Hire A Dream Team For Creative Visualization

by Evelyn on September 11, 2008


From The Movie Ocean Twelve

Perhaps, it may have sounded like I was joking in my last post when I wrote about asking Stephen Speilberg, Zhang Yi Mou and George Lucas for advice in the making of my Mind Movie. In all seriousness, there may be some value to the suggestion of employing a “dream team” for creative visualizations. The former authority on wealth creation, Napolean Hill thought so. He shared about using an imaginary team of role models in accessing his sixth sense, in his famous book Think and Grow Rich.

To be truly great is to emulate the great, he said. So every night, he held mental meetings with a group of “Invisible Counselors”. He would imagine that he was serving as the chairman to a group of people that he looked up to. In Napolean’s case, he chose 9 men whose lives he admired: Emerson, Paine, Edison, Darwin, Lincoln, Burbank, Napoleon, Ford and Carnegie.

Napolean’s purpose was to rebuild his own character so that it would represent a composite of the characters of his imaginary counselors. He would address each of them about their specific strength or trait that he admired in and asked for assistance in impressing upon his subconscious mind.

Napolean Hill wrote….

“I feel entitled to suggest that, while the members of my cabinet may be purely fictional, and the meetings existent only in my imagination, they have led me into glorious paths of adventure, rekindled an appreciation of true greatness, encouraged creative endeavor, and emboldened the expression of honest thought.”

Napolean’s Formula For Success For The 13th Principle To Riches

 

From re-reading his book, here are the points I’ve gathered that helped make visualizations a success for him:

1. Belief in Infinite Intelligence and The Sixth Sense. While Napolean claimed that he did not believe in miracles, he believed in the power or a First Cause or an Intelligence. “Intelligence converts acorns into oak trees, causes water to flow down hill in response to the law of gravity. follows night with day, and winter with summer, each maintaining its proper place and relationship to the other.”

Through his experimentations, he came to believe in the sixth sense; the sense where humans receive accurate knowledge of what to do via a channel other than the physical senses. Such knowledge is often received when the mind is under extraordinary stimulation. It is where he managed to gain access to answers from Infinite Intelligence; a source outside the realm of his conscious and analytical mind.

2. Made His Mental Images Realistic. Napolean made his visualizations as realistic as possible. He employed feeling and action in his mental image.

Here are two examples of how he would address Ford and Edison:

“Mr Ford, I wish to acquire your spirit of persistence, the determination, poise and self confidence which had enabled you to master poverty, and to organize, unify, and simplify human effort, so I may help others to follow in your footsteps.”

“Mr Edison, I wish to acquire from you the marvelous spirit of faith, with which you have uncovered so many of nature’s secrets, the spirit of unremitting toil with which you have so often wrested victory from defeat.”

His 9 men displayed individual characteristics while “attending” the invisible meetings. For example, Lincoln developed the habit of always being late. Imaginary jokes were also shared during meetings. Napolean admitted that his imagination was so vivid that these figures eventually looked and sounded very real.

3. Held Over A Long Period Of Time. Napolean said that his council meetings were held over “a long period of years” every night.

4. Receptive To Ideas. Over the years, his experimentation began to take on an entirely different trend. He would go to his imaginary counselors for any difficult problem that confronted him or his clients. He had been amazed by the answers that he got from these mental meetings.

Discussion

I am not sure how many of you would go to the extent of what Napolean did. But if you wish to follow his success path, then adopting the 13th principle to Great Riches and using his exact method may be something to explore. In Napolean’s words, you will feel the touch of something unknown, “the “moving spirit of every truly great thinker, leader, artist, musician, writer, statesman.”

If anything, Jose Silva of The Silva Method taught something similar as well. In his method, we are asked to visualize a special meeting room; a place where we will always go mentally every time we reach the alpha state. In this room, we meet our Spirit Guides or anyone whom we look up to. We can request for assistance, conduct healing sessions, have discussions or just drop in for a cup of tea.

Who Are Your Role Models?

Suspending your beliefs, many of us do have people that we admire. These role models inspire us with their values and attitudes in the area of sports, wealth creation, family and relationships, etc.

Napolean’s team comprised of people in government, business and science. Now what about you? Who, whether dead or alive, do you look up to? What attributes do you admire about your role models and how do they inspire and motivate you specifically?

Hire A Dream Team Idea

On another note, let us have some fun here. Let us imagine that we need to solicit a team for a specific purpose.

So if I intend to make a movie, I’d like to have Zhang Yi Mou, Stephen Speilberg and George Lucas on board.

If I need investment advice for the stockmarket, I’m going to have Warren Buffet, Charles Schwab and Alan Greenspan.

If I intend to steal from a casino to help the poor, I’d want to hire an expert team; something like Ocean Eleven, Twelve or Thirteen. It’ll make sense to get some useful advice from Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), and Robert “Rusty” Ryan (Brad Pitt) , don’t you think?

