if the person is slimmer, then any initial weight loss can be less noticeable. Healthy levels of motivation and a willingness to listen regularly to the sessions also, of course, play a role.

Listening once a day to start with is an excellent way to start. And once results become evident then three times a week is a good maintenance schedule. It’s great if people start off with healthy levels of motivation but in any case, the job of each download is also to hopefully provide motivation too. So, that’s killing 2 birds with one stone!

Next, Lisa Powers. She has a desire to write a book. What’s most suitable for her?

For Lisa, I’ll recommend “Write That Book”.

Again, motivation for writing a book can feel removed from the actual process of writing. This can sound strange but we can get immediate emotional rewards from talking about the book we are going to write, fantasizing about having written it that once we come to sit down and actually write. We feel that the ‘juice’- which is the initial excitement – has already been spent, so why bother?

This is like wanting to go on a long walk and getting excited about the things you’ll see but feeling let down by the fact you have to take individual steps. This session works on developing unconscious motivation to keep on keeping on. A book can be seen like any other off spring something to be continuously nurtured not only when we feel excited by ‘parenting’ but as a way of life.

Actually writing a book can be like having a deep and passionate relationship! Having to get back to it, being faithful to it, feeling compelled to be with it, taking the rough times with the smooth. I hope that doesn’t sound too dramatic but to produce something creatively, we need to have a relationship with it and that has to be a strong one in order to give it your all.

Haha, I certainly can relate to that! I’ve always had that kind of dilemma whenever I really sit down to write articles for Goal Setting College.

It’s not just about writing. It’s about writing something that’s sincere, creative and resonates with someone who reads it. How about M De Jong? She wants to seek an average of 4.5 clarity in her career direction.

Hmm… for De Jong. It’s “Find Your Passion“. This session really focuses on what ‘lights your fire’ what you want to do in life and how to get there. We can all just keep on doing what we do because it’s what we’ve always done but this session seeks to get people out of ruts and follow their heart.

Before I discovered hypnosis and began working with it I always felt I’d kind of drifted a little and never been totally engaged in what I did professionally. But the spark of interest developed into a blaze of fascination especially when I found how powerfully life changing hypnotic strategies could be for other people and me. So that difference between just muddling along and feeling compelled to go forward is really what drives this particular session.

Awesome! Next on the List. Mark Barr. He wants to share his network marketing business opportunity & product with 21 people by the end of this experiment.

In Mark’s case, it’s definitely “Reach Your Goals“.

To reach goals we need to be motivated not just initially but right past the finishing line. This hypnotic session again looks at how motivation leeks away and how that ‘leakage’ happens and how to prevent it from locking in motivation leakage. Wow, this is starting to sound like an incontinence commercial! Ha ha.

The “Reach Your Goals” session works to fix a goal in mind in such a way that it becomes part of who you are at least until it is achieved. The session can be used throughout the period of goal fulfillment. Goals of course need to be broken down into manageable steps. This session enables the user to envisage these individual steps. We are much more likely to actually do something if we have strongly imagined doing it. Hypnosis takes this imagination much further.

Years ago before Roger Elliott and myself had even started Hypnosis Downloads or our hypnotherapy diploma training program we sat down and, in great detail, role played having already achieved what it was we were going for.

It may sound crazy but we relentlessly asked each other just how we had achieved what we were (imagining) we had achieved. We play acted such a detailed account of how we were going to get there to such an extent that by the end of the session we had a thorough road map but, just as importantly, we felt we had actually ‘lived’ our goals and now they are a part of us. Not just an idea. And the rest as they say is history.

I’ve another question. Mark’s prescription “sounds” pretty generic. I mean, someone aspiring to write a book like Lisa Powers could have easily selected “Reach Your Goals” instead of “Write That Book”?

Assuming that Lisa popped by your store and purchase “Reach Your Goals”, how would that impact her chances of achieving her own goal?

Well some of the sessions do cross over and it can be experimental in the sense that some people just get on better with some sessions than others for all kinds of different reasons.

Eat Healthy may be as effective as the Weight loss session in helping a person slim. In the specific book writing example it’s true to say that “Reach Your Goals” may be as effective but as mentioned earlier in my reply to your first question, the more personal the better if your specific goal is actually being discussed the session as a whole is more likely to appeal to you.

We’ve these generic type sessions because, of course, we can’t address every single goal someone might have.

Yeah, sometimes there’s just no way you can cover everything, even though from the size of your products list, you’ve pretty much covered most if not all! I’m sure there’s definitely a session for everyone!

Now for our last participant Imagi, what have you got for her? She wants to find an ideal life partner.

It must be “Be More Attractive To Men“!

Finding a partner, the right partner, is and always has been a challenge fraught with difficulties. In days gone by, when social codes were more strictly adhered to, it was generally possible for most people to rely on living by these codes to help them find appropriate life-partners.

But in the modern world it’s every one (man or woman), for themselves. It can seem like a lottery. You have to find, attract, and hold the one you want by your own efforts.. But how? What, exactly, will appeal to a man? This session looks at firstly what men find attractive (certainly not just looks) and how to attract a suitable partner.

