In process visualization, you mentally preview the steps necessary to accomplish your goal. World-class athletes invest the time not only to envision the desired end result but also to see how they want to get there. The more an athlete practices mentally, the better his or her performance becomes. The mind actually trains the body to perform just as it did in the mental rehearsal. Since the mind is the only place where you can practice perfectly, it behooves you to work out there often. The more you see yourself performing effectively, the more comfortable, confident, and relaxed you will feel in the actual event, and the better you will perform. This sense of familiarity breeds excellent results.
Two Types of Visualization
Outcome: Focus on the exact moment that represents attainment of your goal.
Process: Mentally preview the steps or actions necessary to reach your goal.
The Seven Components of Successful Visualization
Enhancing any of the seven components of effective visualization will expedite the physical manifestation of the visualized image—in other words, will help you realize your goal more quickly.
1. Relaxation. How relaxed you are when you picture something that you want to occur plays a major role in how fast the desired mental image becomes rooted in the subconscious. And it has to be rooted in the subconscious before it becomes a reality. Tension, anxiety, and worry tend to hamper concentration and block the formation of your goals. Before you visualize a goal, take the necessary time to get deeply relaxed. It is very important not to feel rushed or to feel that there is something else more valuable you should be doing.
2. Frequency. The more frequently you visualize a goal, the more that goal will tend to influence the way you think, talk, feel, and act. You will become more likely to engage in activities that move you toward your goal and progressively less inclined to do things that slow your progress. The benefits of every act of visualization accumulate like a giant snowball, generating momentum. The more committed you are to continually previewing your goals on your “personal video screen”—that is, your mind—the more quickly you will experience tangible results.
3. Clarity. The clearer you are about any goal you hope to achieve, the more motivated you will be to accomplish it. Likewise, when you distinctly imagine accomplishing your goal, your enthusiasm, desire, and creativity soar. For example, imagine discussing with your spouse the characteristics of your future dream home. Envision discussing only the size, style, location, number of bedrooms, and price. While that is a good start, imagine the difference in your excitement and motivation to move in when you start considering the special features that appeal to you individually and as a couple. The neighborhood, the master bedroom design, the exercise room, the finished hardwood floors, the automatic hot-water dispenser, the big closet in the garage, and the deck overlooking the garden and pool are all important details that add life to your picture. Considering all the possibilities and envisioning how you will personalize the house into a home help complete the mental equivalent.
Add as much detail to your visualization as possible. Make it graphic, colorful, and vividly rich. The existence of small details makes your mental pictures seem authentic. The more skilled you become at precisely duplicating in your head what you want to see in your life, the more rapidly you will reach your goals. The inability to see details in your visualization is a strong clue that you are not making the progress you are capable of.
4. Duration. The longer you can hold on to a crisp, clear picture of your goal, the sooner and more likely it is to appear. Each time you visualize, attempt to hold the picture a little longer than the time before. Refuse to let fear, worry, distractions, or any other type of resistance cut short the length of each act of visualization or your commitment to persevere. All forms of real and imagined resistance begin to dissolve the longer you hold a concrete mental image of the goal you desire. The more you practice visualization, the stronger your ability to concentrate becomes. With practice, you will be able to lock out all extraneous thoughts that dilute the focus of your mental movie.
5. Emotion. The more emotional intensity you can generate while picturing your goals, the faster new mental commands are accepted by your subconscious mind. When you visualize, concentrate on manufacturing the precise feelings that would accompany the accomplishment of your goal. Then amplify, or even exaggerate, those feelings over and over until they are internalized. To produce positive, forceful emotional states, remind yourself of the many wonderful benefits you will receive when your goal is reached. Mentally celebrate in advance by pretending your goal has already been accomplished. Drench yourself in the feelings of satisfaction, gratitude, and inner peace you would feel if you actually reached your goal. Take in all the sensations of the experience you are imagining.
6. Perspective. This refers to the point of view you take while visualizing. The perspective from which your mental picture originates influences its overall strength, clarity, and intensity. If, as you visualize, you are looking through your own eyes at the accomplishment of your goal, you are fully associated in your mind. This means you are the player. You are seeing from a participant’s perspective. You are in the game and experience all the relevant sensations. This associated perspective supercharges your central nervous system with passion, excitement, and exhilaration.
The other perspective is called disassociation. When your visualization is disassociated, you are watching yourself through the eyes of a spectator. It is like watching yourself in a home movie. Imagine sitting at a traffic light, looking over at the car next to you, and noticing that the driver is you. This is the disassociated, or detached, point of view. While most people have a natural tendency to visualize in one of the two perspectives—associated or disassociated—either perspective can be mastered with patience and practice.
