If you’ve ever been troubled by insomnia (and who hasn’t?) Here’s a tip that can make you more successful and might just help you get back to sleep.
My son had a nightmare last night. I don’t know what’s worse, the nightmare itself or the anxiety of having another. Thankfully, we have the type of relationship where he knows if he is bothered by something he can tell me about it. I won’t laugh it off or tell him to just get over it. I was young once too and had my share of nights where I couldn’t sleep.
But it’s not just kids who have trouble sleeping sometimes. Considering the number of sleep aids on the market both prescription and over the counter, sleeplessness is a problem for millions of adults.
As a young adult, I discovered a trick that not only helped me get to sleep, it helped me achieve my goals. I told it to my son tonight and he went off to bed with a smile on his face. It works whether you think it will or not and doesn’t require you to get out of bed to do it.
What I told him was the method of how I came to own my first Corvette sportscar. I began “working” on getting my first Corvette when I was 17 or 18 years old. Notice that in the prior sentence working is in quotes. What I was doing could hardly be called working as you will see.
Anyway, at that age, I had a lot of stress about preparing for college, dating, SATs and your typical teen pressures. These stressors caused me a difficult time getting to sleep.
It was around that time I first read about the power of visualization. I can’t remember where exactly, but it was probably in an article by Earl Nightingale or As a Man Thinketh
So what I did as I lied awake at night is form a picture of a Corvette in my mind. I saw myself behind the wheel with the T Top off, racing down a long winding road. The sun was always shining. The music was always rocking.
Every night that I couldn’t sleep, I forced myself to think about the car and repeat “by the time I’m 21 I’m going to have a Corvette.” It always brought a smile to my face…tonight the story brought a smile to my son’s face.
“So you got your Corvette when you were 21?” he asked.
“No son, I was a bit late. I wasn’t quite ready at 21. I ended up getting it when I was 25.”
“The mind is a very powerful thing.” I told him. “Don’t waste your time worrying about ‘not having a nightmare’ Instead picture something you do want. You’ve been talking a lot lately about seeing Hawaii. Maybe you could spend some time picturing Hawaii and the beautiful beaches, the clear blue water and how every day is sunny and warm. I don’t know if it’s even possible to have a nightmare in Hawaii”
By now, he was laughing. He quickly thanked me and headed off to bed with a new attitude about sleeplessness.
A great side-effect happens when you use creative visualization when you can’t sleep. You fall asleep!
Visualization takes mental energy. For many, picturing a extremely positive outcome in their life can involve fighting off the little negative voice who says “you aren’t good enough to do that.” So fight it anyway and push those positive images.
For others, you might spend your days writing or talking. Using your minds eye to call up images of yourself succeeding at a major goal may feel unnatural. It may be tiring to do. Well, tiring is what you want.. right? Being tired is half the battle of getting to sleep 
Challenge yourself to keep that picture in your mind. See how long you can keep it there. If it drifts away, bring it back. Keep it front and center. Feel the joy you will feel when what you are picturing becomes your reality.
Lie back and smile. Enjoy that feeling of success. Take it all in. But be quick about it, because you might just fall asleep before you get the chance.
Technorati Tags: goals and goal setting, insomnia, visualization, success
{ 2 trackbacks }