OK, in Imagi’s case, I’ve actually asked her to draft a profile of the person she intends to attract. Is there any way she can relate to that profile during her self hypnosis process to increase her chances of attracting someone like that?

Yes and it’s a very important thing to have a least an idea of the kind of partner you’d like to be with. So many people either continue to make repeating mistakes in their choices or have a sense that ‘anyone is someone’.

Imagi can think about the kind of man she would like in her life throughout the session. Or intermittently through it. Because of the way hypnosis works she can half listen to what is being send on the audio and also focus on the ‘profile’ of the man she would like. With hypnosis you can be thinking about one thing and other suggestions and ideas can still take affect. I hope this has been useful.

It definitely is! Many thanks to Mark, for his insightful answers!

Just a short update on the 21 Day Self Hypnosis Group Experiment. On 10 June 2008, the 6 participants have already started their self hypnosis experiment using the prescribed downloads and have been logging their progress in the private platform I’ve set up for them.

Update 6/8/08 : For your convenience, here are the complete links to the Self Hypnosis Group Experiment logs. And if you’re interested in give self hypnosis a test run, here’s the list of self hypnosis programs. Have fun!

• Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals?
• How to Select the Right Self Hypnosis Scripts & Prescription
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 1st Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 2nd Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : Final Week Results

** Photo By Jurvetson

My first encounter with self hypnosis can be traced back to almost 3 years ago. At that time, I was working through a goal achievement audio program and one of the exercises was to listen to a guided self hypnosis tape to help me uncover the future I would be leading in 10 years’ time. I was then asked to utilize that vision to draw and determine my life values before setting my shorter term goals. If you’re interested to know more about my previous self hypnosis experience, read about it under the ‘Self Hypnosis” method in 7 Ways To Control Your Programming.

3 years had passed since that session and frankly, I’m not even 1% close to living that kind of lifestyle. Does that mean self hypnosis is a load of hocus pocus? But if it is, what about the many success stories I’ve been hearing so much about? Such as this?

The Idea of A Group Self Hypnosis Experiment

While I was having so much interest in self hypnosis, Mark Heald, the manager of a large online hypnosis mp3 company, HypnosisDownloads contacted me. Talk about the Law of Attraction! He wanted to discuss something else and instinctively, I broached the idea of a group experiment to him. I’ve to admit I had absolutely no idea how to go about the experiment at that point of time.

But I knew something for sure.

I wanted to take that opportunity to validate if self hypnosis did have an impact in helping people with different goals / behaviours that they would like to influence. Such as, overcoming shyness, enhancing self confidence and belief, stopping nail biting, increasing public speaking confidence, improving one’s sleep or weight loss etc etc.

Mark was very forthcoming and even went the extra mile to coordinate with their management and creative side to get things started. With his help, HypnosisDownloads has agreed to sponsor each one of the experiment participant with a free self hypnosis tape prescription. It would be administered by their Creative Director, Mark Tyrrell based on each participant’s unique goals/intentions. Tyrrell is a professional hypnotherapist cum therapist trainer and runs a professional practice with Roger Elliot, managing director of HypnosisDownloads in the UK.

Great, So Who Are The Participants?

I sent out an email about a week ago to a selected group of Goal Setting College readers to solicit for volunteers. And guess what? The response was so encouraging that I had to go through another round of question & answers session just to handpick these 6 people! They’re

1. Aarron Light

   A real estate developer and general building contractor for more than 25 years, Aarron loves to eat and often finds his weight fluctuating in a incremental & decremental range of 10 to 40 pounds. He has recently decided to get a second degree and has gone back to college after a lapse of 30 years. What does that mean?

   Well, most likely he’ll have lesser time for exercise! He plans to make use of this experiment to eat healthily and proportionately in order to build habits for a healthier body. He also intends to let go of 5 pounds every 21 days for the next three months while maintaining muscle mass and improving his body tone through regular exercise.

2. Lisa Powers

   Lisa received her degree in business administration and have worked for the last several years as a manager at a popular award winning restaurant in San Diego, US. Following her decision to leave the restaurant business, she has dabbled in the sales arena as well as creating several web sites involving everything from personal improvement to Botox injection information.

   She has decided to write a book, and plan to establish a systematic process and be habitually writing at least 800 words a day 6 days a week through this experiment, in order to complete her book.

3. M. De Jong

   De Jong is someone who seeks opportunities to develop herself and is currently teaching ethics, philosophy and religion at a teacher training college in the Netherlands. Living alone with her cat, she plans to utilize this experiment to obtain greater clarity in her career direction. How?

   By achieving an average of 4.5 (on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is the stage where she has absolutely no idea which way to go and 5, the point where she’s absolutely sure without a doubt) in terms of clarity and eventually working on a set of action steps!

