The third step From Sabotage to Success is See it, Believe it, Make it Real and it’s about visualizing or imagining what you want so you can eventually have it.
There will probably be times in your growth process when you will experience pain and confusion. You will tell yourself that you can live a perfectly happy life the way you are and you will try to convince yourself that it’s not that important to change.
You may compare yourself with other people and tell yourself that you’ll never be able to measure up. It’s at times like these that you need to focus on the end result you desire. Focus on what it will be like to be thin and healthy, to be in a healthy relationship, to have a job you love. Focus on how good it feels to accomplish goals and to have self-esteem. Don’t lose sight of your purpose.
A couple of tools you can use to help you focus on positive end results are: a Creating History Journal and a Beneficial Billboard. A Beneficial Billboard is a collage that contains words, phrases and pictures that remind you of your desired end result. It’s like your own display advertisement that “sells” you on your dreams just like advertisers try to sell you on their products. It’s called a Beneficial Billboard because everything on it will be beneficial to you once you have it. Be sure to choose only positive words and images and to focus on what you do want, not what you don’t want.
Above is an example of a Beneficial Billboard I made 15 years ago before I was a published author and before I had ever travelled to Hawaii. After making this board, many of the things pictured on it came true.
A Creating History Journal is used to write about your day as if it was in the future and went exactly the way you wanted. Here is a snippet of a sample Creating History entry from page 114 of the book From Sabotage to Success.
“Dear Diary,
I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been to find a husband who is such a kind, generous, affectionate man. He really loves me. Actually, luck had nothing to do with it. I’m so glad I had the strength to face my own self-sabotage, go beyond it, and be willing to risk meeting new men…..”
This sample entry was written by a woman in one of my workshops. At the time she wrote it, she was not in a relationship, she was sabotaging her success and she was afraid to take risks. Notice how she writes about how she wants it to be, not how it is. Within a year of writing this entry, she began dating and was enjoying her newfound freedom to take risks and welcome love back into her life.
Another tool you can use is to make a list of 10-20 good things that will happen as a result of changing. These are the points you will want to focus on every day. Write them, read them, record them on a tape and listen to them but don’t forget them.
Finally, the best medicine to cure sabotage is to make yourself do what you’re resisting. This may seem scary at first but it can be very empowering and will give you the confidence to break through resistance the next time. Fake it ’til you make it, and you will make it as long as you don’t give up.
Sometimes knowing and doing are two separate things. Meeting with a group of individuals who are all committed to change can be powerful and life transforming. If you need support and accountability from others, consider attending the workshop series Six Steps From Sabotage to Success. See details below.
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These six steps are taken from the book From Sabotage to Success. If you’d like a more in-depth description of each step with details on what to do to apply the steps to your life, subscribe to this blog. I will post blogs about these six steps from now until May 31. If you live near Long Beach, CA, consider attending the six week workshop series with the same title. It begins on June 1.
Six Steps From Sabotage to Success
Everyday Zen Relaxation Studio
3740 Atlantic Blvd. Suite 201
Long Beach CA 90807
Monday nights June 1-July 6, 2009
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost – $60 for the entire series + $25 materials fee or $15 per week
Click here to download the color brochure for this workshop series
Space is limited.
Call 562-305-3434 to reserve a spot or pre-register for the entire series on-line today. Cost $60 for six weeks.
Oprah says she believes in The Secret and has been trying to share these principles with her viewing audience for the past 21 years.
The fourth step From Sabotage to Success is: Success Breeds Success. What that means is that when you put yourself in a position to achieve success and you focus on success, you are likely to create more of the same. An important part of focusing on success is to write it down and acknowledge it as it’s happening.
