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Success Strategy #2 Thanks for your overwhelming
response and for the new subscriptions to my e-Course for Success!
These ten strategies really work wonders for those who use and integrate
them. If you have any questions on any of the strategies and how
you might integrate them into your life, be sure to contact me.
Many of you have forwarded the first lesson to your friends, and
subscriptions have come in from all over the world from as far away
as Singapore. Thanks! I hope you will continue to forward the lessons.
This lesson is on Strategy #2. If you did not receive Strategy
#1, you can view it by clicking on a link at the end of this lesson.
Dare to Dream!
Walt Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."
I didn't realize how true this was until I learned about visualization.
At first, I was skeptical. I considered myself a successful person
and didn't think I needed visualization to become more successful.
However, I decided to be open-minded and give it a test.
The subject of my test was my desire to sell my house and build
my dream home. My house had been for sale for several months, and
I had received no offers. I had bought a lot on a beautiful pond,
and I needed to sell my house in order to start building. I visualized
an immediate sale of my home to cash buyers who wanted to close
and move in immediately. (If I was going to dream, I was going to
dream big!) The following week, I received a cash offer! The buyers
wanted to close in nine days and to move in on the day of closing.
My first thought was that visualization was almost spooky! My second
thought was that this episode was probably a fluke and that it would
have happened even without the visualization. As a result, I decided
to test visualization more by selecting six additional things I
would like to create in my life. My dream creations included material
possessions, career advancement, more-fulfilling relationships,
and increased spirituality. I described each of these in vivid detail
before starting the visualization exercises. Within three months,
all six of these dreams came true!
Ever since this time, I have been a strong believer in the power
of visualization and have used it as the first step in creating
all the major "wins" in my life. I understand fully
what Henry David Thoreau meant when he said, "If one advances
confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live
the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected
in common hours."
In You'll See It When You Believe It, Dr. Wayne Dyer says,
"Your determination to succeed is nothing more than your thought
to do so. The idea of success is really the thought of success."
In this book, he shared that his thoughts had always created his
world. He described his visualization process at age thirteen. He
spent many nights watching The Tonight Show on a tiny black-and-white
television. He pictured himself on The Tonight Show and
practiced talking with the host, Steve Allen. He would actually
work on routines, as he imagined himself being a guest on the show.
In his mind's picture, he was an adult appearing on the show
and discussing the things he knew to be true. Even then, he visualized
himself telling The Tonight Show audience that we are able
to choose our own destinies.
Dr. Dyer wrote Your Erroneous Zones while he was teaching
at a university. He struggled for almost a year with the thought
that he needed to go out on his own and leave the security of a
bimonthly paycheck. "I had wonderful pictures in my mind's
eye," he said. "I saw myself talking to everyone in
America about the ideas I had just finished writing about in Your
Erroneous Zones. I could see in my mind that the book was going
to be very successful." He left his university position and
began working his plan to follow his dreams. As negative people
told him that he could not accomplish his vision, he became even
more committed.
A year later, his book was on the New York Times bestseller
list. His vision had begun to manifest! Within a few months, the
book was at the top of the list, where it stayed for almost two
years. Then one day, he received the "magic phone call,"
which was to lead to the fulfillment of the image that he had had
since he was thirteen years old. He appeared on The Tonight
Show three times within an eleven-day period.
Visualization is not new. It has been used since the beginning
of time. Aristotle said that the soul cannot think without pictures.
"The reasoning mind thinks in the form of images … As
the mind determines the objects it should pursue or avoid in terms
of these images, even in the absence of sensation, it is stimulated
to action when occupied with them."
Are you visualizing your success? If so, great! If not, let's
get started. As you learn more about the visualization process from
different specialists in this field, you will see that the steps
in the process can vary. Although you will want to use the process
that works best for you, it's important to remember that each
of the various processes focus on creating mental pictures in the
present tense.
The following process has created success for me in business and
in life.
- Determine what you want to create in your life.
What do you really want in life? What does success mean to you?
What will you commit to achieving? When determining this, be sure
to think of all aspects of your life. Include relationships, health,
career, material wants and needs, spiritual growth, and anything
else that is important to you. Make a written list of these things.
Be sure to write the result of what you wish to create, not how
you plan to get it.
Next, review your list to make sure that it is in the present
tense. When you visualize, your subconscious mind will be working
in the present tense. Also, make sure that you have written
what you want, not what you don't want. When you visualize,
you'll need to concentrate on what you want. For example,
if you are overweight, don't write that you want to lose
weight. Your subconscious mind will focus on the word weight,
rather than the fact that you want a thinner, healthier, more-attractive
body. In this case, you might want to write, "I am physically
healthy and attractive."
- Eliminate distractions.
Distractions come in two varieties: Internal and External. You
can have control over both. First, you will want to eliminate
the external distractions. Go to a quiet place where you will
not be interrupted.