4. Imagi

   A freelance writer from India, Imagi has been fairly successful in her career and has great family and friends. She considers herself pretty lucky and is grateful for whatever she currently has. In her point of view however, she feels that that is nothing unless you’ve that someone to share it with. And hence, she has decided to take part in this experiment to help her meet and eventually marry a person who will make a great life partner for her.

5. Carmina

   A Motion Graphics Designer from Barcelona Spain, Carmina is one active lady. She likes pilates, spinning, body pump, snowboarding and is learning to do freestyle slalom rollerblading. She also loves travelling, getting to know new people and places.

   But despite her enthusiasm in sports and exercise, Carmina has a grappling issue with her weight. Her problem is that she loves cookies, chips, ice cream and candy. Through this program, she plans to lose 9 pounds by the end of June. Hopefully by then, she’ll kickstart a series of habits to eat healthy food and exercise regularly in the gym.

6. Mark Barr

   A special education teacher who works with adults with developmental disabilities, Mark is also a network marketer. He’s recently working with a nutritional beverage company which has brought in a product he’s very passionate about.

   Although he has limited success with self hypnosis in the past, he has decided to give it another second shot through this experiment and intended to share this product’s amazing benefits and business opportunity with 21 people by 30 June 2008.

All 6 participants had varying goals except for Aarron & Carmina who, both want to lose weight through this program. I’m sure it’ll be interesting to watch the results of self hypnosis on different people with similar goals. So, do stay tuned!

They’ve also committed to taking their self hypnosis prescription for a consecutive period of 21 days, starting from 10 June 2008. To help them achieve the most from this program, I’ve created a private platform for them to record their progress, encourage and get to know each other. Our experts are also invited to assist should they’ve any questions regarding self hypnosis.

Update 6/8/08 : For your convenience, here are the complete links to the Self Hypnosis Group Experiment logs. And if you’re interested in give self hypnosis a test run, here’s the list of self hypnosis programs. Have fun!

• Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals?
• How to Select the Right Self Hypnosis Scripts & Prescription
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 1st Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : 2nd Week’s Progress
• Self Hypnosis Experiment : Final Week Results

** Photo By ReportGimmi

Take out a piece of paper and write down 5 names of people whom you think are outstanding goal achievers. People whom you believe can achieve any goal, whether or not if their life depended on it. Yes, any goal. Just write them down. They can be people you know personally, characters from the “Chicken Soup for The Soul” like inspirational book or movies you’ve just gone through. Or a famous personality you’ve always admired. And don’t be too worried if you think those you’ve named aren’t outstanding in other people’s eyes. It’s your opinion that matters.

Done?

Cool. Now, go through those 5 names and write down the reasons why you think they’re outstanding goal achievers. Is it because they never fail to accomplish what they’ve set their sights on? Or because they’re currently very happy, wealthy and successful – whatever your definition of success is? Go on, just keep writing.

When I first worked on this list – pretty much the same time as I wrote this article – I was kind of surprised at my own answers, realizing how intricately they were linked to my current values in life. I value true supportive friends, love my family, treasure my faith, and am beginning to develop a growing interest in humanity. All those seem to reflect in my answers. What about yours? What does your list reveal about your current outlook in life?

Let me share a little more about these 5 people in my list :

1. My High Flying Financial Planner Friend

   This friend of mine has been a great inspiration. Although we do have conflicting opinions about certain aspects of life in general, I’ve always admired her tenacity to achieve the things she pan out in her life. A plump and unattractive teenager in high school, she silenced all critics – usually the nasty jeering boys in her class – after losing almost 44 pounds through regular exercise and a strict diet. She changed so much physically that all her ex high school classmates couldn’t recognize her.

   When I met up with her again in my University days, I was also shocked for words. The ugly duckling turned in a beautiful swan! With her new image, she grew very confident and accomplished her second major goal in her life. She found – and later married – her soul mate. Years later, she quit her high paying government job to work in the financial planning industry, doing so well in the first year that she became one of the top 3 rookies in her agency!

2. My Very Own Sister

   I grew up in a large family and being the youngest child, I’ve always had utmost respect for my elder siblings. Especially my 4th sister. She’s the one who taught me about valuing the opportunities in life because of the missed chances I see in hers. My parents were about to send her overseas for studies when they eventually aborted it due to financial considerations.

   But she didn’t let it sabotaged her right to the goal. She worked full-time and took night classes. After her diploma, she went on to get her masters in Marketing and became the first in our family to graduate with one! However, that wasn’t the main thing she impressed me. At the age when most people would’ve given up, she persisted in her search for a life partner and finally got married last year. Yes, she’s that determined! And I’m truly happy for her.

3. My Spiritual Mentor In Life

   A critical family event happened last year made me ponder seriously about the deeper issues of life. Spirituality, mortality and stuff. It was during that time that I got acquainted with my spiritual mentor in life.

   Even though I’ve never met him in person, through his books and guidances, he taught me to view life in a totally different way, deflecting from my own self-centred angle towards a higher cause. After finding out how he challenged the odds to propagate the faith and respond to his mentor’s call for world peace, I began to understand what Napoleon Hill meant when he wrote that “desire is the starting point of all achievement… “. Because I certainly see it in him. Very passionate. Very powerful.

