Visualize or imagine your past success or desired outcome (in the case of a goal) often and repetitively and your mind will begin to accept it as normal, acceptable and above all, achievable. Put all of your passion, all of your excitement and enthusiasm into imagining yourself when your goal is achieved. Enjoy yourself as you fill in the details, the more the better. Put a big grin on your face as you do this and it will help you to feel fantastic and full of hope and enthusiasm. (I know, people might think you are a bit weird when you walk around with a big, cheesy grin on your face, but when you achieve your goal and they are still moping about not getting what they want, you won't care!) You can also use the same technique with each step of your goal; this will keep your motivation high and your focus in the right place.


All successful athletes practice their sport physically and mentally. Not only does a sprinter build his physical muscle by constant practice he also has a picture of himself having won past races or winning future races. If he can't see and feel himself crossing the finishing line in front of all other competitors, he stands little chance of ever winning. See yourself winning and put down this entire aura on paper or digitally. This is all part of documenting success.

When you have documented a particularly successful venture or set a goal that you are passionate about, your RAS will focus your mind. You suddenly become aware of things that previously you may not have paid any attention to in the past, but now are useful or important to your success or your goal.

For instance, you know that your goal would be easier if you could only meet the right people to talk to. Whilst at a party you hear a person's name mentioned, a person who has the connections that would help you move your goal forward. In the past you would have ignored the information because it was of no use to you, but when mentioned in the context of something you achieved or  hope to achieve it suddenly becomes important. Now you make a point of introducing yourself and away you go. Your RAS has filtered that piece of information, that name and its possible connections, in a fraction of a second because it was activated when you decided what was important to you. Even though the party was noisy and the music loud, your RAS was able to hone in on that information. Documenting success does the ground work before your RAS produces its magic.

Multiple Intelligences

We do tend to under estimate our own talents. Moreover, tragically we do not know our strengths.  All of us are born with Multiple Intelligences (thanks to Harvard Psychologist Howard Gardiner's contribution) and have some dominant intelligences too - intelligences we have, use and more importantly tend to favor over others.

Comparisons are odious - goes the saying. And it is an absolute truth. When you begin to compare yourself with someone better, or you think is better, you will descend into the chasm of low self image.

Remember what Dr. Maxwell Moltz said: Principle 3 - "Live your life as you see it not in trying to keep up with the Joneses."

Every human being is unique and blessed with an abundance of talents and strengths. It is indeed a level playing field in the Almighty's conception. But identifying those strengths and utilizing them is left to us. It is the least we can do to be grateful for what was bestowed on us.

If you begin to believe that indeed you are given talents and strengths singular to you, you would have crossed a major hurdle that stimies most people's aspirations. You see, execution comes later. First, you must believe that you have talents.
  

The most powerful method for beginning to manifest talents given to you is to believe in them and that process is galvanized by writing down your strengths.

Make a list of 10 areas where you seem to be good at something. Spend some time thinking about this.

Ask questions like:

• What comes easily to you while some others struggle with them?
• What makes your eyes light up and get excited?
• What have others (family, friends, spouse, girl/boy friend) commented about things you are good at?

Before you realize you will have made a list of 10 areas where you are good at something.

Keep reviewing these areas again and again and definitely every day. In a week or so of such reviews, your mind will begin to accept that indeed these are areas where you seem to better than many others - in short these could be areas of your talents or strengths. That will set a trigger off and you will slowly warm up to the idea that after all you are not a person to be pitied for lack of talents. On the contrary, you are a gifted person with a good mix of talents. Wow, what a difference that kind of belief will now make to your actions. You will begin to grow wings.

 

Often your passion lies at the confluence of what you like and what you are good at. It is like a muscle. The more you practise what you are good at and what you like, the better you will get at that.

Take a blank sheet of paper. Draw a vertical line down the center dividing the page into two halves. On the Top Left, write: WHAT I LOVE DOING and on the top right: WHAT I AM GOOD AT.

List 10 Areas on the left side first and then on the right side. The listing must be independent of each other.

Pay attention to what you are writing. Be honest with yourself.

Review the list every day for at least a week.

You will, at the end of a week begin to see some areas which are common to both sides. Just notice that. Don't do anything.

At the end of the second week, place a check mark against areas appearing on both sides. You are probably looking at the list of some, if not all of your strengths.

Pick the Top 3 and go to work on leveraging those.

You will be amazed at what transpires next. Suddenly, not only opportunities materialize for you to use those strengths, but you can identify occasions in the past when you had done so. It feels like you have been there before. It is deja vu!  

 

Let me leave you with this thought.
Would you not want to play to the strengths you certainly have within you?
It is something you will have cause to celebrate time and again in life's journey. Good luck!