TipsForSuccess: Your Powerful Imagination

TipsForSuccess: Your Powerful Imagination
 


Your Powerful Imagination

During a tour of duty in Vietnam, Major James Nesmeth was captured and held prisoner in a tiny cell for seven years. To keep sane, he mentally practiced his golf game.

Every day he would imagine being at the first tee at his country club. He would imagine the weather, the feel of the club and the grass at his feet. He would look at the ball and imagine the perfect swing.

Soon after he was freed and returned to the United States, he went to his country club and played a round of golf. He knocked 20 strokes off his game the first time out! Without touching his club for seven years, he practiced every day and improved his game while a prisoner of war.

The same principle applies to your success.

"One's ability to imagine is directly proportional to one's ability to be successful." -- L. Ron Hubbard.

You can use your imagination in many ways.

Goal Achievement

Imagine successfully achieving your goals and your chances of reaching those goals are greater.

For example, Shelly and her sister Jill both want to own a home.

Shelly keeps a box filled with paint colors, carpet samples, floor plans and so on. She clips out articles about home locations, loans and buying tips. She has a clear mental image of what her home will look like and looks at it frequently.

Jill, on the other hand, worries about the high costs of homes. She feels terror whenever mortgage rates increase. She complains that life is unfair.

Shelly and Jill both learn about a house for sale where the seller might help on the financing.

Which sister says, "I'm sure I can't afford it."

Which sister says, "I'm going to go see this house during my lunch break."

Who do you think will buy a house first?

Problem Solving

When faced with a difficult situation on your road to success, you can take one of two mental paths:

1. Fill your mind with bad scenarios, anxiety or excuses.

2. Think of a good scenario, work out solutions and mentally rehearse a plan.

For example, a bully at your job named Joe says to you, "I heard what you said about me. You think you're better than me, don't you. I'm busy, but I'm coming to see you tomorrow."

That night, you can't sleep. You worry about Joe criticizing you, yelling at you or even getting violent. While thinking up excuses for not going to work, you change your mind and decide to face the problem head on. You imagine Joe cooperating with you.

You mentally review a conversation with Joe. You list everything you fear this bully may say or do and work out your best responses to each. You create a plan. You relax and fall asleep.

When you then meet Joe, you are prepared. You look him in the eye and accept anything he says without flinching. Joe feels your confidence and calms down.

Self Discipline

Your imagination can help you break a bad habit.

For example, your paperwork mountain is swallowing up your desk. Instead of doing the bare minimum amount of work, you envision yourself completing the entire backlog in one day.

You mentally see yourself closing the door, turning off the telephone and jumping in. You watch yourself plow through the pile despite everything. You feel the joy as the last piece of paper is handled and you look at your clean desk.

You imagine all this while taking your morning shower.

When you arrive at work, you know what to do. Because you have a vivid imagination, you will soon have a clean desk.

As another example, you are never on time for meetings. People bring reading material to your meetings as they know a 2:00 P.M. meeting will actually start at 2:30 P.M.

To change this, you imagine yourself running ahead of schedule. You notice how you are better focused. You see yourself scheduling meetings based on reality. You even plan responses to everyone's surprised looks when you show up on time.

Other Uses

* Imagine how the rest of your day will go for you. Will it be productive? What will you accomplish?

* Imagine your next vacation. Where will you go? What will the weather be like? How will you feel afterwards?

* If you are looking for a spouse, imagine what he or she will be like. Imagine your lives together.

* Imagine bigger goals for yourself. What would you want to accomplish if you could accomplish anything at all? What are you really capable of doing? What would be a fantastic, gigantic goal that you can possibly achieve?

* Imagine accomplishing each and every goal you have.

You can probably imagine many other uses.

Simply using your imagination lowers your stress and makes your life more positive.

Imagine yourself using this tool and then do it!


For information about L. Ron Hubbard visit www.lronhubbard.org.

 


Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard.

Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.

For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

To contact us, click here.

 

Fw: TipsForSuccess: How to Set Great Goals

TipsForSuccess: How to Set Great Goals
 


How to Set Great Goals

"No man is happy without a goal, and no man can be happy without faith in his own ability to reach that goal."

