· You need big goals. You need big dreams. Big goals and big dreams inspire you to try harder, to...

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Micro Goals VIP- AudioHello, I’m A.J. Hoge and welcome to this month’s VIP lesson. The topic this month is micro goals. Micro means very small, tiny and of course, a goal is something you want, something you want to achieve, something you want to get or something you want to accomplish.

We often talk about very big goals. I know that you have big goals. I know that you have big dreams and that’s fantastic. You need big goals. You need big dreams. Big goals and big dreams inspire you to try harder, to grow more, to learn more, to move forward, to achieve and get your dream life. Big goals have a lot of strengths. They can really make us move forward and accomplish great things. Big goals also have some weaknesses, and that’s why we also need micro goals, tiny little goals.

A big goal usually is something in the medium future or maybe in the far future. A big goal might be to do something at the end of the year or after two years or after five years. Sometimes the problem with big goals is that in the beginning they inspire us, they give us energy and we feel really excited. Anytime you’re working for something that’s big and new and maybe difficult, there will always be challenges. Maybe sometimes you’ve already had this. You had a big goal, you were very excited in the beginning and then you had some big problems.

Maybe things became tough and very difficult. Maybe they became difficult for a long time, and that’s when a big goal can actually hurt you. When things are really, really tough right now, when you’re really feeling bad right now, when you feel weak right now, when you have a lot of problems right now, then when you imagine this big dream you actually can feel more weak because it just feels too difficult and too far.

If you’re thinking about that big, big, big dream and that big, big goal all the time, then sometimes you can actually get less motivation because you start to think I’ll never do it. It’s too much. It’s too far. Right now things are so tough. I’m never going to do that. In this way, sometimes a big goal or a big dream can actually stop you from moving forward. It can actually stop you from getting the success that you want. That’s when you need micro goals because micro goals have a different kind of strength. There is always more than one micro goal. You don’t have a micro goal; you have several micro goals, little tiny goals.

The power comes from the fact that they focus you in this moment right now on something very small and tiny to move you forward. It’s a lot like this idea that we’ve talked about in the past of constantly improving or kaizen, making small little improvements. This is actually how you do that in a very specific way.

A micro goal is for now or in the very short future. Maybe your large goal is for six months from now or one year from now or five years from now, but a micro goal is for tomorrow or next week. It’s much closer in the future, maybe just one week from now or maybe a month from now at the most. A month would be the farthest but usually it’s more like one week or one day.

If things are really, really tough it might just be one hour from now that you’re going to accomplish this small tiny little thing to move you forward one step closer. That’s the power of a micro goal and they’re most useful when you’re feeling tired, when you’re feeling bored, when


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things feel difficult or when your motivation is low. When all those things are happening, use micro goals to move forward again.

I’ll give you an example that probably you’ll understand. Maybe you want to speak like an American. Maybe you have this big dream that you want to speak excellent English. You want to speak like an American or like a Canadian. You want to have excellent and amazing English. That’s fantastic. That’s great.

You can imagine it. You imagine speaking English very powerfully. You imagine speaking English in a strong voice. You imagine speaking English correctly with a really nice accent, very clear and easy to understand. That’s all great right now, but at some time maybe in the past or maybe now you had some trouble. At some time you probably felt I’ll never do this.

Maybe it was during English class when you had to study a lot of grammar. Maybe you had a conversation with someone in English and you felt nervous and shy, and you couldn’t remember words and it was not fun. It was difficult. Maybe you just got bored and tired of studying English at some point. Probably when that happened and you thought of this great and wonderful goal to speak English like an American, maybe you felt I’ll never do it. I might as well quit. I’m never going to do that. It’s too much. It’s too far.

That’s the danger. What do you need to do at those times? They have probably happened to you in the past and they’re probably going to happen again in the future. That’s when you focus on something very small right now. You just ask yourself one simple question. Ask yourself, what’s the next step to move one step closer to that big goal? Not 10 steps and not all the way, but just what’s the next tiny little thing?

For example with English, maybe a micro goal would be this week you will listen to English 14 hours per week. This week you’ll count your hours of listening and that will be about two hours per day. That’s your micro goal. That’s all. Will that help you? Will that improve your English a little bit? Yes it will. Will it make you speak perfect English suddenly right now? Of course not. It’s a micro goal. It’s a very small goal but it’s something that you can achieve right now.

Even if you’re bored, even if you’re tired or even if you feel like you’ll never have big success, it doesn’t matter. You can at least do this one small micro goal. If 14 hours feels like too much, you could decide to listen to English for seven hours this week. You count your listening time each day and at the end of the week you achieve your goal. If you don’t achieve your goal, you keep that same micro goal for the next week, and the next week you do it. What happens next? It’s real easy. It’s just a step-by-step tiny approach. After you achieve that micro goal, you make a new micro goal, a new tiny little goal.

Let’s say that you listen for 14 hours this week. Then for the next week you might make a micro goal to listen to English for 15 hours in the week. You count your hours again and just add one more hour. Maybe the next week you’ll say I will again listen to English for 15 hours this week, and also I will read for two hours this week something interesting in English.

Step by step you just focus on now. You don’t think about that big goal at all. If you’re inspired and feeling fantastic that’s the time to think of that really big goal and get excited about it. When things are tough, when you’re tired or when you’re not sure, don’t think about that big goal. It’s always there. Just focus on the next step in front of you. When you finish that step, focus on the




next step. When you finish that step, what’s the next step? Don’t think about the big one. Just think about these little tiny ones.

Each time you achieve a little small goal – a micro goal – celebrate. Jump around, get yourself something good to eat or whatever you want to do, but have a little small celebration of each little tiny goal. In this way, you pull yourself forward step by step. You’ll have much more energy and motivation by just focusing on these small things.

Let me give you two examples from my own life. One was a failure and one was a success. The first one was before I started Effortless English. I had the same dreams. I had the big dream of having this international life and having enough money to travel around the world, having enough time and freedom to travel around the world and have great adventures and do all this wonderful stuff, but I was working at a job that paid almost nothing.

I hated the job and I had almost no vacation. I think I had two weeks per year, so I couldn’t do any of that stuff. Every day I thought about the big dream and then one day I decided to try this nutrition business, selling vitamins and stuff. I started that business and every day I focused on my big goal.