Alternatively, do you have a project that you are working on? Or it may be for a goal that you are aiming for; eg. weight loss, money magnet, author, etc. Who would you like to be in your dream team that you can go to for advice?

Your thoughts and creative ideas, please.

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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

Myrko @ AwakeBlogger September 11, 2008 at 12:53 pm

The idea of a virtual meeting is new to me :)
But I think it brings together two very familiar ideas: 1. Visualization and 2. Role Modeling.

If you seek for role models in IT/Internet it’s advisable to look at leaders of companies like apple and google and look into their mind-sets and inspirations.
One thing that this does for sure is raising the own bar just by showing what is possible – this is the essence of inspiration as an role model for me.

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Vered - MomGrind September 11, 2008 at 1:01 pm

It’s an interesting idea, Evelyn. When I need to solve a problem or work on a project, I tend to rely on my own experience or ask for friends’ advice. I never considered visualizing a virtual team of experts and consulting with them. Interesting!

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Glen Allsopp September 11, 2008 at 1:30 pm

You may think I’m crazy, but have you actually tried to get in touch with those guys. Like actually tried, phoned every lead you can just to get their thoughts. I’m sure it’s possible, I think I’m going to try the same thing with Eckhart Tolle ;)

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DeBorah Beatty September 11, 2008 at 4:40 pm

For my Dream Team – I’d like Lisa Sasevich, Graham White, Stephan Stavrakis and Linda Welch. Lisa because she has consistent closing success, Graham for his intuitive ability to recognize what works and what doesn’t, Stephan for his ability to cut to the chase and Linda for her event planning ability. These are all skills I need for my next project, a Wild Hare Weekend for Solopreneurs.

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PeaceLoveJoyBliss September 11, 2008 at 6:45 pm

What a novel idea, Evelyn! I’m inspired by what you wrote. I think I just might create a dream team of goddesses to inform, enlighten, and inspire me :-)

Christopher

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Evelyn September 11, 2008 at 6:57 pm

@Myrko, you’ve just summarized what the idea is essentially about. Thanks!

I’ve read countless reviews about Think and Grow Rich but somehow, have come across little info about what others thought about this idea that Napolean shared and did. I’ve decided to post about it here so that I can find out what my readers thought. Thanks for sharing that you like the suggestion mooted out by him!

Yes…those in the IT/internet line seem to have a lot of attributes that are inspiring and that will be excellent to emulate.

@Vered, neither did I. I mostly analyzed to get my solutions. I’m learning now that there are more creative answers to getting problems solved.

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Evelyn September 11, 2008 at 7:21 pm

@Glenn, I need some clarification here. Are you talking about physically phoning or using your mental mind? I’m assuming it’s the latter. Good choice…Eckhart Tolle!! But maybe his thoughts will be nothing cause he is in the Silence, the gap.

@DeBorah Beatty, thanks for participating by sharing what you intend to do. Great one there! Like what Napolean said, practice makes perfect. So don’t forget on having regular meetings!

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Irene | Light Beckons September 11, 2008 at 8:41 pm

Hi Evelyn,

My dream team has always been my spirit guides. Perhaps I could ask them to morph into Oprah or Hercules … never tried that before, but I kinda like them as they are. :)

I feel points #1 and #3 are CRITICAL. Thanks for sharing!

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Cath Lawson September 11, 2008 at 11:41 pm

Hi Evelyn – I tried this a few times, after reading it in Napolean Hill’s book – but not to the extent he did. I don’t remember everyone on my list but I know one of them was Margaret Thatcher.

It is a fun idea. And I do believe it is possible to tap into ideas that aren’t our own. Sometimes, I’ve found myself write things that I didn’t feel came from me.

Talking of that, I was really impressed with that Esther Hicks video you had on here a few days ago, so I bought Ask and It Is Given today. It’s a fascinating book isn’t it?

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Barbara Swafford September 12, 2008 at 3:01 am

Hi Evelyn,

What an interesting concept – one I’ve never thought of, but I have to ask, “why couldn’t it work?” You got me thinking now.

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Evelyn September 12, 2008 at 8:09 am

@Christopher, hmmm…team of goddesses? Who may these be?

@Irene, maybe you should check with your spirit guides with the idea first? Wonder what they’d say.

@Cath, great one there with Margaret Thatcher! Yes, the book is good. Glad that you like it!

@Barbara, it should work if we follow his tips religiously. Question is to how many of us stick to it every night for several years.

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Andrea Hess|Empowered Soul September 12, 2008 at 10:31 am

Oooh, I like this idea! This one is new to me. I guess by “hiring” a “dream team” we are tapping into the energetic qualities that each team member represents – nice!

Blessings,
Andrea

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Hunter Nuttall September 12, 2008 at 10:57 am

If the people are so real, I wonder if conflict is bound to happen. If you have a diverse team, I guess this is inevitable. And I wonder if he fired Abraham Lincoln for being late!

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Jordan September 12, 2008 at 1:14 pm

I love Napoleon Hill!

