April 29, 2022
Ringling Brothers Museum and Gardens Sarasota, Florida
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can. Begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it." Goethe
Now is a good time to dream new dreams. Spring has an energy that boosts enthusiasm and willpower Nature now supports that awakening.
Your dream might be simple. It might be to slow down and enjoy life more. It might be to declutter your home, so you can enjoy simple living. It might be a desire to move to a new location, find a new job, begin a new fitness routine. It can be whatever is stirring in you.
Whatever change or new project you are contemplating, begin first with a dream. Forget the logistics. Begin by dreaming, imagining.
As in an ordinary dream, let the story unfold. Imagine the new job, the new fit you, the new lifestyle. Have a special notebook where you can jot down ideas or inspirations. Even if you are starting a new business, first picture yourself succeeding at it. How does it run? How happy are you? Visualize yourself running your new business and see how it is integrated in the rest of your life. Note where you feel uncomfortable when you are dreaming and work through that snarl in your mind. See the WHOLE picture of whatever you are creating.
If the project is difficult or a big stretch from your current circumstance, it might take some effort initially. Find some pictures that inspire your desired end result. Visualize first, note where the glitches lie, then see your way through them. If you are trying to visualize yourself slim and you are very out of shape, let pictures help you get that old feeling back. Notice people around you who are fit. How do they move? How do they breathe? How does the "lightness" move through their body?
Do not build worry and stress into your project. Whatever you visualize is likely to be part of the final product. You are creating the blueprint of your project in your mind. Work out the bugs now. Whenever your vision gets stuck. Find a way to work through it. Ask yourself what is stuck, what you need. Go talk to people and things will loosen up. Dream then act. The dream provides energy and enthusiasm. Taking action moves your dream into reality.
Once when I needed to find a rental home, I listed all the elements of my ideal home and I jokingly listed "with a view of the water." It was a joke, because I thought the price would be exorbitant. As we drove to the first listing, our realtor drove toward the ocean. When we neared the end of a street that turned right into the woods or left to the ocean view, I could not believe that she turned left. The realtor proceeded to pull in the driveway of a darling house with all the elements I had listed AND a gorgeous view of the water with the sunrise, moonrise, sailing boats and drifting clouds all at an affordable price!!!
Another time I needed a great dress for a wedding, but I had no vision or idea or enthusiasm for it. My intuition nudged me to just go shopping and look in EVERY shop...even the ones I did not normally frequent. As I wandered into each shop, I began collecting ideas and inspiration. A great color or fabric or shape or design. I began to feel the buzz of excitement. As I shopped, I began to feel my enthusiasm grow. I felt as if I was magnetizing the dress to me. There was no effort. By the time I got to the tenth store...BING...I walked in the front door and there was the perfect dress in a store I never visit.
Virtually ALL successful people use visioning at some level. When I interviewed CEOs and other business executives for my study on Peak Performance, one of the questions I asked was if they used visualization. They all did, but the most inspiring response was from hockey legend Bobby Orr. Orr enthusiastically told me that he used visualization all the time. He said that he would imagine winning shots and excitement and victory and fans cheering. He would feel the success in every muscle and fiber of his being. He would envision the whole dream all the way to skating around the rink holding the Stanley cup high, celebrating the championship win. It is said that Einstein developed his famous theory of relativity by visioning himself riding alongside a light beam.
Countless stories of pro athletes relate their stories of visualization. French Olympic Gold alpine skier, Jean Claude Killy recounted a race where in his pre-paving visualization he saw himself falling at one of the gates. Killy said that he then corrected the mistake in his minds eye and went on to ski a successful run to victory. You can correct mistakes in visualization. Do it. Use your mental movie to create the success you desire.
Whatever you would like to create. Do a dry run in your mind. Correct things that don't feel right. Envision success where there are glitches. See that garage cleaned, visualize that successful interview, see yourself hitting the home run, feel yourself happy in the new business you have created.
Some people take time to go on a vision quest each year to imagine what they would like for themselves in the next phase of their business, project or life's journey. Now is a great time to dream your next year or next season or next project into existence. Take a walk. Go mindless shopping. Wander. Take a drive in the country. Rent a cottage by the beach. Stare out the window and envision what you would like next. Then get to work...boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
The House with the View Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
