Think of a time in your life when you achieved something you really wanted. Did you doubt it would happen and believe that you could not achieve it? Or did you have a solid sense of knowing that it would happen and doubt never entered into your mind?

It was second wasn’t it?

When Richard Branson set up Virgin Airways, did he sit in his office and wonder if it would ever work? Did Bill Gates sit in his office wondering if anyone would want to buy his Windows product? They may have done for a little while, but they did not let these doubts rule them. They knew their plans would work and that they would be successful.

When working to achieve your goals, you need that unerring sense of confidence and lack of doubt in yourself. You must Know it is going to happen and that you will succeed. We are not talking about thinking you will succeed, believing you will succeed or knowing you will achieve your goal. They are all intellectual forms of Knowing, Knowing with a capital K; that solid feeling in pit of your stomach that you will make happen and you cannot fail. Expect it to happen and know there is no other way. It will happen. This Knowing gives you drive and commitment to see you through to success of your goal.

But how do you get this feeling? One of best and most effective techniques is visualisation.

You currently use power of visualisation, probably without even realising it. Have you ever run through what you are going to say to someone before you have conversation? Or seen yourself in your mind giving a presentation before you give it?

That is power of visualisation, and it is very potent. You can use it not only for your goals, but for any aspect of your life. Visualisation is something most people are unused to directing. You will find initially that your attention will wander, but you have to pull it back to task at hand. It is similar to building a muscle up through exercise – it takes time to strengthen it.

The exercise for visualising your goals is very simple, and is as follows.

1) Select goal that you wish to work with 2) Picture an image of this goal in your mind 3) Visualise yourself attaining your goal. Use all of your senses – touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste. Really feel your success with every fibre of your being and Know that your goal is as good as achieved. 4) Hold this image in your mind for a minimum of 10 minutes – remain focus and positive. Challenge any doubts that rise and replace them with positive words and images of success. If you get distracted or your mind wanders, bring your focus back to your goal.

You can also hold this successful image in your mind as you go about your day to day business. Keep image there and focus on your success. You get what you focus on – and if you focus on achieving your goal, then you will get it. Visualisation is a method of programming subconscious mind for success.

With some goals you may want to keep them private. If you are trying to get fit and your friends know you have been less than energetic in past when you tell them your goal, they will laugh and joke and not believe you. This doubt and disbelief can affect your belief in yourself and in your goal, which in turn can lead to failure to achieve goal.

Ever stand in your own living room; hold an item in your hand; put it down; turn to do something and then spend two hours looking for it. Hands up those whose most memorable searches have stretched into days?

How about those of you who live in large towns which have stores with big parking lots. Ever spend an unproductive half hour wandering up and down rows of cars with heavy shopping bags in your arms trying hard to look nonchalant but feeling like an idiot? How is it possible that you have absolutely no idea where your car is when you yourself parked and locked it and strolled away from it less than an hour ago?

It does get worse as you get older but it can strike at any age. In fact young children can be fabulously, intensely unaware of reality.

This year we have all been made aware (there’s that word again) of just how devastating AwDD can be. A well-educated sophisticated college professor parked his car and strolled away from it leaving his 10-month-old child securely strapped in back seat. Four hours later child was discovered dead. Just to show that AwDD is not gender-specific a pre-school teacher parked her SUV and strolled into her own school leaving two of her little charges baking in back seat.