Why Visualising May Not Work...

You need more than just pretty pictures...

Schadenfreude is a German term meaning to derive pleasure or happiness from the discomfort of others; and whilst it may not be a positive trait, it is somehow satisfying in certain circumstances...

Those of you who know me well, also know that I retain a healthy scepticism for anything to do with the Shelf Help Industry when it is promoted and delivered by those who have achieved nothing but the ability to tell other people what they should do to achieve success..

There are plenty of Guru's, Master Wizard Practitioners and Wombats out there who make, or attempt to make, a living by telling others what they need to do to make more money, look better have more sex etc.

Interesting fact that when you achieve the first, the second two miraculously look after themselves...

Anyway...

I felt a bit of Schadenfreude upon learning that Napoleon Hill, of Think and Grow Rich fame, actually died penniless and broke...

Unfortunate as this may be, it was at least ironic that someone who did no more than tell other people what other successful people did in order to become successful, in order to himself become successful; actually ended up not being successful - if that makes sense...

The clue and one of the cornerstones of the Shelf Help industry is that if you visualise your future success, it will miraculously turn up in your bank account. The clue is in the title of the book "Think and Grow Rich" - trust me, that is all you need to know...

Proponents of the cause will tell you that Olympic Athletes, Golfers and racing Drivers visualise themselves winning Gold, or making the perfect shot and taking the perfect bend. 

Whilst this is all good, there are a couple of things to bear in mind...

1. They actually know what perfection looks like and how to achieve it - visualising takes and expert and makes them into a winner, the principle is straight forward and there is plenty of evidence to support the benefits.

2. It doesn't work for everyone - if all the athletes visualise Gold, then by definition most will be disappointed. It may, however, enable them to be the best they can be on the day.

So far so good...

So, why doesn't this hocus pocus work on everyone else; how come simply "Thinking and Growing Rich" doesn't produce oodles of Millionaires overnight...?

Because....

It's all to do with L.Ron Hubbard - the science fiction writer and nut case who brought aliens and spaceships into a Church and called it Scientology...

In his book "Dianetics" he makes one sensible suggestion; that success, results or what we Have is the result of a combination of;

Be - attitude, vision and beliefs.

&

Do - activity, focus and knowledge.

The problem here is not the principle, it's the weighting applied to them.

The Gurus and Crystal Gazers will tell you that Be or "BEING" is the key - thinking, visualising and chanting incantations will bring you success. It wont, and the reason it won't is because most people don't know what they are doing. 

Most people couldn't visualise a path to success because they don't know what it looks like in the first place. The Olympians know what excellence looks like so visualisation is great for them; if you don't know what you are doing you are just planning for failure, or praying for what you don't want...

Do or "DOING" is the key that is missed by most people - you have to get busy and start DOING stuff like learning, marketing and selling; only then will you "HAVE" what you choose.

It shouldn't be THINK and grow Rich - it should be DO lots and grow Rich...

The formula for Achievement is linked to the formula for Kinetic Energy - oh yes it is...

Here is the formula for Kinetic Energy...

The energy of a moving body is dependent upon two factors; it's velocity and its mass. 

You will note that that it is the velocity that is much more influential win the calculation - only half the mass is calculated, but the velocity is squared.

This is why speed is so expensive, and why a 350km/h car is 10 times the price of a 299km/hr car - and of course why you don't buy cars according to their weight...



In relation to the Be Do Have model, it looks like this...

You will note that that it is the Do that is much more influential win the calculation - only half the Be is calculated, but the Doing is squared.

This is why success is so elusive, and why the first Million takes 30 times the effort of earning 100k, it's also why most people fail; they forget that they actually have to put the hard work in first...



So the unfortunate truth about success is that thinking doesn't work by itself; visualising is not enough, we have to get busy and DO a lot more than we BE...

Have a great week...