The disassociated perspective is a helpful mental technique for a couple of reasons: First, when practiced, it allows you to see yourself more objectively, similar to watching yourself on video to evaluate your performance. It is often easier to spot flaws and other opportunities for improvement from a distance. That’s why great athletes, speakers, and entertainers often review their performances on film. Second, this perspective is useful for minimizing the emotional impact of a prior or upcoming event, when that is desired. Consider that a spectator of a World Series game or the Super Bowl doesn’t experience the same intensity of emotions as the players, though he or she can be very involved.
The associated, or fully engaged perspective, should be used when you want to boost the excitement, motivation, and energy of your mental image by being in the game, seeing it through your own eyes.
The Perspective While Visualizing
7. Scripting. It is crucial to have a written script that details every aspect of your visualization. Your script need not be long, but it should contain all the key aspects of the imagined event with as many details as possible. Again, the details bring authenticity to your imagination. Describing your visualization in writing will force you to crystallize your thinking. If there are any gaps in your mental picture, they will become apparent as you try to translate your visual story into the written word. I have found with my 1% Club clients that a visualization script often provides the tangible tool that encourages consistent use of an otherwise nebulous exercise. Very few people are disciplined enough to create and implement a visualization exercise regularly without some sort of prompter. The presence of the script tends to make you much more inclined to practice visualization. And the more you practice, the better you get. A good, reasonable script will probably be about one to one and a half typed, double-spaced pages. All essential details should be included, without any extraneous words or phrases.
The Seven Components of Effective Visualization
Here are some ideas to help you pull your visualization script together:
a. State your specific goal in the form of an affirmation. Here are some examples:
I effortlessly achieve my id
eal body fat percentage of eighteen!
I joyfully earn one hundred thousand dollars or more this year!
I read the Bible from cover to cover by December 31!
We gratefully move into our dream home by March 30!
I safely summit Mount Rainier by July 31!
I easily achieve straight A’s this semester!
I take my wife on a surprise weekend trip by June 30!
b. Consider why reaching this goal is important to you. What are the benefits? Include specific and nonspecific benefits as well as tangible and intangible benefits.
c. Imagine the exact moment you accomplish this goal or fulfill your dream. What event would most represent this accomplishment? Ideas include reaching a mountain summit, taking a romantic getaway, launching a new business, a baptism, a wedding reception, a birth, a family trip, a graduation ceremony, a training certification, a housewarming, an athletic achievement, an awards dinner, an adventure or travel, or a business meeting.
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In 1990, actor and comedian Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for ten million dollars. He wrote “for acting services rendered” on the check and postdated it Thanksgiving 1995. He carried the check in his wallet, looking at it daily until he signed a ten-million-dollar contract to star in The Mask 2—almost a year ahead of his target date.
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d. If this were happening right now, how would you feel? Step into that moment. Pretend you are there right now. What emotions would be most dominant? Perhaps passion, contentment, happiness, excitement, relief, optimism, fulfillment, or confidence.
e. Who is with you and supporting your accomplishment? This could be family, coach, business partner, boss, personal assistant, banker, investor, mentor, friends.
f. What do you see around you that is evidence of your accomplishment? Ideas include incredible views, new car, new pool, church altar, teller window, reporters, signed contract, finished drawings, stained-glass windows, TV cameras, photographs.
g. What are you doing? Dancing, depositing, straining, crawling, describing, calling, cheering, toasting, jumping, hugging, smiling, signing, giving, praying.
h. Sounds. What do you hear? Clapping, laughter, triumphant yells, the wind, silence, toasts, congratulations, music, chatter, whispers, ocean waves, “I love you,” “I’m proud of you!”
i.Sense of smell. What scents stand out? Chocolate-chip cookies, fresh ink, new car, salty air, her perfume, garlic, sweet-smelling flowers, his cologne, other unique scents.
j.Touch. What are you holding, sitting on, or leaning against? Handshakes, hugs, pats, palm trees, sand, rocks, keyboard, envelope, clothing, pens, fancy glasses, comfortable furniture.
k.Taste. What do you taste? Champagne, cheese, shrimp cocktail, energy bar, pure water, fresh fruit, filet mignon, brownies, chocolate-chip ice cream, peppermint mouthwash, sweat, Gatorade.
l. What words or phrases capture this experience? Success, joy, exhilaration, yes, gratitude, fully alive, satisfaction, contribution.
m. Which of your values are most reflected by what you see? Service, faith in God, wealth, relationships, commitment, family, integrity, adventure, duty, risk, goal setting, stewardship.
All these ideas and questions will help you write a compelling script for your visualization.
When my wife, Kristin, decided she was ready to be a mother (about six months before we officially began trying to conceive), she found a newspaper photograph of a man who closely resembled me (although not quite as handsome!) holding a beautiful baby. Kristin pinned the picture up on a mini bulletin board in our shared walk-in closet. Day after day, with barely any effort or intention, we both got a glimpse of the picture. Did it work? Well, of course we both had to do our part, but conception did occur within the first month! I still show this photograph to many of my clients.
