What you expect is what you get! “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” How often have you heard this sagely advice? Well, I have lost count! Every time I found myself in a tricky situation, some experienced, well meaning worldly-wise well wisher would have this to say “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”. Most often the advice has been very “useful”. My preparation for the worst case scenario worked “wonderfully” well and I “did know” what to do in case of a disaster. That made me feel good about my preparation and the “well wisher” smile and say “I told you so”. Unfortunately, it still meant that I failed to achieve my objective. Worse it made me revel in my failure – “I knew that would happen and I am so glad I was ready for it!” When you prepare for an eventuality, you are likely to face it. If you go around the historical ruins across the globe, you will find one thing in common – the most fortified citadels are the ones that have been ransacked maximum number of times. Remember the Titanic? It “became the worst disaster, it was prepared for”. We underestimate our ability to predict our future. You do not need to be a soothsayer, a sage, a prophet to predict what awaits you. All you need to do is visualize a scenario and it will show up. If you are visualizing a worst case scenario you are likely to find it. If you visualize success, you are likely to find it as well. He who said “Man is the maker of his own destiny” was so very right. The trouble is, the method is so simple that nobody seems to believe it. What do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? What is your definition of success? Try create a video clip in vivid colours of about 30 seconds, (where you are the star) in your mind and run it often enough. You can continuously edit modify and change whatever you think is important or otherwise. It could be images of celebrations of success or visuals of a harmonious relationship, a comfortable/luxurious house, congenial success driven work environment – it can be anything. You are the script-writer, editor, photographer, director & producer of this movie. Make whatever you want. It will show up. If you think about it all grand occasions have a sense of déjà vu about them. That’s because somewhere we had a visual in our minds – may be at the sub-conscious level, but it surely was there. Those who achieve their dreams “know” their dreams. They are not focused on “what they do not have”, the focus is on “what they need to have” to achieve their dreams. Go dream, believe and achieve. Dreaming is not such a bad thing after all! Ayaz Shafi Associate Professor Unitedworld School of Business http//:www.unitedworld.in