The GOYA method for Personal Development

by Steven Aitchison on December 30, 2007

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Author: Steven Aitchison (382 Articles)

The owner of this blog. Proud father, doting husband, blogger, hire me as freelance writer, and addiction worker

It’s nearly 2008 and some of you will be looking over the year and thinking about what you have achieved over the past year. For some nothing much will have happened for others their whole life will have changed. Personal development begins in your head and GOYA method will help a lot for those who want to do something with 2008.

Why has nothing happened for you?

Simply put, you’re too lazy to do anything about your personal development. There I’ve said it. I can hear screams of reluctance and abuse at me now, but it doesn’t matter, you’re only fooling yourself and you know who you are.

Therefore, for 2008 I would like to present the GOYA method for personal development.

No, it’s nothing to do with Francisco Goya or surfing. GOYA is an acronym for:

Get Off Your Arse!

To do something, anything, you have to take action, to take action you have to get off your arse first and make a start. That’s what this article is about.

I don’t want to hear whines, excuses, or anything else just read this through and then GOYA.

Getting to the stage of SOYA

A lot of us will have gotten to the stage of SOYA (Sitting On Your Arse) at some point in our lives. Indeed it’s good to have a bit SOYA time but too much can lead to a permanent state of SOYA and your arse gets flatter with all the sitting, the only exercise you get is flicking the remote and eating those packets of cheese and onion crisps. The younger SOYA’s among you will get a little more exercise with the Nintendo Wii and PS3 and Xbox 360s but you’re still at the SOYA stage and need to GOYA more before your life becomes a virtual world and soon the Matrix will have you.

For those of us on board the Nebucadnezzar it is still useful to read this just for a little jolt.

For those of you who don’t think you’re at the SOYA stage of life answer these questions:

  1. Is your Arse permanently flat?
  2. Does it take you about half an hour before you can walk properly getting off your couch?
  3. Do you make old man noises when you get off the couch?
  4. Do you make old man noises when you go to sit on the couch?
  5. Do you have some goals that involve GOYA?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above it’s time for some GOYA.

GOYA in action

There are at least two voices inside you at any one time. One voice saying ‘take the easy option just turn the TV on and SOYA’ and the other, less dominant voice, saying ‘come on, I need some GOYA time’.

The trick to getting off your arse is making the GOYA voice more dominant than the SOYA voice.

Quick Exercise

I want you to think back to a time, recently, where you were in two minds to go and do something but instead elected to stay in bed or sit on the couch and watch TV. For example, you need to get up and tidy the house but instead you stayed in bed or watched TV or read your book. What did the little GOYA voice sound like inside your head, if you can’t remember listen for it next time. The SOYA voice sounds like MR T ‘Sit on your ass fool, ain’t nobody gonna clean the house’ and the GOYA voice sounds like Mickey Mouse on Helium ‘Oh shucks, that’s a shame coz the house needs a good clean’.

Listening for the SOYA and GOYA voice

You will soon begin to hear the little voices whenever you have to do something. Recognising them is the first stage and when you hear them, it will be a revelation. Now when I say hear them you don’t literally hear them you hear them in your head. You might not think they are there but they definitely are. Any time you have to do something they are there.

The next stage is switching the voices around.

This can be tricky at first but when you do it once it becomes very easy all the other times and you will see a dramatic difference in your life. Now I know I am being a bit tongue in cheek here but I do mean this. When you switch the voices and use the SOYA voice for the GOYA voice i.e. MR T voice is now the GOYA voice and Mickey Mouse on Helium is the SOYA voice you will see an amazing difference in your productivity, you exercise routine, everything you need the GOYA voice for.

Another exercise for today

To try this method out try hearing the new GOYA voice telling you what to do whenever you are procrastinating about something. Obviously, it doesn’t have to be MR T’s voice but you want a commanding voice, have a little fun with it. Eventually the voice will be your own voice and you begin to do things you have been putting off.

List a few things you could do today and listen to the voice and GOYA and do them.

Have a fantastic New Year.

All there is for me to say is good luck and let me know the successes you have with this method. I hope you have a fantastic New Year and I look forward to speaking with you in 2008.

