Success: From Imagination to Reality
by Anita Pagliasso
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It wasn't very long after that a friend took me to see some condos
in a part of town that I was unfamiliar with. There it was, my
house, exactly as I visualized it -- down to every detail!
I have since tried to incorporate this same technique into my travel business. One recent example was when I organized a marketing and planning retreat for some of my agents. We went away for a two-night stay in Monterey, Calif., to strategize about upcoming opportunities, brainstorm new marketing ideas, and set annual goals. In preparation for the getaway, I requested that they all bring some of their favorite magazines for a special project. I purchased framed cork boards for each of us and brought along all of my scrapbooking supplies. The conference room soon started looking like a craft store, as the puzzled agents were trying to figure out what in the world we were about to do. I asked everyone to start going through all of the magazines and cut out any pictures, quotes, words, or anything else that might represent what they wanted to achieve for the coming year. Just as I was instructed to do when visualizing my house, I asked each of them to be very specific with what they wanted to see materialize.
I also cautioned everyone as they started to work on the project
to be careful what they wished for. As an example, when it
comes to earning more money, don't put a picture of a one dollar
bill on the board unless you only want to earn dollars. If you are
going to visualize success, dream big! Find a picture of the denomination
of money that you truly would love to be earning. If earning enough
in commissions to buy a new car is important, make sure your picture
is of the exact make and model that you want.
There were lots of words being cut out like SUCCESS, FINANCIAL FREEDOM, ORGANIZE, DREAM, and my personal favorite, BELIEVE. Next to travel scenes, they pasted pictures of money representing increased commissions. Wanting to increase their group business, several had found pictures of groups traveling on tours and cruises. A couple of the agents had family pictures and others had lifestyle pictures. One agent expressed that her goal was to learn how to balance her family life with her travel business. In each case, these pictures and sayings represented something that was pertinent to achieving their success. It was fascinating to see how each project was completely unique as the agents explained what the board meant to them.
Does this all sound hokey to you? Consider the fact that I am not the only one who uses these powerful techniques. There are winning football coaches who have given their players pictures of Super Bowl rings before the season begins. Golf superstar Tiger Woods incorporates visualization into his pre-swing routine. The Los Angeles Lakers coach asks his players to visualize victory before games. And, Olympic swimmers have used visualization and relaxation techniques before races.
I remember a scene in the movie “American Beauty” where
Annette Benning, playing a Realtor, is getting a house ready to
view. She can be seen vacuuming and opening drapes while chanting
"I WILL sell this house" over and over. This scene reinforces
my belief that it isn't just a matter of preparing business plans
and financial reports -- you also need to prepare yourself
to act and be successful, and visualizing success will
help you do just that. Whether it’s meeting with a new client,
presenting a proposal to a group leader, or making a presentation
to a networking group, picture the scenario that you want
to have happen and see yourself being successful.
Anita Pagliasso is president of Ticket to Travel (www.aticket2travel.com),
OSSN’s Western Regional Manager, and an executive board member
of PATH. She has written a book titled “How I Made a Small
Fortune as a Home-Based Agent” and a CD (“Anita’s
Toolbox for Home-Based Agents”) with dozens of her most popular
forms, letters, and guides that you can download and customize for
your own use. Visit www.redticketproductions.com
(Credit: Anita Pagliasso)
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