The Mental Exercise That Can Turn Wishes Into Reality

How do you like my hand thong?

Oh, very thongy.

Hold.

Thong, thong, thong, thong, thong.

Hey, it’s Marie Forleo, and you are watching Marie TV, the place to be if you want to create a business in life you love.

So, today I want to talk about something. I always love a little behind the scenes action, whether it’s in art or entertainment or in business. I love hearing how people come up with their ideas and how they actually get things done. So today I figured I’d give you a little behind the scenes action in my own creative process. Peel back the curtain and show you my magic garden.

Ooh.

Ooh.

You guys, that is not dirty. Magic Garden was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. And I always did like Carole better than Paula, but who didn’t?

You know what? Magic Garden is totally relevant here because on team Forleo we have a secret ritual that involves playing make believe. And no, I don’t have my team attend imaginary tea parties or dress up in silly costumes.

Marie, this thing is so itchy.

Jams, this is not a break. Go back to your tea party, dude. Okay, that is rare. Seriously though, this one exercise has created some major breakthroughs for us, and here’s what it is. When we’re all together at our team retreats and we’re doing major brainstorming, we go around and have everyone finish the sentence, “Wouldn’t it be great if… ” Now, this isn’t about, wouldn’t it be great if cake had no calories, or wouldn’t it be great if the Smurfs were real and lived in New York.

Geez, when did Brooklyn get so smurfing expensive?

This is more about, “Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t work on Fridays?” “Wouldn’t it be great if we had our own studio for Marie TV?” Or, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could go travel around the world and visit our B-Schoolers where they lived and hear their stories and make little movies about them?” Well, in fact, that’s exactly where the idea for our Live Your Dream campaign came from.

So we were all sitting around my living room and somebody came up with the idea of hitting the road and going to document all of our B-Schoolers. And wouldn’t you know it, everybody looked around, they looked at me, and we all said, “We’re doing it.” And within two months, that idea became a reality, and it’s one of our favorite pieces of the entire business. Now, if you haven’t seen our B-School, Live Your Dream campaign, you have got to check it out because it’s amazing and we’ll put links below this video.

There is real genius behind this simple phrase. So many of us get stuck in our own small thinking, and this is how to get out of your own box. So, this isn’t just relevant for business. This is totally applicable to your personal life. So you can say, “Wouldn’t it be great if my house had zero clutter?” Or, “Wouldn’t it be great if I never scheduled meetings before noon?” Wouldn’t it be great if triggers your imagination and gives you permission to play in your own magic garden and get down with the chuckle patch.

Now I can hear some of you all saying, “Yeah, yeah, I can dream big all day, but that is not going to make it happen.” Now, that’s where my other secret weapon, everything is figureoutable, comes in. If you want this exercise to have any power at all, you have to go in with the intention that if you come up with something awesome, you will be able to figure it out. I’ve seen it time and time again. When you want something bad enough, you will figure it out and you will make it happen.

Before we wrap this up, here’s a tweetable inspired by photographer Dwayne Michaels. Trust that little voice in your head that says, “Wouldn’t it be great if… ” And then do it.

Now I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, finish this sentence. “Wouldn’t it be great if… ” I want you to really get into your magic garden and give me at least three ideas that you think are totally exciting. If you want to put more, that’s awesome, but make sure the three that you put down really get you a little nervous. Maybe they’re out there, almost too out there to write down.

As always, the best discussions happen after the episode over at MarieForleo.com. So go there and finish that sentence right now. Did you like this video? If so, subscribe to our lovely channel. And if you would be so kind, share this video with your friends. And if you want even more great resources to create a business and life that you love plus some personal insights from me that I only talk about in email, get yourself over to MarieForleo.com and sign up for email updates.

Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams because the world needs that special gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you next time on Marie TV.

B-School is coming up. Want in? For more info and free training, go to JoinBSchool.com.

Marie, I thought I could be a koala. You said I was going to get to be a koala, and now I’m not a koala, I’m this (beep) penguin. Marie, this thing doesn’t have a flap and I got to make brown. Marie, I wanted to be a slutty penguin.

I can’t.