When we are afraid of failing at something, we tend to think or obsess about it, which is normal, particularly just in advance of whatever it is we may be attempting to do. Unfortunately, this latent fear many times causes us to imagine various scenarios of failure, and not without repercussions. Focusing on negative possibilities causes the mind and body to either overcompensate because of increased adrenaline, resulting in a true self-fulfilled prophesy of failure, or may simply cause one to acquiesce to the possibility of failure and give up beforehand for fear of embarrassment; thus accepting defeat even before success has a chance to happen. Imagine carrying this scenario on a job interview or first date with someone.
No matter what actually occurs, a mindset of failure pre-defeats you, resulting in outright failure, or at the very least diminished returns. We all have insecurities and it is all too easy to interject or assume a lack of success while carrying out some unfamiliar task, even if just learning to perfect a skill. However, though a losing proposition is always a possibility, who’s to say positive returns and successful end results are any less plausible? Believe it or not, lack of confidence aside, it is surprisingly easy to visualize very different end results more in-line with your capabilities and what you need or want to accomplish.
Granted, that is but a part of the solution as one also needs to be able to believe these images of success before follow-through can occur with any consistency. However, like failure breeds failure, success breeds success and only you can get the ball rolling in the right direction. So, just for the heck of it, instead of failure, why not try visualizing successful and positive end results before attempting something new, just to see what happens? What have you got to lose, but failure, and what do you stand to gain, but success?
Don’t get me wrong, I do not mean to imply by any stretch that someone can simply visualize him or herself doing something perfectly well and then following through flawlessly on the first attempt. Believe me, I know all too well how certain inner betrayals can be irritatingly tenacious, especially on the golf course ;-}. And there will always be room for error as we are all human.
Regardless, the visualization factor can be either an incredible hindrance or ally, particularly when attempting something physical that falls outside of one’s common realm of experience or physical comfort zone. However, it is the right attitude that gives any of us room to even the playing field to varying degrees. Positive perspectives and visualizations are powerful and can absolutely increase the odds of your succeeding relatively well at something new, thus increasing your levels of success and self-respect; which actually carries weight toward future endeavors.
What’s nice is that the effects of positive visualizations can, to varying degrees, be applied to many other aspects of your life. While attempting to be successful at something, the stronger and more clearly you visualize the desired end result, as stated above, your mind and body react to it, causing your actions to fall more in line with what is needed to be done to make it happen successfully. And here’s to your success!
Check out my website at: www.ForwardMotionLC.com
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Don Neviaser is a Certified Life Coach and author, utilizing both careers helping people move beyond restrictive mindsets and debilitating self-perceptions to a place of inner unity, appreciation and gratitude for who they are and what they are capable of; all in line with who they really are; their True Self!
He has been writing for 35 years and to date has published 4 self-help books that expound on the power and effectiveness of perspective and an attitude of gratitude in making all the difference between existing or truly living from the heart.