Ten Surefire Ways to Fail at Visualization (PART 1)

So here you are; you have created your very own Vision Board with fantastic goals and dreams on it. You are excited about it, however it’s been a while since you put it together and none of your goals have actually made it into your reality yet. You may be feeling like you are doing everything right, but just can’t seem to get ahead. You wonder “is this whole visualization thing not working after all? Are all those top motivational speakers, magazines and books wrong when they say visualization is a very important- if not crucial- element when it comes to goal achievement and creating the life of my dreams? It all makes sense though what they explain about visualization and how it can help you attract what you desire, by Law of Attraction. Why don’t I seem to get it right?”

So WHY is your visualization not working for you?

Well, first of all, let me reassure that the concept of visualization is as valid as could be and one of the most powerful ways to stay inspired and achieve your goals. There is more to it then you first may have thought though, so let me explain the most important reasons why your visualization may not be effective and how to turn this around so your Vision Board will indeed coming to fruition in incredible ways you never thought possible.

1. You don’t have clarity on your vision and goals

If you are not clear on your goals, your vision will stay too general and will therefore not inspire you. Whenever life gets touch, you won’t be motivated enough to stay in action as your “why” is not clear enough. You will also be much more easily influenced by others around you who think they know what is good for you and tell you what to do. So when visualizing your goals, it is important to be crystal clear on your Vision. The more clear and detailed you are the more effective and inspired you can visualize. So just relax, sit down and really brainstorm about what is important to you. The achievement of which items or events would truly make a difference in your life. Losing weight? Changing your career and become a writer? What would make you fulfilled and happy? Take some time to think about this. You know, most people take more time to plan their holidays than to plan their life! It is worth spending some time on though, right? When you are clear on the things you wish to achieve in the future, write them down and also note why these goals are important to you; how would you feel when you achieve them? If needed, get some professional guidance to support you in this process.

2. You are visualizing everyone else's dream but yours

Sadly, we often tend to focus on dreams that are created for us by someone around us. This could be your parents, partner, friends or children. The challenge is that you visualize the things you think you SHOULD be visualizing instead of what you really want in your heart of hearts. Visualizing these kinds of goals won’t work very well, as you don’t have the emotions of true desire attached to them. Besides that, it is not going to fulfill you anyway when you do achieve them, it will only fulfill others around you. So make sure you only visualize YOUR true desires. The ones that make your heart sing just thinking about them!

3. Your self-limiting beliefs hold you back

Another important aspect in the process of manifesting your dream life is your beliefs. If you spend valuable time visualizing your goals but at the same time your true inner feelings are negative and of disbelief, then “it ain’t going to happen”. You know, we tend to build up a lot of limiting beliefs in our lifetime that keep us from actually creating the life of our dreams. Have a quick look at that and be really honest with yourself. What are the feelings or thoughts YOU have that keep you from reaching your full potential? What beliefs do you currently have that hold you back from taking the actions necessary to make your goals a reality? You might, for instance, feel like you don't deserve them, or are not good or smart enough to make them happen. It is very important for you to address these self-limiting beliefs and replace them with positive empowering affirmations. Affirmations help you to reprogram your subconscious mind by telling it how you would like things to be. Make sure to include these affirmations on your Vision Board! (One of my other articles explains how to formulate affirmations in a powerful, successful way)

4. You just don’t know HOW to create an effective VB

Our experience as the leading provider of Visualization and goal setting systems is that many people just don’t know where to start. Especially when you have never heard of Vision Boards, or even the concept of visualization, it can be hard to get your head around this; we recommend getting some professional guidance if that is the case. You see, when creating your Vision Board, there are a few important key elements you need to take into account and some crucial processes to follow for it to be effective and successful. Before you actually start putting your Vision Board together, you need to work on your vision, goals in different areas, limiting beliefs, affirmations etc. Then once you start assembling, it is for instance important where possible to use images that have you in it. This reinforces the idea and feeling of you already having achieved that goal, it is precisely this feeling that will attract it into your reality. I would recommend to educate yourself about this so you increase your chances of success.

5. You are thinking OF your goals, not FROM your goals

When you think OF your goals, it creates a certain distance between you and your goals. Your emotions around your goals won’t be as strong and subsequently your visualization will be less effective. So rather than thinking of your future home when you visualize, (and how nice it will be to have it in the future), think from it. Imagine yourself already living in that dream house, so as if you have already attracted it. Imagine walking through that house, what do you see? What do you smell? What does the kitchen look like, how about your living room? This "acting as if" is crucial in the whole process of goal setting. By feeling as if you have already achieved it, you are basically placing an order with the universe. What you see in your imagination, is what you will eventually see for real with your eyes! This method is called "vivid visualization" and is extremely powerful. By practicing it, you will find that your self-image begins to conform to these new images in your mind. You are literally growing into the new successful person you intent to become! This will help to attract the goals you have set for yourself. By using moving images on a dynamic kind of Vision Board, for instance one on your computer, you can facilitate this vivid visualization in a very powerful way.

(Please read the second part of this article in "Ten Surefire Ways to fail at Visualization Part 2")