4. Helen Adams Keller

   If you’re from the States, I’m sure you’ll be very familiar with Helen Keller. When I first featured her story on Goal Setting College, I knew nothing about her. But it was that same ignorance that really made me appreciate her indomitable spirit. Especially since one of my own sisters was partially deaf, I could understand to a certain extent, the difficulties she went through. So much so, that I actually cried when I wrote down my thoughts. She was not just an outstanding goal achiever in most people’s eyes, she was truly an epitome of (wo)mankind!

5. Mahatma Gandhi

   One commenter wrote in my featured inspirational story about Gandhi that he hated him for spoiling India. I admit my lack of knowledge about South Asian history got the better of me. I was bewildered and asked the commenter for the reason. He never replied.

   But months later, another gracious reader tuned in and clarified the air. His comment affirmed my impression that as an outstanding goal achiever, there will be times when your pursuit of certain goals get challenged. It may not even be popular. But as long as you truly believe in its benefits for others (and yourself), do it with zest and conviction. Just like what Gandhi did for the best of humanity and India. He believed and he went for it. He might not have won the hearts of all people. But he certainly won mine.

That’s it! These are my choices. What about yours? Let me know in the comments!

Theoretically, it seems logical. But what happened over the course of the years made me acknowledge that such advice can be true. So true that it actually hurts when the initial realization sets in. Here’s why :

(1) Your Faith Can Easily Waver When You’re Just Starting Out

When I first shared with a friend that I wanted to quit my job to start up a business venture, I was chided for not setting a loftier goal than just becoming “financially free”. I was told that my target was easily achievable since my expenses were low enough to be covered by any potential passive income. I was advised that I should set a higher goal to be the next millionaire in my country. What she said and the way she conveyed it seemed mincing but I soon became aware it wasn’t her words that were intimidating. It was my own insecurity. Even though my mind wanted to take the leap of faith, my heart wasn’t ready at that time.

When you’re just starting out on your goals, you may face the same situation as I used to. That’s the stage where you’re out there gathering “proof” that what you’ve been harbouring is something achievable. The danger of sharing your dreams prematurely – especially with people whom you think are natural skeptics – will only shake the pagoda of faith that you’re trying to build at that moment in time.

In my case, I could’ve been so affected by my friend’s advice that I give it all up. After all, it’s so much easier to just leave the dream aside, thinking that it isn’t lofty enough than to just jump onto the wagon and see what comes along.

(2) Not All People Are At The Same Level of Awareness As You Are

During a friend’s wedding reception last Sunday, I was seated together with some old University mates. One’s a director in an offshore bank, who had just given birth to a baby boy. Another’s a newly married personal financial consultant in an international bank while the third’s a finance manager of a global property developer. All 3 of them were happily chatting about their life. How they were faring. Their plans for the years ahead. Etc etc.

For a while, I kind of felt I was the odd one out. I couldn’t contribute to what they were discussing. Life in the cubicle farm, marriage and having kids are nice ideas. But they’re so distant from me at the moment that the thought of them could be likened to a bald man deciding on the type of hair shampoo he’s going to use. How much do I know about marriage or having children that I could bring myself to comment on their plans?

Likewise, I didn’t tell them much about what I was doing online. Sharing with those powerful corporate achievers that I quit my job to pursue a long time dream sounds like a crazy idea. After all, how much do they know about blogging or internet marketing to comment on my endeavours? I’m really not sure.

No one’s right or wrong here. We’re all influenced by the things we see and experience which in turn affect our choices to move up or down the awareness scale. The altitude we’re at eventually determine the opportunities and ideas we get exposed to. When someone of a different playing field is not able to provide the kind of support that you would like them to, it’s not because he didn’t want to. But rather because the scope of his existing vision and capacity didn’t warrant him to do so.

That’s why it’s often recommended to seek that someone from your mastermind group or your niche community. Someone who’s able to garner the type of help you’ll want from your goals. Someone who’ll hold you accountable for what you’ve committed to. Since both of you’re on a similar launch pad, it’ll be easier for him to do the job. Because he knows what it means to go through what you’re going through.

However, if you don’t mind a little controversy and want to put your ideas to the challenge, feel free to share them with all your friends. But bear in mind that you’re all different and review your responses in a constructive way. Look at what’s meaningful and disregard those that are meant to put you down. Be prepared for a heart thumping ride though!

(3) Sadly, Some People Actually Want You To Fail

I know I’ve been talking about this type of people in many of my articles. The question is, are there really such friends who literally want to see you fail? Or are they just a fragment of my own imagination?

Seriously, much as you may not want to admit it, they’re for real. These people start out seemingly very supportive of what you’re doing. They’ll ask about the status of your project every time you meet up. Their eagerness to know so much about what you’re doing surprises you at times but you tend to brush it off as a display of their concern for you as a friend.

