Years ago I discovered a secret that has enabled me to create so much happiness and success, and the amazing thing about this secret is that it’s the exact opposite of what I had always been taught. You see, I was always told that if I wanted to BE happy or successful, then I had to Do things first that would enable me to HAVE something and then I would BE happy.

So I went about DOING a lot of the things people said I had to DO to be successful. For example when I wanted to become a Top 20% producer, my manager told me that I needed to cold call a lot, that I needed to give a lot of presentations, and that I need work harder, smarter, etc… So I did. But I didn’t become a top producer!

The reason was that the image I held in my mind was that of a bottom 80% producer who was trying to Do the things so I could HAVE the things I thought I needed to BE successful. And that image of me trying to struggle to become something I wasn’t (and that I didn’t see myself as) was the reason I wasn’t making much progress.

It was my self-image of not already BEING something (successful) that kept me from DOING the right things to BE successful.

You see, I was still a pretender trying to be something that I didn’t believe I was. So I kept adlibbing it through my sales process, still wasn’t using proven techniques, and I still sent out unqualified leads, etc. So no matter how much more I DID, I remained a struggling rep still trying to get the things (to HAVE them) so I could BE successful.

It didn’t work.

And then I learned the secret. It was simple and made perfect sense, but it wasn’t that easy to do in the beginning. What I learned is that the image I have of myself, my self image or picture that I hold of myself, is what drives and ultimately determines all levels of success and happiness. And my number one priority was to first SEE myself as successful, in other words to BE successful in my thoughts and consciousness FIRST, and then I would Do (take the right actions) and HAVE success.

I learned that the way the world really works is opposite of the way I had been taught. All manifestation and results work like this: You first have to BE something in your mind (really feel it and believe you already have it) and then you imagine to HAVE the things you want and then it will be like you to automatically DO the things you need to do to get them.

And here’s how I now practice this “law of manifestation”:

1. 1) First I identify exactly what I will feel like when I accomplish any goal I have. Exactly what it will mean to me to BE in that state of accomplishment and feeling. If my goal is to achieve a certain level of production and income, I then capture all the feelings and describe all the things I will have now that I’ve accomplished the goal. I do this in intimate and elaborate detail…
2. Then I write up an affirmation card that includes a paragraph that reinforces exactly how I’m feeling and what it’s like to BE at that level of accomplishment. I read and visualize that affirmation and imprint those feelings into my subconscious mind so that I can BE that in my mind’s eye. After a few weeks of BEING this in my mind, my self-image is changed and I have changed the picture of myself at my deepest BEING level.
3. All while this is happening, I watch myself as I begin making better decisions and as I begin getting (HAVING) different, more successful results in my life. And all this leads to me DOING things differently that support and reinforce and bring into reality the image that I now have in my mind (of how I am BEING).

   The way this breaks down is that if my goal is to make more money in a month, I visualize what I feel like now that I’ve accomplished this, and then I watch as I naturally take better actions, and watch as more people, situations, and deals come into my life. I know this might sound magical and, well, it is. But it works…

If you find that you are struggling to achieve a certain result – whether it’s earn more money, get in better shape, improve a relationship, etc., then before you wait to be successful at it, why not start with the end result first? Try BEING the thing or state you are trying to accomplish first, and watch as what you HAVE begins to change and the things you begin DOING change to support that new image.

It’s how all long lasting change takes place, and it’s a lot easier than going about it the old way you may have been taught, too.