In 1987, I was hired by Allstate Insurance to present a motivational seminar for their sales team. One of their executives saw me speak on TV and thought I could help his team. This was my first motivational speech. Funny thing was that I was dead broke in the time and would be “motivating” a group of salesmen earning six-figure incomes. But, in the spirit of “fake it until you make it,” I created a 20-minute presentation mixing martial arts and motivation. For instance, I’d have one of my students attack me and I’d take away his balance by sweeping him to the floor. I’d then turn to the audience to describe the importance of balance in life. I was way out of my league, but they loved it. Allstate doubled my pay to $1,000 and booked six more seminars. More than the money, the confidence I gained from the experience was life changing. Had I not been willing to fake it I would have no chance to make it.
Part of my pay that day was a room at the downtown Hilton in St. Petersburg, Florida. This was the nicest hotel I’d even been in at the time.
Even though I lived just two miles away; I opted to spend the night at the Hilton. That evening, I sat in the lounge, creating list after list of new goals for myself.
The response to the seminar was so positive that it catapulted my confidence to new levels and I made these goals with a new sense of daring and ambition. This was a major emotional threshold in my life. Had I sat down a couple of days earlier to make a list of goals, they would have been far less ambitious than the list I made that night in the Hilton.
While you may not have yet had an experience such as speaking for a group of executives, what would be the equivalent for you in your life? Is there a short-term goal or accomplishment that you seek that would give you the same confidence boost? Here is a little technique that will help you to get that confidence boost right now. It’s meant to be done with your eyes closed and relaxed so read the next two paragraphs and then close your eyes and walk through the process.
I want you to name that goal or if the goal is really large, name the first step and then repeat this process for each step towards accomplishing that goal. For instance, if you want to change careers, you may want to start with taking a class or a seminar in the field you want to transition to. Second would be to get whatever license or certification that may be required. The third step might be to make the transition. Write these steps down or fix them in your mind right now.
Close your eyes and project your mind forward and imagine that you have accomplished that first step. What does that feel like? See yourself accomplishing your goal. Listen to the congratulations from your friends and family. I want you to feel it, see it, hear it, taste it, and smell the sweet smell of success for yourself. Drink it all in for a moment before moving on to the next step and the next step until you have accomplished your goal.
How does that feel? Pretty good I bet. This projection technique is a powerful way to motivate you and stimulate your sub-conscious mind. It attracts you to the activities required to accomplish the goal.
This works best when you isolate yourself for part of a day and surround yourself in an environment of wealth. The best place to do that for me is to do my goal setting in a nice hotel. When I did this that first night in the Hilton, I just felt rich by being around wealthier people. Mind you at the time, if you had $100 in the bank, you were richer than me, so it didn’t take much, but I think you get the idea.
The opulence of the surroundings convinced me that I would go to a nice hotel each year to do my goal setting. I’ve done this now in Dubai, London, Paris, Hawaii, Germany, Aspen, Grand Cayman and other fabulous locations and you can too.
Spend at least one day in a five star hotel reviewing this year and planning for the next. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, do this in the lobby or lounge. The strategy is to surround yourself with privilege and an atmosphere of wealth to help you formulate your goals for the New Year.
Here some simple annual goals to set:((
1. Improve your net worth by 10%
2. Increase personal income by 20%((
3. Pay off all debt other than your mortgage
4. Pay off your mortgage (I’ve never had a mortgage last more than three years. My current home is worth nearly two-million dollars)
Another enjoyable goal projection technique is one of my favorites. On weekends realtors open houses to visitors. Go visit million dollar homes. I did this for years. I’d walk in and kind of pretend this was my house. I’d take a deep breath and smell the smell of a millionaire’s home. I’d imagine I was coming home from work and heading for the hot tub with a cool drink to relax and enjoy my surroundings.
Rich glossy magazines like the Robb Report are also ways you can visit fabulous homes without having to leave your own. The purpose of these goal projections exercises is to stimulate your sub-conscious mind to pull you in the direction that you want to go in. If you’ve never experienced wealth or set a goal and accomplished it, then it may be difficult to imagine yourself getting there. These techniques create an internal sensation that you are already there. Remember, the sub-conscious doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. This is a step towards creating a new reality for your self.
John Graden is the author of The Impostor Syndrome. The Impostor Syndrome is the feeling you’re not as smart, talented, or skilled as others think you are. It’s the feeling you’ve been faking it and are about to be found out. Learn more about the book at:
http://www.theimpostorsyndrome.com
http://www.johngraden.com
Article Source: Fake It Until You Make It
