Hey Moguls, Steve Cook here…
When I coach people, I always begin the process by having them come up with a vision for their life. While this may include business, it really needs to include all facets of life. This is the foundational – and most important – thing that we do in the coaching process. With that in mind, in this lesson I want to shed light on the often misunderstood phrase, manifesting success.
Some people will see this title and are hoping I’m going to hand off some magical formula that will teach you how to think success into existence. Of course, no such formula exists but people just keep hoping.
The insights featured in this lesson are designed to enlighten you and free you to be able to be in control of your life by changing your circumstances. There’s no hocus pocus about what I’m sharing, but I’ve seen it in operation on countless occasions and in all types of situations.
Mark’s Dilemma
I recently had one of my students call in during one of our Mastermind calls, and what he shared is what motivated me to create this lesson. It’s something well worth sharing. (We’ll call the caller Mark, although that’s not his real name.)
Mark had attended one of our events months before – almost a year ago – when I gave the challenge to write out a vision for his life, he was frustrated…
His life was in such a state of clutter and chaos that he had difficulty even thinking about whether or not his life could ever be different. The only thing that he could manage to write as his vision was that he wanted to reduce his work week (which at that time was 11-hour days, five days a week) down to three days a week.
In all honesty, Mark saw no way that that could ever become a reality, but he wrote it down anyway. If he could only work fewer hours, he reasoned, then he could think more clearly about just living life.
The Seemingly Impossible Goal
The business he was in at the time was highly lucrative, but also highly stressful, requiring him to be at the ready at all times. Cutting his work week down to three days, with no loss of income, seemed totally impossible.
So Mark left the event having written down one thing, and one thing only – to reduce his work week.
Later, Mark called in to my Mastermind group (remember?) and excitedly reported that he had been able to accomplish this seemingly impossible goal. Not only had he reduced his work time, but he also reduced his commute time. To top it all off, he had experienced no loss of income. (See why he was excited?)
“It’s amazing how writing it down caused my vision to manifest into existence,” Mark said on the call.
My Concern
While I am extremely proud of Mark, and I’m hoping much of this freed up time will be devoted to his family, I’m quick to add here that I have a bit of a concern...
My concern is this: I never want people to assume that we have the ability to “manifest things into existence” simply by our own power. That’s just not true. Such a belief sets us up for a BIG letdown. If that something is not manifested, we tend to turn inward and blame ourselves. Shame and guilt will follow and it’s a terribly miserable downward spiral.
With that said, let me explain as clearly as possible what happened to Mark in this particular situation.
What Really Happened
When Mark wrote down one simple goal, what he did was open up his own awareness. The moment he wrote it down he suddenly realized that just maybe this really could happen.
The real reason that he worked five days a week is because he thought that’s the way things are supposed to be. Like many of us in America, he’d been conditioned to believe that you work Monday through Friday. Case closed – no debate.
The first thing that happened to Mark after he left our seminar is that he just happened to meet another person who just happened to be in the same profession as Mark. However, this new acquaintance was making two to three times as much money as Mark in only two to three days per week. Ouch. Well, guess what? Mark was anxious to know more, so he met with this man…
Soon after this, he went on to discover that there were others around the country who were also working less time yet building businesses and not hindering their income. Now he was on a roll and continued his research.
Soon he located another professional in his area who was also pursuing this path, so Mark went out of his way to meet up with this businessman. In talking to this entrepreneur, Mark was able to work out a job for himself that fulfilled his vision for working three days per week instead of five. His goal had become a reality.
No Magic Involved
Here’s the upshot – the opportunity was always there. It’s not something that Mark manifested as a result of writing it down. Writing it down helped him to recognize the opportunity that had always been there. No magic was involved; he simply became aware.
Because he wrote it down, it heightened his awareness enough to make him notice that there were others already doing what he dreamed of doing. His vision was empowering in the sense that it helped him to see beyond his current circumstances and gave him the courage to move beyond them.
Apply the Principle
Now let’s take this principle and apply it to other things. For instance, we don’t manifest $1,000,000 into our bank accounts because we think about it. That money already exists; it’s there for anyone who’s willing to take action to move it from wherever it is over into their checking account.
If you don’t believe that the money could be yours, you’ll never take the necessary actions to make it yours.
However, if you believe in it, if you write it down as your vision, you’ll recognize and be aware of the opportunities that are all around you that help make your vision a reality.
Are you guilty of leaving success up to some magical chance? You can change that mindset this very moment. Recognize that you have it within yourself to accomplish great things – all you have to do is become aware of what it is that you are trying to accomplish, write it down, and go after it.
Holla at us
Agree with me about how success is manifested? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
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Beware of the dangerous mindset that success is due to some magical formula.
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Acknowledge that you have it within yourself to accomplish great things.
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Be courageous enough to write out your dreams and goals – no matter how impossible they may seem.
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Be aware of how fresh ideas and new possibilities come into view once your goals are committed to paper.
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Recognize that opportunities are out there, you just have to take action to go after them.