Pick up any book about the power of the mind, and you will learn about the importance of visualization. “Concentrate, imagine, picture in your mind the reality you wish to create for yourself. Do it for five minutes a day, and you’ll be amazed at the changes that will happen in your life, bringing you closer and closer to your goal!”

This is true. But one very important point is often left out with these instructions. And if you don’t know what it is, you will often end up sabotaging your own good efforts, and you won’t know why. Want to know what’s missing?

What is missing with these instructions on how to visualize is that in order for it to work, you must also begin paying attention to your thoughts outside of those focused five minutes. The more chaotic and wishy-washy they are, the more mental static they create, and the weaker your “transmitting signal” becomes.

For example, let’s say you want to own a new home in a particular neighborhood. You may not even know which house you want, but you have a very good idealized image about the style, the décor, the price, the home’s condition, and so on. Diligently, you rehearse in your mind finding the home, making the offer, attending the closing, getting the keys, moving in and living happily in your home. This is a very powerful visualization process, and should bring you results. But it doesn’t.

Chances are, outside of those directed, intense, powerful few minutes, your thinking is all over the place. Many times a day, you may remember your goal, and how much you want to achieve it. But random little negative thoughts about it come flying in, just like a mosquito can get through the smallest tear in a screen. “I hope there’s no problem with my credit score.” “What if my ideal house fails the home inspection, or won’t appraise for the mortgage I need to buy it?” “What if crackheads are living next door…how will I get rid of them?” “What if I lose my job before I find my dream home?” “Maybe I should play it safe and get a condo instead.” “Or maybe I could look into co-housing.” “What if I went back to school and lived in a dorm for a few years, and saved my money and bought the house for cash?” “Straw-bale housing…now THAT would be a cool thing to get into…I wonder if my dream neighborhood would allow me to build a house out of straw bales?” And so on, and so on.

A zillion of these disorganized, vacillating little thoughts throughout the day will most certainly undo most or all of the great visualization work you are doing in those concentrated five minutes. So you have to pay attention to those random thoughts and, gently, one by one, consciously dismiss them. You notice one of these thoughts zinging in, and you now should gently say to yourself something like “that thought will interfere with achieving my most-desired goals. Therefore, I dismiss it.” Or, like the Silva Method suggests, you can just say “Cancel, cancel!” The words don’t matter, as long as you notice the thought, become of aware of its detrimental power, and you make a conscious decision to release it.

Ironically, such thoughts may uncover the need for you to revise your goals and adjust your visualization practice. That’s fine…it’s fine for us to change our minds as we ponder a subject more deeply. But do it consciously, don’t just let your random thoughts undo your good work, with nothing better to replace it.

Likewise, you might sense that such thoughts may uncover one or more major bugaboo that is getting in your way. If you are visualizing financial prosperity, perhaps you begin to notice that the theme of your distracting thoughts somehow get around to the point that you are unworthy in some way. Perhaps religious beliefs, or family history, or associating wealth with bad character (“rich people are evil”), are preventing you from achieving your goals. Remember, your subconscious will always attempt to protect you, no matter what…even if it involves keeping you poor, loveless, fat, or addicted! If this is what is happening, you can always journal about it, or seek the assistance of a counselor or hypnotist. They are both very good at digging out these little subconscious Trojan worms that mess up our best intentions.

You CAN create the life you want! Good luck!