152 SECRETS OF SHAMANISMenriching those visions. All of these concepts play an impor-
tant role in successful goal setting and problem solving, as
you will discover in this chapter.
The shamanic perspective on setting and achieving goals
is based largely on the big picture. Shamans believe that un-
less a goal is in harmony with your true desires and what the
spirit self believes is appropriate, then it probably will not
manifest. You can endlessly visualize yourself getting that
new position. And if you get it, it is in harmony with your
inner self no matter how short or long a time it took to mani-
fest. On the other hand, if the position is not in the interest
of your spirit self, it probably will not manifest despite your
efforts. From a shaman's point of view, no matter how hard
your physical self tries to make something happen, it won't
work unless it fits into the larger scheme of things.
This perspective is somewhat different from the one that
teaches that any goal you happen to dream up should be
attainable if you work hard enough and play your cards right.
The "work hard and you'll get it" perspective is certainly an
optimistic way of thinking, but it leads ultimately to feelings
of failure about your inability to create what you want in life.
In the shamanic outlook, failure of this type does not exist.
For if you should fail to reach a goal that was never chosen
by your spirit self, you are merely succeeding at staying on
your truly desired course.
The shamanic method then deemphasizes undue effort,
and focuses more on harmony and balance. If your goal is in
harmony with your spirit self and with the rest of your envi-
ronment, then it should come about easily with only the nat-
ural effort you would put into something you were truly
excited about. We should caution you here that the "effort"
it takes and the "time" it takes are separate issues; a goal
may take a long time or a short time to manifest, depending
on what is appropriate. This "timing" should not necessitate
any more or less effort on your part.
Shamans also believe in getting their spirit helpers to help
direct their goal setting through journeys and other visioning
techniques. The goal is set the same way a good decision is
made, after knowing all the facts. To return to our example,
the goal of getting up at 6:00 A.M. to exercise is backed by
inner information that this is indeed what the physical body
wants and even needs; the enthusiasm is there, and the task
becomes almost effortless.
For many of us, goal setting is a mundane and boring
pastime, often conducted in relation to our business activities
or personal agendas. Some of our goals might include such