I had pictures of places that I would visit, nice beaches or countries that I wanted to go to. I had pictures of the new car that I would buy with all the money I was going to make. I had all these wonderful big dreams and that was fine.

The thing is that each day was very difficult. I didn’t really know anything about business at that time. I was terrible at selling and quite honestly I really didn’t know a lot about the nutrition business and supplements and all of that. Each day would be very, very difficult. I wouldn’t do very well and then I would focus on my big goal and think about the big dream. That worked for maybe a week or a few weeks but then I actually started to get more discouraged. The more I thought about the big goal, the more it felt like an impossible dream and my energy went down, down, down. My motivation went down, down, down. It felt totally impossible because where I was and where I wanted to be was just too big a gap.

Eventually I failed at that business and quit, and I didn’t start another business for several years. That was the failure. I didn’t establish or create some nice little small goals to help me go forward during the tough times.

Here’s a success story. The first time that I wanted to run a marathon, it seemed very, very big and tough and difficult. At that time I was running about three miles a day usually, about five kilometers. A marathon is 26 miles, which is a lot of kilometers. I thought from three miles to 26 miles is a big, big, big difference. Every time I thought about running 26 miles, I thought it just seems so impossible right now.

I thought I don’t think I can do it. It’s too much. Eventually though I got this book by a marathon runner and he basically had a micro goal approach. He basically said each day run your normal amount. Maybe it’s three miles or maybe four miles. Then just one day a week on Sunday, you do a long run and you just add one mile per week.

The first week I ran four miles. That’s all I focused on. I didn’t think about 26 miles. It seemed too scary and too tough, so I’m not going to think about it. I’m just focusing on this week and just on Sunday I will run four miles. I can do that. Then I did it and it wasn’t so tough. It was easy.




Then I thought next Sunday I’ll run five miles. The rest of the week doesn’t matter. I’ll rest if I need to. Just on Sunday next week, I’ll run five miles. I thought I can probably do that. I just did four. Then Sunday came and I ran five miles. It was maybe a little tougher but not too bad.

In this way, I just focused on the next little step and that’s all. If I started to think about the big goal and get scared, I just pushed it away and thought about just the next one. Some weeks I didn’t achieve my micro goal. Maybe I wanted to run eight miles on Sunday and I wasn’t quite ready, so I had to stop at seven. I thought no big deal. I just need some extra rest. I rested a couple of extra days and I thought okay next Sunday I will run eight.

Then I ran eight miles and I took little steps week by week until I got up to 26. Then I did indeed finish my first marathon, and then I ran another marathon basically using the same approach. It really didn’t feel so difficult because I didn’t focus on this whole huge thing. I just focused on the tiny step ahead of me, and little by little I just moved forward.

It seemed a lot easier than I thought it would be. It was mostly just psychology. So you understand, yes the first step is you need to have a big goal, a big dream, probably a few big dreams. I’m sure you have at least two or three big dreams. Think of them. Write them down. Be specific. Write down the date when you will achieve the big goal.

You can put that on your wall somewhere or think about it for several days. Do what you need to do. You can imagine it in your mind. All of those things are great. Eventually, however, you will need to focus on the tiny steps to get there and not be thinking about the big goal so much because that will be too much.

The next thing that I want you to do after you have your big goals is I want you to look at the first big goal and ask yourself just one question. What’s the next step to take right now this week? What will you do this week? Write that down. Write down exactly what you’re going to do and when you will finish it. Do that for each of your big goals. Then at the end of the week, you finish it. What will do you then? You ask yourself again, what’s the next step? You write that down. You write down your date – maybe Sunday, maybe next week – and then you finish that. Then you just keep going. It’s a never-ending process.

If for some reason one week you don’t finish your goal, don’t get upset. Just keep that goal and accomplish it the next week. Maybe you need to go a little more slowly. It’s okay. Just focus on that next step until it’s completed. When it’s completed ask yourself gain, what’s the next step?

That’s it. It’s simple but powerful. This is how you achieve big things. Yes at first you’ve got to get excited about them and imagine them, but then you actually have to do something. You can’t just dream about it and it’s all magically going to come to you. That’s a nice idea but it doesn’t usually happen. Usually what needs to happen is that you focus on just that little next step and then you take a step forward. Then you do it again and again. That gives you power. That gives you confidence that grows and grows, and that’s how you achieve really big dreams and big goals in the real world.

Do that and I will see you again soon, bye-bye.




Micro Goals VIP – Mini StoryHello, this is A.J. Welcome to the Mini Story for Micro Goals. Let’s get started.

* * * * *

There is a monkey. His name is Chim-Chim. Chim-Chim loves adventure. He loves to travel and Chim-Chim wants to be rich, so that he can travel and live a life of adventure. Chim-Chim lives in San Francisco with his two best friends. One of them is Heva the dog. Heva is a big dog. He’s very strong and he’s very sweet. Of course sweet means kind. He’s playful, relaxed and a little lazy.

Who is very sweet?

Heva is very, very sweet.

Is Chim-Chim sweet?

No, not really. Chim-Chim is nice but he’s not sweet. Heva is very, very sweet.

Is Heva very kind, generous, caring and soft?

Yes, Heva is very kind and generous and soft. He is very sweet.

Which one is very sweet?

Heva is very sweet.

Chim-Chim is adventurous. Heva loves to eat, to play and to relax and be happy. Chim-Chim and Heva live with a woman named Nicola. Nicola is a teacher in San Francisco. She loves Chim-Chim and Heva, her two best friends. One day Chim-Chim bursts into the apartment.

Does he come in quietly and slowly or does he burst into the apartment?

He bursts into the apartment.

Who bursts into the apartment?

Chim-Chim bursts into the apartment.

Does he come in quietly or does he burst into the apartment?

He bursts into the apartment. He comes in very quickly and very suddenly.

Who bursts into the apartment?

Chim-Chim.




Chim-Chim bursts into the apartment and he appears to be very excited. He waves a paper in his hand and says we have to go to Thailand now! Heva is taking a nap, so he says nothing. Nicola says what are you talking about, Chim-Chim? Chim-Chim says buried gold, stolen from a Thai temple. We’ll all be rich! We can travel and live a life of adventure.

What kind of gold does Chim-Chim want to find?

