I work for one of the largest retailers in the world as a cashier. My company has very strict attendance policies. Due to my mother having surgery, I had taken two days off and had arranged to be back late from my lunch a few times in order to care for my mom. One of my managers was unaware that I had pre-arranged this and called me in the office for a warning.

Several months after having this discussion with my manager, I overslept. Keep in mind I work at night. So, my first reaction when I woke late for work was one of pure panic. I didn’t want to get in trouble for being late, and I was going to be an hour late. Now, I have been listening to The Power every day for the last year, and I have realized many visualizations successfully, but what I am about to tell you still leaves me scratching my head.

So, after my panic, I told myself that I was going to imagine that I was to be to work from 4 to 11, not the 3 to 11 on my schedule. I further imagined that my manager would text me at 3:00 and ask me what time I would be in, something that was completely out of character for my manager. At 2:58, I got a text from my customer service manager that said, “What time are you coming to work? ” I replied 4 to 11. My manager did not reply back with any questions or comments. I then slowed the process of getting ready and took my time getting dressed. While getting dressed, I imagined that nobody in my store would notice that I was coming in an hour late and that they would think that I was to be in at 4, not at 3.

Let me just tell you that every cashier working checks that schedule on a regular basis several times per shift if someone is late; it throws everyone’s breaks and lunches off schedule. Also, this company is very much into micro managing, and if you are five minutes late, it is a big deal. Still, I just kept imagining that nobody would think of me as being late.

I arrived at work at 3:40, but I did not go clock in right away. I sat at the break table outside and I checked my emails and talked to the others on their break. No one said anything. At 3:55, I walked into the store and to the time clock. The first person I saw standing next to the time clock was the store manager and his assistant. They were the two highest in command. We exchanged hellos, and I clocked in, and not a word was mentioned about the time. I then went to my immediate manager, the CSM customer service manager, the one that had texted me at 2:58. I asked what register I was to go to, and he told me number 6.

I looked at the schedule, and it clearly read that I was to be there from 3 to 11. Still, nobody had said anything to me. All of the other cashiers greeted me with a smile.

It has been a month, and this still has not been mentioned. I remember once when I was just five minutes late, and I was in a panic for being five minutes late. Everyone noticed, and they were all worried about me. Yet this one time, I was an hour late, but because I visualized and imagined how I wanted my night to go,  it went exactly, and I mean exactly, the way I had imagined. I was on a high for days and smiling from ear to ear all night.