In reality, it may not be what it seems to be. They can be asking just to satisfy their curiosity if you’re doing much better than them as a result of your conscious decision. If you’ve failed, it’ll just stroke their ego to know that they were right about you and your project since the beginning. If you’ve succeed, they’ll try to find out from you what you’re doing that’s working and use that as a basis to question their own choices in life.

I can’t remember the number of times I’ve been cornered in that situation. At least 3 friends have asked me “So, when are you going to find a job?” last month. And the moment I saw their shocked faces when I told them I’m still sticking with my project, I knew they’ve never expected me to succeed.

At the end of the day, it seriously don’t matter whether they’re right or wrong about you. What’s important is, you’ve already taken the first step to work towards your goals and dreams. That, in itself is a achievement and don’t let anyone’s words lead you into thinking that you’re not worthy.

Ever.

A misconception about thriftiness is that while saving money, you’ve to deprive yourself of certain luxuries in life. Like in the case of Ebenezer Scrooge. He could well afford to heat and lit up his house or hire someone to wait on him but he chose not to.

But that’s nothing further from the truth. I don’t deny you’ll need to make some lifestyle adjustments and maybe some sacrifices at times. But with a little bit of careful planning, you can still save a bundle without suffering any significant drop in the quality of your life. Yes, it’s possible.

In a follow up to How to Stick to Your Monthly Personal Budget, let me show you 22 ways you can do just that. If you keep following these long enough, they’ll eventually form part of your lifestyle habits, serving you well for a long time.

(1) Food, Shopping & Entertainment

• Brown Bag Your Lunch

  To work or school. Though I’ve never done this myself, I must say this can be a very nutritious way to save! Since, you get to plan the calories or vitamins you want in your meal. Think of the time you trim down from the queues in crowded canteens, food courts or restaurants too. How’s that for an additional incentive?

• Design Your Menus

  … a week in advance so that you can consolidate the purchase for common ingredients. In the case of my family, if we’re having fried chicken fillet on Monday, my mum would buy a whole chicken at a better price and use the rest for brewing chicken soup on Saturday. You can do the same in your context. Such as buying bulk ground beef to prepare spaghetti one day and tacos on another. This helps stretch meals and prevents last minute impulse buying.

• Dining Out

  If you really need to eat out, try places that can help you save at the same time! For example, my sister usually goes to this food court where she can get a 10% rebate for purchases picked up with her membership cash card. Check if you’ve similar offerings in the eateries you frequent. Banks often tie up with restaurateurs to offer 1 for 1 credit card promotions so if you want to go for a sumptuous meal, consider those too!

• Coupons

  I admit I did chuckle a bit when my friend used her coupons to pay for our Japanese dinner. Shaving 5% off a meal tab isn’t really a big deal but using it every month can save hundreds of dollars a year! Especially if you use them on essential items such as groceries, consumable products etc. Go through your local newspapers, cut out those coupons and put them in your bag. Or buy hundreds of coupons from eBay for a few dollars and fish them out when needed. Even if you don’t use all of them, you can still save at least 5 – 15% off your total bill!

• Buy Online

  The only things I’ve been buying online are personal development tapes and books. But I know some friends who’re buying clothes, shoes and even groceries from online portals. Due to its low cost maintenance, merchants are able to transfer the savings to consumers, give huge discounts and at times, free shipping.

  For example, one can get almost 70% off store prices buying books from Amazon. Overstock is another online business that sells closeout items for real bargains. Half is great for buying or selling stuff on consignment. And not to forget eBay. Yes, you can get almost anything you need from that online auction place. Sometimes for pennies too!

• Dollar Stores & Megamarts

  One of my sisters was so thrilled to find a dollar store near her place that she told everyone about it. For a shampoo she frequently use, she got it there for 50% less. If you’re willing to spend some effort scouring your neighbourhood, dollar stores can be good places to get some real bargains. The same applies to Megamarts. Due to their economies of scale, Megamarts offer groceries, retail consumables and frozen food at slightly more competitive prices than what you can get at the grocery store nearby.

• Smart Fashion, Off Season Shopping & Sales

  If you’ve been spending a lot on clothes, try smart fashion. Buy separate coordinates, mix & match so that you get 6 outfits out of the 4 static pieces. Get a couple of plain basics and with creative use of trendy accessories and hairstyle changes, you can get a completely different look! And if you still need to buy, consider stocking up during the off season sales. For example, you can pre stock down jackets, scarves etc during the post Winter Sale. We don’t have such winter sales here. But I’ve just got 3 pairs of boxers for 20% less at a post Christmas sale!

• Get Free Entertainment

  Some great entertainment don’t cost much. For example, ladies can get free drinks and entrance to pubs and clubs during designated weekday nights. Some cities offers free special weekend concerts. Colleges and public stadiums may offer free group exercise workouts. There are story telling sessions for kids in the community libraries too. Some countries’ museums even have free concessionary access for citizens during a particular day of the month. Since these differ across countries and cities, it’s vital for you to check out your local community newspaper for the various options.