Buried gold. Buried means in the ground. You dig a whole, put it in the ground and cover it. That’s buried. He wants buried gold.

Who wants buried gold?

Chim-Chim wants buried gold.

Does Nicola want buried gold?

No.

Does Heva want buried gold?

No, Heva’s taking a nap. He’s sleeping.

Who wants buried gold?

Chim-Chim wants buried gold.

Where is the buried gold?

Thailand, apparently. He said it was stolen from a Thai temple. We’ll all be rich, travel and live a life of adventure.

Chim-Chim says I printed this Internet article. You have to read it. It says that bandits attacked a Thai temple and stole a big chest of gold coins. They tried to escape but a few months later the Thai police caught them. Only when they were caught, they didn’t have the gold and they never said where they put it. They never found the gold! This guy on the Internet says it’s probably in Ayutthaya in Thailand.

Who attacked a Thai temple and stole a big chest of gold coins?

Bandits. A bandit is like a thief. A bandit is someone who steals money and takes things from people. A bandit attacks people and takes their money. Bandits – more than one – attacked a Thai temple. A temple is like a church. They stole and they took a big chest of gold coins.

Who stole the gold coins?

Bandits stole the gold coins.

Where did the bandits attack the temple?




In Thailand. The bandits attacked the Thai temple and stole the gold coins.

Who stole the gold coins?

Bandits stole the gold coins. They tried to escape but they were caught.

Did the bandits have the gold coins when they were caught?

No, the bandits did not have the gold coins when they were caught.

Chim-Chim says we have to go. We’ll be rich. We’ll all be rich! Then we can travel and live a life of adventure.

What does he want to do?

He wants to travel and live a life of adventure.

Heva wakes up when he hears Chim-Chim say we’ll all be rich! That sounds good says Heva. We can’t go to Thailand. That’s crazy. It’s just an Internet article says Nicola. Why not? You have summer vacation now. Why not? Let’s go. We’ll all be rich says Chim-Chim.

But I’m comfortable here. Thailand is hot and the plane ride is too long. This whole gold story is crazy. It might even be dangerous. I’m going to enjoy my vacation here at home doing nothing. Chim-Chim ignores Nicola and says okay, you think about it and Heva and I will plan the next step – airplane tickets. Chim-Chim says just think about it.

A few weeks later Nicola, Chim-Chim and Heva arrive in Bangkok and they immediately take a boat and travel to Ayutthaya. Each day Chim-Chim takes them to see different temples in Ayutthaya. There are hundreds of old temple ruins. A ruin is like an old broken building. It’s very old and it’s broken and it’s falling apart. That’s a ruin.

Are the temples new and fixed and everything is okay, or are they broken? Are they ruins?

They’re ruins. They go to hundreds of old temple ruins.

Who goes to see old temple ruins?

Chim-Chim, Nicola and Heva go to see temple ruins.

Do they go to new temples or do they go to ruins?

They go to ruins. They go to old broken temples, to old temple ruins.

The weather is super hot and humid. Nicola says oh my God it’s so hot. I’m pouring sweat. Pouring sweat is a common phrase we use when we’re sweating a lot. Heva is also hot. He pants constantly and walks slowly around the temples. He says it’s hot. Let’s take a nap. Panting is what dogs do when they’re hot. Their tongues come out. That’s




called panting. Chim-Chim is determined to search every temple. Each day they visit new temples. Chim-Chim asks everyone about the gold but no one knows what he’s talking about.

Finally Nicola is hot, tired, uncomfortable and grumpy. She says Chim-Chim you’ve been dragging us around this place for a week. I know what you’re doing. You’re thinking about that crazy story and searching for gold. She says Chim-Chim enough. We’re tired and bored and hot. We’re going back to Bangkok and then we’re going to a nice beach in the south. I want to nap on the beach and relax.

Oh yes says Heva. That sounds wonderful. Chim-Chim says but we’ll all be rich. But they go back to Bangkok with no gold. Back in Bangkok the three relax in their nice air-conditioned room. Then there’s a knock on the door. Chim-Chim pouts in the corner. To pout means to be unhappy and disappointed and to just sit quietly.

We have a few words that describe this action. We call it pouting or sulking. It means you’re unhappy but you don’t say anything. You just sit quietly, maybe with a frown on your face. You look unhappy and you sit quietly, very dramatically, looking unhappy, very obviously unhappy so that everyone knows you’re unhappy but you say nothing.

If someone asks you what’s wrong, maybe you say ‘nothing,’ but you’re frowning and you look really unhappy. That’s called pouting – to pout. Chim-Chim pouts in the corner. He’s unhappy because they left Ayutthaya. They didn’t go get the gold that he wanted.

Who was pouting?

Chim-Chim was pouting in the corner.

Was Heva pouting?

No, Heva wasn’t pouting. Chim-Chim was pouting. Chim-Chim pouted in the corner. He pouted because he was unhappy about not getting the gold, about leaving Ayutthaya. He was unhappy but he said nothing. He pouted.

Then there was a knock on the door. Nicola opens the door and sees a tough-looking Thai guy with tattoos on his arms, his neck and his legs. Even his face was covered in tattoos. The man says I hear that you’re looking for the lost gold. Chim-Chim immediately jumps to the door. Yes, yes we are he says. I know where it is says the man. Pay me 20,000 BOT – BOT is Thai money – and I will tell you.

Come in, come in says Chim-Chim. Nicola says wait. Don’t worry about her, says Chim-Chim and he invites the man inside. Okay, 20,000 BOT says Chim-Chim. Nicola says wait that’s too much money. The man scowls at her and says ‘no money, no information for you.’

Chim-Chim grabs Nicola’s purse opens it and takes out her wallet. Chim-Chim stop! That’s almost all of our money for the trip, give me that says Nicola. Later you’ll thank me says Chim-Chim as he hands the money to the tattooed man. A tattoo is ink. It’s drawings on your skin but it’s permanent tattoos.




After carefully counting the money the man says the gold is in Kanchanaburi. It’s buried under Bungalow #3 at the Bamboo Bungalow River Resort. A bungalow is like a little wooden house. It’s similar to a hut. A hut or a bungalow is like a small little wooden house, very simple. Usually I imagine a bungalow on a beach or next to a river, maybe up in the mountains somewhere. It’s very small and simple little home. Usually it’s just one room. That’s a bungalow.

