Visualizing and Nevillizing Your Goals - It Really Does Work! After just 6 short days of describing on paper my ideal life as if it were already true, events are already happening to propel me toward that reality. In my blog post on December 9th, I talked about how Jack Canfield had re-inspired me to visualize my goals. As I focused in on what I want to have already happened by January 22nd, 2010 (a random date I picked), I began daily journal entries describing how much money I would have in the bank, what activities I would be doing with my family and how happy we would be. I also described how my listings were selling and how new business was coming to me. One of my dreams is to sell one of my investment properties - so I described that as happening, too, and I visualized me signing the closing papers and deposting the large proceeds check at the bank.
I have tenants in all my rent houses, and a week ago, I wasn't sure how I would actually sell one of them. Plus, the market is at a low point in the neighborhoods where the houses are. One of the things that Jack Canfield reminds us to do is to take action even as you are visualizing your goals. When one of my tenants had not paid the rent for December, I took the initiative to drive over to the house (when he didn't return my phone calls). I was stunned to see a moving truck in the driveway, only to find out that his girlfriend was moving back in. I spoke with both of them about getting caught back up on the rent. (Who wants to put a family out right before Christmas??) After 4 days, though, they still had not paid a dime in rent. It was time for me to take action. My son asked me why I was more charitable to a family I didn't even know than to my own family. Wow! That really hit home. No one gets a free ride in my household - why was I giving a free ride to a tenant who chronically paid rent weeks after it was due and wouldn't even take care of the property? I prepared an eviction letter and carried it over to the house. The girlfriend actually looked relieved. She said she was sorry she had moved back in because it wasn't working out anyway.
I now have a concrete plan to get this house sold. In 6 days, I went from dreaming about having my equity out of one of my investments to actually taking steps to make it happen. None of this could have taken place if I hadn't spent the last 6 days visualizing and nevillizing this goal. Oh, are you wondering what nevillizing is? Joe Vitale used the phrase to pay homage to Neville Goddard, a Barbados mystic who believed that you can create your reality through your imagination. The trick is to visualize your goals as already achieved AND to feel the good feelings that would be evoked from that achievement. One way to practice this methodology is to describe your ideal life on paper each day.
I knew that goal achievement has to involve action, and frankly, who can be motivated to kick out a tenant? I've got to tell you, though, that the words that came out of my mouth when navigating this potentially unpleasant situation felt like they didn't even come from me. I'm not normally a very articulate person, and I don't do analogies well. However, when I spoke with my tenants about moving out immediately, I was surprised at how calmly assertive I was and entirely fair. I can only believe that these inspired words came out because they were coming from my true desire for a better life. I can even visualize a better life for my tenants as they find a more affordable place to live where life doesn't have to be such a struggle for them.
If there is something that you want in your life or some goal you want to achieve, I encourage you to practice visualizing and nevillizing every day. It really does work!
Dianne: My sister excitedly introduced me to "The Secret", the movie. I didn't know what all the fuss was all about. I thought everyone practiced "The Secret". I thought wrong.
As a little girl in Romania, I learnt to imagine what I wanted. My imagination painted a vivid and accurate picture, down to the last minute details. I liked living in my imagination so much that I practiced this with regularity. It made me feel better. In my mind, I had everything that I wanted. It was so real. I would imagine something over and over again and the fantasy felt real. In due time it would also manifest itself in real life.
I loved America. I imagined myself here. And so it came to be that somehow the impossible actually occurred: my parents defected and within two years we were reunited here, in the land of my dreams.
I wanted to have a boy and a girl. I even imagined the kids' personalities. And so it came to be that somehow I gave birth to a boy and a girl with the very same personalities I had envisioned.
I envisioned my business, my home, my partner, my lifestyle. They all came to be.
Just as it did when I was a little girl in Romania, imagining what I want makes me feel good still and I do it with regularity. The fact that it all becomes reality is simply a bonus. In my mind, in my imagination, what I desire is already so real to me and it fulfills my emotional needs. After practicing this for a lifetime, I now understand that it is only a matter of time before my fantasy becomes reality.
I have these two words carved out in wood, beautifully colored and prominently featured in my living room:
DREAM
BELIEVE
My Life is proof that it works.
What a beautiful life example of how we all create our realities! Thank you for sharing your story Mirela.
I am at the writing down my goals stage. I know it works and have only done it half-heartedly in the past and not followed them. This is my first step for 2010. Writing down my goals and following them. I would find it very difficult to do the visualizing thing, but I can imagine that works also. Congratulations on sticking with it and I look forward to sticking with my goal-setting strategy.
Jane: Wherever you can start will help definitely help you. Doing anything is always better than doing nothing. Kudos to you for beginning the "writing down" stage.
Wow. I think the heavens intervened to allow me to see this post at 6 p.m. on a "school night," when I should be making supper for my family and preparing to run out the door for my pilates class : )
I don't know how to visualize the life I want because I don't know what that is. I am not afraid of professional failure. I am afraid of professional success...because I am afraid that I can't have professional success without it leading to personal failure as a mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter... I'm not sure how to resolve this, but I am inspired by your story here, Dianne.
And now I clearly know what's stopping me. I can't have IT if I don't know what IT is. -- Tanya in Montreal
they are so important and to have them written down and visualize is equally important. I believe you have to have a way to measure your progress.