"All successful people, men and women, are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose."
--- Brian Tracy
Several years before he was a successful movie star, actor Jim Carrey wrote a $10 million check for himself. The purpose of this gesture was to motivate himself towards his goals. In one interview, he talks about his habit of seeing his success before he was a success.
"I believe in that sort of thing," he says. "I'm not some sort of infomercial guy, but I do believe in visualizing what you want in life."
"He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become..."
--- James Allen
Today's athletes also visualize themselves competing in their sport in order to help them enhance their performance. Sometimes called mental practice, this exercise was once seen as strange, but is becoming more and more common among professional and Olympic athletes.
NBA great Michael Jordan often said that he visualized the ball going into the basket before he even took the shot. He would also visualize himself making a last second, game winning shot.
"When you cease to dream you cease to live."
--- Malcolm S. Forbes
Simply daydreaming or visualizing greater sales, bigger profits, or more customers is not enough, although it is a good start toward greater success. Holding tightly onto those dreams so that the dreams permeate your entire being, causing you to take action to make them come true is what leads to true success. First the dream, then the action.
"A person with big dreams is more powerful than a person with all the facts."
--- Dayle Maloney
It seems that those individuals, who have the tendency to get caught up in their daydreams and imaginary sequences with no real intention of making a reality from those scenarios, will most likely be seen as slackers.
However, many with the powerful ability to imagine with aspiration, and then take action towards their goals, seem to be the ones that succeed. The beauty of the possible benefits of dreaming and visualizing is the idea that these practices can be applied to many areas of your life.
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt
Whether someone is trying to get rich, become a better athlete, or even become more socially active, having a mental picture of what success looks and feels like can be the secret ingredient that can make success possible.
One good exercise that you can begin today is to create a dream board containing one focused dream. Using a simple poster board, paste photos, inspirational phrases, and a timetable of one success dream that is in your head. Place this dream board where you can see it. Modify it if necessary, but never weaken or cheapen the dream.
Use this board to remind you of the outrageous dream you are after. Take steps to break down the barriers to that dream. If you are dreaming of tripling sales for the year (a good, BIG dream!), break it down on your dream board to monthly sales, then weekly, then daily.
"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
--- Henry David Thoreau
