How To Reverse Engineer Your Goals - A Simple Concept

BY: Erika De La Cruz

"I was afraid to lose the future I really wanted."

Are you afraid the life you want will never truly arrive? That the goals, or the feelings you've been longing for, will never meet you where (or as) you are?

I get it. My name is Erika, and I'm a recovering people pleaser, self-doubter, and chronic complainer. I reflect upon these labels less as addictions and more like the natural state most of us are conditioned to.

And after 19 years of defaulting to dissatisfaction, I unexpectedly discovered a concept that freed my emotional state from chronic pessimism. Through it, I was also able to achieve a list of goals that surpassed my wildest desires.

Have you ever wondered if better beliefs actually influence your reality? Consider me your Guinea Pig because this is what happened to me.

Ground-breaking desires leaped from the pages of my journals, vision boards, and childhood daydreams into my reality (and continue to.) A history-making job title, a best-selling book, roles on major-market television shows, sold-out events, renowned stages, and the #1 personal lifestyle publication in Los Angeles. Above all, I gained an emotional state that defaults to optimism and happiness. Here's the kicker: Happiness preceded the achievements and, I argue, created them too.

How did this happen after harboring an addictive negative mindset for so long? It wasn't an empowering meme that moved me, but a total collapse of my life that shaped my future at 19 years old.

I was visiting home after my first year of college, and I lost my house, my mom, and everything I'd ever owned in three weeks. Our nearly 20-year childhood home was foreclosed, and I was granted 11 hours to take what I needed. In the process of closing its doors, my mother migrated into actual voluntary homelessness, a "camping" habit that was introduced to her, which soon turned into actual streets and a choice to live without any ties.

Following a heavy summer of financial aid research, I miraculously headed back to college, only to be notified that all of my family's belongings confiscated from our home were being sold and re-dispersed across California flea markets. Depression devoured me then, and I saw no possibility of fulfilling the dreams I once had for myself - until my childhood nanny secretly began buying back my childhood nostalgia.

Items like frames with my picture still inside them re-appeared every time I visited her, until one day she showed me the ground (and heart) breaker: my beloved Grandmother's urn, which she got for a bargain price of $3.99 at one table in Merced county. In tears, she explained what she had been doing, and this strange feeling overcame me. I began to cry too, but the tears were ones of gratitude.

Suddenly, I felt like the luckiest, most supported person in the world. I didn't need resources; I needed resourcefulness. As if on cue, I discovered the law of attraction, stating that if I could curate my beliefs to match a reality I did not have yet, I could attract it.

But how could I feel supported, grateful, wealthy, and abundant when my surroundings were disputing that truth? Nevertheless, I had nothing to lose by experimenting, so I began neuroplasticity practices using visual and verbal repetition to grow new neurons in my brain.

By doing this, these brand new neural pathways reformulated my brain to be aligned with my new intentions. I transformed the contradictory beliefs within myself and began healing the wounds that caused them. I declared I was abundant, no matter my current reality, and as a result, I found checks in the mail and job opportunities in my inbox.

The actual actionable work was extensive, but after curating my way of being, the "doing" felt more aligned. How had no one taught me these techniques before?

I realized that my full potential was a priority, and over time, each of my family members returned to the “me” I wanted to be. I learned that was the law, and I practiced it with relentless commitment. Pages of journals, affirmations, and gratitude lists turned into vision boards papering my walls.

You can't enjoy sustainable positivity without releasing painful internal blocks, so I also needed to heal, which I did through therapy and listening to meditations that allowed my personal vibration to become a match for everything I wanted to see and be. Judith Pierson, the author of The Power of the Subconscious Mind, states that "almost 95% of our thoughts, feelings, and memories live in our subconscious," and that part of your brain can either sabotage your best efforts or enhance your life.

I chose to enhance it and manifest a new reality.

The Concept Explained:

We are all walking tuning forks. I am a frequency and can tune into any reality I desire. We are all attraction points for more experiences, matching the vibration we're in most often.

As such, one can build momentum to reverse engineer results more quickly by vibrating at the same frequency as them. Who you're being is what you're seeing. This does not mean that contrasting occurrences won't occur, but responding to "bad things" as happening for your growth, allows your positive frequency to gain momentum and create more fulfilling emotional quality and results.

To attune yourself to a new frequency, you must practice personal growth tools: often with conviction, inspiration, and embodiment of the new reality you're conditioning yourself to. Evoking genuine emotion allows your physiology to shift, reconnecting neural pathways to the new outlook and sending a signal to the universe.

Author Jake Ducey explains that this is a concept that has been introduced previously. Thanks to the advancement of science, we've learned that our brains can morph and change through affirmation, hypnosis, and the law of attraction, attracting new realities that match.

Traditionally, we learn that moving things forward is a result of doing, but the truth is, the secret rev in the engine of productivity is a result of curating your way of being. "Everything has been created twice, once on a mental plane and once on a physical plane," remarks Bob Proctor, founder of Proctor Gallagher Institute.

Now, I'm considered an "expert" in this practice. Imagine an inner playlist of beliefs that cheer you on instead of tearing you down. That's exactly what I curate for a living as often as possible, and I help others do the same. I repurpose my experiences across TV shows, books, digital media, stages, and more. I've hosted Brian Tracy's Success Master Academy, trained under Jim Rohn's 18-year business partner in personal development practices, and led leadership & mental fitness workshops for brands like Hyatt and Kenneth Cole's Mental Health Coalition. All my work lists down my vulnerabilities as well as the practices I used to reverse engineer a life I'm grateful for.

Even after the initial success of my book and personal brand, I continued to expose myself every chance I got, knowing that continuing to peel back the layers of insecurity would result in the release of them. My work is not about perfection but reflection, release, and creation.

The Pay Off: Do Not Quit!

My mother and I lost touch for five years after the events of that sad summer, and choosing to dedicate my life to developing myself publicly was difficult and, at the time, felt selfish. As my work was stacked online throughout my career, I hoped someone out there would become more inspired by it. Little did I know that person would be my own mother.

One day, she walked into a public library where the staff explained that she could input anything or anyone in a Google search. She typed my name to the right of the tiny, blinking cursor and instantly caught up on years. She watched speech after speech, and through my commitment to myself, she saw a new future for herself - one that included ambition, optimism, and, of course, her daughter. That's how we reconnected.

Just as you are, you have the power to create anything for yourself and your life.

About the Author:

Erika De La Cruz is a Mexican American TV personality & best-selling Personal Development Author. She speaks on personal empowerment in mainstream media, is a champion for Kenneth Cole’s Mental Health Coalition, and has been on series alongside Deepak Chopra, Oprah, and more. Erika is also a media mogul & fashion enthusiast, serving as the owner and Editor in Chief of the #1 shopping & personal lifestyle publication in Los Angeles, The LA Girl.

Find out more about Erika:

1. Website

2. Instagram