How to Visualize Success - The Muse

How to Visualize Success - The MuseHow to Visualize Success You want to be successful, right?In fact, youve probably used that very word recently.But have you truly thought about it? What I mean is, have you deeply defined what the word means to you personally? Im asking because we bandy it about all the time, saying things like Oh yeah, I want to be successful or I hope Im successful, but rarely do we define it in a meaningful way for ourselves.And thats where things go wrong.Look- there are about a zillion articles out there on the interwebs telling you to just visualize it, as if its as simple as eating breakfast or checking your email. Plus, if youre like me, sometimes the idea of visualizing something feels just a little bit, well, squishy. And squishy doesnt often lead to results.So, lets be the opposite of that and get practical instead Get StartedWell begin with the idea of your success. To help you get there, weve got to know what the word means to you. What I think of as su ccess and what you think of it are probably pretty different. And this article is about your amazing future accomplishments, so, lets get defining on your behalf (and elend on mine). Ready- what does it mean to you? Insert your answer here __. (Well, in your head, this is a screen and you shouldnt write on it.)Maybe you wrote making a lot of money or doing work I love or becoming CEO of a Fortune 500 company or working from the beach at all times, wearing shoes entirely made from sand.Awesome- great work Step one is complete.Now, theres more to do so we can understand and start to see your definition come to life. I want you to bring your senses into play and get descriptive. If you chose making a lot of money as success, for example, what does that look like? What does that taste like? What does that smell like? What do you wake up to in the morning? How do you commute? Smell the gilded leather and get down and dirty with the fancy gourmet coffee.Or, if you chose something like doi ng work I love, then get in there and put your senses to work. When you do work you love, what do you wear? What does your desk look like? What do you smell in the air around you? What do you see in the mirror each morning? You get the idea.How does seeing, tasting, touching all of this feel? Yes, this is a little out there, but trust me on this that youve got to make yourself walk through this process. Keep trying until you can accurately describe everything as if its a real memory. But We Arent Done YetReal results come from knowing why youre doing what youre doing in the first place. When you understand this on a deep level, its motivating and empowering. When you feel motivated and empowered, you tend to make things happen for yourself. So, go back to your original statement on what success means to you and ask yourself why you want that. Dig a little deeper, because theres something driving you and its time to shine a light on it.I know I view success as doing work I love becau se it gives me a chance to realize my potential and have an impact on the world. That matters to me. When I start a new coaching project or create a new program, I think about the people who Im touching. I see their sense of relief as they find answers to their big career questions. I visualize their sense of freedom as they leave behind a toxic job environment. I imagine them standing a little taller as they reach out to a new career opportunity or networking contact, knowing that Ive helped to make them more confident.When I visualize that, my work gets better (and also as a happy side benefit so does my confidence in myself). Whats your why? Dig a little deeper than you have before, and connect with what is driving you. If its money, what is the money giving to your life? What is it allowing you to have or achieve? See it, taste it, feel it. Revel in itNow, Heres the Final Part of the PlanInvite a friend or three to a round of happy hour drinks or a cup of coffee. Run through the exercises in this article out loud with them, each person sharing your own version of success. Warn them it might feel silly at first, but youve all got to take this seriously for it to work. Get elaborate with each other, and help to draw out the visualizations as you chat by asking questions. For example, you might say, I want to make a lot of money, which in my mind means I always fly first class when I travel for work. And your friends will ask What does first class feel like? Describe walking onto the plane and sitting down What drink do you ask for from the flight attendant?Or you could say I want to become the leader of my company. And your friends might respond Tell us about your first meeting as leader, how do you walk into the room? Whats the first thing you say?Theres something so powerful about talking through your vision with people you trust, leid only does talking about it imply a commitment to making it happen (bravo), but it also helps you flesh out your vision and make it more and more detailed, and therefore much more real.If you can see it and say it aloud, youre more likely to make it happen. So, get out there and grab your success. Its waiting for youAnd if you want help to be successful in finding work you love, heres a fancy-pants free workbook to get you started seeing your career future