Did you know that we all have telepathic powers? No, seriously. You don’t have to sit in front of a crystal ball with a Ja-fakin’ accent like Ms. Cleo to predict where your life will go. Creating your future doesn’t work that way. The best way to predict your future is to use visual simulation.
Top athletes have long touted the benefits of visualizing success as the key to their performance. Michael Phelps says that his mental rehearsal exercise, which is the practice of envisioning every aspect of his win at the Olympics every day, was the key to his gold-medal winning performance. Muhammad Ali stressed the importance of visualizing himself winning long before he stepped in the ring to fight. And, Michael Jordan always took the game-winning shot in his mind before doing it live in a game.
Top athletes swear by visualization because it works. But you don’t have to be training for an Olympic sport so that visual imagery will work for you too. Visual simulation works for everyone.
The brain is continuously using visualization as a means to simulate future experiences. Because the brain can’t distinguish between something that we vividly imagine and something real, if you can form a sharp mental picture, your mind will get to work finding you ways to get there.
Visual simulation can improve your motivation and increase your belief in achieving a goal. Although there are tons of visualization exercises out there, I’ve found these 3 practices to be particularly helpful in improving the quality of my mental simulations. These exercises make the visualizations more real, and therefore, more actionable.
- Letter To Your Future Self – Sometimes we have a general idea of what we want but haven’t permitted ourselves to dream in detail for fear we’ll be disappointed. Writing a letter to your future self will change that. By writing a letter to the future you that lives 6 months, 1 year, or more into the future, you can fully get in touch with your true desires. (Bonus points if you mail it to yourself for that future date.)
- Ideal Day – Another way to vividly imagine your future is to write down a detailed description of your ideal day. This shouldn’t be a day that’s out of the ordinary like when you meet Beyonce on Rodeo Drive. It should be a typical, average weekday. What are you doing? Who is there with you? Write down all the details and use that description to form your visual simulation.
- Mental Rehearsal – As mentioned above, Michael Phelps uses mental rehearsal as a daily part of his training routine. For two hours a day in the pool, he sees himself winning which includes smelling the air, hearing the sounds, and overcoming obstacles. He also visualizes himself as a spectator in the crowd watching his performance. With that clarity of vision, Phelps was destined to win. You can use mental rehearsal to define your destiny too.
Do you use visualization to enhance your performance or are you interested in adding in visual imagery exercises to your daily routine? Tell me more about your visual imagery practices and goals in the comments below.
