Here's a simple experiment to show how visualization works

[ricky]

There's been a lot of confusion over Law of Attraction and Visualization and need for action and so on. I have found that the best way to learn something is to try it yourself. I have been experimenting with this for the past few years. Check out this scenario:
You have a pile of dishes to do and you do not feel like doing it. You are watching your favourite tv show or something else that you'd rather be doing than doing your dishes.
For this experiment, you start to see the dishes all done and nicely stacked in the dishrack while the sink's looking nice, empty and clean. You keep focusing on that image of the dishes done. Do not let that image slip out of your mind. Do not worry about making the image crystal clear or involving all your senses. Just focus on that image. Eventually, it'll become too much for you to keep focusing on one thing and keep on doing something entirely different. Assuming you have kept your focus on that image of the dishes completed, you'll get a strong urge to get up and do the dishes and before you know it, the dishes will be done.
Step #1 is to know what you want: dishes completely done and stacked in the dishrack etc.
#2: focus on the image of your goal achieved i.e. dishes done
#3: if you'll listen, you'll get this strong urge to get up and go towards the kitchen and start doing the dishes (this is the inspired action)
#4: goal achieved

Obviously if you have a dishwasher, then it'll be a little different but you get the idea.

[Acting Like Godot]

Excellent post, Ricky.

This is what I mean when I keep saying that if people are really doing their IM properly, they aren't going to be just sitting on their butts waiting for goodies to fall from the sky or appear out of thin air.

The very act of visualisation drives you into making the image come true. The motivation follows automatically.

If you want an earthy example, simply visualise some sexy scenes. Very soon, certain parts of your anatomy will begin to respond. You will feel motivated to have sex.

If you intensely imagine a delicious meal, you will begin to salivate, or to experience hunger.

The same goes for many, many other things. The visualisation, once done, does not supply motivation only there and then, but can have longer-lasting effects.

If you intensely visualise yourself having a fit, healthy body, then later you will feel an urge to exercise, you will lose the desire for unhealthy foods, you will want to get sufficient rest etc.

If you visualise having a million dollars, then as you go about your daily life, you will automatically be motivated to do things that can bring you closer to getting a million dollars.

If you visualise yourself giving a public speech with confidence, style and class, you will be much likelier to deliver that speech with confidence, style and class.

If you visualise every single golf shot you take, before you actually take it - if you visualise the shot shape, trajectory and even how the ball would react - you will just be doing what Jack Nicklaus does all the time.

[Dive Bomb]

What helps me with visualizing my goals is to fantasize every detail on how I will achieve that goal. Like everything. Usually when people are fantasizing, they do it too vaguely. You need to be specific to the wire, then the visualization will start to manfiest slowly but surely.

This has worked for me on numerous occasions. It's all about the most detailed oriented fantasy you can think of when trying to manifest it into reality. Because, the more details on how you will achieve your goal in the visulization, the more realistic it becomes because now you'll be like "wait a minute, I can probably do all that"

[Acting Like Godot]

I keep quoting myself.

".....you don't just visualise. You have to visualise in 3D; in colour; with depth and space; with emotion; with sight, hearing, touch; with such intensity that you are no longer sitting in the room where you are sitting - instead you are sitting wherever in the universe you want to be sitting."

[A.K.Light]

That works for me too. If I focus on the end result that I desire long enough, I no longer think about why I don't want to do it, and I can barely keep myself from getting up and doing it. Very effective.

[ricky]

True. The easiest way to achieve something is if you visualize the end result in as much detail as possible. Problem is that this actually discourages a lot of people. Not being able to form perfect images, people get discouraged. It's something you can learn that's what we have to remember. It's a skill that improves with practice.

I have noticed that longer I focus on my image, the sharper it automatically starts to get. No matter what happens, if you keep on bringing your mind back to your image, the image starts to get sharper. It's like you are trying to hold onto the image and the sharper the image, the easier the connection seems to be and easier it is to hold onto the image.

This morning I didn't feel like getting up. I was so comfortable in the bed and just wanted to sleep some more. Then I started seeing myself sitting on the computer chair and turning the computer on. I kept feeling like going to sleep but I also kept focusing on that image and in a few minutes, without question or any effort I found myself sitting on the computer chair and turning the computer on.

Another mistake a lot of people make is that after watching some motivational program or reading some self help book, they jump into becoming millionaires for example. At that moment it seems great but after a few days, reality kicks in and they're bombarded with negative thoughts and eventually they stop pursuing their goals.

I am sure it is quite possible but I don't know of anyone personally whose belief system accepted the idea of law of attraction from one movie or one book and then never had any doubt.
Most people I have met, they have to strengthen belief in the law of attraction by reinforcing over and over, especially in the beginning before they really start to live like that. Initial movie or a book plants the seed in their minds but they still have to water it by reading more books, talking to like minded people and experiencing it themselves and so on.

One should practice achieving small things using visualization and this way the belief strengthens and then move onto bigger things.

Easiest is to pick 5-10 things each day and use visualization to achieve them and after a few weeks your belief will be quite strong and you can go onto bigger things. Because after even a few days, it's hard for your mind to say this stuff doesn't work when you've actually been using it, even for small things.

[renie408]

This worked for me last night. I was sitting here watching TV and the kitchen needed to be cleaned up. I kept focusing on the kitchen being clean and, what do you know!! My son wandered into the den! I said, "Go clean up the kitchen." And he did!

[ricky]

hehehehe that's awesome!

[renie408]

He didn't seem to think so. But then he likes his allowance, so he did it anyway.

[dor]

Originally Posted by ricky

Another mistake a lot of people make is that after watching some motivational program or reading some self help book, they jump into becoming millionaires for example. At that moment it seems great but after a few days, reality kicks in and they're bombarded with negative thoughts and eventually they stop pursuing their goals.

True. Its probably better to focus on ones that have a shorter window to achieve at first too -because if its too far off doubt creeps in unless you've got that mental muscle built up.

Visualization: Keys to Psychology, Success, Motivation & Goals

[ricky]

You are right on Acting Like Godot.

If you visualize and keep on visualizing what you want, you will get inspiration as to what to do, what action to take. If you ignore that and still do not follow that action but keep on visualizing, you'll get another hunch, and if you do not follow out, eventually the hunches start to slow down even if you keep on visualizing your goal.

It almost seems like universe finally ends up saying "what's the point, I keep on giving him ideas as to how he can achieve his goal but he just doesn't want to do it, maybe he's just not serious".

It reminds me of that saying I think someone told on another post, when a person wanted to win the lottery and kept praying for it and then asked God why they didn't win the lottery. And God's answer was "meet me half way, at least buy the lottery ticket". So, you have to do your part and take some action.

Renie408, all joking aside, when you were visualizing your kitchen as being clean, and your son walked in and you told him to clean the kitchen, that was the inspired action that you took. And that was one way you achieved your goal. :-)

[ricky]

Dive Bomb, do you visualize how you're going to achieve your goal or just your goal? I find if I visualize the "how", I limit myself. Instead if I visualize the outcome that I want, I get a lot of hunches and if I ignore one, I get another one and usually they're the ones that I would enjoy and usually the shortest route to achieving my goal.

Sometimes they do not seem to make any sense but if I follow them, I end up achieving my goals faster.