Principle #11 in Jack Canfield’s book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” is “See What You Want, Get What You See.” In short, this principle focuses on the use of visualization to visualize success when pursuing your goal.
Last week, I wrote about principle #10, Release the Brakes, which is primarily focused on using affirmations and both of these principles work well together.
To put this into context, here’s a simple formula for success.
- Set a goal and write it down
- Repeat affirmations and visualizations daily
- Take inspired action
Visualize Success with a Goal
As an example, imagine you want to take and pass the Security+ exam 60 days from now. You could set the following as your goal:
I will take and pass the Security+ exam by midnight May 1.
You don’t need to know how you’ll achieve the goal. You only need to have one. As you pursue it, the “how” will come.
If you’re not sure about how to set an effective goal, check out these posts:
Visualize Success with Affirmations and Visualizations
Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture.
– Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Next create some affirmations and visualizations and use these to focus your attention.
As a reminder from the Release the Brakes post, affirmations are related to your goal but stated in the present tense. Whenever possible, they also include emotions. Here a couple of affirmation examples you could use:
- “I am so happy that I am easily able to learn Security+ exam material.”
- “I am so happy and grateful that I have passed the Security+ exam.”
Next, create some imagery that you could use to help you visualize success. For example, you could use an image similar to this one…
…but paste your head over the existing head.
Admittedly, it might work better if you start with an image matching your gender first.
However, the goal is to evoke a happy emotion and associate it with the success of your goal. The pic is a little humorous to me, so it might work as I focus on “Success! Security+ Certified.”
If you want to use something simpler for your visualization, you can use something like this:
After identifying your affirmations and creating an image or two to visualize, you now only need to focus on them for a few minutes a day. Repeat these steps:
- Repeat the affirmation(s).
- Look at the image, close your eyes, and visualize yourself seeing the “pass screen” after taking the test.
- Finish with a fist pump and a word or two of celebration such as “Woo Hoo!”
It’s best to associate these steps with something you do regularly, such as when you get up, before you go to bed, as soon you get into your car, or any other routine that you do daily.
Taking Inspired Action
As you repeat these steps, you’ll find that ideas come to you. Jack mentions how they come to you three powerful ways.
- They activate the “creative powers of your subconscious mind.” Using these to keep your goal in your mind, your subconscious will continue working on the goal even when you’re focused on other things.
- They focus “your brain by programming its reticular activation system (RAS) to notice available resources that were always there but were previously unnoticed.” Your brain can’t focus on everything at the same time, so the RAS filters out extraneous information. Using these steps helps your brain focus on your goal.
- They “attract to you the people, resources, and opportunities you need to achieve your goal” using the law of attraction. As mentioned in the Law of Attraction post, “What you think about, talk about, believe strongly about, and feel intensely about, you will bring about.”
As ideas and inspiration come to you, take action.
Visualize Success Summary
These concepts might sound simple, but I assure you – they work. You can use these steps to pursue and reach any goal you decide to pursue.
- Set a goal and write it down
- Repeat affirmations and visualizations daily
- Take inspired action
About This Post
I’ve been learning from Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame) since 2008. I credit much of my success (including authoring or co-authoring more than 40 books) to applying principles in my life that he teaches. I’m currently going through his book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” covering one principle a week.
| You Can Do Anything | 7 Life Lessons Powerful Principles for Living a Fulfilled Life |
 |  |
| Now available as an Audible book | Now available as an Audible book |
 | |
| Click for free preview | Click for free preview |
Have you heard about the Audible program?
The first 30 days are free and it’s only $14.95 a month thereafter. You get a free book and then enjoy 30% off any other audio books you buy.
