Developing Your Vision to Succeed

All great leaders have two main qualities: guts and vision.
This column focuses on vision.

You become what you think about all the time. Leaders think
about the future most of the time. They think about where
they are going and about what they can do to get there.

Non-leaders focus on the present, on the past, and on their
obstacles. When you start thinking about your future, before
long, you'll start getting the results leaders get.

The number one predictor of success in life is how long term
your thinking is. If you can focus on what you want to
happen in the long term while making decisions in the
present, you'll be very successful. The further you focus
into the future, the better decisions you'll make today and
the greater chance you have of realizing your dream.

The biggest single obstacle people face when setting goals
is their self-limiting beliefs. When you allow your self-
limiting beliefs to control you, you set goals far below
what you are capable of achieving.

I made that mistake. I never believed that I could win an
Olympic medal, consequently, I only set a goal to compete in
the Olympics. I made it three times, but, what if I had set
a goal to win a medal? I might have become an Olympic
medalist. At least I would have placed higher than I did.

Don't make that mistake. Aim as high as possible.

Imagine what your life would be like in 5 years if it were
perfect in every way. Focus on creating your ideal life and
you will overcome your self limiting beliefs. I constantly
imagined what it would be like to walk into the Opening
Ceremonies.

By doing that, I overcame my self-limiting beliefs that I
could not become an Olympian. If I had instead imagined what
it would be like to be a medalist, I would have overcome
those self limiting beliefs.

See how this works? If you vividly imagine it enough, you
start believing it's possible. Once you believe it's
possible, you start acting like it's possible. And if you
act like it's possible long enough, before long, you make it
a reality.

Imagine you had all the time, talent, abilities, an
resources you needed to create your perfect life. Imagine
you could not fail. Now, what would your perfect life be
like?

Don't settle for smaller dreams and goals. Go for the gold!
Big dreams have the power to inspire you to action and the
power to inspire others to help you.

Now, what would you have to do today to create your perfect
future?

Where would you be living?
What would your work look like?
Who would you associate and work with?
How much would you be earning?

What would your perfect family life look like?
What kind of relationship would you have with your loved
ones?

How would you look and feel if you were in perfect health?
How much would you weigh?
What do you need to start doing today to reach those goals?

Now, start asking yourself, "How will I do this?" Keep
asking yourself "How will I do it?" The answers will come.
And when they do, start taking massive action like there's
no tomorrow. That's what high achievers do.

What additional skills do I need to pull it off?

What do I need to do every day to acquire those skills and
to become an expert in my field in 5 years?

How will I do it?

I guarantee that once you start focusing and thinking about
the future, start asking yourself how will you do it, and
start taking massive action, you will be a lot happier.
Because happiness is a byproduct of working hard to reach
your goals and dreams.

Make a decision to start thinking about your goals and
dreams all the time. The clearer you are about your dream,
the faster you will attract people to make it a reality.
(Column By Ruben Gonzalez)