Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose. - Unknown

One evening, I sat at the tiny desk in my hallway, imagining it was an office. I tried to envision what it would be like to earn $100,000 per year and have employees. At the time, I didn't know what it meant to have a vision for my business, but I now understand that I was dreaming of what it would feel like to charge $100 or more to clean a home. 

This year, perhaps you've included "financial independence," "creating an impact," and "building a legacy," all while working a flexible schedule in your New Year's resolutions. And to do that, you've decided to start a business but don't know what to do next.  

Start by dreaming.

Using visualization to achieve your dream is so powerful and is why I am today. Here are some benefits of using your imagination to reach your goals.

1. Creates a Mental Blueprint

When you allow yourself to dream freely, without your rationale telling you that you can't do something, you form a vivid mental image of your desired outcome. This creates a blueprint in your mind that guides your actions, decisions, and behaviors toward achieving goals that align with your dreams. 

2. Enhances Motivation

Regularly visualizing your success and the fulfillment of your dreams, you can keep your motivation levels high. Taking time out of your schedule to dream is a constant reminder of what you're working towards. When things get challenging, scheduling that time to dream is especially important.

3. Activates the Law of Attraction

"What we focus on, we will attract. Everything we experience in our life is dictated by our own mind. It is important to just focus on thinking about what you want and get emotionally involved to attract it into your life." - Bob Proctor

When we feel an idea, we're emotionally attached to it. And when we're emotionally attached to our goal, it's more likely to happen. You do not need to know how to do everything that may need to be done to get you to your goal. Just schedule time to dream. Write it down. Feel it. Get emotionally attached to it, then you will start seeing opportunities all around you to get you to where you want to go.

4. Triggers the Reticular Activating System (RAS)

The RAS is a part of the brain that filters information and determines what gets noticed more and what gets ignored. By visualizing your goals, you're telling your RAS what's important to you, making you more likely to notice opportunities and resources aligning with your objectives. Have you ever wanted a new car or truck and started seeing that model everywhere? That's the RAS in action.

5. Boosts Self-Efficacy 

Dreaming and visualizing can improve your belief in your ability to achieve your goals. Challenges and obstacles will come up. Visualizing that you're overcoming those challenges and reaching your goals will help you build confidence in your capabilities and make those obstacles less challenging to navigate when they do arise.

6. Improves Focus and Concentration

Consistently visualizing your goals helps sharpen your focus. Your daily actions and priorities will align more with your long-term objectives, minimizing distractions.

7. Facilitates Emotional and Psychological Preparedness

Visualization prepares you emotionally and psychologically for the journey toward your dreams. By experiencing the feelings of achieving your goals in your mind, you become more resilient to stress and better equipped to handle the emotional ups and downs of the journey.

8. Enhances Problem-Solving Skills

Visualization isn't just about seeing the end goal; it also involves imagining the steps involved in getting there, including overcoming potential hurdles. Olympic athletes understand the power of visualization and often use it to prepare for their events. This mental rehearsal can enhance your problem-solving skills and effectively prepare your mind to deal with challenges before they occur.

A few years after starting my cleaning business, I received my first big check for a job we did over the summer. It felt like a dream come true! That check helped push us over $100,000 that year, and because I was so focused on the little things I could do, I didn't even realize at first that we'd hit the goal I'd set sitting at that little desk.

If I'd been sitting at my desk saying, "I want $100,000," that's not very specific. We are often too generalized when we set goals. The more specific we get, the more we understand what needs to be accomplished in order to achieve it. 

I allowed myself to dream and used my imagination to feel what it would be like once I hit my goal. Here are some tips for you to start practicing: 

Visualization Tips:

• Practice Regularly: Incorporate visualization into your daily routine, spending a few minutes each day picturing your goals as already achieved.
• Use All Senses: Make your visualization as vivid as possible by involving all senses—what you see, hear, feel, smell, and perhaps even taste.
• Incorporate Emotion: Emotionally charged visualizations are more powerful. Feel the joy, satisfaction, and pride you would experience upon achieving your dreams.
• Write It: Writing out your dream in vivid detail will help you remember what you want when times are tough. Seeing it on paper can make it feel more real, too. 
• Date It: Placing a date on when you want your goal to happen can help create a sense of urgency that will help motivate you to act.
• Combine with Action: Visualization is most effective when combined with action. Use the motivation and clarity gained from visualizing to take concrete steps toward your goals.