There’s a perennial irony in the fact that while the New Year is always a time for reflection and inspiration, it’s also easy for New-Year-related posts to be woefully cliché, filled with cheerleader-like affirmations and encouragement to set goals and resolutions.
Most of us fall into one of two similarly-jaded camps:
- we stopped making New Year’s resolutions long ago, or
- we still set resolutions, but they are more wishful than intentional.
If you’re entertaining the idea of setting a goal for 2025, there’s one tip I can offer that’s essential to turning that vision into reality:
State Your Goal in the Past Tense.
Why?
Because our chosen words– right down to the tense we use – shape our beliefs and, in turn, our outcomes.
Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) introduced the concept of “autosuggestion,” which involves repeatedly affirming your goals as if they are already achieved to influence your subconscious.
Speaking of (or writing) your goals in the past tense tricks your brain into experiencing the goal as already achieved, e.g.
- “This year, I got the promotion,”
- “This year, I ran my first marathon,” or even
- “I am earning $$$ per year” (present tense reality indicating that you already received the raise)
When you mentally rehearse success as a fait accompli, you’re more likely to take actions aligned with that outcome.
Many of the most prominent success coaches like Dr. Carol Dweck (Mindset), Dr. Joe Dispenza (Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself), Tony Robbins, and Brian Tracy (Goals!) all reinforce this premise.
But it’s not enough to just imagine the result; you have to imagine what it feels like to have achieved it.
Dispenza and Robbins emphasize the importance of both visualizing and emotionally embodying that desired success in order to rewire your brain to create the reality you desire.
For example, try this:
- Think of one thing you’d like to achieve this year. Now imagine looking back on it, a year from today, having successfully accomplished it.
- Would you be smiling? What would that smile look like? Smile like that now.
- Would your breathing change? How? Breathe like that now.
- What exact words would you be thinking or saying to yourself? Choose those words now.
- What would your voice sound like as you said it? Would it be loud or soft? Fast or slow? Mumbled or enunciated clearly? Say those words aloud to yourself, like that, now.
- What would your posture look like? Sitting or standing, arms up/out/folded? Would you be moving or staying still?… sit or stand like that now.
Now put it all together: your face, your breathing, your words, your voice, your body language… and say it again, as if it were happening to you right now.
This is directly connected with the concept of message alignment and credibility that I discuss in my book, Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice.
Aligning your words, voice, and body language—your content and delivery—builds credibility, a cornerstone of leadership.
Whether you’re inspiring a team or motivating yourself, congruence between what you say and how you say it fosters trust and conviction, and drives action.
So when you set and speak of your 2025 goals, say it as if you’ve already achieved them. Use the same enthusiasm, pride, and “OMG” you’d feel in the moment of success – even if you’re only talking to yourself.
After all, if you can’t buy into your vision, why should anyone else?
Hmm, maybe your high school English teacher deserved more credit for stressing the importance of writing in the right tense after all!
Looking for an easy way to kick-start your powers of influence by establishing greater credibility in the new year? Check out Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice on Amazon and Audible.
