Visualization Positions You For Success

We often reminisce about the simplicity of life when we were growing up. Playing outside until the street lights came on, sitting on the front porch, and playing at the park for hours. One of the things many of us mastered as children was how to effectively utilize our imagination to visualize.

We knew what we wanted to be when we grew up. During playtime, we’d state our intention for the future and then do our best to play the part of whatever occupation we saw for ourselves: police officer, doctor, lawyer, news reporter. We utilized our imagination to play these roles to perfection.

If you were lucky, you were blessed to have stethoscopes, makeshift gavels, and handcuffs to complete the experience. The purity of this experience did not get lost on us. It was the first time we used the power of visualization, one of the most powerful exercises a person can engage in.

Visualization is a mental technique in which you create vivid mental images or scenarios to achieve your specific goals or dreams. It involves picturing in your mind the things you desire in your life. The fascinating thing is that we both ended up in the occupations we imagined when we were younger.

As children with no jobs or other major responsibilities, we had plenty of time to master the art of visualization. However, as we get older, school, work, family, and other adult responsibilities limit our time and often result in little to no time for this crucial exercise. In today’s society, social media, cell phones, video games, and other technology rob us of precious time to practice this important technique.

Visualization helps us clarify our vision. It requires us to sit, focus, and get still. Lastly, visualization causes us to see ourselves walking out what we believe.

Monique’s story

I remember lying on the ground in my grandparents’ backyard many times. I imagined myself as a lawyer arguing cases in the courtroom. I would close my eyes and step into my future self. I could see the jury in my mind. I would mouth my argument before the make-believe judge and hear the jury’s verdict. It was child’s play, of course, but with each court session, my belief in that dream strengthened. I would later become a lawyer, not in the courtroom, but a lawyer. I genuinely believe that those visualization sessions were critical in my becoming a lawyer.

We each have the power to see ourselves in our future state. There is such power in this exercise.

Tips for effective visualization:

1. Locate a quiet place to visualize where you will not be disturbed.

2. Be consistent. Determine a time daily that you will visualize. The amount of time you devote will depend on your availability. The key is not the time you spend but rather that you give your visualization sessions your full attention.

3. Close your eyes and relax. Take several deep breaths before you begin.

4. Imagine the outcome, goal, or dream you desire to experience. Be as detailed as possible: visualize colors, sounds, textures, and emotions.

5. Immerse yourself fully in the mental image. Use your emotions. As you visualize, invite your emotions into your visualization sessions. Conjure up the emotions you will feel when you accomplish the goal you’re visualizing. Remember, as a child, I was that lawyer commanding the courtroom!

6. Be patient with yourself. This is a skill that takes practice. It will feel strange at first. Pull on your childhood experiences. Remember how free you used to feel to make-believe. Give your older self permission to do the same.

Take a moment right now. Close your eyes and see yourself accomplishing one goal you have set for yourself. How do you look? What are you doing? How do you feel while you’re doing it? Make this scenario as accurate as you can. With vision, planning, and execution, what you visualize will become you. Your visualization session is the first step in getting there.