Thanks to everyone who contributed to the last post. It was a great debate. I appreciate everyone’s passion and enthusiasm. Isn’t it great that thinkers have a place to express our opinions in a strong, yet respectable manner? Thanks for having the courage to sound off, no matter which side of the argument you were on.
This post is a little lighter, yet important mental toughness strategy of millionaires. I’ve taught this exercise to tens of thousands of sales people and entrepreneurs all over the world, and it’s one of the most popular segments of the Mental Toughness University process. Watch this video, and then take action. I’ll look forward to your comments. Steve Siebold
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Steve, what an outstanding post! I came from what many would call the wrong side of the tracks. I have used visions boards and Proverbs 23:7 since the 1970s. Joseph of the Old Testament was our example of being a great dreamer! Genesis 37:19 Everything he had on his vision board in his mind came true! I love you all! God is so good! Tony Treece http://www.SpeakerTonyTreece.com
TeenLesbian and Obamacare got a lot more replies than this, Steve. My critical thinking tells me people would rather vent their political and social views than talk about how they go about their millionaire quest. AND I was one of the ventors also.
Maybe it’s just a bland topic or few looking in here have that kind of expectation or drive. Maybe people think the exercise is silly. I don’t know.
Years ago I got a letter from the fantasy writer Ray Bradbury. For about ten years I’d go to “Who’s Who” at the public library, look up contact info for people I admired, and send them letters. I almost always got replies.
Since I was sending letters to people I admired, I’d tell them why I admired them and I’d ask one or two questions specific to something they had done. My thought was the question might bring about a reply. And they usually did.
So Ray Bradbury sent me a letter and a poster with writing on it.
One day I read an article about him and it had a pictue with it. There was Ray in his writing world surrounded by pictures, all kinds of toys, an assortment of anything he had picked up spilling out all over the place.
In the articls he said when he entered his writing world all the stimulation got his mind working and that’s how he created.
There you go. Whether it’s a collage – a vision or dream board, an audio or video, a room full of your toys or whatever the source of inspiration, my guess is that most highly successful people use images and sound for stimulation and for presenting to themselves the outcome they intend to create as the object of their desire.
When I was a kid it was called a self fulfilling prophecy.
The power of the imagination is beyond description and limitation and everything that has every been created is a witness to that.
Mental toughness is not falling into the trap of negative thinking in a highly charged climate – 2010 – by resisting its seductiveness. There has literally never been a better time in the history of the world to be creative and create your destiny.
Thoughts?
Mike
For those interested in creating an online vision board (for use on a PC or Mac screen), there’s a terrific free resource at http://www.visionboardsite.com.
Hi Stevo, an excellent blog subject, And a great delivery of the message!! I got my first vision board after reading John Assaraf’s emails to me. Its really works. This year on Jan 1st I raised the bar on my vision board. Holidays, new BMW (White with alloy wheels) a picture of me giving a keynote. one of my oil paintings. (I just held my first exhibition (very successful.) I have on my board a picture of Les Brown, a man I intend to meet this year. I have a house in Australia with a huge pool and spitting distance from Queensland’s unshine beach. All wonderful goals to seek to achieve. I even have a statue of the Oscar to guide my acting career. so yes Steve vision boards do work and I thank you for teaching me to make great speeches via your workshops and reading your book on mental toughness has helped incredibly. You rock mate. say hello to dawn for me cheers John
Thanks for the shout out!
Question: are men and women equally inclined to accept the idea of a vision or dream board as being valid and even motivational and forward pulling? Are there other circumstances that would effect openness to this idea?
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Here’s two positive examples we’ve seen.
1. One is a friend who had some specific goals we told him we’d help him achieve BUT we couldn’t do it for him. We suggested he put pictures all over his office of the things he wanted to achieve and what his life would look like when he achieved them – he agreed. He didn’t make a collage – just lots of photos and words of inspiration.
Whenever he was down I’d do what Steve suggests – bring him back into his deepest WHYS where lava meets lava – at least as best as I could. I can be pretty good at reaching emotional levels with people when I touch my own.
In a little more than three years he achieved his first big goal.
2. Christine has many dreams and coming out of a terribly disfunctional and debilitating past and she is pure inspiration in her ability to focus, she know what she wants, and she work toward her dreams daily.
On her own – my wife had suggested it once – she began making a collage. It’s a work in progress.
Then a few months ago we went to our home in Florida and asked her if she’d like to come for a few days. She said she would so we brought her down a week after we’d arrived. We took her to the town of Celebration and she found a beautiful old fashioned designed home with wrap around pourch, etc. that is her picture of her dream home.
She flew back home, we went back to Celebration, took photos of the home, and now she has 8 x 10 in a frame photo of this $ 2.2 million dollar home in her very very very tiny and cramped 3 room apartment.
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Many many more people have not opened up to this. Many many more have started to take action then dropped the ball, Many many more have come close not knowing how close to the next break through then sprinted into the woods never to be seen again.
I’d love to hear success stories from anyone – they inspire me so much.
Mike
Mike
I work with a financial firm that you have spoken for in the past. We do training with our associates twice a week as we are in the infancy of a huge expansion of this company in our state right now. Sometimes our training sessions seem to get a bit redundant and uninvolved. I am going to be sure to implement this idea into our training for next week. We always talk about our goals and our vision and I believe that is the perfect idea to bring those goals together. It will be a fun activity and will lighten up training a bit! Thanks Steve!
Steve, I was in your first Siebold Mental Toughness program back in 1990 and have been using a vision board since. GREAT STORY, In 2009 I found an old vision board from 1991. It had 21 different pictures on it from houses, diamond rings, cars, vacations, education goals, health goals, etc. I also remember family members, friends and colleges making fun of “dreaming”. 18 years later I had accomplished 18 of the 21 pictures. Really without realizing it – THANK YOU for Mental Toughness and educating me on the value of the Vision Board!
AND you are a genius, Steve – you got my name right! Ask and it shall be given.
Everyone should create personal Vision Boards. We’ve done it for years and our home is covered with photos, objects, and words about things we are want to achieve – we see them everywhere we look.
I’m a big word person and spend an hour each morning between reading and taking notes, putting my thoughts and wants into word pictures, some prosaic some poetic and some in simple phrases.
Your collage looks pretty neat, Steve. What’s strong an dimpressive about you is your vision and mission are so integrated in YOU the person that it’s a whole. There are no fragments.
I’m convinced that when people take the principles of mental toughness and world class performance – making a Vision Board is one way to integrate it all projecting into the future – they will begin to see positive changes in their lives.
I would also suggest that people who are more word or audio oriented still create a Vision Board but also use written words – as you also suggested, Steve – and create daily audios they can play back.
Excellent topic.
Mike
Steve,
I use vision boards and vision statements as well, and they work. Like you, I am not exactly sure how they work, but I liken it to tuning up my brain.
Pit crews tune Formula 1 cars differently than they tune the cars they drive on the street. World class people tune their brains differently than the middle class, too.
And yes, friends, family, and everyone in between that see them laugh or question my wife and I, but we are not too concerned about those comments.
Besides, I love looking at things of beauty, power, speed and prosperity!
~JT