Page 76 - Kindness - No Forward

Build Your Own Dreams, Too

Over the years, I’ve practiced a method which has helped me focus on
goals and has been especially beneficial for preparation for speeches and
talks.

The process is called visualization, and it is powerful when practiced.

Every source from history to psychiatry shows examples of how people
can achieve great things if they can actually picture themselves
succeeding in their efforts.

Whether its athletics, sales, fiscal goals, or personal achievement, when we
clearly see ourselves reaching our goals, we come closer to making them
real.

The same is true when we picture ourselves failing. How often have you
golfers had a shot for the green with a water hazard between you and the
pin? And you said to yourself “Don’t hit the ball in the water.” Which, of
course, is exactly where the ball landed.

And then there is the second serve in tennis. On a crucial point. “Don’t hit
it in the net,” you think. OOPS!

Simply put, we each carry a picture of ourselves in our mind. It is as clear
as the pictures we carry of our family in our wallet. Unfortunately, it’s
frequently the wrong kind of picture.

We cannot consistently perform in a manner contrary to the picture we
have of ourselves. We can fool it temporarily, but we can’t keep it up. If
our picture is of an unhappy, or overweight, or unsuccessful person, that is
what we will be.

The good news is that we can change the picture. And once the picture is
changed, we become that person.

Change the picture to a non-smoker, and we become one. Change the
picture to a thinner person and we become one. Change the picture to a
confident, peak performer and that is what we become.

Now, this doesn’t eliminate the need for diets, practice, or any other
support mechanism for improvement. It simply assures us that they will
work, for by changing the mental picture, in our mind we have already
achieved the goal. Now, all we are doing is “acting it out.” We already
know the ending.