If You Believe It, You Will See It

When I was single and waiting to meet my future husband, I started adding a simple sentence to the end of the morning blessings: “I am a beautiful and joyful bride,” all while imagining myself dressed in a full, white wedding gown.

Not long after that, I got married.

Fifteen years later, I did the exact same exercise. On my way to a clothing outlet to shop for the whole family, I imagined myself leaving the store satisfied, and I said in my heart, “Thank You, Hashem, for the excellent clothes I found.” Even though I wasn’t expecting much from the store initially, I left with four big bags, thrilled with what I’d found.

There are many more examples of this simple, wonderful technique of giving thanks in advance and visualizing the desired outcome. To understand why this works so powerfully, you need to know two key principles.

1. In Divine reality, time doesn’t exist.

From a spiritual standpoint, there’s no true past, present, or future. Time is a construct that G-d placed in the world for certain purposes, but one day, time itself will be replaced with the concept of eternity. It therefore makes perfect sense to thank Hashem today for something that will only happen tomorrow (with full belief and trust that it will happen), and to praise G-d in the present for future blessings.

2. The brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality.

One of the major discoveries in neuroscience over the last century is that the human brain responds the same way to something we do physically as it does to something we vividly imagine. Visualization alone can trigger real physical sensations in the body- whether the image pops up spontaneously or is consciously directed. This serves as a powerful tool to guide what enters our brain and use it to serve our life goals.

If that’s the case, why not imagine yourself as a bride? Or winning your dream apartment? Or driving your new car? The next time you want something, instead of pleading in the future tense by saying:

"Please let me find a job soon..."
"I hope our son gets into that yeshiva..."
"If only my husband would stop yelling at the kids..."
"I wish my son would stop being glued to his computer..."

Try speaking in present tense and positive form and say:

1. Thank You, Hashem, that Rivky was accepted to this excellent seminary (even if it hasn’t happened yet).

2. I’m so happy that Moishy is behaving calmly and pleasantly with his siblings / at school / with the neighbors (even if the reality is far from it).

3. I’m enjoying watching Yossi recover so easily! (even though he’s still sick).

4. Thank You, Hashem, for my new job. I’m so happy with it! (even if you’re still searching).

Add to that a healthy dose of imagination, and you have a proven recipe for changing your reality. For the skeptics, this method requires very little effort, costs nothing, and is absolutely worth a try.

Worst-case? It just might succeed.

Eva Hakimian is a bioenergy therapist and a communication arts lecturer. You can contact her via email at evahak100@gmail.com