Jack Nicklaus was on the 17th green in 1986 about to win his record 6th Masters at the age of 46 as he was blazing around the back nine.  He had a twelve footer down the hill with a slight break to the right.  The pressure was intense and this birdie could clinch it. He struck the putt and about a foot from the hole he raised his putter as it dropped.  The crowds roared as that did indeed carry him to a back nine 30 and another green jacket and his 18th Major Championship.

1. Vision
2. Visualization
3. Passion 
4. Clear Direction & Focus
5. Symbolic Reasoning
6. Defined Action Steps
7. Review

See it… and you can be it…  Many of the greatest athletes visualize their performance before they perform it.  Like seeing in the future.  By seeing it in the mind’s eye, it breeds confidence because when you step up to actually perform it, you have already done it… or at least your mind thinks it has.  After the round, a reporter asked Jack about the back nine.  He said he didn’t really feel the pressure.  He was having fun.  He was seeing the shots go in before he even hit them as if he had already done it.  Déjà vu… Your mind is incredibly powerful and an incredible tool.

It is more than just seeing it…  It is actually feeling it as well.  There is two types of visualization.  You are performing like you are watching yourself in a movie.  This is a more passive viewing.  Good but not as intense.  The better but more difficult visualization is actually in first person.  Looking out of your own eyes.  You feel the elements.  Wind on your face, the pressure in your hands in arms and the sounds in your ears.  It is as if you are actually performing the action. 

Think about things you want to do and accomplish…  Close your eyes and visualize it.  Think about what it would feel like to do those things.  Imagine yourself and how you would walk and carry yourself.  How would you talk to people or how would they talk to you. 

This can be hard for some people… Here are two things that can help jumpstart this process for you.   The first thing is to cut out pictures of those things that symbolize what you are trying to accomplish.  The second thing, I tell people to start thinking about those people who they admire and want to be like.  Think how they would do it.  Fake it until you make it.   After time you will be able to do it with yourself with those same characteristics of the traits you admire.  Become who and what you want to become. 

Create your own Déjà vu.

Check out the first two articles that got this started.

Goal Setting & The Black Hole
Setting Goals With Eagle Eye Vision
Does Your Strategy Have 2020 Vision

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January 25th, 2010

Does Your New Year’s Resolutions Fall Into A Black Hole Each Year?

We all have well intentions at the beginning of the year.  It feels like we get to start over.  I am sure you are like me and come up with your goals and resolutions for the year.  Only 18% actually work toward those goals throughout the year.  Even though about 12% actually accomplish the goals, only a handful of those review the goals they made last year to see if they actually accomplished it or not.

What does that mean?  We love to dream and think where we want to go, but it is just a shell of an idea with nothing at the core.

The biggest issues that keep us from our goals…  there is no action tied to the intention.  We have all been in meetings where goals, objectives and intentions are set, but no action steps are put in place and no one to champion it and lead it to the promised land.  

So the goals are deemed passive…  We hope they get done, but we don’t have a set of instructions that outline how they will get done and no one held accountable.  Hope will never be a strategy.

Many people will be looking for jobs this year… The goal cannot be just to get a job.  It has to be much more drilled down with mini goals & action steps.  You set clear steps, which might be to create a resume, buy a suit, join networking groups, have coffee with 3 different influencers a week, get new or addl training etc, etc…  These are small attainable things you do each day & each week so you can check them off.  Some are one time occurrences and others will need to be repeatable until the goal is accomplished.

The difference is this is not only proactive, but it is progressive…  It keeps you moving forward toward your ultimate goal.

So it takes several things to make sure your goals are attained.  Over the next seven weeks we will take a look at each of them.

1. Vision
2. Visualization
3. Passion
4. Clear Direction & Focus
5. Symbolic Reasoning
6. Defined Action Steps
7. Review & Update

Related Article - Does Your Strategy Have 2020 Vision? http://bit.ly/8NdV4v

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Published in: Self Improvement | on January 11th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Personal Branding Is More Important Than EVER

astronaut-a-syedTwitter - @chadrothschildLinkedIn - Chad RothschildWhen I was in elementary school, I had a teacher that every Friday was dream day… It was the greatest. As a dreamer myself, I loved it. Every Friday we came in and we talked about what we wanted to be. No matter how outlandish a dream was, she embraced it. It could have been easy for her to say they weren’t realistic, but she did quite the opposite.

I want to be an astronaut… Oh wow, that would be incredible. I can see it now, you are up in a space shuttle, walking on the moon… She would take it over the top and made you feel like you really could do it. She was a dream enabler.
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Published in: Personal Branding | on July 29th, 2009 | 19 Comments »