By Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.
Many years ago there was a young man who had a dream—a dream bigger than anything that he had ever imagined before. You see, at one point in his childhood this man was homeless, living in a minivan with his family. He once recalled how much fun they had, and how his father used to play a game where everyone would pretend and truly live the characters they had created. As this young man moved forward in life, he knew he wanted to be an actor. However, time and time again he was rejected for roles.
He decided to take his beat-up car and went to the mountains of Hollywood and, as he stood there looking out, he wrote himself a check for $10 million.
He visualized himself receiving that every time he made a movie. From that day forward, he always carried the check with him. He would open his wallet often and look at the check in appreciation for that money and opportunity.
With time that amount of money did not just become a reality; it became a small amount of what he actually got paid as he commanded anywhere from $15 to $20 million for each movie. As Jim Carey stood on that mountain, broke, he had something that could move mountains: an unwavering faith that regardless of what happened things would come together to create the reality that he envisioned.
When he had doubt, obstacles, and challenges he could look at that check and feel, see, and experience in his mind the new reality he was creating. He did not let his past or his current reality dictate his future.
Here’s another example of the power of faith. A young man who came from an immigrant family knew that he was destined for greatness. He envisioned himself one day owning the Waldorf Astoria in New York, one of the top hotels of his time. There were problems, of course. The hotel was not for sale, he did not have much money, and he did not have the connections to get the type of capital that he needed. In fact, he was having problems paying for the small hotel he did own. However, these circumstances did not stop him from believing. When he was in New York, he walked around the Waldorf Astoria with a clipboard pretending that he was the owner. He took notes as if he was assessing his hotel: What things did he like, what could he improve, or change. He would keep this vivid picture in his mind and recall it frequently.
It took time, but Conrad Hilton not only purchased that hotel, he also purchased and built many more including Stevens Hotel in Chicago (The largest hotel in the United States at the time). Regardless of the obstacles, challenges, and even what seemed impossible, Hilton trusted, created a vision, and stayed focused on the belief until he willed it into reality.
Albert Einstein once said,
“Intelligence will get you from A to B, and imagination will take you everywhere.”
He also believed that “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” In fact, if you look throughout history the people who have done the most to change our reality say that it all started in their imagination. They would envision in their minds the things that others would see as impossible until they became clearer and clearer, eventually reaching reality. This could be said of people creating wealth, as well as those responsible for miraculous healings.
Everything starts in our imagination and with our ability have unconditional faith in what will be—not just what is.
So ask yourself: If you had no limitations, what would you create in your reality? Is it an invention that could change the world? Is it abundance? More freedom? Health? The relationship of your dreams? Regardless of your current state or your current reality, you can create what you really desire. All it takes is planting the seed and taking care of it. Remember, you can’t plant seeds in a garden and say, “I will take care of you and water you once you produce.” You have to water the garden and nurture it to be able to truly receive all the benefits from it.
So where do you go from here?
1. Decide what you want: Make it as clear as possible; the more vague something is, the harder it will be to obtain.
2. Decide why you want it: You have to have a big enough reason why you want something. If you don’t have this, you won’t be committed to the process of obtaining it. So ask yourself: How will your life change? How will those around you benefit? Am I 100 percent committed to this?
3. Make it real to you: Find evidence of people who have done it or accomplished similar things. This could be done with a simple Google search.
4. Inundate yourself with it: Look for images and/or keywords that you can print out and place them in different parts of your house or office. When you wake up they should be the first thing you see and throughout the day you should have reminders. Put a related image as the screen saver on your computer or phone.
5. Visualize it: Make it a habit to see your goal in your mind. When you wake up and before you go to bed take a couple of minutes to visualize your objective and say thank you for it. Throughout your day, instead of checking social media like Facebook, check in on what you’re creating by closing your eyes and seeing it. The more you do this the clearer that it will become.
6. Be grateful for what is: If you can be grateful for what is now, you will create room for more in your life. As you appreciate, you are showing everything around you the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual capabilities to have more.
7. Prepare for it: Are there things that you will need to do to be able to be fully prepared to receive it? Do you need to make changes in your environment or change patterns?
8. Receive: When opportunities come, embrace them, do not question them. When you have an inspired action, take it.
I believe that miracles do happen every day, and I trust that whatever your heart desires you can have. Remember true courage is not living the status quo. It is embracing the true power that you are limitless and inspiring others to do the same.
Joeel A Rivera, M.Ed., is a visionary, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. From an early age, Joeel faced adversity, including immigrating to the United States, failing his freshman year of college, losing his brother, and being in a nearly fatal car accident. These experiences inspired him to return to college, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Education and is currently completing his dissertation for his Ph.D. in Psychology, with an emphasis on happiness. Joeel opened a non-profit teen center in honor of his brother and developed curriculums for the Juvenile Justice System. In almost a decade, Joeel has reached over ten thousand people as an educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and consultant. Visit www.joeelandnatalie.com.
