I'm a big believer that you can envision something and make it happen.....it's something I've done all my life, in fact. I'm certainly not the only "visionary," though. Most elite athletes use visioning to "see" themselves going through their competition or their games successfully. Musicians envision themselves playing a particular piece of music in their mind - going over and over the musical score, seeing their hands making the correct moves on their instrument. In fact, "seeing" myself playing a piano piece or "practicing in my mind" as I then called it is one of the first ways I learned that I could make things happen. As a very young piano student, I somehow realized that I could read the music and then re-play it in my head, and "watch" as my hands played the piece. In today's world we call it visioning.

Visioning is a key precursor to manifesting what we want to do in business and in life. And it's a very handy little tool to have. I've used it in all sorts of ways.
* Learning music for piano, flute, and guitar for recitals and concerts
* Teaching myself how to do proofs in geometry
* Remembering positioning, draping, and treatment routines for neuromuscular therapy treatments when I took my national boards
* Seeing myself walking again after back surgery as a child
* Finding the exact piece of furniture I wanted for a room in my home
* Speaking to large groups successfully
* Finding the perfect office space for my business

There's more (ask my husband about my "finding" the perfect car on Ebay for a song), but you get the point. Visioning leads to manifesting, and manifesting is a critical skill to have as an entrepreneur. I'm not saying that one doesn't have to put the time in to get what one wants, but you can work with the flow of things and get there a lot faster than working against the flow. And working in the flow means having a clear vision, a picture if you will, of what you want to create in and around you as you work.

Here, then, are three ways to make things happen. You can use them to accelerate your income, build your business faster, get clear about the products and services you want to offer, and even find the perfect office space!

1. Step one is to find about 15 minutes of totally quiet, alone time for yourself. Get some paper and a pen, sit or lay down, and close your eyes. Ask yourself "how exactly do I see my business?" And then wait until words or pictures form in your mind. Follow them, make them fuller. If you see yourself in an office, look around and get a detailed look. How much of the time are you there? Are there other staff members? What are you wearing? Where is this office located? Do you see people there? Make whatever pictures come to you as full as you possibly can. If you're traveling in the pictures that come to you, ask where, how much you travel, who you are with, what you do when you get there. No matter how outlandish the pictures or words are that come to you, let them become detailed and full, and follow where they lead. Jot down anything you think you won't remember about the words or pictures. Keep at it until you have a full vision of the things you want to manifest in your business.

2. Make a vision board. You can do this any way you like. I sometimes use large poster board, sometimes just a sheet of paper. Either way, go to Google images and search for pictures that represent what you want to make happen. Get the pictures out of your mind and into the world. Print them, stick them onto your vision board, and put it where you can see it often. Your eye will go to it many times during the day, and your brain and your energy will lock on to the visions you put there. Soon enough, you'll begin to see your way to each one of those pictures. Your energy will be so full of what you want to manifest that you literally will begin to pull the thing toward you. I've had completely doubtful clients do a vision board in my workshops, only to call me up six months later and report that every single thing on their board was "magically" accomplished or found. No, it isn't magic. It's putting your energy and intention toward what you see in your mind's eye, and have helped to make real by creating your vision board.

3. Share the vision board you made with your family, friends, and team members. If you want to put even more thrust into your vision, take the time to share what you are going to make happen by showing your vision board around. You're not asking for help, you're just saying what you are going for to those you spend the most time around. You're creating a wider, broader energy for what you want, even if you don't think anyone will actually do something to help you. The fact is, you just never know. One person might mention something in passing to another person, who happens to be just the person you are looking for to help make something happen. Sharing your vision deepens your own commitment to it, too. It helps you lose the "oh, I don't know if this will actually happen" self-doubt that seems to always be lurking underneath us. Just make your board, share it with a few people, and go about your business. You don't even need lengthy explanations - let the pictures speak for themselves.

The thing about envisioning is that it will become a habit for you if you do it consistently. You'll find yourself stopping for a few seconds to envision even little things in your life - the perfect dinner one night, exactly how you want to look and speak in front of a group. Learning how to open yourself to the inner knowing, the vision inside yourself, is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself and your business. Set aside visioning time once a week for the next six weeks, and notice how your life and your work begins to change.

Author's Bio: 

Sue Painter is a marketing therapist who helps business owners create mindset shifts and marketing strategies that work. A successful entrepreneur for over a decade, she is one of Ali Brown's Mastermind Leaders for Ali's Millionaire Protege Club, and one of Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid coaches. You can subscribe to Sue's Marketing Tips and Mindset Shifts e-zine on her website, http://www.confidentmarketer.com. She works with clients around the U.S. and in Europe.