Adults, with eyes to see, can learn so much about success in life from children.
When a baby is born, it has instinctively in it everything needed to succeed in life. A child is like a fresh piece of canvas, ready to become a unique contribution to the world. A child has had less exposure to adult conditioning with regards to behaviour and expectations. Every child has the seeds of success for life within them. By observing children being children, adults can re-learn principles of success that have been buried by their adult world.
As I was driving home last week, I noticed a little boy and his mother by the side of the road. They had stopped walking and the mother was adjusting a toy crossbow to fit more comfortably over the boy's shoulder. I realized that at that moment in the heart and mind of that small boy, he was not on a sidewalk by a busy road. Perhaps he was hunting in a forest, or was an intrepid explorer of the unknown, ready to pull out his bow and arrows at the slightest hint of danger. In his imagination he was a hero, confident, skilled, and brave. He was alert, prepared, with the expectation of overcoming danger or threat with his skill and swift reflexes.
For a child involved in imaginative play, there is very little distinction between fantasy and reality. Children live and play out their dreams totally in the moment.
There are many principles of success that can be learned by looking through the eyes of a child. Children's eyes see with clarity and perception and reflect the reality of who they are. Children are uncluttered by training, brainwashing, and by living according to the unwritten rules and etiquette that have assailed the adult mind. For a child life has limitless possibilities that have not been squashed by logic, common sense, or limiting expectations that become part of the adult mind.
What principle of success can be drawn from the little boy with his bow and arrow?
One of the most powerful and yet unused principles of success is the process of visualization. Visualization is the act of creating compelling and vivid pictures in your mind. This is just what the little boy was doing. He was "that hero"; he acted like him, dressed like him, and could picture himself in another time and another place. For him, it seemed like reality. This is a spontaneous, natural process for a child.
Researchers have found that visualization accelerates achievement in powerful ways. It has been proved by research that when performing any task in life the brain uses the same identical processes that it would if you were only vividly visualizing that activity. The brain sees no difference at all between visualizing something and actually doing it.
This principle also is applicable when a person is learning something new. Visualization makes the brain achieve more. In a study by researchers at Harvard University, it was found that students who visualized in advance were able to perform tasks with nearly 100 percent accuracy. Students who performed tasks without using visualization only achieved 55 percent accuracy.
Visualization is frequently used by Olympic and professional athletes to improve performance. Jack Nicklaus, a legend in the golfing world, once described how he uses visualization. "I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It's like a color movie. First I "see" where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I "see" the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there's a sort of fade out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality." The results of the power of visualization for Jack Nicklaus are convincing: he has won over 100 tournaments earning over 5.7 million in the process.
For a child a high proportion of time is spent in visualization. Adults may say, "He's only playing" and not see the potential power for success that the child is practicing. Visualization is a process that is naturally strong in the learning and formative years of the child. Research now confirms that visualization activates the creative powers of the subconscious mind. It focuses the brain by programming its reticular activating system (RAS) to notice available resources that were always there but previously unnoticed. Visualization, incredibly, also magnetizes and attracts you to the people, resources, and opportunities you need to achieve your goal.
Next time you see children playing, pause to watch visualization in its purest form. What can you learn and apply to your own life to accelerate and achieve greater success using the principle of visualization?
Barbara White has over twenty years experience in educational leadership and teaching, as well as being a parent of three teenagers. Barbara is now President of Beyond Better Development, which specializes in motivation and training in interpersonal skills.For more articles about success visit her website success and her Blog at success
limo prices to midway Crystal Lake west of Randal .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareMost of us fear change, because - as we've all... Read More
Oprah and Harpo Productions, consistently reap awe-inspiring progress and record-breaking... Read More
Walt Disney coined a special phrase for persistence and determination;... Read More
In Part Three, I promised we would get into the... Read More
Greatness is all around us. From Oprah to Bill Gates... Read More
Do you want to achieve your most important goals in... Read More
Routinely, I rise out of bed before the birds, and... Read More
In so many areas of life we must always be... Read More
I am writing this article to cement two key success... Read More
Have you ever had such thoughts like "I always fall... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
Your ability to deal constructively and effectively with mistakes and... Read More
Do not make the mistake of looking at your failures... Read More
Are you getting frustrated because the work you continue to... Read More
Your personal image: It's the most important YOU asset you... Read More
Temp your way to the top Want to take the... Read More
"When I think back on all the crap I learned... Read More
So you want to be successful (whatever that means to... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
If you called my office you will hear my voice... Read More
Work addiction is an unrestrained, unfulfillable internal demand for constant... Read More
Just how powerful is the Subconscious Mind and how can... Read More
It has been truly said, and history confirms, that the... Read More
Cost is sometimes a difficult term to define. Here, we... Read More
No surprise - winning traits are common among high achievers.Are... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..Two weeks ago we took a look at the power... Read More
The first thing that you need to do is get... Read More
All too often, we push ourselves past the limits of... Read More
Why is it that most people still equate being successful... Read More
Hi, Jim Rohn here. This month we focus on accelerating... Read More
I have often been asked the question, "What is true... Read More
The First step to success is to think and decide... Read More
Having clear goals and desires for our future, and planning... Read More
Abundance is intangible, spiritual and attracts energy. To attract this... Read More
If you were to evaluate the major influences in your... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
"Well, you're just a busy beaver, aren't you?" You've either... Read More
Affirmations are emotionally driven statements of intention and faith that... Read More
We must never allow a day to pass without finding... Read More
* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More
I started taking stock of my year in 2002. I... Read More
Congratulations! You are the president of your own nation, and... Read More
This revelation hit me the other day while I was... Read More
Napoleon Hill, the famous inspirational writer, once met a reader... Read More
OK, so here we are. We've switched the calendars out... Read More
Visualize success, and what you'll do to reward yourself A... Read More
Here are 3 powerful steps you can take to free... Read More
Bank account bare? Bedroom barren? Body running on empty? Buddha... Read More
Let me tell you story about a friend of mine... Read More
Are you getting frustrated because the work you continue to... Read More
Success |