In developing self-confidence and growing personally, eventually we need to establish direction. Determining our goals, what we want to achieve and creating that self belief helps us to grow positively as a person.

Visualising our own time-line is a great self-confidence technique that works well and is used quite naturally by many high achievers and successful people.

Time-lines are normally associated with history. A line can be drawn to represent a period of time in the history of Ancient Greece, for example, with various significant dates written either side of the line in chronological order. We can create in our own minds a time-line to represent our future.

Each person has their own time-line and first, we have to discover the direction in which our own personal time-line flows. The technique is as follows:

1. Think of an activity that we do on a daily basis; driving for example. See us doing this activity tomorrow. With this image, is it in front or behind us, to the left or the right? Is it distant or close?
2. Next we form that same picture, but this time we see us next week. Is the image behind or in front of the previous image, to the left or the right, closer or further away? How about last week. Where does the picture of us performing the activity one week ago fit in?
3. Picture the same activity in a months time. Is it in front or behind the previous images, to the left or to the right, closer or further away? Again picture the activity being undertaken one month ago.
4. Finally repeat this for six months hence and six months ago.
5. Now imagine all these pictures joined up by a line. This represents our own personal time-line. There are no right or wrong answers; the direction the line takes is personal to each individual.

Now that we know our own personal time-line, we can now use this to map out our future plans.

1. A year from now, we need to visualise the greatest year we've ever had. See how we behave, think and how we are affected spiritually and financially. How has our health and relationships improved?
2. We now place that image on our own personal time-line at a point that represents one year ahead. We see that image large with plenty of colour.
3. Next we see a slightly smaller picture of us in nine months time. Place that image on the time-line that represents nine months into the future.
4. We now do the same for six months time, a slightly smaller picture still placed on our time-line in the appropriate place. Then again for three months into the future.
5. Now look at the pictures that map out a path to our future. Allow the subconscious mind to absorb the experience of success in each picture, starting from three months to the first year.

The subconscious mind takes in information and experiences in the form of pictures. It cannot distinguish between reality and imagination. With vivid images of the future supported by repeated practice of this self-confidence technique, our subconscious minds will believe that these are our goals and set out to achieve them.

Terry Norrington

www.getselfconfident.com