What is buried under a bungalow?

The lost gold is buried under a bungalow.

Is it buried under a big house or is it buried under a simple small bungalow?

The gold is buried under a simple small bungalow.

Where is the bungalow?

It’s in an area of Thailand called Kanchanaburi under a bungalow. It’s buried under a bungalow.

Chim-Chim jumps up and down. Yes, yes we’ll all be rich! We’ll all be rich! Wait, wait says Nicola. If you know this, why don’t you get it yourself she asks the man? Oh it’s too dangerous, much too dangerous, very bad there he says. Then he rushes out of the room.

Does he go slowly out of the room or does he rush out of the room?

He rushes out of the room. He goes out of the room very quickly. He runs out of the room.

Who rushes out of the room?

The tattooed man rushes out of the room.

Chim-Chim is excited and he says we’re going to Kanchanaburi. Wait, wait says Nicola you heard him. He said it’s very dangerous. Heva says yeah Chim-Chim, that sounds bad. Okay says Chim-Chim, you just think about it and I’ll get more information. Of course they go to Kanchanaburi.

The next night they’re in Kanchanaburi looking at the Bamboo Bungalow Resort. They’re all dressed in black. Hiding in the trees next to the river, they’re watching Bungalow #3. Chim-Chim says there are no lights on. It might be empty. Heva says it seems dangerous. What if they’re sleeping in there? He said they were very bad.

Nicola says yeah this is crazy. Let’s go back to Bangkok now. Chim-Chim says the gold is there. The gold is there. You’re the crazy ones. All we have to do is crawl under the bungalow and dig it up. Let’s go! The three slowly crawl to Bungalow #3 as quietly as possible.




Of course crawling is what babies do. To crawl means to move on your hands and knees. It’s not walking. It’s crawling. So they crawl quietly. The bungalow is raised on stilts, so there’s a space between the floor and the ground. The three crawl under the bungalow. A stilt is like a wooden leg. If a house is raised on stilts, it means that the floor is not touching the ground. The floor is higher up. There are wooden posts holding up the house, holding up the bungalow. That’s a stilt.

Is the bungalow on stilts or is the bungalow sitting on the ground?

The bungalow is on stilts. It’s raised on stilts. It’s raised up on stilts.

Where is the bungalow? Is it up on stilts on top of wooden legs or is it sitting on the ground?

The bungalow is raised up on stilts.

Chim-Chim turns on the flashlight and discovers a hole, an empty hole. Oh no, they must have already dug it up! Maybe it’s inside the bungalow he says.

Who must have already dug it up?

We don’t know. The bad people.

Dug is past tense. You did now. Yesterday I dug. It’s the past of dig – have already dug. It’s just another form of the verb dig. Someone already – in the past, previously, we don’t know when – dug up the gold or they dug up something. He says they must have already dug up the gold.

Did Chim-Chim dig up the gold in the past? Was he the one who already dug it up?

No, someone else already dug up the gold.

Chim-Chim says maybe it’s inside the bungalow. Shh, be quiet and turn off the light says Nicola. Okay, we’ll go into the bungalow but be quick, very fast hurry before they come back. Chim-Chim being a monkey easily climbs into one of the bungalow windows and then he opens the door for Heva and Nicola. Safely inside they turn on their flashlights. The bungalow is empty, except for a box on the floor.

They rush to the box. It has a big lock on it. Heva grabs the lock with his huge mouth and using his powerful jaws breaks the lock with his teeth. Yikes, you’re strong says Chim-Chim to Heva. Thanks says Heva smiling.

He used his jaw. The jaw is the muscles in your mouth. The jaw is the part of your mouth that goes around your chin, all around your mouth. It’s the side and bottom of your face and that’s where the muscles are for biting. If we say Heva used his jaws, we mean that he used his powerful muscles in his mouth.

Did Heva use his powerful jaws to break the lock?

Yes, he used his powerful jaws – his powerful mouth muscles – to break the lock with his teeth.




Did Chim-Chim use his powerful jaws?

No, Chim-Chim doesn’t have powerful jaws.

Who has powerful jaws?

Heva has powerful jaws.

By the way, you may know of a movie called Jaws. Remember the movie about the shark? That word jaws is talking about the big powerful mouth and mouth muscles and teeth of the shark. It’s scary – Jaws!

Heva and Nicola open the box and inside they find a big pile of gold coins. We’re rich, we’re rich, we’re rich Chim-Chim yells, jumping around the bungalow, shaking and dancing. Suddenly they hear shouts outside. Heva looks out the window and sees giant rats with guns running towards the bungalow. They’re coming and they have guns! They’re rats says Heva.

Heva grabs the box and they jump out the back window. The rats see them and chase them. They fire their guns. Oh my God they’re shooting at us yells Nicola. Please don’t let me die here. I’m just a teacher. A bullet strikes just a few centimeters from her feet. Oh my God, Oh my God I’m going to die here. Why did I listen to Chim-Chim? Run; run is all that Chim-Chim says.

They run through the jungle for hours and hours. Eventually the sound of the guns and the rats gets farther and farther away. It’s night. They’re alone in the jungle. They’re dirty, they’re exhausted and they’re lost. Of course a jungle is a tropical forest. It’s very wet and very hot. There are lots of thick trees. That’s a jungle.

Are they in the desert with sand or are they in the jungle?

They’re in the jungle.

Who’s in the jungle?

Heva, Chim-Chim and Nicola are all in the jungle.

Are they clean and happy in the jungle?

No, they’re dirty and exhausted and alone at night in the dark jungle.

Wearily the three trudge through the jungle. For hours and hours they stumble through mud and trees. Heva carries the box while Chim-Chim and Nicola try to help him. Trudge is a good word. The three trudged through the jungle. To trudge means to walk very slowly and heavily. You trudge when you’re very tired. You don’t just walk normally. You walk slowly in a tired and heavy way. We call that trudging or to trudge.Do they walk lightly and happily through the jungle, or do they trudge heavily in an exhausted way through the jungle?

They trudge through the jungle.




Do they trudge through the city?

No.

Where do they trudge through?

They trudge through the jungle.

Who trudges through the jungle?

Heva, Chim-Chim and Nicola trudge through the jungle.

