Visualize and Expect Success
Our studies of high achievers have shown that no matter how different their personalities, work habits, occupations or gender, the people who accomplish great things in life have visualized and expected success all along. They've had the ability to vividly picture their achievements and to reassure themselves in the face of long odds that they would come through.

To visualize the person you want most to become, set aside some time this week in which you can create an atmosphere conducive to re-affirming your life dreams. You may want to be near the ocean, or a lake, or in a park, in a garden or in the woods. Or you might just sit quietly by yourself in a comfortable lounge or chair. Get yourself in the mood for visualizing. When the left hemisphere of the brain is quiet and relaxed, the mind is most receptive to creative inputs. To facilitate this you may want to use soothing recorded music, preferably slow and inspiring, such as Bach, Handel or Vivaldi if you like classical music, or soft, popular instrumentals from epic movies or other mood music.

Ground Down or Polished Up by John C. Maxwell
A few years ago a friend was telling me about stopping at a junkyard to get a part for his car (today they are called recycling centers; back then junkyard was still an acceptable term!). As he was making small talk with the owner, he asked him where he got his inventory, assuming most came in as a result of automobile accidents. "I get a few of my cars from wrecks," the man said. "But most of them end up here because they are just worn out."

That story made me realize the same is true with people. When I think about the leaders I know, good leaders who are no longer leading, I realize that a few of them had been in wrecks of some kind. But the vast majority had just worn down. Life seems to grow increasingly difficult, and none of us escape the daily grind. However, I've noticed that people tend to respond differently to identical pressures. That has led me to this conclusion:

Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends upon what you are made of.

There are several skills that, if cultivated, will allow you to face the same stressors you face today and be better for the experience.

The Ability to See the Big Picture
If you can't see what you are doing now as part of a long-range goal, you'll wear out. Imagine how long an athlete would be able to endure the pain of practice if they couldn't see the game in their mind's eye. Imagine how long a farmer would endure the hot sun of summer toil if he could not envision the harvest of fall.

The Ability to Defuse Worry
I'm convinced that it's not the work of life, but the worry of life that robs so many of their strength and breaks down their resolve. The only surefire remedy for worry is confidence.

Worry consists of creating mental pictures of what you do not want to happen. Confidence is creating mental pictures of what you want to happen.

Any golfer who has ever stood on one side of a water hazard thinking, don't hit it in the water, don't hit it in the water, can describe the result of the former. You'll be going wading very shortly! Good golfers have learned the knack of shaking off the last shot, good or bad, and approaching the next one with confidence. The same goes for leaders.

The Willingness to Quit Seeking Security
A ship that never leaves the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for. Too often we are devastated by failure that could have almost been predicted. The willingness to make mistakes, lots of them, is one of the prices we must pay for the advancement of a worthy cause.

The Ability to Gauge When Enough's Enough
No one expects their car to run forever without stopping to fill the fuel tank, but when it comes to our physical body, we foolishly refuse to stop when it's time to rest, refuel and recreate. I believe that too much of the wearing down I see is self-inflicted.

The Wisdom to Choose Your Associates
Most of us have far more choices than we think when it comes to the company we keep. Even when we must work with negative people, we can choose to avoid being reduced to their level. Life is hard enough without having to go through it with negative, critical or lazy people.

Ground down or polished up? The choice is really yours to determine.


Greet People with a Smile by Denis Waitley
Greet others with a smile and look them directly in the eye. A smile and direct eye contact convey confidence born of self-respect. In the same way, answer the phone pleasantly whether at the office or home, and when placing a call, give your name before asking to speak to the party you want to reach. Leading with your name underscores that a person with self-respect is making the call.



Once you're properly relaxed and optimistic, let your mind focus on who you really want to become. Visualize the future in two time frames: five years from now and ten years from now. First, design a day in your life five years from now. Who are you five years from now? Where are you professionally and geographically? On Monday mornings, where do you go?

What are you doing, seeing, feeling and thinking? Who are the people around you? What's different about your life five years from now?

Next, project ahead ten years from today. Picture a film of your life at that time. Who is watching it with you? What dramatic moments are depicted by that film? What personal triumphs are revealed? What obstacles are courageously overcome?

Don't be shy! The purpose of this exercise is to load visualized software in your mental computer. Just as a computer must be configured to accept specific materials, your mind must be prepared to accept the reality of your greater success. By introducing positive images of goal achievement, you're preparing yourself to translate those goals into reality.

I especially like to visualize myself being introduced at a dinner in my honor. Maybe it's the Coaches' Hall of Fame! Don't laugh! It could happen! The emcee comes to the microphone and reads the highlights of my life and adds some insights as to who I really am. What would the emcee be saying about you if such a dinner were held in your honor ten years from now? Devote a page in your journal to describing the things you would want said about you.

This visualization will put you on a path that leads to your future self that you vividly picture today! —Denis Waitley


My Robot: R-U-ME2 by Denis Waitley
I have a little robot,
That goes around with me.
I tell him what I'm thinking,
I tell him what I see,
I tell my little robot,
All my hopes and fears.
He listens and remembers,
All my joys and tears.
At first my little robot,
Followed my command,
But after years of training,
He's gotten out of hand.
He doesn't care what's right or wrong,
Or what is false or true.
No matter what I try now,
He tells me what to do!