"There can be no purpose worth contemplating which does not include happiness and experience. When a man is no longer able to envision happiness as part of his future, that man is dead."
-- L. Ron Hubbard


So to be happy, you need three things:

1. A goal

2. Faith that you can reach that goal

3. The goal must include happiness

Let's go through all three aspects

1. Goals

First, write down your goals. What do you want to accomplish in the next six months? Year? Five years? Ten years? Twenty years? What are your goals for yourself, your marriage and family, your business and career, your finances?

See the Goal Examples later in this article. Fill out the Goals Questionnaire.

2. Faith

Take the first goal. Do you think you can reach this goal? Is it realistic to believe you will accomplish this end result? Do you have faith in your ability to make it?

If you have little or no faith in your ability to reach the goal, what would it take to have faith that you can? If you can't find the faith, what about the goal should you change so you can have faith?

3. Happiness

What about the goal would make you happy? What positive experience would you gain or enjoy from reaching the goal? When you think of how it will be when you reach the goal, do you feel happiness?

Repeat these steps for the rest of your goals.

Of all your goals, what are the five most important?

What can you do this week to make progress toward these five goals?

Start!

-------------------

Goal Examples

Personal and Family Goal Examples: Reduce stress, feel more confident, find more joy in life. Reduce or eliminate fears. Stop letting others control me negatively. Change bad habits to good habits. Resolve a long-term dispute. Health goals: diet, weight, alcohol, drugs, smoking. Live to at least ____ years old. Develop personal skills such as a better sense of humor, more courage, etc. Create a loving, supportive, happy marriage. Improve relations with family members. Raise valuable, productive, happy children. Spend more time with your family. Teach children to succeed.

Job and Career Goal Examples: Increase your personal productivity or pay to a certain level. Learn new job skills. Education goals. Get a promotion. Change to a better occupation. Start a second career. Start a business.

Financial Goal Examples:
Get out of debt. Increase income to $_____. Save $_______. Semi-retire or retire at age ________. Pay for your children's education. Make certain investments. Buy a business. Buy a big, beautiful house. Buy a vacation home, boat, plane, new car, horses, swimming pool, etc. Travel goals.

Business Goal Examples: Improve service or product quality to a certain level. Reach a new level of production. Increase profit. Find outstanding staff. Create a tight, efficient team. Dramatically increase the size of your business. Open branch offices. Buy/merge with another business. Sell part or all of the business/practice.

Social Goal Examples: Help people. Invent, discover or develop something significant. Change the way people think about something. Education goals. Charity goals. Religious goals. Community or society goals. Environmental goals. Political goals. National or international goals.

-------------------

Goals Questionnaire

1. What are your personal goals (health, personal improvement, possessions)? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

2. What are your marriage or family goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

3. What are your job or career goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

4. What are your financial goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

5. What are your business goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

6. What are your social goals? 1 year? 5 years? 10+ years?

 


Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard.

Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.

For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

To contact us, click here.

 

Fw: TipsForSuccess: The Secret of Acknowledgments

TipsForSuccess: The Secret of Acknowledgments
 

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The Secret of Acknowledgments

Have you ever noticed how you like talking to some people, but hate talking to others? Do you wish people would confide in you or felt more comfortable talking to you? If so, you'll like this simple, yet powerful, communication secret.

You probably know that to really communicate with people, you need to carefully listen. But what do you do after you listen? How do you let the person know you heard what he or she said?

"Acknowledgment: Something said or done to inform another that his statement or action has been noted, understood and received. 'Very good,' 'Okay,' and other such phrases are intended to inform another who has spoken or acted that his statement or action has been accepted."

"Acknowledgment itself does not necessarily imply an approval or disapproval or any other thing beyond the knowledge that an action or statement has been observed and is received."
-- L. Ron Hubbard


An acknowledgment can be a nod or a smile, a 'thank you' or an 'okay.' It lets the person know that you received his or her communication.

For example, if I ask you for the time and you reply, 'It's nine o'clock,' how would you know I received your answer if I don't give you some acknowledgment? You would not know if you have been heard.

10 Acknowledgment Tips


1. Some people do not talk at all. At some point, they may have tried to express themselves and were ignored. They have given up the idea that anyone listens to them.

2. Other people talk all the time as they get the idea no one hears them. They are still trying to get through. If someone would acknowledge them, they would relax.

