The Secret to Successful Visualisation

The power of visualisation. More commonly coined "The Secret" by advocates and believers. I actually watched the movie before reading the book and wasn't blown away if I'm being completely honest. You see, I was looking for "The Secret". I already knew about the principles behind it. My issue was applying the principles and making my vision become a reality. It had worked for me before, so why did I find myself merely existing in life struggling to make any significant advancement in both business and in my personal life. Things were by no means bad. But I knew in my heart they could be so much better. 

So I started to watch some YouTube videos of visualisation techniques and ended up watching several interviews with top Hollywood celebrities - Denzel Washington, Jamie Fox, Tom Cruise, and Jim Carry. What I noticed early on was how much self-belief they had. They were calm, collected and held themselves accountable for their own actions. All of them embracing challenges as merely the stepping stones to success. These guys really did have their shit together.

It comes as no suprise that they are at the top of their game. They have the experience, the failures, and the lessons learnt over the years, that play such an important role in creating the solid foundation needed to build not only a successful career but also a happy and fulfilled life. The three common traits they all possess are self-belief, consistency and the power to visualise. 

The wake-up and realisation 

I had no problem visualising what my outcome looked like, even down to the minor details - the smell of the leather interior of my Audio R8, the clothes I'd be wearing to work, and what the exterior of my office looked like. I am sure many of you can relate to this? But I suddenly realised that my actions hadn't always been aligning with my vision. And at times certainly not helping me move towards my goals. 

Then the penny dropped

I had been inconsistent and wasn't putting in 100%. Basically, the extra effort that all successful people apply in order to achieve their goals and desired outcome. I could easily be sidetracked. Social media, dating apps, friends, YouTube, you name it. While never losing "the vision", I had certainly lost "direction". It all comes down to aligning your actions with your vision. Did you work that extra hour in the office? Did you still workout even though you got home late the previous night? Did you eat the right food when there were more convenient alternatives? For me personally I would say yes 70% of the time but as we know, that at best is only going to get you average results in life. 

I could be improving with better application and more consistency. 

After an experience with a sacred frog poison (Kambo), I began to ensure my actions aligned with my desired outcome. I started to break down my goals into much more detail. I had been focussing on the material things I wanted in my life. The apartment I woke up in, the ideal woman I woke up next to. The clothes I wore, the car I drove. Even down to the iMacs, the staff would be working on at my company. Everything I was visualising were material things, the very things that shouldn't be the driving force behind your goal to succeed. They should merely be a by-product of your success. 

Habits + Consistency + Belief = Results

I needed to create the lifestyle and daily habits required in order to move me closer towards my goals. Leading a healthy lifestyle allows you to make clear and conscious decisions in the workplace, communicate better while allowing you to run a tighter ship. On a personal level, it allows you to focus and have clear intentions. This is an integral part of being able to successfully visualise your desired outcome

Having positive attributes and living a congruent life tends to have a way of leading to bigger and better opportunities in life. Helping you on your way to building the ideal lifestyle. If you combine that with consistency, you will see the dots start connect. Sooner or later you will start to build a solid foundation taking you closer to your goals. Everything starts to come together and you will see signs that indicate you are on the right path. 

"The Law of Attraction" really does work. But in order for it to work, you must have self-belief, and that takes time, dedication and consistency. Not to mention a detailed picture of what it is you want to achieve. There have been plenty of times along the way that I have had things go against me; financial setbacks, relationships issues, and injuries. But over the years I have conditioned myself to think of it as merely part of the journey. In doing so I am a huge advocate of Stoicism

Does it work all the time? That is entirely up to you. It certainly can do. But it's highly likely there are going to be times that you have doubts. When things are stacked against you and you can't see a way out. We are only human after all. But it's at these times that you need to stand tall and raise your head and say, fuck it! Nothing is going to stop me from achieving my goal. 

Success is all about "The Detail"

Simon Sinek the author of Start With Why breaks down the success that has been achieved by many of the top brands such as Apple and Virgin and also amazing feats achieved in life by successful individuals. A simplified synopsis is to define what it is you want i.e goal, business, achievements etc. And ask one simple question - Why? five times. In doing so you eventually end up with a far more detailed version of what it is you want to achieve. The more detail you have the easier it becomes to achieve. 

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