Finally after hours and hours of trudging through the jungle, morning comes and they find a small dirt road. Eventually they find a small town and they take the first bus back to Bangkok. Back in their Bangkok hotel enjoying the cool air-conditioning, the three are triumphant. Triumphant means super successful or victorious.

Are they triumphant?

Yes, they’re triumphant.

Why are they triumphant?

Because they found the lost gold.

Who’s triumphant?

Chim-Chim, Heva and Nicola are all triumphant.

Chim-Chim sits on the floor counting the gold coins – 58, 59, 60. Heva relaxes on a chair and says we really are rich. I can’t believe it. Nicola is on her computer searching the Internet for information about the gold. I thought you were crazy Chim-Chim. I can’t believe this turned out to be real.

Turned out to be means it became or was shown to be. Turned out to be real means that it was shown to be real or it became real. It turned out to be real. Maybe you doubted it and thought it would not be real, but now it has become real. It turned out to be real.

What turned out to be real?

The story about the gold turned out to be real.

Did it turn out to be wrong or did it turn out to be real?

It turned out to be real. The story turned out to be real. It was shown to be real, not fake not wrong.What was shown to be real? What turned out to be real?

The story about the gold. The gold turned out to be real.




Chim-Chim continued counting – 69, 70. Oh here’s an interesting article about the gold says Nicola. It says that the temple was going to use the gold to build homes for homeless children, but after it was stolen they had to cancel the plans. Now the children are still living on the street. The room becomes very quiet. Chim-Chim stops counting. Nicola looks at Chim-Chim. Chim-Chim looks at Heva. Heva looks at Nicola. Heva says hmm. Nicola says you know what we have to do. But we’re rich, we’re going to be rich says Chim-Chim.

The next day they take the box to the temple and leave it inside with a note. The note says good luck with the new homes, help the children. The next day they go to the airport and fly home.

Nicola says let’s see, we had a long and comfortable flight, we sweated for a week in Ayutthaya, we gave a lot of money to a tattooed guy, we crawled in the mud, we got shot at by crazy giant rats, we got lost in the jungle and I never got to the beach. Oh, and now I’m totally broke. What a vacation. Of course that’s sarcasm. She means that she wasn’t happy about it.

Heva says we did help the children though. Chim-Chim says we’re not totally broke. Nicola says trust me, we’re totally broke. Chim-Chim then reaches into his pocket and pulls out three gold coins, handing one to Nicola and one to Heva. I figured they wouldn’t miss just three says Chim-Chim. I guess they wouldn’t miss just three says Nicola. Heva says I’m sure they won’t, it’s just three. Chim-Chim says it was fun wasn’t it? Nicola smiles and says yeah maybe a little.




Micro Goals VIP – Point of View Hello, it’s time for the Point of View story lessons. Let’s start. First we’re going to do the past. The main story was mostly in the present. Here we go.

* * * * *

Chim-Chim burst into the apartment. He told Heva and Nicola a story about lost gold in Thailand. Nicola didn’t want to go to Thailand. She thought Chim-Chim was crazy. Heva liked the idea of becoming rich. Chim-Chim eventually convinced them to go to Thailand. They flew to Thailand. The flight was very long. Nicola’s back hurt and she was very uncomfortable. She wanted to go on vacation in Thailand. She did not want to search for gold.

They finally arrived in Thailand. They took a boat upriver from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. They toured Ayutthaya for seven days and it was super hot. Chim-Chim was looking for gold, and Nicola and Heva got grumpy. Grumpy means to be in a bad mood, in an irritable, frustrated bad mood.

Nicola and Heva were hot and tired of sweating. Chim-Chim did not find gold in Ayutthaya. They went back to Bangkok. Chim-Chim pouted in the hotel. Then a tattooed man came to their hotel. Chim-Chim paid him for information about the gold. The man said the gold was under a bungalow in Kanchanaburi. The three went to Kanchanaburi and found the bungalow, which was raised on stilts.

First they crawled under it. Then they went inside and found the box of gold. Rats with guns came and chased them. Heva, Chim-Chim and Nicola ran. They escaped but they got lost in the jungle, so they trudged through the jungle all night long. Finally they returned to Bangkok with the gold.

Then Nicola discovered that the gold was going to be used to help homeless children, so they returned the gold to the temple, but Chim-Chim kept three coins. They boarded their plane to fly back to San Francisco.

* * * * *

That’s version number one. Now in version number two, I want you to imagine and visualize, see in your minds a timeline the future going ahead of you. Imagine a line that’s the future and it’s going out in front of you. The past is going behind you on a line behind you. This is the timeline. Go back to a time before the story began. Imagine that the story started in the past. It’s behind you on this line. The past is going back behind you.

Go back to the story. Maybe go back along this line into the past, into the past, walking backwards into the past along the timeline, and then you see the story. There it is. Now you’re at the story in the past. Keep going. Keep moving backwards, moving backwards before the story. Now you’re back on this line and you’re looking forward to the future. Now the story is in front of you.

You went backwards on the timeline, you arrived in the past at the story and you continued to go back farther into the past and now you can look forward and you see the story in front of you,




and then you can see the present moment even farther in front of you and in the future even farther in front of you. Now you’re in the past, before the story and you’re looking into the future. You know what will happen because you’re now looking at it in the future. You already know what’s going to happen.

* * * * *

We know that Chim-Chim will burst into the room. He will tell Heva and Nicola a story about lost gold in Thailand. Nicola won’t want to go to Thailand. She’ll think that Chim-Chim is crazy. Heva’s going to like the idea of becoming rich. Chim-Chim eventually will convince them to go to Thailand. They’ll fly to Thailand. The flight will be very long. Nicola’s back is gonna hurt and she’ll be very uncomfortable. Of course gonna means going to. It’s a causal way of saying going to.

She’ll want to go on vacation in Thailand. She won’t want to search for gold. She will not want to search for gold. They will finally arrive in Thailand. Then they’re going to take a boat upriver from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. They’ll tour Ayutthaya for seven days. It will be super hot. Chim-Chim will look for gold, and Heva and Nicola will get grumpy. They’ll be hot and tired of sweating.

Chim-Chim won’t find gold in Ayutthaya. They’ll go back to Bangkok. Chim-Chim will pout in the hotel. Then a tattooed man is gonna come to their hotel. Chim-Chim will pay him 20,000 BOT for information about the gold. The man is gonna say the gold is under a bungalow in Kanchanaburi. He’ll say it’s dangerous there too.