The internal distractions are more difficult for most of us
to eliminate, but it can be done. We all have so many things
on our minds that our thoughts will tend to wander if we do
not discipline our minds to stay focused on the task at hand.
Close your eyes and give yourself some time to unwind. If your
mind wanders onto a trivial matter and you think you must remember
it, open your eyes and write it down. Then close your eyes again,
stay seated, and unwind.
- Relax your body and your mind.
Most of us do not realize how much stress and tension is in our
body until we start to relax. If you have a favorite relaxation
technique, use it now to relax your body before you start visualizing.
If you do not have a favorite technique, you may want to try the
one that works best for me. I simply tense and relax each muscle
group, starting with my feet and working my way up to my forehead.
Once you are relaxed, you might start by visualizing a quiet
green forest or a blue sky with one fluffy white cloud floating
above you. You can relax your mind as you direct your attention
to the green trees or the fluffy white cloud. As you do this,
let all of the stress and tension leave your mind. This has
worked very well for me.
- Create a mental movie.
You are now ready to start creating your future through visualization
and to put yourself on the path to realizing your vision.
At this point, direct your thoughts to the image of that which
you want to create in your life. Picture yourself as if you
have this in your life. The important word here is picture.
Visualization works best in pictures, not paragraphs. In Control
Theory, William Glasser said, "Most people do not
know that they are motivated by the pictures in their heads
and have no idea of how powerful and specific they are…
The power of pictures is total … and when we change the
important pictures, we change our lives."
Dr. Dennis Deaton advises visualizing these pictures as sensory-rich,
emotion-laden images. He says, "The more sensory-rich
and emotion-laden the images, the more powerful they are to
the subconscious, the more quickly they are absorbed, and the
more readily they are acted upon." In your mental movie,
envision yourself using all five of your senses.
- Reinforce your vision through consistent mental rehearsal.
Your first visualization session might take some time; however,
it is time well invested. Future visualization sessions might
take anywhere from one to 30 minutes, depending on the circumstances.
I recommend that you plan to visualize your goals and dreams at
least twice each day and that you keep the end result in your
thoughts throughout the day. Through your thoughts, you are creating
your life. Your mind will then drive your actions in the direction
of your dominant thoughts.
As human beings, not only can we dream, but also we can make
our dreams come true. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future
belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
May you always believe in the beauty of your dreams!
© 2004 Joan Eleanor Gustafson, Success and Leadership Dynamics
Although this e-course lesson is copyrighted, we
encourage you to forward an unaltered version
of it to
your friends, with the above copyright.
The next lesson in this e-course will be "Determine
Your Priorities!"
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Joan's Recommendations
In my 26 years at 3M, I had the opportunity to engage in countless
professional and personal growth activities, which contributed
to the phenomenal success I have enjoyed in my career and in my
life. Because of this experience, I want to share information
with you on some of the best resources I have found for professional
and personal growth. I have three recommendations this month:
Success Is a Decision of the Mind
This is one of the two best books I have read on the topic of
success. It is written by 11 success specialists, each coming
from a different paradigm and each giving sound advice on how
you can become more successful, both in your career and in your
personal life.
For more information, Click
here.
Book Yourself Solid
If you are self-employed, this program is for you. Do you absolutely
love your work but hate the thought of having to find more clients?
Since I hear about this dilemma from many of my self-employed
clients, I went on a mission to find an outstanding program for
solo professionals to attract ideal clients and customers. This
is it! An audio program by Michael Port, it's called Book
Yourself Solid: The 7 Keys to Getting More Clients than You Can
Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling.
You might have heard of Michael Port, who was once a slightly
famous television actor and is now an extremely successful solo
professional. It took him less than ten months to build a six-figure
coaching practice, and now he teaches others to use his techniques
for building their businesses. Having spent much of my life in
an international marketing career, I like to think I know a lot
about attracting customers, but I learned pages of new tips from
Michael. Within 24 hours after listening to Michael's program,
I was able to contract with two new clients using his techniques.
It is definitely worth the investment!
For more information, click
here.
Unlimited Futures
In 1992, I was enjoying much success in my position at 3M and
thought I was living the ideal life. Then I enrolled in the Unlimited
Futures course and learned that my life could become even better
than it already was. This course truly changed my life! As a result,
I became even more successful. The course is incredible, as are
its founders, Dr. Bobbie Stevens and Dr. Dean Portinga.
Dr. Stevens and Dr. Portinga will be holding their Unlimited
Futures Personal Growth and Development program in Naples, FL
in December and January. The course consists of two, four-day
weekend retreats and is designed to release stress, change beliefs
and discover the power you have within yourself. For more information
about the course, please email them at info@Unlimitedfutures.org
.
I wish you much success!
Joan Eleanor Gustafson
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