Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Visualize It

Visualization is a simple, yet powerful technique to achieve what you want.

Many experts agree that the skill of visualization is more important than natural talent for successful athletes. Need I say more? You might fall into the trap of assuming it's too hard or too "foofy" to actually take a few minutes to visualize what you want to happen. And yes, it's human nature to avoid things that require even a little bit of effort.

What if you knew visualization was fool-proof and/or could get you something you wanted? Hmmm...what if you were on a gameshow and in order to win the $100,000 prize you had to prove you could visualize winning the prize on the show. They could stick sensors to your head to measure brain activity and give you 30 seconds to complete the task. Could you do it? Would you hesitate?

It's easy.
The average person easily visualizes what they do NOT want to happen, many times a day. You are familiar with this; it may be a coworker with an offhand comment about "worst-case scenario." This is a great skill, because it is a proven way to influence the future (more on this in another post) -- BUT when considering worst-case scenarios verus best-case scenarios, which do you think yields more desirable results?

What's stopping you?
"Seems too hard." "Not sure how." "I don't know what to picture." Let's cover how-to here. Think about your car and the way the seat feels under you, the feel of the steering wheel, and the sensation of accelerating to pass. Ok, now do NOT picture your house right now. Whatever you do, don't think of the way the door looks, the style of the handle, or your favorite place to sit and watch TV. Congratulations! You just visualized. That's it. Easy.

It's always on, so use it to your advantage.
Now you know that it works either way: when you want to think of something, or when you are just going along with what someone else brought up. Wouldn't you rather think about YOU? OK, start now. Consider what you are working toward. How does it feel in the moment you just realized you achieved the big goal? Where are you, what sensations are you experiencing? Describe it as though you are sharing the story with another person and you want them to get the full effect. Although the first time you do this, it could take a bit of time to determine the details, every time you picture it afterward, it comes faster and more clearly. There you go, you are visualzing your success! In just a few minutes.

ACTIONS:
1. Write down what you want to achieve.
2. Picture yourself achieving it, from your own perspective (as it feels in your own body to experience it).
3. Now, add some color and detail to the story, and write down this updated description.
4. Picture it once a day for the rest of this week, and twice daily every day next week.

Now you see it; now you see it.
Yeah, exactly.



Want some ways to make this easier and more fun? Check out some fantastic Vision Board Software. Download it and create a beautiful custom visual presentation to use on your computers and phones - in just minutes. I have it and I love it!