This year has been pretty phenomenal. Seems like many of my goals and intentions became realities before May came around. The other day, I was having a discussion with a friend who asked me how I was able to manifest so "easily." Her question made me think. Sure I could have given a response off the top of my head, but instead, I wanted to take a look back and see which actions I really took to create the outcomes in my life.
It started before the year began
A new ritual of mine, for the past couple of years, has been to take the last two weeks of the year off. One of the main reasons I do so is to reflect & reset before the start of the new year. My favorite holiday is New Years. Not because of the parties (I rarely go out on NYE). I am obsessed with the idea that on January 1, we get a fresh start. So I take several days to recap my year. The accomplishments and opportunities missed. Then I take time to create the year ahead. My goals are written down and memorized. Then I move forward in total optimism that I will accomplish what I set out to do. My favorite thing to say is "this is going to be the best year ever!"
This year, I remember doing something a little different than I did in the past. I thought back to all of the personal development books & audios I've read over the past years and decided to put some of their suggestions into action. They always tell you to write down your goals every day. Visualize consistently. Be grateful for what you have and what you are receiving. Step outside of your comfort zone. Have clearly defined goals. Act with absolutely certainty and belief that you will be successful. Take massive action. etc.
This year was the first time I consciously decided to actually apply their wisdom (not just listen to it). One of the first pieces of advice I took was to write down my goals consistently. For the longest, I resisted doing so because it felt so redundant. I was writing down the same things over and over without achieving them. But I did it anyway. What I eventually learned what that this ritual was keeping me connected to my intentions on a daily basis. As I wrote them down, I was put in a situation where I had to think about what I could do (today) to bring me one step closer to my goal.
Belief
They say we are more likely to achieve a result if we believe that it's possible. Then they ask us to visualize as a way to amplify our belief. I have no skills when it comes to visualization. Just never had the knack for it. You can imagine how frustrating this can be when everyone keeps telling you how important it is to visualize daily, when you suck at it. This year I decided to practice the art of visualization no matter how terrible I was. Because I was so bad, I chose to do it more frequently. I did it in the morning, in the afternoon, and before bed. Guess what happened next? Images became clearer. Visualization became easier and the results began to appear. I read in a book once if you see yourself completing a "difficult" task before you actually do it, you are less likely to procrastinate. So I began to use visualization for little stuff like, seeing myself complete a "difficult" task easily and with full enjoyment. I also visualized ideal outcomes before heading into an uncomfortable conversation. And of course, I used visualization to picture my goals.Visualization helps keeps our eyes on the prize but I find it to be equally critical to keep our mind on the prize. SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY I WILL REPEAT TO MYSELF WHAT I WANT TO CREATE. NOW MATTER HOW GOOD/BAD THINGS ARE, I ALWAYS KEEP MY MIND ON WHAT I WANT.
Bring it into Reality
But even more powerful (in my case) than visualization was another technique I used. Not sure what to call it, but basically, I love to identify with something I want whenever I see it in reality. For example, I wanted an Audi A6 for a very long time. Whenever I saw one in the streets I would immediately (verbally) acknowledge it and smile to myself. When I see someone enjoying an experience I would like to have, instead of being envious, I take joy in it. Years ago, when I wanted a promotion, I saw an ex-coworker who transitioned on to another company and received a promotion and a hefty pay increase. After running into to her, I got so excited for my upcoming promotion (which didn't exist at the time but happened not too long after). Whenever I see something I want in reality, I take it as a sign that what I want isn't too far off (almost like a premonition). So I can't help but to get excited.
One of my current goals is to have flawless skin. Whenever I walk past someone with perfect skin, I immediately bring my intention into existence by saying something like "I love my flawless face" while using her skin as an example. It's weird, I know, but it actually works for me. Ultimately, I think it's about keeping what you want in front of you at every opportunity.
Then there are times when I do what I call "building the ark." In the Bible, God let's Noah know that he will be bringing flood waters on the earth so he asked Noah to build an ark. People were mocking Noah, no flood waters came yet, he continued building for he knew the day would come. It was his faith and belief that allowed him to take the action even though there were no signs of flooding. One of my past intentions was to have the opportunity to work from home. At the time, I worked at an office with no windows. Just going into that place was killing my spirit. So I shared my desire with everyone I knew. I read stories of people who worked from home. I visualized. Then one day, someone called me with a job opportunity. As we were on the phone discussing the role, she mentioned that the role would allow the person to work from home. My knees buckled with excitement. I went several interviews praying that I would have the opportunity. Weeks went by without hearing a word from them. Then I decided to "build the ark" by spending the weekend turning an extra bedroom into a home office (an act of faith and belief). The following week I got the call and have been working from home for over four years. With regards to my dream car, my act of "building the ark" came when I created a separate account for the purposes of saving for the car. Every time I received a bonus, it went straight into the account. This is a powerful sign that I wasn't just wishing for it, I wanted it! For every goal you have, ask yourself "am I just dreaming about it, or do I want to bring it into existence? What can I do to build the arc and make it become real?"
Hard Work
I don't have much free time. If I'm not working a 12 hour day on my job, I'm probably on the computer writing/researching posts or packing orders. Often times, my time off from work are invested in my online ventures. Weekends are considered workdays for me as well. Pretty much all successful people have insanely high work ethics. Beyonce,Will Smith, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Floyd Mayweather are all known for their rock solid work ethic. I'm aware that if I want to have great experiences, I must be wiling to put in a lot of work to get there. My normal wake up time is anywhere from 4:30 am to 6:00 am. By the time 8:00 am rolls around, I've accomplished several things on my to do list. I'm not bragging because there are times when I just want to veg and get nothing done. But I know that if I want to live an above average life, I will have to work harder than average. One book that really made this clear from me is the 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. After reading that book, I realized that to get the results I wanted, I'd have to multiply my efforts by 10X. Along with the aspect of hard work, there's this idea of paying the "cost" for what you want. For example, when you go to a store, see something you like, look at the price tag, and walk away, you decided that you weren't will to pay the price. Every time I want to reach a goal, I take inventory of how much it will "cost" in time, effort and money. I've got to make sure I'm ready to "pay for it" otherwise, I won't be bringing it home.
Leaving the Comfort Bubble
It's true what they say about stepping outside of our comfort zone. Take a look at the image below taken from a cool book called The Tools.
The author used this image to provide a tool for people to overcome fear. You see a person trapped in a bubble. S/he tries to step out of the comfort zone but then starts to experience pain (discomfort). In an effort to avoid "pain" they run back to their place of comfort. But what do you see on the other side of the pain? Boundless possibilities. I don't think people spend enough time digesting the meaning of endless possibilities. It means anything is possible. ANYTHING! There are times when I have to consciously push myself outside of my little comfort bubble. Sometimes we just hang around there without considering the things we're giving up that's just on the other side.
The CEO of the company I work for is worth over 1 billion dollars. I listened to a talk he gave not to long ago where he said something that I will never forget. He said, "if you want to be successful, you must LOVE change!" Loving change? What does that look like? When you love something, you can't be without it, you are excited every time your love comes near you. I constantly have to ask myself, what do I need to change to get closer to my possibilities?
Those are just some thoughts off the top of my head. I also touched on this topic in past posts here and here. I hope this post adds value to your life.
I'd love to hear your ideas to create your success. What works for you?
source : http://imgur.com, http://relaxedhairhealth.blogspot.com, http://google.com
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