The three will go to Kanchanaburi. They’ll find the bungalow, which is raised on stilts. First they’ll crawl under it. Then they’ll go inside and find the box of gold. Rats with guns will come and chase them. Heva, Chim-Chim and Nicola will run. They’ll escape but they’ll get lost in the jungle. They’re going to trudge through the jungle all night long.

Finally, they’ll return to Bangkok with the gold. Nicola will discover that the gold was going to be used to help homeless children, so they’ll return the gold to the temple, but Chim-Chim keeps three coins. They’ll board their plane to fly back to San Francisco.

* * * * *

That’s version two. Let’s go to the last version. Again imagine this timeline, this line of time. You’re back to the present and you’re standing in the moment right now. Looking ahead is the future going in front of you, a long line like a road going in front of you into the future. That’s the future line. Then behind you is a line or a road going behind you, going back and that’s the past. The future is in front and the past is behind.

Now turn around in your mind and look into the past. Look behind you. Look down the line into the past. Our story is there in the past. See the story in the past on that line behind you. Then notice a time before the story starts, back behind the story more, farther back in the past. Then notice there’s a range of time. There’s some space before the story starts.

You go back to the story and keep going farther back, more and more, maybe a few years and then stop. Now between that point and the story, there’s a time, a gap, a space, a range of time




before the story starts. That space continues from the farther past up to the story, a range of time, a period of time.

* * * * *

During that time from before the story up to the story, maybe up until now, Chim-Chim has always been adventurous. He was adventurous before the story started way back then, and then during that space and right up until the story started, he’s still adventurous. During the story he’s still adventurous. Even today he’s still adventurous. He has always been adventurous.

In fact, you could go back to the very beginning of his life, starting and coming all the way up until now, and during that whole time on the timeline he has been adventurous. He has always loved to take risks. He has dreamed of travel and adventure constantly. His friend Heva has always been playful, strong and sweet since he was puppy, since he was a baby dog. Remember, Heva’s a dog, Chim-Chim is a monkey and Nicola is a woman.

For a long time their friend Nicola has had an inner conflict. A conflict is like a struggle, a fight, a fight inside of her, an inner conflict, and an inner fight. She has had an inner conflict a long time, back in the past and continuing up. We’re not sure when it stopped. On one hand she has been careful. She has wanted to be comfortable and safe for a while.

On the other hand Nicola has secretly dreamed of a more interesting and exciting life. She has never told anyone about this. This has been difficult for Nicola for a long time. She has wanted comfort and safety and has also secretly wanted excitement and growth. One day she had to face this conflict. Now you can look to the past on the timeline. One day – there’s one point on the line. That’s when the story starts.

How does it start? Chim-Chim bursts into their apartment. It’s one point on that line in the past. The exact time when the story starts, and that’s why we’re now using the past tense. Don’t think about it too much. Don’t analyze the grammar. I’m just helping you to see it in your mind on this timeline. That’s all you need to do.

Chim-Chim bursts into their apartment. What did he do after that? He told Heva and Nicola a story about lost gold in Thailand. Nicola didn’t want to go to Thailand. She thought Chim-Chim was crazy. Heva liked the idea of becoming rich. Chim-Chim eventually convinced them to go to Thailand. They flew to Thailand. The flight was very long. Nicola’s back hurt and she was very uncomfortable. She wanted to go on vacation in Thailand. She did not want to search for some crazy gold box.

They finally arrived in Thailand. They took a boat upriver from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. They toured Ayutthaya for seven days. It was super hot. Chim-Chim was looking for gold, and Nicola and Heva got grumpy. They got in a bad mood. They were hot and tired. Chim-Chim did not find gold in Ayutthaya. They went back to Bangkok. Chim-Chim pouted in the hotel. Then a tattooed man came to their hotel. Chim-Chim paid him a lot of money for information about the gold. The man said the gold was under a bungalow in Kanchanaburi. He said it was dangerous there too. The three went to Kanchanaburi. They found the bungalow, which was raised on stilts. First they crawled under it. Then they went inside and found the box of gold.




Big giant rats with guns chased them. Heva, Chim-Chim and Nicola ran. They escaped but they got lost in the jungle. They had to trudge through the jungle all night long. Finally they returned to Bangkok with the gold. Nicola discovered that the gold was going to be used to help homeless children, so they returned the gold to the temple, but Chim-Chim kept three coins. They boarded their plane to fly back to San Francisco.

That is the end of our Point of View story.




Micro Goals VIP - CommentaryHello and welcome to the commentary lesson for Micro Goals.

First, I want to talk about the lessons and a few new things, some small changes in our lessons for this month. Then I’ll talk more about micro goals.

You may have noticed that the Mini Story this time was a little bit longer. It’s somewhat longer and more detailed to give you more listening practice. I still ask questions in the story as usual but I also had some extra statements, extra information and extra details in the story so that you can see the story more clearly. You can enjoy the story more.

As usual, pause when you hear questions and answer the questions out loud. You can answer with just one or two words. That’s fine. If you don’t want to pause, just shout your answers or say your answers out loud as the audio continues. It’s up to you. Let me know. Tell me if you enjoy the longer Mini Stories more with more information, or do you prefer to keep them very short, just with the questions? Hopefully you enjoyed this story. The Point of View is basically the same. I retell the story again using several different timelines.

This month I gave you this idea of a timeline to picture in your mind the future going in front of you and the past behind you. You can see different events. In this case, you can see the story at a certain point in the future. With your mind you can move back behind that time or ahead of that time. It’s helpful because it’s a natural way to get a feeling for grammar.

I’ll continue to help you with timelines sometimes in our Point of View stories. As usual, just listen to the different versions of the stories – the regular Mini Story version and the Point of View stories. Sometimes in the Point of View stories, I might add a little bit of extra information about the story and that’s fine too.

Another thing that you’ll notice this month is that we have a meditation. The meditation lesson is really for you to listen to at night. It’s an additional kind of lesson and it’s not focused on English so much. It’s more focused on your mind, about programming your unconscious mind. The purpose of this lesson is to train your unconscious mind so that you learn the important beliefs, skills and strategies very deeply. You learn them deeply.