Visual Triggers
In addition to mentally rehearsing your goals, it is also effective to surround yourself with visual representations of those goals. Having these visual reminders in your environment is an effortless way to stay focused and motivated. Constantly be on the lookout for Web sites, photographs, quotes, headlines, sketches, and other items that remind you of your goals. The reminders do not have to fit your aspirations exactly; they just need to symbolize your goals. Of course, if you can find exact pictures, those work best. For example, if your goal is to be lean and muscular by reaching your ideal weight, find a picture of yourself when you were lean and put it on the refrigerator door. If you cannot find the right picture of yourself, simply cut out a picture from a fitness magazine of someone who has the look you’re shooting for. Keep the picture anywhere you will see it often. In a weight-loss situation, the refrigerator tends to work best. One of my clients took a slightly different approach to improving her health by placing photos of healthy gourmet meals on her refrigerator.
Here are some other examples:
If your goal is to earn $100,000 by December 31, your visualization device might be a picture of a large stack of $100 bills, the numbers $100,000 written out and colored in, or simply a photograph of something you will buy when you earn the money.
If your goal is to travel to New Zealand, then your visualization trigger will likely be pictures of New Zealand from a travel brochure or magazine, along with the dates you plan to be there.
If your goal is to read the Bible from cover to cover in the next three years, your visualization device might be a digital photograph of yourself sitting in your study with your Bible and a clock in the background that reads 5 a.m. (And maybe a tall mug of hot coffee or tea!)
Try a Goal Map!
A goal map is a large visual reminder of a goal or group of goals you want to accomplish. To create your goal map, attach pictures, photos, sketches, headlines, or other visual stimulators to a poster or bulletin board. Alternatively, if you are so inclined, you could pull together a beautiful version on your home computer. (If you need help, just ask a nearby child!) If you’re still doing it the old-fashioned way, print your goal in bold, block letters in the center of the board, using several different colors of ink. Then paste or pin pictures around the statement of your goal. Magazines, brochures, catalogs, and newspapers are good sources to get you started. Some goal maps I’ve seen are very neat and logically organized, while others are more like a collage. Experiment and see which approach works best for you. I encourage you to intersperse affirmations or quotations with your pictures.
I’ve used some variation of a goal map for years, and at the very least, it has kept me more motivated, inspired, and enthusiastic. At one point, I had a separate goal map (I use a bulletin board) for each area of my life hung up on the walls of my exercise room. Visualizing and exercising is a wonderful combination. (By the way, each of the goals represented on those goal maps has now been accomplished.)
If you don’t have much room to devote to your goal map, then try hanging it up on the back of a closet door or sliding it under your bed and pulling it out every night for review before you go to sleep. If you take the digital route with this project, your goal map could be transformed into your screen saver. By flooding your mind with a constant stream of success images, you displace old self-defeating doubts, fears, and insecurities.
I’ve encouraged a number of my clients to create and regularly review ideal financial statements that represent where they want to be financially nine, eighteen, and thirty-six years down the road. The money-mangement software packages available today make this particularly easy. Try putting together your ideal net worth statement for nine or eighteeen years from now. Look at it often.
Create a Future Scrapbook
A variation of the goal map is a future scrapbook. It serves the same purpose and can be more private and convenient. Make your future scrapbook a preview of your life’s coming attractions. Fill it with pictures, quotations, affirmations, and any mementos that symbolize the course you want your life to take. The scrapbook should be
the visual story of your future life. To get started, simply collect pictures and other items, as you would for a goal map, and paste them to sheets of paper or card stock. Then insert them into a three-ring binder. (You might consider laminating the pages first.) A photo album or a photo program on your computer could serve the same purpose. There is virtually no limit on the different approaches to putting together a future scrapbook! Just be creative and review it often, especially right before bedtime and immediately upon arising in the morning.
The more visual cues you can place around you, the more often you will be triggered to think about your goals and the less you will be tempted to think about what you don’t want. Also, the very act of searching for the appropriate pictures and reminders of success will stimulate your reticular activating system, which in turn will help you be more alert to the people and resources necessary to transform your dreams into realities. I encourage you to choose a few of these visualization techniques and commit to practicing them over the next thirty days. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
Lesson 6 Questions for Reflection
Describe the efforts you have previously made to discipline your mind. Were they successful? Why or why not?
Why is it more common to dwell on your current reality instead of envisioning something far better?
In your experience, do you use your memory or your imagination more frequently? Which might be more effective in encouraging you to reach your goals?
Success Is Not an Accident Page 17