• Rent DVDs Instead Of Going To The Cinemas

  I’m not a big movie fan but I know many friends who are. Instead of rushing to the cinema the moment it’s released, rent the DVD for the same movie for about 2 to 3 months later. Prepare your own popcorn, soda and you can still enjoy a good movie in the comfort of your own home.

• Go for Matinee Shows

  If you really want to watch a movie in a cinema, go for the matinee or weekday shows. The prices are much cheaper and you can further depress your total cost by sneaking in your own snacks. Popcorns and soda are expensive there! The same applies to musicals and theatre shows. When the “Phantom of the Opera” musical came to my country, I saved $20 per ticket for the same seats during the matinee shows. And yes, the quality was just as good.

• Vacation Planning

  Look around your own backyard before you fork out thousands to travel overseas. Sometimes, going to another state can offer the same if not better experience. Regardless of your decision, always travel during the off peak seasons to take advantage of the lower airfare, car rental and hotel rates. It also make sense to check with your travel agent for any economical packages and possible concessions. For example, some places of attractions offer discounts for domestic travelers.

  Another bonus tip : scour online classifieds like Craigslist or eBay for deals to buy unused frequent flyer mileages. Tickets redeemed from such are often less restrictive. Who knows? You may well find yourself flying with a premier airline you probably wouldn’t get to travel at the same price!

• Freebies

  Some online websites provide freebies in return for your completion of a survey and some related offers. Such freebies can include trial membership subscriptions, sample travel sized products, coupons or even dollar value gift cards. For example, if you’re based in the US, you can get the following free stuff by participating in the respective programs :

  - Free $250 Grocery Card
  - Free $250 Gas Card
  - Free Bahamas Cruise Vacation (* Conditions Apply Though)
  - Free Formula Samples, Baby Magazines, Diapers Coupons and More!
  - Free Health Samples

(2) Utilities, Telecommunications & Transportation

• Utilities

  Monitor how utilities are being used at home will save a great deal. In my family for example, my mum will usually switch off the lights in the dining area as we gather in the living room after our meals. Where possible, try to use natural light or air. You can do this by leaving a parent to control the room temperature while making use of air from open windows or doors to cool or warm the house.

  This has to be complimented by proper insulation and precautions to be optimal. Such precautions include ensuring no drafts coming from other windows, fireplace etc. At the same time, invest in an energy efficient washing machine, hot water heater – if you can afford it – and you’ll be surprised how much the savings will eventually pay for the cost itself.

• Telephone / Mobile Phone

  Stick to having just 1 phone line in the family unless it’s absolutely necessary to have multiple. Depending on your usage patterns, you may even want to consider dropping the home telephone and just stick to your mobile for communication purposes. And if you need to make overseas calls, try to use Skype‘s free services (computer to computer) or cheap credits (computer to phone). I tried skyping my mum from Pakistan once and I must say the reception was pretty clear!

• Internet Subscriptions

  Some Internet Service Providers offers free internet access so remember to sign up for those. Otherwise, go for the plan that offers payment by usage if you use internet only for checking emails. As it may be more cost effective than going for the unlimited plan. Should you’ve multiple computers and use high speed data at home, setup it up as a home network so that you’ll only be charged once for the internet access and probably a supplementary charge for each computer. By doing this alone, my family saves $50 a month!

• Gas Consumption

  The simplest way to save gas? Make sure your car’s properly maintained and its tires inflated to the right pressure. According to studies, a car that’s poorly tuned use up 10 to 20% more gas. At the same time, multi-task your errands. Prepare your to-do list in advance and plan your route so that you’ll reach each destination without unnecessary detours. Use affiliated credit cards to pay for the gasoline too as it can get you 3 – 10% rebates, depending on the credit card company.

  A bonus tip – especially if you staying in temperate countries – buy your gas in the morning or evening as it’s denser in colder temperatures. That means, you’ll get better gas price economy. And if you’ve got neighbours who work in the same area as you do, consider carpooling. This works very well for smaller cities like mine.

(3) Financial Interests, Charges & Products

• Pay Your Bills Promptly

  There was once I missed out on my Credit card payment and I was charged a hefty late payment charge. Luckily my credit standing was good and the bank waived it after I called them. To avoid unnecessary mishaps like that, send in the cheque 5 to 10 days earlier than the deadline. And in the event you do get penalized, call in and ask for a waiver. You’ll never know unless you try, right?

• Save on Interest Charges on Your Credit Card & Mortgages

  Avoid using your Credit card unless it’s absolutely necessary. Interest rates are ridiculously high and by paying the minimum sum off a $1000 balance, it’ll take you years before the debt is cleared since the money goes toward the interest payments. Not the principal sum. You can try calling your bank to ask for a better interest rate if you’ve got good credit standing. Or simply roll over the residual balance to another card that offers a lower rate.

  Unless you can get a higher rate of return on other investments than your credit card interest rate, always channel any excess funds (such as your annual bonus payouts) towards your credit card debt.

