If, every day, we take positive action towards achieving our goals then our motivation and sense of achievement grow, fuelling our confidence and making even the wildest of dreams possible. Each small step has a cumulative affect on our progress. And creating a vision is the key to ensuring the steps we take are heading in the right direction.

One of the new buzz words in self-help and business motivation circles is NLP, an acronym for the rather sinister sounding 'neuro linguistic programming'. Well, as an NLP practitioner, I'm here to tell you it's not sinister and it's not rocket science. Very simply put, NLP is a collection of techniques aimed at realising visionary goals by harnessing the most dynamic and positive beliefs and behaviour we can muster.

As individuals, we mostly tend to jog along doing what's required. Moaning about what's wrong with our lives is a bit of a national pastime. Turn that attitude on its head and suddenly life can become a whole lot rosier. A good starting point is what I call 'the big picture' game. It uses all our creative powers and is a lot more fun than the usual 'what, where' when, why and how' list-making process of determining goals and strategies.

First, get a big blank sheet of heavy duty paper and stick it on a wall at home where you can see it and easily reach it. Get a stock of coloured marker pens and put them out of reach of any toddlers or budding graffiti artists in residence. You can now create your own unique 'big picture' over the coming days, weeks months or even years. It can include

pictures, lists, graphs, maps, symbols, codes or magazine cuttings - anything which speaks to you of its purpose. A good starting point is to draw a picture or write down details of your ideal life, incorporating all your dreams and aspirations. Make is as bold and strong as you can and include as much detail as possible, maybe putting a date on it some time in the future.

Around this image, which will become clearer in your own mind as you consign it to paper, add information about the things that are important in your life. Include details of your values and beliefs, what makes you happy and fulfilled, your likes and loves, your skills and qualities. Consider the goals and milestones which will bring you nearer to your ideal life. Put these down and you will see more clearly how your own resources can best be used to achieve these aims.

Now, you can do all this in a mad half hour scribble or create a masterpiece over a lifetime. You're aiming for what advertisers call a 'storyboard', which they use to give clarity to the sometimes crazy concepts that form campaigns to sell anything from socks to soap powder. The storyboard brings together the best ideas from creative brainstorming sessions. Along the way, new ideas emerge, old ones get thrown out, every angle gets covered, each obstacle is overcome. A new campaign is formulated by using these powerful imaginative forces to create a vision of success. Start your 'big picture' today and you will soon discover what the advertisers' have long known, that creating a strong positive vision is a short-cut to making your dreams reality.