08 Apr NAVIGATING YOUR LIFE: SET A GOAL AND GET INTO ACTION
Moss Jackson, PhD
Psychologist and Success Coach
THE MAP
I have gotten a number of calls regarding the Navigating Your Life Map. I think a real life example with specific steps might help you think how such a map might be helpful to you in turning your goals into a reality and experiencing the success you deserve.
THE PASSION
About ten years ago, I discovered a powerful passion: creativity. I had always like to draw and paint and play piano. I have also been very open to new strategies to Coach people to succeed and live lives of greater happiness. In 2007 I discovered writing. Since that time I have written four self-help books, one personal memoir and a film script. I also started a blog series on Navigating Life and am currently working on a video series along the same line.
THE GOAL
Two years ago as I was rehabilitating from a pretty serious illness, I decided to write a radically different book on the psychology of life extension and immortality. There was very little available in the literature at that time but the idea of living until at least age 125 greatly appealed to me. Why not, I thought! Why not create a breakthrough in psychological thinking about reducing chronic stress syndrome, inflammation in the body and redesigning the brain to extend health and life beyond actuarial predictions. I decided to write such a book and present my work to a world conference on radical life extension.
THE HIGH IMPACT ACTIONS
I decided to write every day for at least thirty minutes. I also researched all the literature I could find. I located some of the experts in the field of longevity and sought their guidance. I gave myself one year to complete the task. I hired a book editor to help me to formulate my ideas.
RESILIENCE
As I pursued my creative mission, I ran into a number of roadblocks, the most notable being self-doubt and the fear of looking foolish. I received an invitation to present my ideas at the first global Revolution Against Aging and Death to be held in San Diego in 2016. I accepted even though my book was only in draft form. As the date drew closer I thought about standing in front of 1,000 scientists from around the world and talking about my clinical observations and strategies for life extension and emotional well-being. I became increasingly nervous and sometimes panicky over the prospect of being perceived as a naive quack! I kept on writing and rewriting.
THE DAY OF RECKONING
I flew out to the conference one day before it began to acclimate to the experience. The day of the conference my books arrived. I spread them out on an acquired table where people were gathering. My slide show was not formatted correctly but I found someone who graciously spent an hour reformatting it for me. About twenty minutes before my talk, they were delivered to the conference coordinator. I presented my talk after outrageously introducing myself as the first psychologist to be treating immortal patients. The irony was that no one was living an immortal existence. I figured that introduction was one way to overcome my anxiety and to set the stage for something outrageous. The audience laughed and graciously welcome my talk. I sold all one hundred books that were available.
WHY THE MAP WORKS
Whatever your passion, a key is to craft a specific goal to accomplish within a specific time frame. Once your goal is declared, think and choose those critical actions and follow them on a daily basis. Get a committed partner to hold you accountable and focused. Never stop or give up. Create momentum. Stick your neck out and push through your limiting beliefs and anxieties. They are all in your head but you must be in action to break through. The result will be a miracle, especially in discovering your inner strength and resilience. In the process, you are redesigning your brain, nervous system and genetic blueprint.
ACTION STEPS
Get off your butt and surrender to your passion. Set a goal and get into action.
Be unstoppable. Take a risk and discover who you really are under your fear and limiting beliefs.
Read my radical book, “I Didn’t Come To Say Goodbye: Navigating The Psychology of Immortality.” Confronting the fear of looking foolish will change your destiny.