Aiming for success and visualization

Josephine Thestrup

Hi!

I found myself struggling to find/visualize my biggest goal because the overarching one is to learn to love myself and get rid of the self critics so when I do meditations I see different scenerios of me being happy and doing things I love or being with people I love. I believe that the fundamental skill of loving yourself first will put me in position to create the life I want since I do not have a clear vision of how my life is gonna be lets say 5 years.

Also, I am very passionate about my athletic carrier so I want to represent my country at the olympics. I have dealt with performance anxiety before and due to that I have been working with a sports psychologist who told me that you should not aim for success because the more you aim for it and make it a target, the more likely you are to miss it because you will not be working as hard(in the sense of focus on the journey, not the destination).

This statement keeps confusing me though since I am then questioning visualizing my future. 

What is your advice for this?

Jessica Connor, Ph.D.

Hi Josephine,

I love that you have chosen to love yourself first. That kind of love is at the heart of so many (if not all) of our creations and self-worth goes a very long way!

Although I agree with your sports psychologist regarding the present moment journey, I respectfully disagree with negating the goal of success. I believe he or she may have the intention of assisting you in stopping the anxious thoughts related to your performance, which is great!  However, if you are able to connect with and tie in the feelings states associated with "winning" when visualizing, this will be the most ideal state to embody. 

Can you see yourself with a successful outcome? And when you do, how do you feel about it? Can you bring up what it feels like to achieve your goal in a positive way? When we visualize, we enter the spiritual and energetic world where all is created. All things that have been created first began in the mind as an idea. Let your ideas bring you into a state wherein you love the thought of them. Find that winning and successful feeling and nurture that! :) 

-Jessica  

Shelia Thurman, LCSW

I totally agree with Jessica! I might even take it a little farther. Loving the divine creature that we are is necessary if we are to truly love our brothers, sisters and the wonderful world in which we live. All negative programming that blocks conscious manifestations are ultimately rooted in the belief that we are unworthy - that we are powerlessness, less than, not good enough, selfish or undeserving. All of which stem from a need to truly love ourselves. We must practice forgiving ourselves and everybody else. That puts us in the state of allowing our desired manifestations to materialize! Love is the ultimate vibrational state. We must treat ourselves like we would treat a little child. After all, we are just children in adult spacesuits. "Today I will focus on all things lovely." "Today I will be a lover. " Today I will appreciate everything I have created in my life, wanted or unwanted." I like those affirmations. Keep up the excellent work! You are amazing!

Shelia ❤️

Josephine Thestrup

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for the answer! Okay I will definitely practice that for my visualization.

so with my overarching goal - is that specific enough for the subconscious since I do not have a clear picture (i.e. such as if the end goal was getting married)?

- Josephine

Jessica Connor, Ph.D.

I believe your overarching goal is the central theme for everything else. If you read Shelia's words that she wrote for you (and then re-read them again), you may find a great power to soak yourself in. The picture will begin to evolve within you when you feel worthy, powerful, and good enough to achieve. The desire for more goals and successes will spring forth from that type of love and understanding of the self. And then, as any doubt you may have once had begins to melt away, the mental pictures will show up at such a pace that you will wonder which manifestation you would like to choose as your primary creation. It's really a fun game to play and you'll start to experience it as such!

Again, I truly congratulate you for choosing this as your theme with the course. And I believe you will find so many wonderful experiences because of it! You can focus on any other specifics as they come to you. (And they will.) :)