Write It: Its Power Is Unbelievable

By Dr. Doreen Stern aka "The Life Docktor" | Last updated Oct 24, 2009, 9:57 pm

Take Control: Change Your Life in 17 Minutes
How Does Writing It Down Help You Get What You Want?

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strips, had a goal: It was to become a syndicated cartoonist. He wrote his goal 15 times a day:

I will become a syndicated cartoonist.
I will become a syndicated cartoonist.
I will become a syndicated cartoonist.

At the time Adams was writing his goal fifteen times a day, he was laboring in obscurity in a cubicle in corporate America. He felt his job was sucking the life force out of his body. But Adams didn’t let his job suck the life force out of his soul. He kept his goal ever present in his mind. He did it by writing his goal over and over again.

What results can you expect?

Not only did Scott Adams achieve his goal of becoming a syndicated cartoonist, today his Dilbert comic strip appears in more than 1,900 newspapers worldwide. Adams’s first three hardcover books sold nearly three million copies and appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for a combined total of sixty weeks. Adams went from being a technology nerd to a bestselling author. By knowing what he wanted and writing it down.

Adams says that when you write down your goal, “you’ll observe things happening that will make your objective more likely to materialize.” The rejections don’t deter you. You keep pushing forward to accomplish your goal.

What is your goal?

Decide today what you want. Write it down, so you can see it in your mind’s eye. Your brain will work to reduce the dissonance that exists between what you want and your current reality.

I will . . .
I will . . .
I will . . .

Also eliminate just one piece of paper from one of your piles to provide the momentum to get what you want. “YES, I CAN,” will ring through your consciousness.

From Scott Adams’s Daily Blog (12/28/07)

“The other day I cleaned off the top of my desk. This involved sorting the rubble into mounds that had something in common, and then dealing with each mound. There were bills to pay, records to update, forms to be completed, faxes to be sent, licenses to approve, documents to file, tax issues to unscramble, and on and on.

When I was done, my desk was breathtakingly clear of debris. Gazing at my uncharacteristically pristine work space, a peculiar joy came over me. As I walked from my office back to my home, I felt lighter. There was a bounce to my step. I’m reasonably sure my body was creating extra endorphins.”