  The same applies to your mortgage. By making a lump sum payment or an extra installment with your excess funds, you pay off more of the principal. This will gradually reduce the tenure of your loan and allow you to own your property faster.

• Insurance

  Consider your needs and research the various options, discounts you’re entitled to before making a decision, bearing in mind that it’s a long term commitment and can adversely affect your cash flow. One rule of thumb : no matter how reliable your agent can be, always do your own homework before signing on the dotted line. And read the fine print. I’m speaking from personal experience. 3 years ago, I swapped an investment linked policy for term insurance and suffered a major penalty. Trust me, it does hurt.

• Bank Accounts

  Open the account that’s suitable for your needs so that you don’t incur unnecessary expenses. For example in my country, checking accounts have a monthly administrative charge. I know in some cities, there are numerous options for people who write a good number of cheques versus those who don’t, so find out your alternatives from your banker before you commit.

(4) Others

• Off the Counter Medication & Home Remedies

  Keep a first aid kit at home where off the counter drugs are kept. In the event you’re down with a slight fever or headache, popping a pill first may well save an expensive trip to the doctor. There are also some well known home remedies good for common ailments such as sore throats. Do check out with your family on the ones they’ve been using and share it around. If they don’t have anything to contribute, maybe getting a resource like this may help.

• Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

  Both my niece and nephew’s clothes, toys and even prams were hand-me-downs from their cousins. But you know what? Those stuff looked so spanking new that I wouldn’t have known they were second hand! Instead of throwing away some of the older things you’ve been using, try recycling by either giving it away or sell it to Cash Converters or eBay for some extra cash. One man’s junk is another’s treasure. You may be helping another person to save just by doing this deed alone!

  In addition, unless you’re going for the occasional picnic or cook out, avoid using disposable utensils such as those plastic forks and spoons. Yes, even for family get-togethers or birthday parties. Those small costs add up and besides, they are not really that environmental friendly, are they?

Just a note : At all times, the above cost cutting tips should be followed with a structured savings plan. Such as enrolling in a 401(K) if you’re based in the US or having a Pay Yourself First fund strategy.

** Photo By Delgoff

Such habits grew up with me. Even though I’m able to afford some of the luxuries we see now, I’m still pretty much a saver at heart! As part of the series for the 5th ranked goal “Stick To A Budget” in my previous poll Top 10 Goals of Goal Setting College Readers, I hope that by sharing some of these saving tips, you’ll be able to realize your dreams – whatever you’ve tried to save up for – much faster than you think.

If you’re ready, let’s get on shall we?

(1) Why Do You Want To Save?

The fact is, no one saves for the sake of saving. There must be a strong underlying reason why you want to embark on this cost cutting odyssey. Ask yourself, are you saving up to support the lifestyle you want during retirement? Or to just to satisfy shorter term needs such as your wedding?

Without any strong reason to back your actions, you’ll find yourself an easy prey to temptations. What does buying a branded dress off the rack mean to you? If the opportunity cost of it is low, tendency is you’ll dash for the cashier. Wouldn’t you? But if that means you’ve to delay your wedding, do you think you’ll still buy without elaboration?

Most of the time, knowing the reason may not be enough. You’ve to make it so burning hot that sacrificing it for immediate pleasures may inflict more pain in you further down the road. For example, when I’ve decided to quit my job to write full time for Goal Setting College, one of the first things I cut down was my holiday travels. Those big ticket items took up a huge chunk off my budget. I was really glad I did that. After all, what’s a little sacrifice compared to the pain of missing out on my long time dream?

Decide you want to save. And decide it so feverishly that you’re not going to let a small temptation ruin your planned efforts. Use the 5 tips to daily motivation to constantly remind yourself of your bottom line. Or create a Vision Board. In short, do whatever you can to nourish this desire and keep it burning.

(2) Do You Have A Budget?

You’ll be amazed at the number of people who neither bother nor know how to create one. Even when they keep proclaiming they want to save! Writing out a budget helps you see where your money goes, cut down the bleeds and put it back into good shape. Most importantly, it reinforces one’s commitment to save. Yes, you’ll be surprised how important this can be.

The best way to create a budget is to start off from your existing income and expenditure:

1. Collate All Your Existing Financial Documents such as your bank statements, bills, insurance premiums payment receipts, pay slips, check book etc.
2. Record Your Disposable Monthly Income such as your take home salary (net of tax) and other less visible income streams. Remember, your stock dividends or bank interest income too.
3. List Down All Your Monthly Expenses like your rental, mortgage, insurance premiums, cable TV or Internet subscriptions, credit card payments, groceries, utilities bill. As you’re listing them down, factor in any potential expenses that you forsee you’ll be paying. Such as the monthly instalment payments for your new TV set which will be delivered next week.
4. Total Up Your Income & Expenses. Are you having more income than expenses?If yes, great! This extra stash of money can go towards your savings, retirement fund or even your investment portfolio, if you’ve one. But if you’re having negative cash flow (i.e. expenses more than income), you need to…
5. Review Your Expenses. Go through the list you’ve jot down earlier and decide the ones to cut down. Start incubating alternatives that can help you save. For example, instead of the neighbourhood store, frequent the wholesale megamarts for your grocery buys to take advantage of the economies of scale. Once you’re done,
6. Rewrite Your Budget with all the revised expense estimates. It’s very important that you write it down again to gain better clarity. As you’re doing so, challenge yourself with questions such as “What are the ways I can keep my ______ expense to this amount?” Take heed. Keep your notebook ready as some potential ideas and strategies may well hit you on the head like a bolt of lightning. When that happens, for goodness sake, write them down!

