Barton Goldsmith - Visualization for Success: 75 Psychological Empowerment Exercises to Get What You Want in Life

Copyright 2020 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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Interior and Cover Designer: Erik Jacobsen
Art Producer: Samantha Ulban
Editor: Mo Mozuch
Production Editor: Jenna Dutton
Cover Art Shutterstock/MJgraphics
courtesy of Angelika Goldsmith

ISBN: Print 978-1-64611-409-2 | eBook 978-1-64611-410-8

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This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Angelika. I could never have visualized anyone as wonderful as you coming into my life. You are what I live for, and all my words are inspired by your love.

Contents

Its been a few years since a publisher asked me to write a book. Ive had plenty to keep me busy with my writing and speaking, not to mention my on-set therapy practice. Im not looking for more to do, but I like having a book in the pipeline. And not having one for a little while was kind of nibbling on my brain.

As we approach milestones in our lives, we consciously and unconsciously make changes to reach that goal. My blog for Psychology Today was approaching 20 million views, and I was proud of that number. But as I got closer to my goal, the views slowed down. It wasnt an illusion; other bloggers posted about the drop due to Googles new algorithms. It really didnt bother meuntil it did. Even though I knew I would eventually get to 20 million, hitting that number became very important.

Somewhere in my unconscious mind, I not only equated reaching 20 million with my own satisfaction but was thinking that after I reached it, a book contract would magically pop out of my computer, and I would again be deep into another creative project. This motivated me to keep posting, and I did.

Once I hit the magic number, I received congratulatory emails, tons more views, and a sense of having done something helpful for my community of readersbut I still had no book contract. I began to wonder why. After all, I had good reason to expect a call. Most of my books had come out of the blue in this way, and one book had led to another, but having been off the charts for a bit, perhaps Id fallen off the publishing radar? Still, I opened the computer every morning, thinking, Well, maybe today.

For the next few weeks, I approached each day the same. Lots of things to write about. Lots of powerful energy going on around me. Waking, walking, and writing had become my focus. My wife was away, and I had to take care of our little dog who was recovering from an injury. We walk two or three times a day, and on those walks I imagined how I would rebalance my life when my other half returned, our dog-child was healed, and I had this new, imaginary project to complete.

Lo and behold, I was using a tool I had passionately studied, lectured, written about, and shared with many clients over many years. I was visualizing my goal of writing a new book. Generally, when I use visualization, it is directed and very conscious. But this time, I didnt think of my thoughts as having the same power. It proved to be a reminder of how strong our passing thoughts can be!

My blog was on fire, hitting 21 million after a million new views over two months, so I was feeling pretty good about my work. But not as good as I did when I got the email asking me to write a book onget this Visualization for Success ! The amazing truth is that visualizing the book offer kept me going, and over time I was psychologically working toward my goal. That is how this book was born.

The lessons are clear: Our thoughts do create our reality, and we are almost always thinking. If you keep the thoughts positive, more good things happen. You can create a lot of what you want with intention and some internal visioning, and most of the time, its easier than you think.

This book will teach you how to use the scientifically proven process of clinical visualization to help you achieve greater success in your life, your relationships, and your endeavors.

This book is not meant to serve as a substitute for professional counseling or medication, nor does it serve as an acknowledgment that the author has entered into a formal patient relationship with the reader. Anyone experiencing debilitating depression, anxiety, or other mental health ailments is encouraged to seek help from a licensed mental health professional.

Visualization has been around for thousands of years, mostly in spiritual and religious forms. In fact, prayer itself is a form of visualization. More recently, as chronicled in the classic Getting Well Again , researchers in the medical community began to study how visualization could help people with untreatable chronic or terminal illnesses. They examined how people could manage their pain and discomfort and feel more empowered just by doing exercises to visualize getting well. The effects were profoundly positive. Researchers and teachers like Dr. Milton Erickson helped refine the process and brought it to those who wish to enhance their overall performance in any area of life. A combination of these techniques is featured in this book and will focus on positivity, relationships, and goals.

When Tiger Woods first won the Masters, everyone wanted to know more about his technique. How did he do it? He explained that before he took a swing, he would see the ball going into the hole. He visualized it. I have coached athletes, actors, and executives in the practice of visualization, and once they see how well it works, it becomes a major part of their personal game plan.