What final result are you trying to achieve? In the mid-1950s, a flamboyant, but unknown, American pianist had dreams of performing in the Hollywood Bowl. He gathered some money, rented the Hollywood Bowl on an off night, showed up wearing a tuxedo and played a full concert on a grand piano to absolutely no audience at all. (I understand he even placed a beautiful vase of long stemmed roses on the piano for the performance.)
Except that the hall was empty, he lived his dream. Then he kept that dream alive until, four years later to the very night, Liberace performed at the Hollywood Bowl before a capacity, standing-room-only crowd.
Several years prior, it was Harry Emerson Fosdick who voiced a new thought about self-transformation. He said, “Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind’s eye and you will be drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute immeasurably to success. Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination of what you would like to do or be.”
Liberace held a picture in his mind of himself performing before a sellout crowd at Hollywood Bowl. He made that picture more vivid by playing a full concert on stage. And that mental image, combined with hard work, skill and his trademark showmanship, contributed immensely to his eventual success.
Whether you want to simply change a habit, change an attitude or change your life...can you “see” the person you want to be? Because that is where change begins.
-- Steve Goodier
Image: flickr.com/Alan Light
