Creating Success (audio)

Maggie Dent:

To begin, we need you to get into a centred and a calm state. One of the easiest ways of doing that is taking some really big breaths, and you can do that at any time where you feel yourself becoming tense. So let's take a couple of nice big, big breaths in. And slowly out. And another one. See if you can take an even bigger breath in, breathing right down to the bottom of your diaphragm, pushing your tummy. And again, a lovely slow, out with breath. With each breath, you will become more present and less scattered. So now I want you to imagine that the emotions that cause you stress, doubt, fear, and sometimes anxiety. I want you to imagine that they are like a grey colour. Some of you, you get butterflies in the tummy. For others, you get chills up your arms. For some, you just get a really buzzy head.

So just pretend that your amazing mind knows exactly where you hide the grey inside you that represents tension and stress. On the next three breaths, I want you to breathe outward as much of that colour or tension or stress that's in your body. And as you breathe it out, I want you to go I release, release, release. So are you ready? Just a normal breath in, and it's the outward breath imagining you're breathing out grey that represents doubt, confusion, anxiety. And as your breathing out, I release, I release, I release. And again, in the second breath, do it exactly the same, breathing out all the grey, I release, I release, I release. And then finally that third one, just in case there's still some inside your body, breathing in, and then outward, I release, I release, I release.

Now, imagine that we have moved some of those feelings, emotions, energy out of your body. Now what we want to do is replace it with something that can make you feel calm, confident, and capable. So the colour I'd like you to choose is like a bright yellow ray of sunshine. So it's not only really bright, it's also warm. So now what you're going to do is take big inward breaths, and you're going to breathe in this beautiful colour that makes you feel calm, confident, and capable. So imagine bringing in some really bright sunshine in through your nostrils or in through the top of your head, whichever feels right for you. And fill up the whole inside of your head and your chest and your stomach. And just a gentle outward breath. The second cup filling breath, breathing in, really, really deeply. Filling up with that beautiful, bright, golden, warm sunshine, deep into every single cell in your body. And then just a normal outward breath.

And then finally another really big breath in. And as you breathe this one in, imagine the whole body starts to really buzz with those sensations of feeling calm yet confident, and capable. Big breath in. Excellent. Now I've taught you two things that can be used whenever you're about to do something else that isn't a part of this mental rehearsal. It's a quick way to stop those ants and to get yourself in a state that allows you to be that calm and confident and capable person that you can be. So just plant your feet on the floor some days, take those three big, bright breaths, and if it still feels like I'm not quite there, remember you can breathe out that grey first. As just a habit for your mind.

Now remember the goal that I asked you to choose, whether it was that performance on the test, or maybe even your driving test. It might've even been your first job interview. Or for some, finding the courage to go and ask that person out who you've got great big feelings and affection for because that can be a bit scary too. Simplistically, we want you now to imagine yourself. Remember in this state of feeling calm, confident, and capable. You're now going to see that you've already succeeded. So what would it look like if you've got the result that you wanted? Would that be you giving a punch in the air? Would that be you with a big smiley face? Yes. Would that be something similar when you finally got the personal best you're aiming for in your sport? Yes.

So I want you to imagine what would you look like when you've succeeded at that performance? You've already done it. You've already won, you've already achieved it. How does it feel? It feels fabulous, so you now imagine that you're in that great state and then you need to go and race and share it with those who are special in your world. So it might be friends who are around you at that moment because so often if it's in school or in a workplace, your parents arent't there. And then imagine coming home and sharing that success with your mom or your dad or whoever cares for you and see their face shine. Because this is us celebrating our success with those we love the most. Yes, it feels good. And then imagine heading into your bedroom or wherever and putting a symbol of your success up there.

It might be a certificate. It might be a medal. It might be your new licence. It might be a photo of you at the end of your dance performance, your swimming, whatever it might be. Put it up somewhere in your bedroom and go, yes, I did that. We need to be okay when we celebrate those moments because it lets us know how it feels to have achieved a success. That is really how simple it is. So as you're about to take some big, big golden breaths in, I want you to have them as you bring yourself back into the real world. Bring the breaths in and out quite quickly because it helps us wake up quite quickly. It's a big breath in. And another. And a third one, and then welcome back into this present moment. Welcome back, successful you. The person who has created this success is you. Remember, successful people who achieve things that they aim for aren't lucky.

They merely imagine much more powerfully than others. And then they strive and they practise and they just keep on going. That's what I want you to do. I want you to dream big, believe big, and then keep your mind in the right frame of mind because that's what will help you achieve the things you want most. I wish you all the very, very best so that you can become the best expression of yourself. And that success comes from within you, and it is simply something that you can fine tune. Please start early in your life because I didn't learn until I was a bit older. All the best dream big.