To me the most important factor of creating a dream team in my head is practicing for a dream team in real life.

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Brennan Kingsland September 12, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Dear Evelyn,

I want to thank you for this marvelous post!

After using Silva methods for almost 40 years, I have integrated them so thoroughly into my life that I don’t often think about them. Your posts bring knowledge back to the forefront for re-examination and re-utilization.

I love my Dream Team, but it might be time to introduce a few new members to it. Mixing things up and bringing in new insights is always a bonus.

I loved this post!
Brennan

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Evelyn September 12, 2008 at 7:23 pm

@Andrea, I will be interested to learn how you hire your dream team. Will you be involving your spirit guides? Who will you pick?

@Hunter, Napolean did imagine that the members to his team had to work out their differences since their meetings were so regular.

@Jordan, I guess the more realism you can bring to your visualizations, the more the idea will take root. Good luck!

@Brennan, I’m impressed that you’ve been so diligent in practicing Silva for 40 years. To have practiced so long, The Method must have benefited you greatly.

It’s always a good idea to revisit how we’ve been doing things, especially after such a long period. I would also think it is worth considering introducing new members to your team to shake things up a little….LOL!!

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Stacey / CreateaBalance September 12, 2008 at 10:25 pm

My dream team….What a grand concept. My dream team would consist of Stacey Hoffer Weckstein, Susan Kennedy (SARK), Oprah, Rhonda Byrne, Maya Angelou, Carol Roeda, a team of life coaches, and a handful of extremely talented technical gurus. I can see us now. We are sipping whimsical drinks, laughing, brainstorming, planning, and know we are exactly where we need to be.

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Matthew Dryden September 13, 2008 at 6:50 am

My dream team: Charlie Kaufman, Nick Hornby, Gregory House, Hannibal Lector, Rob Reiner, Kevin Smith, and Laurie Lico Albenese (might be spelt wrong. She’s the author if Blue Suburbia).

I was never a big fan of Speilberg’s work. Too fantastical for me.

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PeaceLoveJoyBliss September 13, 2008 at 1:03 pm

My A-Team shortlist of goddesses: Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite for wisdom, skill, and beauty, resspectively.

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Lance September 13, 2008 at 10:25 pm

This is a very creative idea Evelyn! If I were to have a team (I think I WILL have a team) where I could envision a mental state where present, I would do this to help me develop my passions and really define what they are. In this mental state, I would have Jesus, Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Zig Zigler, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. What a combination that would be to really help lead me to a life of passionate existence!

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Evelyn September 14, 2008 at 2:18 am

Wow…thanks to all who participated here. Some of you have named very amazing people here…I wasn’t thinking of them. Then, there is also Matthew who named Hannibal Lector..interesting! And others of whom I do not know.
Have fun in your visualizations!

@Lance, it’ll be interesting if some months or years later, we can do a review of this idea and see if anyone has gained from it.

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Tom Volkar / Delightful Work September 14, 2008 at 8:02 am

I first heard of this idea in a Sonaya Roman book. I used it with great success to create a company in 1992. It was an entertainment company and I can recall many virtual discussions with Walt Disney and Ben Franklin. By imagining the discussion we can not only access their energetic qualities but also their keen ideas. “What would you do Ben? How about you Walt?”

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Evelyn September 14, 2008 at 11:25 am

Oh wow…this is interesting, Tom! I didn’t think that I’d know anyone who has applied the idea of having a virtual team.

Prior to writing this post and for a while, I thought that I’d be known as a crackpot for suggesting that Napolean’s idea might be worth exploring. However, I’ve been getting waves of inspiration lately; so I thought why not give it a shot and see if I was meant to share it.

Now I know for sure. Your testimony is the additional proof that I need; in order to promote that this idea can work! Thanks!!

With much appreciation,
Evelyn

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Sara Healy September 15, 2008 at 10:44 am

The idea of consulting with your own dream team is FANTASTIC! I’m already thinking of people I’d like on my team. I need lots of humor, especially the kind like Gary Larson of Far Side, but also down to earth people like Sue Bender who wrote Everyday Sacred. It’s still a work in progress. I may need to balance things a bit. I loved the post!!!!

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Harmony September 18, 2008 at 3:20 pm

You know, it was only a few years ago I finally let go of the lone wolf theory and went for true collaberation. Even in the business I have, I focus on collaberation, and we experience what I like to call a triple win…
This Dream Team idea is following the suggestions of nature…the whole world collaberates in balance. THANK YOU…loved reading your post.

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Evelyn September 18, 2008 at 10:24 pm

@Sarah, hahaha…I like the idea of having Gary Larson from the Far Side. It’s great to have some balance. We wouldn’t want to be laughing and not get serious at all in our invisible council meetings, would we?

@Harmony, me too. I have operated very much on my own previously, only trusting myself and no one else. However, I am slowly warming up to the idea of introducing divine or spiritual guidance and from a team of experts as well!!

Thanks for your feedback too. I’m glad that you enjoyed reading my post.

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