It may seem daunting having to go through such hassle just to create a personal budget. But remember, you can always catalyze it using some free budget worksheets, forms or software available online. Such as this one. Trust me, the effort’s definitely worth it.

(3) What Are Your Strategies?

Strategies help to keep you within your targets. The following are some that have worked very well for me and my friends. I’ll recommend that you try out one or two and improvise it as you track and review your progress.

• Pay Yourself First

  There’s this unique item under my “expenses” I call the “Pay Yourself First” funds. These are regular contributions made to my savings account (and recently, my mutual funds portfolio). By keeping aside a fixed amount every month as if they’re expenses, a lot of stress is reduced because I know I’ve “extras” carefully stashed away. Any leftovers from the month is a bonus! For the rampant spenders, it may be wise to set this as an automatic bank deduction. Why? Well, you can’t spend what you can’t “see”, right?

• Keep Your Budget In Your Wallet or Purse

  Ever wondered why couples put photos of each other in their wallets or handbag? It’s for the same reason! By bringing your budget with you everywhere you go, you constantly remind yourself its importance. Personally, even though I don’t keep my budget with me physically, my daily update ritual forces me to review my budget every day. This also serves as a great reality check. Imagine realizing you’ve used up your budget for entertainment when queuing to pay for your movie tickets! A “show stopper” isn’t it? Ha ha.

• Adopt Cost Cutting Habits

  Why spend more when you can get it for less? A friend of mine used to say that whenever she flash her discount coupons at her favourite Japanese restaurant. Real savers are constantly looking for opportunities to save. They’ll look out for coupons to keep, know the places to shop cheaply and switch off the lights when not in use. These seemingly small ways on how to save money eventually develop into healthy cost cutting habits as they keep doing it over a stretched period of time.

• Be More Value Focused When Making Purchases

  Conventional wisdom tells me cheap doesn’t necessary means good. If something that’s seemingly more expensive but gives you better value in the longer haul, go for it. For example, friends were bewildered when I insisted on a particular expensive brand of laptop. Because my previous experience and research supported the fact that it was one of the most durable models around. Even though I could got 2 laptops of a less costly brand with the same price, I was glad I stuck to my decision. So far, the laptop had not given me any major problems.

  Always do your own independent research by reading up product or service reviews and ask around in the forums. Especially if you’re making a big ticket purchase. Sometimes, the research may well suggest not making the purchase at all!

• Shop With A Stronger Saver

  And let him know your goals at the same time. Trust me, either you’ll find yourself buying less than you think. Or you’ll buy more at the same cost. For example, whenever I shop for clothes, I’ll make it a point to ask this particular friend of mine along. Not just because she has better taste for fashion than I do. But also because she never fails to know where the best shopping bargains are. And give me opinions whether a particular purchase is worth buying a not.

• Limit The Cash or Credit Cards You Carry

  Though this sounds a bit primitive, it’s actually quite effective for some people. For example, a friend of mine brought her finances back to control after cutting up her credit cards. It’s a bit extreme. But it works, isn’t it?

(4) How Do You Track Your Progress?

To know if your strategies are working, you must track your progress. If you’re a scatterbrain like me, you’ll probably find this harder than you think. How can you keep tab of your expenditure when you keep misplacing receipts or bills? Here’s a tip.

Record any expense immediately in a small notepad – or in my case, the mobile phone – once you’re aware of it. Transfer this to your spreadsheet or budgeting software when you’re back home. At the end of the month, do another round up by going through your bank statements for any hidden services charges or automated bank deductions.

It may take a bit of effort to get this going initially. But once you’re familiar, it’s almost second nature to you. Some technically savvy people I know record their budget and expenses on their PDAs. A very handy way to know your budgetary status almost immediately. Highly recommended if you’re into such tools. Otherwise, pen and paper are just as good.

(5) Are You Having Fun?

It’s great to follow your budget faithfully but don’t forget to let yourself loose at times. Even though I’ve got a pretty tight budget these days, I still make it a point to splurge on my favourite beer and pizza once in a while. Especially if I know I’m well on target for the month.

Go for the big picture and even if you’ve exceeded the amounts in a particular expense category, be assured that you can compensate it with savings from another section. Don’t beat yourself up over a major deviation. Just make it up next month.

Because only by making this a truly enjoyable experience, will you find yourself loving it and reaching it.

** Photo By Monochrome