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When you practice visualizing, the more detail you can see, the clearer you will be to create your vision. The overriding message I got from that vision is that my life will be fantastic. Even when things get hard, I understood that I didn’t need to spend one minute worrying about it because when something happens that may jolt me from my beliefs, I know it’s supposed to happen. Life isn’t automatic or without challenges and bumps along the way. If it was that simple, we’d all be living our vision already. Regardless of the circumstances, that exercise taught me to enjoy each moment of every day because the result will be worth it. I have since led tens of thousands of people at my seminars through this particular visualization because I felt so strongly about the impact it had on my life and vision.

Many people I work with think they can’t visualize. They don’t know how to do it or can’t slow down their thoughts and pause to get a clear picture in their heads. Whenever I hear those statements, my first response is to tell them to close their eyes and visualize an apple.

“Did an elephant appear when you did that? Or did a red or green apple show up?” I ask. If an apple is what they saw, then they can visualize. Visualization is a learned skill. It takes practice and patience, but it is a powerful tool to help you reach your goals.

As in the story of Ben Comen, many noted achievers have mastered the art of visualization. I play a lot of golf and I have a tendency to sink more putts when I can visualize the ball dropping into the cup. Jack Nicklaus once said he never hit a shot in golf without first having a sharp picture of it in his head. We become what we practice in our minds. If we imagine failure, it will come. If we imagine success, it will come. One of the key elements in creating your vision is to see in your mind the exact way you want things to go.

VISUALIZATION EXERCISE #1

I want you to imagine a lemon. What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? Some of you might pucker at the mere thought of a lemon. How did you respond?

A study done a few years ago tested the idea of visualization. The study divided a basketball team into two groups. The first group was asked to go onto the court and practice tossing free throws; the second group sat in their locker room and visualized making their shots. Which group do you think did better when they tested their accuracy?

The group that had visualized the free throws shot a higher percentage than the other group. Why? Because when you visualize, you have 100 percent accuracy. You see the process unfold as you connect the shot every time, and that translates into increasing your success rate when actually performing the task at hand.

STOP! If you knew you could increase your ability to perform and achieve what you want to achieve by simply closing your eyes and seeing it happen, why aren’t you doing it every day? Does this need to be added to your list of “Things that give me power”?

I can hear you saying to yourself, “I know, I know. I’ve heard this before.”

Here’s my answer. Your addiction to the past is what stops you from visualizing on a daily basis. Why? I am guessing you tried it once and it didn’t work. Or you tried it once but never slowed down enough to be present and clear so you didn’t get the results you wanted. Perhaps someone told you that visualization was for “out there” self-helpers, and because you care about the opinion of others, that stopped you cold. Am I on the right track?

Hello! We are talking about living your life By Design—not by default. The number of people who visualize on a daily basis might match the number of people who are currently living By Design. Are you ready to be a Peyton Manning, an Oprah Winfrey, or even the boss or teacher you look up to?

Visualization requires you to free your mind and clear any thoughts that might make it difficult for the subconscious mind to receive mental pictures. For some of you, this might require finding a quiet space where