3. When employers give their staff members a good acknowledgment for completing their work, the staff members feel proud and satisfied.

"Boss, I finished that project ahead of schedule and under budget!"

"Good job!"

If the boss does not acknowledge the project completion, the employee will either repeat the statement or give up and lose interest in talking to the boss.

4. Employees who are not acknowledged often demand more pay because pay is another type of acknowledgment. Without any acknowledgments, an employee will eventually give up and find a boss who appreciates the employee's hard work.

5. Bosses and parents need acknowledgment as well.

"Could you clean up this area before you leave?"

Silence.

"I said, clean up this area before you leave."

Blank face.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I SAID CLEAN UP THE AREA BEFORE YOU LEAVE! GOT IT?"

6. If you forget to thank people for their gifts, you eventually get no gifts. If you never respond to personal letters, no one will write to you. If you never return telephone calls, your phone eventually goes silent.

7. Acknowledging email communication is also important. With filters, spam and viruses in the system, you might not know your message gets through if the person does not write back, "Thanks for the note."

8. Children who are not acknowledged get upset and demand more attention. You see kids like this in stores. "Mommy? Watch this! Mommy? Watch me! Mommy? Look at me! Mommy? Mommy?" Parents who acknowledge their children have calmer, more confident children.

9. Dogs and cats are happier when you acknowledge their efforts to please you. Ignore them and they might cause problems.

10. When people do not acknowledge you, you repeat yourself. You start to nod. You talk louder.

You try acknowledging yourself. You get angry or yell.

Finally, you might decide "to heck with it" and stop talking.

How to Give Great Acknowledgments

Skilled use of acknowledgments can seem magical. You can encourage conversation, end conversation, make people feel understood and more.

To properly acknowledge someone, pay attention and wait until the person is finished. Then indicate you received and understood the message. "Okay," "Thanks," "Good," "All right," "I got that," "No problem," "Makes sense," "Sure thing," "Fine," "Roger" or whatever else you want to say.

If you also make sure the person heard your acknowledgment, the communication is complete.

Give it a try!


Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard.

Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.

For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

To contact us, click here.

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TipsForSuccess: Your Potential

TipsForSuccess: Your Potential


Your Potential

At some point, you may have decided you were a failure. You realized might not accomplish your goals. You lost your optimism.

You give up because you make mistakes. You do a few things that you regret. You avoid responsibility.

On top of that, you get hammered with criticism. You are told you are bad or worthless.

Fortunately, you have an unlimited amount of power under your control.

"Your potentialities are a great deal better than anyone ever permitted you to believe." -- L. Ron Hubbard

What is a potentiality? "The capacity for growth or development; a possibility; power." If you were sitting on a box of dynamite, you would be sitting on a potentiality. The dynamite isn't exploding . . . but it could.

You ARE sitting on a box of dynamite; and it's big!

Your Potentialities


Right now, you are capable of making improvements in your career or your life that are more significant and satisfying than anything you have ever done. You can potentially shatter your past achievement records, eliminate your worst problems and feel absolutely great. Everything you have done in the past becomes minor compared to what you can do in the near future.

Most people have the wrong idea about success. They believe "you can only do so much," or "you just need to keep on trying" or "success takes time." Such thinking slows you down and limits your lifetime achievements.

Instead, you can simply take a new view of yourself, your habits and your thinking. And then ACT!

To make a significant, instant improvement in your career and life, you must jump out of your rut. Overcome your addiction to safe, conservative plans. Break out of old patterns and find new attitudes.

Don't settle for small improvements. Do something bold and exciting. Find a destination you passionately want and explode!

Your Destination

When you plan a vacation, you don't start by examining the route. You start by choosing a destination. The route is obvious when you focus on the goal. The bigger the destination, the more exciting the trip.

What is the most exciting destination you can imagine for yourself? What objective makes your heart pound? What goal lifts your mood when you think about it?

These are your potentialities. These are your dreams. These are what you now have permission to believe!

To get there, start by concentrating on the end result. Put yourself in the picture you have always hoped for. You envision goals that are right for you.

Then you must act. Take a small step, a large step or a leap. Any progress will lead to more progress, as long as you remember to think of your ultimate success. The time to start is now.

Light your dynamite!
 


Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard.

Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.

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