Jackie Zach
January 25, 2024
This episode explores the concept of IVVM—Idealize, Visualize, Verbalize, and Materialize—as a structured approach to mindset transformation and goal achievement. Jackie Zach and Mike McKay emphasize that IVVM is not about wishful thinking but about combining intention with action. Idealization involves imagining your ideal life, while visualization helps you envision how it feels to live that reality. Jackie describes creating a mental movie to make visualization vivid, whereas Mike highlights overcoming limiting beliefs during this process. Verbalization focuses on affirming your goals out loud, adopting the mindset of already living your ideal situation. These steps ultimately lead to materialization, where consistent actions produce tangible outcomes.
The hosts share personal experiences to illustrate the power of IVVM. Mike discusses shifting a limiting belief about employee responsibility, freeing himself from unnecessary burdens. He underscores the importance of starting small with achievable goals and using meditation as a tool for idealization. Jackie reflects on her initial skepticism about IVVM, noting how belief and effort brought unexpected successes. Both hosts stress that the process requires faith and action, encouraging listeners to embrace meditation, begin idealizing their goals, and take practical steps toward their dreams.
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Podcast Transcript:
Jackie Zach: Welcome to the Make More Work Less podcast. I’m Jackie Zach.
Mike McKay: And I’m Mike McKay.
Jackie: Today, we’re talking about IVVM—it’s all about mindset. So, get ready, because we’re going to help you get your head in the right place. Now, what exactly is IVVM?
Mike: IVVM stands for Idealize, Visualize, Verbalize, and Materialize. Some of you might be thinking, “Oh, that sounds like navel-gazing, crystal ball stuff, and incense burning.” I used to think the same way, especially about idealization and materialization. These terms get a bad rap, mainly because of the word “manifesting.” But let me clear this up—manifesting doesn’t mean you just sit on the couch, staring at a glass of water until it shows up. Manifesting means thinking enough about that glass of water to get up and get it. So, manifesting involves action.
Jackie: Exactly.
Mike: The last step, materialization, is the result of all the actions you’ve taken up until that point. Idealization is simply about imagining your perfect life—your ideal house, business, car, or whatever it is you want. I use meditation for idealization, though it took me a while to learn how to do that. If you’re new to meditation, be patient—it’s a skill that you build over time. I know where we want to live and the cities we want to settle in, all that good stuff. The next step is visualization, where you ask, “What would it feel like to have those things? How would I act? Who would I be?”
Jackie: I like to think of it like a movie in my head. For example, visualizing myself walking down a street—how does that feel? I’m very visual, so creating a mental movie of the experience I want is key for me.
Mike: Yeah, and I can’t do that. For me, it’s a step beyond what my brain will allow at this point. I can visualize a lot of things, especially during meditation, like limiting beliefs and why we think we can’t have what we want. But I don’t have the skill of putting myself into the “movie” of my life, which is really interesting, right? And that’s totally okay because you don’t have to either. If you’re listening to this and thinking, “Man, I can’t even idealize,” it’s perfectly fine if you haven’t learned how to do it yet.
What’s happening is that some other limiting belief is holding you back. You are idealizing your world, but it might be restricted by those beliefs. For example, last night I let go of a big one that had been with me for a long time: the belief that we have to take care of our employees—not just by making sure their paychecks clear, but by somehow feeling responsible for the decisions they make. I realized today that this belief is really common for entrepreneurs. We tend to think it’s our responsibility if an employee does something wrong, like stops at a quick trip while driving our truck. But the truth is, we’re not responsible for our employees. We’re responsible to our employees.
Yes, we’re responsible for making sure paychecks cash, ensuring the business is successful, and providing benefits. But I’m not going to tell you to put a coat on. You should be smart enough to do that yourself. That realization came out of a visualization session. For me, visualization isn’t just about picturing things, like imagining our future apartment in Nashville on the 20th floor of a downtown building. But I can’t play that out in a movie-like way. For me, it’s a different kind of visualization.
And then there’s verbalization, which we’ll probably discuss more later, especially about “I am” statements.
Jackie: Verbalization is all about speaking out loud and acting as if it’s already happened.
Mike: That’s right.
Jackie: It’s a technique that helps you begin to act as if your ideal situation has already come true. That’s what verbalizing is all about.
Mike: Exactly. It’s an interesting question to think about—how would you act if you were already living your ideal situation? Let’s say your ideal scenario is having 15 employees and no longer working day-to-day, where you’ve grown your business to the point of being an investor. How would you talk to people? How would you interact with customers? How would you carry yourself in the community? How would you act when talking to people at church or when you go out to breakfast? These are easy things to imagine.
When you practice verbalization, it’s about saying, “I am doing this.” For example, if I’m out at breakfast, I greet everyone I know by name. And here’s what happens: by doing that, someone might come up to me and say, “Hey Mike, did you talk to Steve Smith or Joe Jones about that project they’re working on?” That’s materialization in action—it’s not about magic or something just appearing out of nowhere. It’s the result of doing the work.
When I verbalize that I am a leader, one of my affirmations is, “I am a catalyst for others’ greatness.” As I work to help others grow, materialization happens: money, clients, and opportunities like vacations show up.
Idealize what you want to the best of your ability. You don’t have to think big like “I’m going to be the first person on Mars,” but set a vision you can believe in. You can only go as far as you can see, so start where you are. Visualize how you would act in that ideal situation—whether you see it as a movie in your mind or just ask yourself, “How would I act if I were already there?” Then verbalize it: say “I am the first human on Mars,” and see what actions follow that belief.
Jackie: Right. As you mentioned earlier, I was a little skeptical at first. I dabbled in it, but once I took it seriously—really believing it was possible—it was amazing. It worked in ways I never expected. It didn’t just work for me, but I’ve seen it work for you and for many others as well. The first step is to believe that it’s possible. And the second step is to take action.
Mike: That’s right.
Jackie: We’ll dive deeper into this in a future episode, but if you’re starting to idealize your goals or what you want to achieve, feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to help you get started. I hope you all have a great day, and if you don’t meditate, today’s a perfect day to start—even if it’s just for 30 seconds.
Mike: Great point.