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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Marina @ Sufficient Thrust December 31, 2007 at 12:19 am

Fantastic post! I’m all about refining and planning for a new goal, but ultimately, if you don’t ACT on those action plans, all you have is slightly better handwriting after writing all the plans down :)

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2 Ami December 31, 2007 at 4:43 am

Wishes for a fantastic New Year to you too Steve. Great thoughts. Will try to practice some of the hints :-)

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3 Jim December 31, 2007 at 8:22 pm

EXCELLENT!!!

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4 Shelley January 2, 2008 at 4:03 am

I’m finding if I spend the time using the principles of law of attraction by getting my thoughts and feelings in the right space and then taking action the results are phenomenal.

Agree you do need to GOYA, , but also you need to FOYA (Focus on Your Attitude! (Couldn’t resist!).

Hope 2008 is filled with all that you desire

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5 Brandon Harshe January 6, 2008 at 3:23 am

Awesome post. The GOYA method is what we humans were built for. Movement is life.

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6 Paul P January 7, 2008 at 8:57 am

Great post. Am new to the idea of goal setting since my girlfriend bought me a motiwake. In the week or so that I have used it I am pretty well on my way to achieving my new year resolutions. Has anyone else used it? http://www.motiwake.com ?

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7 Land Projects UK January 8, 2008 at 3:48 am

I will try this GOYA method and I’ll let you know how it works for me!
Taking actions in achieving your goals is MUST. If you just list down the things you want, then you do nothing, you’re just wasting your time.

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8 Ingrid Cliff January 8, 2008 at 7:58 am

Love it! Simple, entertaining and sticks in your brain. Great post!

regards

Ingrid

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9 Jen, writer MembershipMillionaire January 8, 2008 at 11:26 am

Wow. This article has me cornered. Even that part about tidying the house (in my case, my room) fits me remarkably well. Then again, I’m probably just one of the hundreds who are practicing SOYA. Bloggers, I have to say, sit on their arses, more than any other person in the world. It makes sense that we be the first to change and apply GOYA. By the way, I read a study last year about how sitting down all the time actually contributes more to obesity than lack of exercise. Or something like that. Guess I’d better schedule an appointment with my cleaning materials.

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10 CG Walters January 14, 2008 at 10:49 am

This is a very important point. Thanks.
Some years back a Duke University study proved that regular exercise did more to promote positive emotions than drugs like prozac.
Peace and wonder,
CG

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11 Alex Liu February 2, 2008 at 12:19 am

Haha…… Awesome post.

I understand the GOYA and SOYA voice you are mentioning here. My SOYA voice come out very often. Whenever I am planning to work according to plan and do something great to my business, SOYA voice will come out and say “Do it later.” After a while “Relax and finish this movie first!” After I finish the movie, I will feel kinda regret because it’s already dark outside.

I am basically practicing listening to my GOYA voice and train myself to be aware about it too. Very good post!

Thanks!

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12 Dee May 20, 2008 at 3:04 pm

I loved this article. Thank you for pricking my conscience.

I am right now a 100% SOYA type. I love my computer far too much and yes, my derierre is round and flat, and I am growing a back-shelf from sitting down too much, every day.

Even though I read and learn on line, I know I am letting life pass me by and not really living fully. I believe this is a disease of the times. There are many like me – we have our toys, gadgets and we don’t need fresh air or even interaction with others as much as we used to. We slowly become semi-hermits, absorbed in other worlds….hermits with huge arses!

You made me laugh, and you made me think…and what’s more, you made me want to become a GOYA type. I have to practice a bit more self-discipline.

I am going to send this, then get up and become more productive.

DD

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13 Steven Aitchison May 23, 2008 at 7:55 pm

Hi Dee, thanks for your kind comments. Learning online is much better than not learning at all. I hope you got off your SOYA arse and done something good :)

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14 Jason July 7, 2008 at 10:42 am

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15 Jim July 14, 2008 at 11:40 am

Keep it up becuase it sounds good and infomatic.

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16 Shaun July 21, 2008 at 5:59 am

Its fairly good enough and your work is really appriciatable man.
so keep up the nice work. Good Luck.
http://www.Gogetmlm.com

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17 Ben July 22, 2008 at 4:12 am

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