“People who fail focus on what they will have to go through; people who succeed focus on what it will feel like at the end.”
― Anthony Robbins
I want to discuss more about Visualization – more about technique in this session.
The simplest thing to do is tell a story, from the end, as if you’ve already done it. How do you feel? How did you think/act/behave, etc.
Also, I just finished reading the book “The Power of Habit” – which I recommend. Anyhow one study sighted in the book describes that people did better in many situations in sports/work/life when they not only visualized, set goals and asked questions before a situation but also asked themselves how they would react if different scenarios came up.
Example: “What would I do during the presentation if the power went off? What would I say if someone brings a politically charged subject up? How will I regroup if I get off the subject? How will I re-direct if an attendee gets us off track?” – Etc.
How should you visualize?
Write a story! Once upon a time I was about to compete in a big competition before the event I felt like….. just before I felt like……. During the competition I felt like……. After the event I felt like………. .Write a script like you’re writing a bestselling movie starring you!
The whole idea behind this technique is to imagine all the possible scenarios, positive and negative, and all the possible feelings, positive and negative, associated with them.
I would suggest that any of the counterproductive feelings of stress and anxiety stem from the ‘great unknown’. If our mind has already experienced the stressful scenario in the comfort of our home, using mental imagery, then it is more likely that we will manage to manage the scenario when it happens for real.
Misunderstanding the how and why visualization works often results in failure. It is easy to become disillusioned about the power of visualization when, no matter how often or hard we concentrate on visualizing the outcome we desire it just doesn’t happen.
Many Americans first became aware of “visualization” as a technique when the Russians used the technique as central to training Olympic athletes – with great success. Since that time, the idea of visualization as a tool to live a better life has become practically a mainstream assumption within American culture.
Visualize what we need/want and it will come.
A common complaint of people wishing to employ creative visualization is that they can’t “see” – or create a clear enough picture. They close their eyes and maybe all they see are colors, or even just a “blank screen.” They are having trouble visualizing. This is where detail comes into play. So far we’ve been concentrating on visualizing (“seeing”) as it relates to improving athletic performance; however, creative visualization is just as powerful technique for achieving anygoal or desire. For example, you have decided to pursue finding another job.
You’ve set a scheduled time to visualize (say right before getting out of bed in the morning and right before going to sleep at night – both great times to visualize.) You close your eyes and start thinking that you want to get a picture of your new job – and get nothing. The more you strain to “see”, the blanker your mental screen gets. Now is a great time to remember that you have five senses – not just one.
If you can’t see your new job – can you hear it? Imagine a conversation you may have with a colleague or superior. A very detailed conversation where you are expressing yourself to others with extreme confidence and competence. Your listener, in turn, responds as you would wish them to in the most optimal circumstances you can imagine.
Can you smell your new job? Perhaps your desk is near the coffee maker. Now the conversation you have imagined has smell attached to it. Can you touch your new job? Maybe you can feel yourself standing by your desk with a cup of coffee in your hand having that successful conversation with your colleagues.
Now that you can hear and touch your visualization, you try to imagine you can see yourself at your new job, but – darn – all you can see is the color red. Ask yourself, what is red about my new job? And you realize that it is the tie or sweater a colleague you are speaking with is wearing. Before you know it you can see, hear, and touch your new job – exactly as you desire it to be.
Creative visualization must be practiced consistently
“For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent.”
― Anthony Robbins
“What if my beliefs don’t fully support what I want or what I visualize”
In other words, even though we visualize, do beliefs sometimes overcome visualization? Visualization techniques can change a negative self fulfilling prophesy into a positive self fulfilling prophesy. For instance, frequently, consistently, and in a detailed manner visualizing one’s self actually taking the test successfully is very powerful. For one, the level of self confidence is improved. Those who feel confident are not focused on perfection, they are focused on realizing their full potential.
WHY– I think it is crucial, in addition to adding emotion to visualization, that you add the Why. Why do you want the end result? Describe why you really want it. If powerful enough, one or two sentences is OK.
HOW – It is my opinion that when you visualize an end result, don’t focus much on the “How’s”. In other words, if you want to be happy in a situation, for instance, don’t focus on how you’re going to ‘get’ happy. If you want money, don’t get too tied up in “how” the money will come. This lets your creative mind work out solutions that you can’t think of – and take advantage of opportunities that you can’t see now. Be open to the goal, think about the WHY, and anchor good emotions. Forget how it will come about.
I read an example of a visualization exercise in Mike Dooley’s books. They helped me. In one example he is sitting on a veranda at a beach house. He talks about how he feels, the changes, and it paints a great, simple picture. There are no details how he got there. It could be the lottery, maybe he wrote a book, maybe he did ten things to get there. It doesn’t matter. He set the stage for happiness, abundance, loved ones, etc. etc.
You can read about these good examples at http://wp.me/p2mGFu-h
You can watch on YOUTUBE at http://youtu.be/FTAdjr1n7m4
Creative visualization (C.V.) is used to create change in your life. Anything you desire to achieve has to exist in your mind first, whether the end result is physical or mental. Creative visualization means picturing your desired end result. You ‘see’ it, and feel it in your whole body before you take action on it. Creative visualization begins to change the way you perceive a goal, taking it from the realm of dreams and wishful thinking, to reality. The more you visualize, the more your actions will reflect that mental image.
Creative visualization can be used to acquire a new skill. Athletes use it all the time: a skater may know how to perform a certain jump as a double revolution: using creative visualization, the skater can take that skill and expand on it to mentally learn how to do a triple version of that same jump – before ever going out on the ice.
It can be used to embed a new belief system in your subconscious. For example, if you want to improve your financial situation, you have to be able to visualize yourself receiving large sums of money – and not have any internal resistance to that visualization. This takes time, and mental reprogramming to release feelings such as “I’m not worthy” and “money is hard to come by.” Unless these limiting beliefs are reprogrammed, you will unconsciously keep taking actions that make sure you will not be financially abundant.
Also – a good quote relevant here:
“Whatever your goal may be, if you create in your mind a clear image of the result you want and represent it to yourself as if you’ve already achieved it, then you will go into the kind of states that will support you in creating the results you desire…. you’re not just a leaf in the wind. You can control your beliefs. You can control the way you model others. You can consciously direct your life. You can change.”
— Unlimited Power, Tony Robbins page 62
More in Part 3- soon to come!
Tagged: abundance, focus, goal setting, goals., happiness, ideas, inspiration, job seeker, life is good, manifest, mike dooley, motivation, onewebstrategy, self-help, stephen covey, strategies, success, think as if, think with the end in mind, vision, visualizing, wellness
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