Is Visualization Really the Secret to Success?

As business owner of Verify Network Background Screening, I decided to dust off some of my success books and re-read the highlights. One of those books being the worldly renowned Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill written somewhere in the 1930’s. This book is touted as a gift to the business-minded person and the secret for the success of many who followed its strategies.

I found myself in a bit of a quandary as I thumbed through the pages; the chapter on visualization. Almost all the books, tapes, blogs, etc that I’ve come across, they all say the same thing, visualization is the key. Envision every aspect of your success with your mind and it will come true. It sounds so simple, right? Sort of like the movie with Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams…”Build it and it Will Come”.

Being an optimist by nature, I really want to believe the visualizationstrategies. We all want to know the “true” secret of success, don’t we? However, my skeptic side kicks in and sways me to believe that the only one that is having any success is the writer of the book by selling their books to morons like me. So I resorted back to my usual process of researching the truth by googling the visualization secret.

Googling all different keywords about visualization took me to all the positives and beliefs that this strategy is the real-deal. Many also provided the tactics such as writing your goals down, defining them in detail and running them through your mind everyday before you go to bed at night and then again in the morning when you first wake up. Interesting, but I wanted the nay-sayers points of view. What do they think? So I googled “is the secret ofvisualization bullshit”? Try it sometime with your own research; you’ll get a kick out of the responses.

What I found interesting in my own quest for truth was that those who spewedvisualization as BS, didn’t just leave me with that as their final thought without offering something else in it’s place. I might also add that not all of them totally disagreed with the concept of visualization either; almost all included an additional strategy that goes beyond lying in bed at night and waking in the morning with this detailed burning desire…they included actionas the step that makes success real.

Hmmm, now this makes visualization a little more palatable for my skeptical mind. When I read these blogs about taking action, it made more sense. Of course I am not going to create a million dollar bank account in 2015 by just dreaming or thinking really hard about it, I have to take whatever action is necessary for it to become a reality! How about that…this was an important step I either missed in my Think and Grow Rich skimming or perhaps it is in there and I just didn’t pay attention. I never did believe that Andrew Carnegie, the steel mogul who is often mentioned in the book could have created such enormous wealth from just thinking about it.

Now that I believe I learned the real secret of the secret, my analytical mind kicked in because I have to solve this puzzle. What this must mean is my visualization exercise helps my subconscious in seeing the end result of a million dollar bank account by using all my senses in detailing this goal. Smell the money, fell the money, see yourself taking money to the bank, see the money, taste the money…I get it.

I think I understand. What they are saying is that when I’m doing some routine activity such as showering, driving in my car, mowing a lawn, walking the dog my subconscious will speak to my conscious and provide the direction through the actions I must take to get closer to my goal. My drive, determination and visualization will all work together to give me the road map to success. Now I must follow the road map and do the work necessary based on my subconscious unlocking the necessary steps.

Of course, without action on my part, how can I accomplish my goal. There really is no magic, just common-sense. This reminded me the old joke where a man prays to God to win the lottery and he goes on and on with prayer about his bills and woes and reasons why God must grant this prayer. In disbelief that God is listening, one day the heavens open up and a booming voice says “you have to buy a lottery ticket”.

Well, it appears my BS writers might be on to something. I certainly don’t disagree with the compelling recommendations of those writers who in their articles and blogs acclaim visualization as a key to success. However, I do believe that visualization and action work hand-in-hand leading us towards our pot of gold…whatever your pot of gold may be. My greatest take away from this was to keep learning and to do my best in researching different perspectives. Best wishes in your quest for your pot of gold.

Submitted by Michael Levy, President of Verify Network, LLC Background Screening. Michael is also a certified DISC administrator.