Inner Awareness
By Jaime   Licauco 
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:05:00 09/14/2010
THE AUG. 28 ISSUE of Philippine Daily Inquirer carried an item on how a  nursing student became the top graduate through visualization.
According to the feature story written by Inquirer reporter Juan Escandor, Jr. of Southern Tagalog and DJ Yap:
“Rayan  Abogado Oliva, the topnotcher in the nursing board exams last July, had  prayed every day that he would top all examinees and posted in his room  the number 1 sign which greeted him every morning he woke up.
“Oliva,  who graduated magna cum laude at the Ateneo de Naga University, said he  was very specific with his request to God that he be the one on top….  He said he had read somewhere that if one had a dream, he had to write  it down, place it on the wall and be motivated by it.”
Without perhaps realizing it, Oliva instinctively used an ancient and  proven visualization method. Visualization is the key to achieving  whatever goal we desire. It means forming a vivid mental picture of what  it is we want to get whether it’s a new job, new house, or even an  ideal partner in life.
Visualization or forming a clear mental image of what you want works because everything begins with the mind.
Before  something becomes a physical reality it must first be thought of or  conceived. There is no exception to this principle. The physical is the  last to manifest in the order of creation. Before a painting becomes  one, it must first exist in the mind of the artist. Before a table  becomes a physical reality it must first exist in the mind of the  carpenter. Before the sun, the moon and stars exist, they must first  exist in the mind of God.
Modern quantum physics is now beginning to accept that thoughts are  things, that they have an energy which can affect a material object. The  mere act of observing a physical object, quantum physicists have  discovered, already changes the object observed. This is essentially  what the ancient Buddhists have been saying all along, namely, that “we  create our own reality.”
But some individuals say, “I cannot  visualize.” That’s not possible because the mind by its very nature  visualizes or creates ideas and images. If we substitute the word  “remember” for “visualize,” then the problem vanishes. Being told to  remember the face of one’s mother or one’s favorite movie actor or  actress, sounds a lot easier to do than being asked to “visualize” it.
The  mind has many ways of forming pictures. Sometimes we get very clear,  detailed images, often in full color. Other times it forms vague images  and we merely supply the rest of the details with words or ideas. And in  some cases we can’t even see anything in our minds, but merely know  that something is there and describing it through feeling or shadowy  flashes of ideas.
4 basic steps
According  to Shakti Gawain, author of the best-selling book, “Creative  Visualization,” there are four basic steps to effective visualization:  First, set your goal. Decide on something you particularly want. It  should be very specific—for example, a particular house with so many  rooms located in such a place, or a particular job in such company.
Second, create a clear concrete picture of what you want. It is  important to imagine it in the present tense as already existing the way  you want it to be. Picture yourself in it. Include as many details as  possible including color.
Third, focus on it often. See it every  day. Ponder on the mental picture of your goal constantly. Integrate it  in your daily routine. See it as if it is already yours.
Fourth,  give it positive energy. Make strong positive statements about the goal  or object you want. Imbue it with affirmative feelings of desire, belief  and acceptance. Imagine yourself already possessing whatever goal you  have established for yourself and have no doubt at all that you will  attain it. Imagine the exhilaration or feeling of accomplishment you  would experience once you have achieved your goal. Let this be your  final vision or thought for the day and surely, what you desire will  happen.
Without knowing these principles, the above steps are  what Oliva actually followed in becoming the top examinee in the July  nursing examinations.
Of course he must have also used his left  brain by studying hard for the exams. He did not simply lie down and  visualize his goal without doing anything else. He did not follow the  legendary Juan Tamad who merely opened his mouth while lying down  waiting for the guava to fall on his open mouth. Oliva used  visualization and mental affirmation to ensure that his efforts at  studying will not be in vain.
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