How to Visualize Your Way to Success

March 21, 2012 By
visualization techniques

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions” | Albert Einstein |

Visualization is hands down the most underutilized tool you possess for success.

Any task you perform in real life uses the same identical processes your brain would use if you were only visualizing that activity. Or to put it another way, your brain can’t tell the difference between visualizing something and actually doing it.

Visualization isn’t new age mumbo jumbo, it is a scientifically proven technique used by all successful people, consciously or unconsciously. I first read about visualization techniques in the book The Success Principles, and I have been using it ever since.

 Why Visualization Works

1.  Visualization works on a sub conscious level. It activates the creative powers of your mind. By thinking the same thoughts every day, the  subconscious mind is driven to act on them.

2.  Thoughts are like a magnet, they attract you to the opportunities, people and resources you need to achieve your goals.

3.  Visualization enables your brain to notice available resources that were always there but previously went unnoticed. Or in other words, your brain is programmed to start letting into your awareness anything that will help you achieve your goals.

 How to Visualize

The process of visualizing actually couldn’t be any simpler. All you have to do is close your eyes and see your goals as already complete. That is all there is to it. There are a few tips, however, which you should follow to make sure you are able to perfect the art of visualization.

1.  Think about what you want to achieve and write it down.

2.  See the image of what you want in your mind as clearly as possible.

If you want a big house, you can’t just picture a big house. You have to picture the exact house you want. See yourself walking towards the front door. What colour is the door? Does it have a knocker or a doorbell? When you step inside the house, what do you see? Are there pictures hanging on the wall? What colour is the wallpaper etc?  You must fill in all the details if you want to learn how to visualize success.

3.  Add sounds and feelings to the images in your head. Using all your senses will multiply the effect tenfold.

For example, if you want a house on the beach, you should imagine being able to hear the waves hitting the shore and the smell of the ocean, or the sound of your kids playing on the beach etc.

How Often Should I Do This?

Now you know how to visualize your way to success, I’m sure that you want to know how often you should practice this life changing technique.

You should visualize each morning when you wake up, and each night before you go to bed.

Read through your list of goals out loud, pausing after each one to close your eyes, and then visualize your goals as already being completed.

The whole process should take between 10 and 15 minutes.

Where’s the Proof Visualization Works?

If you still have trouble believing visualization works perhaps legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, with more than 100 tournament victories and nearly $6 million in winnings, can shed some light on what the key to his success was:

“I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in focus picture of it in my head. It’s like a color movie. First I see where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I see the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there’s sort of a fade out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”

Note: Want to make sure that you are visualizing effectively, click here.

11 Ways to Stop Caring What People Think

March 13, 2012 By
how to stop caring what people think

Have you ever really wanted to do something, but you didn’t do it because you were scared of what people would think?

I’m betting that the answer is yes.

You didn’t do what you wanted because you wanted to be seen as a nice person. You wanted people to like you and to gain their approval.

The problem with behaving like this is that your freedom is taken away from you. That is a much worse thing than being liked by people you barely know.

11 Ways to Stop Caring What People Think 1.  Accept yourself

If you can’t accept yourself for who are you, then it is no surprise that you care what others think.

The first step in learning how to stop caring what people think, and indeed overcoming any fear, is to practice acceptance.

If you find it hard to currently accept yourself the way you are, then make the effort to become the person you want to be.

If you are insecure about your weight, start going to the gym more or eat healthier. If you are shy, then start talking to more people etc.

2.  You can’t please everyone

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” | Abraham Lincoln |

Anyone who wants to know how to stop caring what people think needs to realise that it is impossible to please everyone. Some people might like you, others might not. This is just how the world works.

No matter what you do, there will be at least one person who disagrees or does not like you. It is no fault of your own. It is just their opinion. They are entitled it to. It is out of your control.  I’m sure you know someone who every seems to love but you can’t stand.

3.  Your own opinion matters the most

No one else knows what it is like to be you. You are the only one who knows what thoughts you think and what emotions you feel every day. You know your achievements, successess, what you are proud of etc.

Considering you know yourself best, it seems crazy to hold someone else’s opinion of you above your own.

4.  Make a list

Get a pen and a piece of paper and write down all your good points. This is a never ending list. Every time you think of another good point write it down.

This will remind you of all your good qualities during those times you are feeling low.

5.  Surround yourself with people you like

You might care what other people think because you don’t know them very well. You want to gain their approval. Therefore, it is important to surround yourself with people you know and like.

The times we are least self conscious and most confident are the times spent in the company of friends. Our friends are our friends because they don’t judge us, they make us laugh and are there when we need them most.

These are the important people in life. Focus on what they say, not on what other people we think.

6.  Act as if

What do actors do when they play a character? They act as if they are the person they are playing. If they have to play a confidence trickster, they act like the most confident person in the world. If they have to play a suicidal person, they act depressed.

One of the best ways to stop caring what people think is to start acting like someone who doesn’t care what others think.

After enough practice, you will naturally behave in that way.

7.  I didn’t know you were psychic

Most of the time we think we know what others are thinking, but we really have no idea. I’m sorry to break it to you, but you aren’t psychic. It is impossible to know what somebody else is thinking.

When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you 40, you don’t give a damn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all. Take this advice to heart.

 8.  Do what you want to do

I’m sure you’ve all been there; you want to do something but you fear what others will think.

Let me give you an example which sounds completely ridiculous. I never use to bring food into the cinema because I was afraid that people would be annoyed by the sound of crunching or the smell. Completely ridiculous, eh?

If I was afraid of something as small as that and got over it, there is literally no stopping you.

9.  Stop over analysing

You need to get out of your head to stop caring what others think of you.

Meditation is a great way to silence those thoughts.

Read 8 Minute Meditation to get started.

10.  Keep your mind busy

If you are finding it particularly hard to get over something someone said to you, then keep your mind busy.

Go for a jog, do some housework, listen to music, finish some work etc. You will soon forget what the thing was that someone said about you.

11.  Do something that is embarrassing

The best way to stop caring what others think is to become desensitized to it. Doing something embarrassing enough times soon eliminates any anxiety you once had.

When you were learning to ride a bike, you might have been scared at first. What if I crash? What if I hurt myself? What if people laugh at me when I fall over? You took the plunge, and soon enough, you were riding your bike with ease.

Shout something at the top of your voice in the mall, walk around with your shirt on back to front, walk around in a hot dog costume. It doesn’t [...]