The world at large was first introduced to the techniques used in creative visualization with the work of Wallace Wattles, who wrote The Science of Getting Rich. In the book, which was published in 1910, Wattles discusses the importance of maintaining ‘a certain way of thinking’ in order to achieve financial success, by using mind-training techniques to attain a state of positivity and self-affirmation’.
This book was followed in 1916 by The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel, who was an American entrepreneur, author, and millionaire, and has been claimed to be the inspiration behind Bill Gates’ success at Microsoft. Gates is said to have discovered the book while still a student at Harvard, and was apparently so impressed by it that he dropped out of college to form the world-famous company.