The Power of Visualization and/or Prayer

I am a HUGE believer in visualization/prayer.  I've seen it work over and over again for myself and others.  Call it prayer, meditation, communing with the Universe, talking to God; it's all the same thing in my book.  The hard part for me is being disciplined about it.  At one point in my life, I was very disciplined.  When I focused, it brought amazing results.  I visualized having plenty of money and all the things I would do if I was more financially well off.  I imagined making large deposits into my bank account.  And what happened?  My art REALLY took off.  Of course, I was painting a lot, but that's only half the battle.  People have to buy.  And they did.  I made more with my art than my regular 9-5 job!

Me in Costa Rica, during my disciplined visualizer, successful artist era (gonna make it happen again)

 I've also noticed that people who have achieved great things in their lives used visualization whether they knew what they were doing or not.  Before he got famous, Jim Carey used to go up in the foothills of Beverly Hills and look down at all the twinkling lights and visualize it being 'his town', with his name in lights, and people applauding his work.  My own father, who once lived in a simple cabin with no electricity or water, would sit looking out over the cotton fields and visualize a very different, more comfortable life for himself.  Now, he lives overlooking a beautiful lake and spends his days tending his roses instead of pulling cotton.  

This is my super-visualizing dad

So how does one visualize?  Start small.  It takes a lot of concentration and practice to stay focused on your new visualization practice.

1. Find a quiet place during a quiet moment in your day.  Five minutes will do
2. Close your eyes and focus all your senses on your breath.  How does it feel to breath in, what do you smell, how does it sound to breath? How does your body feel as you take the breaths?
3. As your mind relaxes, count 1 on the inhale and 2 on the exhale.  Do this for a couple minutes to further relax and focus your mind.
4. Now for the fun part.  Visualize yourself in the situation that you would like to have happen to you.  Engage all your senses.  What do you see, smell, hear, think, feel emotionally, or taste? Really focus on each of the five senses and try to make it feel as real as possible.  Do this for several moments and really savor the experience of living your dreams in your imagination.
5. Start living your visualization; want more money?  Start thinking of new ways to make it.  Want a new partner?  Join a club.  (meetup.com is a fun place to get started).  The more you start living your visualizations, even in small ways, the more effective you'll be.
6. Surround yourself with more positive energy.  Got naysayers?  Start seeking out those who support your dreams.  Have art in your house that has negative connotations?  Replace it with something more positive.  Feel impovershed in some way?  Focus on taking care of the wealth you already have (which may be in the form of health, friends, skills, knowledge, or even potential)  How can you expect to get the new when you're not taking care of the old?

I want to travel more, so I'm surrounding myself with positive travel energy by painting this, the Eiffel Tower.

Be sure to share your own 'success with visualization' story in the comments!