This is an extra lesson, an optional lesson. I recommend that you listen to the meditation when you go to bed, just before you sleep. The meditation is very calm and relaxing. Just lie down, turn off the lights and listen to the meditation before you sleep. You can also listen to the meditation lesson anytime you want to relax, so enjoy the meditation lesson.

Finally, in the commentary, let’s talk about micro goals some more. This is a nice little topic. I really want you to use this strategy. As I said in our main lesson about micro goals, micro goals are especially useful when you use them during tough times. As a situation becomes more difficult, more painful or tougher or when it becomes more of a struggle, your focus needs to become more and more on the present moment, shorter and shorter and shorter.

When you’re feeling great and feeling wonderful, that’s the time to dream big. That’s the time to think about the future, the far future. What do you want to see? What do you want to be? What do you want to achieve in the next five years or 10 years or during your whole lifetime? Think




about that when you feel good. Think about that when you feel wonderful. Think about that when you feel really great. That’s when you think about your big dreams. It’s easy then to think about wonderful big dreams.

Of course life is not always easy. Sometimes in life things are very tough, the situation is tough and it’s very hard. During those times, you want to focus shorter, more in the present moment or the short-term future just a little bit ahead of you. This is how we work emotionally. This is the way our mind works.

Sometimes when you’re feeling bad, it’s okay to think about your big dream. Remind yourself that it’s very tough now and it seems very far but I have a dream. Of course you want to continue to remember the big dream and remember your big goals. In fact, I recommend that you review your big dream every day. Review your big goals every day. Certainly do that.

When things are tough, you also need to focus more on the short-term though. Yes, you’ll review your big goal every day and when things are tough you need to do something else. When you’re really having a hard time in life, sometimes that big long huge dream that’s far away in the future can make you feel bad because you’re struggling and it’s so tough. Sometimes you look and it seems so far ahead. I’ll never do it.

That’s what our mind does to us sometimes. These kinds of thoughts come into our head sometimes when we’re feeling bad, when life is tough. That’s why when life is tough and difficult it’s very useful to just think about what’s the next step? That’s a great question that you can always ask yourself.

Think of your dream. When you think of your dream if it feels too far, just put it to the side for now and think about what is the next step right now? What can I do right now? What’s the next step? What’s the step today? What do I need to do today? Forget about next month. Forget about next year. What do I need to do today? Focus on that little tiny micro goal.

At the beginning of the day in the morning, write down today I must do this one little thing and then you do it. Take that one little step. The next day if it’s still tough, if you’re still struggling and it’s still hard then you say what’s the next step? What’s the step today? You write it down and you do it that day. That’s one more step taken.

You keep doing that step by step until things get easier. Again, life will also get easier eventually. When it’s easy you don’t need these micro goals so much. I should say that too. You don’t always need micro goals. When things are going well and you feel great, when everything is happening fast and you seem to be improving very fast, you’re improving very quickly, you feel fantastic. You’re learning very quickly. You notice your improvement every day.

When you feel that way, micro goals are not so necessary. You can just focus on next month or next year because you have momentum. You have energy that’s moving you forward, so it’s easy to take big steps. It’s easy to dream big. It’s easy to believe. When things are great, big goals, big dreams – that’s what you focus on – big steps and big improvements. Then as things get harder and as there’s more of a struggle, you focus on micro goals, little goals, short goals, one week, one day and when it’s really, really tough maybe even one hour. I’m just going to get through this. I’m just going to accomplish this one little thing this hour.




In this way, you have a kind of control, a kind of rhythm, which is very good for your life. Then you change your goal focus. You change your goal setting. You change your approach based on the situation of your life, based on your emotional strength, how strong you feel, how good you feel, how fast you’re learning.

You adapt. You’re not just doing the same thing constantly. Maybe it’s working and maybe it’s not. No, you’re adaptable. You’re flexible. This is a very powerful way to be. This is how you get the fastest improvement. This is how you become tougher and stronger. This is how you really achieve your dreams.

It’s a kind of rhythm, a play with your goals. What are you focusing on right now, or in the next hour, or just today, or this week, or this month, or this year or five years from now, or 10 years from now or even farther? You’re going to have a big master plan as I mentioned, but then each day when you wake up in the morning, which one do you focus on?

You remember your big goal of course, but then what are you going to focus on most that day? It depends on your life. It depends on how you feel. If you’re not feeling very good, if you’re feeling tired and not motivated and everything seems kind of tough, then focus on a micro goal and make that your focus. It might be one week from now, or one day or if things are tough, one hour.

If you wake up and you feel fantastic – I feel great, whoo-hoo – you’re playing your power music, you’re jumping around, you have a lot of enthusiasm and you have tons of energy, you know in your heart that you’re succeeding, well then focus on something big. Use that big energy. Use that happiness. Use all that movement. Focus on a big goal or big goals and your big dreams.

Then you can adapt each day, each week and each month. You’re changing your focus a little bit and that’s what gets you through. That’s what gets you the best results. Flexibility, adaptability – there’s this great incantation that I use. An incantation is like a phrase that you repeat that gives you power. You don’t just repeat it. You repeat it with strong emotion.

One of my favorites comes from the U.S. Army or the Marines. I saw it in a movie once. I’m not a military person at all but I liked the chant. I liked the phrase because it’s useful in all parts of life. It’s just three words – improvise, adapt, overcome.

I like the spirit of that. Improvise means to be flexible, change. It means if there’s a problem, you try one thing. If it doesn’t work, you try something creative. Try something different. Be flexible and don’t just do the same thing all the time. You can change. You’re flexible.

Adapt has the same idea. Adapt means to change your actions. Change your mind. Change your emotions. Change your focus with the situation. If the situation is very tough, you focus more on the short-term. If the situation is really big and there’s a big opportunity and you feel strong, focus on bigger and longer term. Adapt, change with the situation.

Overcome means you defeat problems. You defeat challenges. Go through walls and achieve success. Improvise, adapt, overcome – that’s what micro goals are about. They’re about getting you through the tough times, overcoming the tough times. The flexibility, using big goals and micro goals – that’s about improvising and adapting.




Improvise, adapt and overcome. You are a powerful person and you have the power inside you. By using your focus in a skillful way, by being intelligent with your focus, by noticing how you feel and noticing if things are tough now or am I doing great, and then using these different kinds of goals and using a different focus depending on the situation, you will get through problems. You will overcome. You will be successful.

