It has been popular for many years to attribute success in almost anything to “hard work”. I would not in any way, shape or form tell you that you don’t have to work hard at what you want out of life! However, this world is full of people who work their tails off for many years and never realize their dreams, never succeed in one hoped for way or another. Why is that? It is not, in those cases, their work ethic or perseverance. I have known too many who deserved it all put in the work but got nothing. I have had my own experiences with that at times as well.

Why does one talented actor, artist, entrepreneur, fashion designer, or anyone with a skill or talent and a dream “make it” and someone who may have even more going for him or her, not “make it”?

Life will try to tell us that it is luck or being born wealthy and therefore having advantages. That can help since one does not tend to find “poverty mentality” or people using all their energy and resources just to survive in families with wealth. Regardless, there are too many examples of successful people who did not start out with such advantages. There are great athletes and entrepreneurs who claimed that success is all the about the work. They believe that they just outworked and out hustled everyone else. They probably did, but that is not the key. It is only a part of it.

I believe there is another element involved. I think it carries the greatest degree of power on the subject of ultimate success. It is what turns mediocrity into greatness and talent into legendary. For the average person, seeking happiness and personal fulfillment, it will make your life work a lot better!

I am talking about your mindset, how you see yourself. What image of yourself, do you carry with you, naturally, throughout your day? More specifically I am talking about using visualization as the best tool for developing a winning mindset. It’s not just a little goal setting, with an occasional visual attached to it. Nor it is the creation of a vision board, but instead it is true creative visualization as a deeply transformative tool. Think meditation, self-hypnosis, and deep trance work to alter patterns that are not working for you.

Are you someone who says, “Visualization doesn’t work!”? Because you have tried it for a while, diligently, and felt it was, or you were, lacking? There could be different reasons for that. I wouldn’t know until I talked further with you. In general, it takes a chunk of time to reach that non-regressive state where one can practice a new set of habits or dig deeper to alter a pattern where something negative and destructive once ruled.

Pretty much like any system, class or item you buy, visualization works if you use it as instructed. And yes, that can take some practice. If you go into it with great skepticism in yourself, in other words self-doubt, it may take time to unravel the habit of doubt, before you begin getting the positive results you hope for. But understand that visualization is part of that process of detoxing your thoughts! There are ways that help you do it.

However, if you work it halfway and leave out the important parts of the process, you will not get desired results. Pretty much like not following directions, which is something I am personally really guilty of doing. You know the saying, “When all else fails, read directions!” Yeah, that’s me! If you hop in a new car, fill the tank with Orange Juice and expect it to FLY…. It won’t! Somethings in life really require reading the directions first, like meditation and visualization.

So, if you visualize something in your life improving and transforming for a few minutes and then go about the rest of your day doubting and limiting and calling out to the wind in frustration, “Omg, this will never work!” Then guess what…. It won’t! And you become discouraged!

There is a way to fix that!

There are studies out there for many years now about the effectiveness of visualization for athletes. A lot of the pros are using it these days as it catches on and becomes more and more mainstream. When it doesn’t seem to work as it should, it is because there is something blocking it, or a misunderstanding about how best to use it. In those cases, I am able to help. Not just athletes, but anyone seeking more out of life and willing to make the effort.

My thinking is that the art of life is a combination of hard work, perseverance, mindfulness, visualization and right thinking. It’s not luck. There is effort. It is about pulling all the right pieces together holistically and then, instead of feeling like you are trudging uphill in molasses, you will feel the wind at your back! It is not an overnight success kind of thing. But it is a powerful almost spiritual feeling that takes effort until it becomes non-regressive, like second hand, as easy as walking. When it happens, it’s big!

I would love for all of you reading this to try it in your lives by going deeper and extracting more meaning, joy, love and achievement for yourself!

P.S. I have never put orange juice in a gas tank of a car. Just in case you were wondering!