To think you can do it is part of the battle.
Seeing your future is an act of seeing in your mind what you want to happen. It is more than just thinking about what you want to happen. You need to see your vision as a reality, as if it had already happened. In your mind’s eye, your vision is real, as if you had reached your goal.
Here’s an example: I just got into the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience where participants were driving NASCAR cars around a celebrity track. You can drive as fast as you want, and it can be a little scary. Before you put on a fire suit, helmet and neck brace, instructors take you on a one-hour training course. (If you have never bought insurance before, then you are sure you will want it at the end of the tutorial session – they do an excellent job of scaring you!) One of their key points is “looking at where you want to go. ”They repeatedly said,“ If something goes wrong, remember to look where you want to go because if you look at the wall, you will hit the wall; if you look at the car in front of you, you will hit that car. Then look where you want your car to go and where you will go. “Seeing is the same thing.
When we visualize what our lives will be like when we achieve our dreams, our bodies and minds have an exciting way to help us get there. Visualization opens up an important part of goal setting. It lets you visualize what needs to change in order to get where you want to go. It helps you feel a sense of accomplishment even before you get there. Seeing your goal actually releases endorphins, which are chemicals in your brain that make you feel happy. It can feel that way.
When I saw the vision of the successful completion of my first Ironman race, I imagined myself crossing the finish line and giving people high points everywhere I went. I could imagine the feeling I would gain from knowing what I had just accomplished. I imagined telling the whole family that I had done it. Seeing my success in detail helped me to endure a difficult training program and helped me through some difficult days.
When I finally did cross the finish line, my outlook on life improved.
It has worked for me this way in business, too. I remember running one morning and thinking that I had failed. I had started my own business, but I had a big problem finding money and earning any sustainable income. As I ran, I kept thinking that I should close the company and get a job working for someone else. I was working hard at the beginning but had no real purpose, and I was not sure where I was going.
At that moment, I remember looking up at these huge trees, eight feet tall and over, growing about a hundred years old that grew next to each other. They were all gnarly and confused and competing with the sunlight. I thought, “Each of these trees has somehow found a way.” It was not a clear path straight up. They had to grow and change in order to find their way to the sun, and their survival depended on bending and adapting.
I realized then that I had to be the same way. I also had to adapt and change. I had to see my way to my sun, my future, and the kind of company I wanted to create. That was a turning point. I began to see myself running a successful small business. I saw myself traveling the world with the ability to work anywhere. I saw myself driving a nice car and had the money to buy what I needed and wanted. Although I was not sure how I got there, I began to focus more on where I wanted to go, and gradually my path began to light up.