You will be triumphant. Remember that word? It means super successful and victorious. Triumphant is a strong word. Victorious is a strong word, a lot of strong powerful emotion. It’s more than just winning. It’s more than just being successful. It has the idea of being happy, excited and really winning big – triumphant. Be triumphant.

See you next month.




Micro Goals - Meditation In this meditation you will relax. As you relax you will focus on my voice. I will talk to you about this month’s topic of micro goals. As you focus on my voice and relax deeply. You will close your eyes and gradually relax your body, step-by-step. You will relax your body as you listen carefully to my voice. Step-by-step your conscious mind will relax. As you breathe more slowly your mind will become calm.

When your body is very relaxed and you’re breathing slowly and deeply, and your mind is very calm, you will focus on my voice as I help you think about your goals and choose your most important goal. When you relax and close your eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply and you feel very calm, your mind opens and you will easily choose your most important goal. Then you will imagine your future as a road in front of you. And of course, the past will be a road behind you and on that road ahead of you in the future you will see your most important goal. And I will help you see the result clearly. You will continue to relax as you realize this important goal and I ask you to see it clearly because you must see the result clearly first.

Then, when you see the result clearly you will go on this road to the future. You will go to the time when you are successful and because you’re totally relaxed you feel confident and sure about this result. Then you will turn around and look back to now. And when you turn around and look back to now to the present, from the future, from the time when you are successful, you will smile and relax. You will then notice all of the many small steps between your big goal and now, the present.

Let’s get started… close your eyes.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Relax. Take another deep breath and out, even more slowly. As you close your eyes breathe slowly. Feel your body relax. Focus on the sound of my voice. Listen very carefully to my voice as you relax even more because as you hear my voice you breathe more slowly, more deeply. Of course there are many ways to relax deeply. One easy way is to focus on your breathing. Feel the air move in and out of your body as you breathe very deeply, because as you focus even more on your breathing you notice this automatically causes you to relax, because as you know your breathing connects your body and your mind and as you continue to feel the air move into and out of your body.

Also, notice your chest and stomach rising coming out and falling coming in, as you breathe slowly and deeply. Breathe slow. Slowly breathe and notice as your stomach and chest move and the air comes in and goes out. This causes your stomach to relax more. Your stomach feels softer because deep breathing is naturally very relaxing and naturally your chest will relax too, because deep breathing is natural, very relaxing as you listen to my voice and go deeper and deeper and deeper.

Feel the relaxation and move around to your back causing your back to relax, because you’re so relaxed you also notice a feeling of heaviness. Your face feels very heavy as you relax your eyes and relax your mouth and your whole face relaxes, it’s heavier and heavier. Your face feeling very heavy because you’re breathing slowly. Now your neck is also relaxing and feels heavier as you relax your neck completely. Very deep now your shoulders relax. Your arms and hands relax. Your hips, your legs and your feet relax now, very deeply.




Of course your mind has also relaxed. Feeling very calm imagine your future, a road out in front of you, a long road to the future ahead of you. Look at this road to the future on this road you will see your goals. You have a lot of goals. There are many things you will do. Of course there is one goal that’s very important to you now. You know which one. Choose that one very important goal now. You know what it is, the one goal. You will focus on it now.

Think about that big goal now and as you think about that goal, see the goal in your future because of course, that goal is on your future road, your future life ahead of you. It’s somewhere ahead of you, maybe far away, maybe close. Notice the goal. See the successful result on your future road, where is it? See it. After you see it look carefully and it is clear. See your success clearly ahead of you on the road to the future.

Next, move forward into the future on the road. Move into the future. Travel on this road and go to the time when your goal is finished. You did it! You did it and you feel great. There you are in the future and you feel great. Notice this wonderful feeling in your body. Notice where you feel happiness and success. Notice how it feels in your body. Maybe you feel a happy energy somewhere in your body and because energy is always moving, this feeling is moving in your body. Maybe it’s vibrating and shaking. Maybe it’s spinning in a circle and it feels really good.

Success feels good and you now can make this feeling even stronger, because all you need to do is move the feeling faster in your body. Make the feeling move faster in your body and feel stronger, happier, more successful and feeling really, really good because you can always increase your good feelings, any time you want to. As you feel really good, oh yay, in your mind turn around. You’re in the future, after your success and you turn around to look back to now, back to the present.

You’re in the future, after your success. You look back to now and as you do this notice the time between. Notice the space. It’s important to notice this space, because there is something in this space. As you look you notice there are many small steps, many small steps between your success in the future and now, looking back to now. Notice these important small steps, each one quite small, quite easy, one by one by one by one, leading from your future success back to now, the present.

Of course, each of these steps is a micro goal, a micro goal you achieved and you see that each micro goal brought you closer to your success. As you realize the importance of each micro goal turn around again, looking even farther to the future and then move backwards in your mind walking backwards slowly, traveling back from your future success back slowly to now. Back slowly to the present. Of course, as you travel back slowly you pass through each micro goal one by one by one. You pass through each micro goal until you arrive again in the present, here, now, again! Once again here and now looking forward to the future. And now you see these micro goals in front of you, so small, so easy, one by one towards your big success.

In fact, there is one micro goal directly in front of you. It is your first step now. Go ahead look at this first micro goal because it is your next step. Notice it, because this is your micro goal for now. It’s small. It’s easy and it is connected to all of the other micro goals ahead, leading automatically to your big success. Oh yes! As you look at this micro goal remember again that really good feeling of happiness and success. Remember where it is in your body. Remember how it feels and how the feeling moves in your body.




It’s okay to smile when you feel really good. Because, you are already on this road. You are already walking into the future step-by-step, one by one by one by one. Your unconscious mind understands. Trust your unconscious mind as you automatically move into the future to your big success.

And now you may choose to relax more deeply and go to sleep. As you sleep you may dream of your success. You will choose to wake up feeling happy and excited about your future, waking up when you have all the rest you need. Know as you continue as a member of this program that you will feel stronger and happier and you will be more successful step-by-step, each day, each week, each month you continue moving forward step-by-step, one by one by one by one.




· You need big goals. You need big dreams. Big goals and big dreams inspire you to try harder, to...

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