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
last minute cleaning help Arlington Heights ..Friendly competition Get together with a group of like-minded friends... Read More
The need to be successful. This is the bottom line... Read More
Critics can destroy or inspire you. Your own self critic... Read More
Many of the problems we have with discipline are caused... Read More
To make change effective, you have to BE what you... Read More
Well I'll tell you what it's not. Even thought many... Read More
Coaching is about living great lives. It's about living lives... Read More
I can tell, with 95% accuracy, if you are going... Read More
How many times do we fail at something, then attemp... Read More
Create a truth and step into it There is a... Read More
I wrote an article on this very subject, with the... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
All of us could work on our skills in influencing... Read More
The recent mission of the space shuttle Discovery is NASA's... Read More
I want to relate to you a story, READ it... Read More
I'll let you in on a little secret...life delivers pretty... Read More
Most of us fear change, because - as we've all... Read More
(Excerpted From the 2001 Jim Rohn Millennium Weekend Event -... Read More
Many people ask me how they can be more successful.The... Read More
The other day I went shopping at the local consumer... Read More
Before we can unlock human potential, we need to know... Read More
What's holding you back?One of my clients came to me... Read More
When you look into the eyes of a winner, what... Read More
Formula For SuccessThe winners in this life know the rules... Read More
Can anyone become a successful businessperson? I am asked this... Read More
same day cleaning service Wilmette ..Being busy has become a way of life for many... Read More
Do you want to achieve your most important goals in... Read More
Skills or beliefs; this may well be another example of... Read More
Many years ago, forty to be exact, I started my... Read More
Change is one of the biggest concepts facing today's society.... Read More
The 72,500 men, women and children sat in an uncomfortable... Read More
Remove these words from your vocabulary!The words "If only ?"... Read More
How do we define success? Webster's dictionary defines success as... Read More
Everything you will ever have and accomplish in life will... Read More
Decide which game to play. Is winning that... Read More
Is it difficult to be professional?I think from my experience... Read More
There are certain laws that when obeyed will bring great... Read More
If you help yourself, God and humans will help you... Read More
Trust is a cornerstone of human existence. It is interesting... Read More
George Burns' career could have ended as early as 1958,... Read More
Finding balance is deciding to notice what goes on in... Read More
Since belief always precedes action, simply changing your beliefs can... Read More
I bet you want to be wealthy, but somehow the... Read More
The gambling instinct is in every man or woman. All... Read More
Do not make the mistake of looking at your failures... Read More
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)Wouldn't... Read More
The best way to predict your future is to create... Read More
"When I think back on all the crap I learned... Read More
Wow, what an outrageous claim! Why do I say this?... Read More
"If you think you can or you think you can't... Read More
Success |