Maximize Your Brain Power

How Visualization Sets You Up For Future Success

Photo by Eva Kristensen on Unsplash

What if I told you there is a technique that you can start right now that some of world’s most successful people do? Would you start using it? The technique that Jim Carrey, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Michael Jordan, Katie Ledecky, and Oprah all use is visualization. Each of these people have achieved wild and wonderful success in their lives, and they have publicly attributed it to the practice of visualization; it’s a habit that works.

It doesn’t just work for famous people, numerous studies have proven that visualization is a solid method for getting results. Here’s why: your brain can manifest things when it is introduced to them in a visual, emotional way. In a 2003 study, researchers found that “the brain responds to a vivid mental image in the same way as to a real experience.” That’s right, actively picturing something makes the same impression on our minds as actually doing it. What’s more, the authors concluded:

“Visualization physically changes the brain. Used regularly and effectively, it creates and strengthens neuronal connections and pathways. This process is known as neuroplasticity.”

This neuroplasticity is what makes visualization so helpful. Turns out, our brains respond the most to visual images; both those we are seeing in front of us and those we conjure in our minds.

So, how can you start to use visualization in your day-to-day life? Well, there is a process you can use to make visualization a daily habit:

1. Create a visual picture of what you desire and imagine for yourself. You can use images (digital images or cutouts from printed media), drawings, lists, graphs, or charts. It doesn’t matter the format, what matters is that it has meaning to you.

2. Use detail: imagine the steps you need to take to get there. Imagine what you’ll feel when you’re in that position of achievement, what is your emotional experience? What sensations do you experience in your body? What emotions are coursing through you? What is your mindset? Imagine every little step and nuance in order to fully bring your vision to life and into real feelings in your body.

3. Post it: for your visualization to work it’s important that you look at it daily. So print it out and post it: by your desk, in your workspace, on your bathroom mirror, on your lock screen, or computer desktop. This ensures that this vision becomes part of your day to day; it’s a visual reminder that you have a goal worth spending your time on.

4. Practice: In order for your visualization to work (ie: get embedded in your brain) you must walk through your vision daily. This repetition allows your brain to learn what exactly it is you are expecting to manifest, it all its detail and glory, which helps your brain create a neural pathway that becomes deeper and more secure with daily use.

The idea is that by identifying your goal and taking time to experience it fully, you will be able to make active strides towards it. Your mindset is crucial, it determines each of your actions in pursuit of your goal. Beyoncé has been quoted as saying that she visualized each of her biggest performances in vivid detail. “I have visualized everything from the color of my stiletto to my hairstyle to the choreography and movement.” This mental preparation helps her clarify her choices and actions; she’s not acting from a place of fear or hope, she’s acting from a place of knowledge. She is exercising complete mental commitment to her goal.

Remember: the biggest preventative to achieving our goals is distraction. The beauty of visualization is that it helps our brains focus so that we don’t get distracted by the things that pull us away from achieving our single most important goals for ourselves. So start visualizing what you want and watch your beautiful life unfold.

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• 1:1 individual coaching can help you identify your deeply ingrained, outdated habits and help you build yourself into the leader you know you can be. A leader who is authentic, confident, and energizing to be around.

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