Picture yourself in 10 years. What would you say? (do the exercise before reading more)
Why do I have a feeling that you are going to say a few facts? Like: “I’ll be in London, I’ll be a Vice President, I’ll have my 2nd baby.”
First of all - many of us play the prediction game, rather than the dreaming game. We already think we know what we’re capable of, suppressing anything we really want deep down inside. Let me tell you the difference that a little dreaming made for me:
In 2015, a life coach asked me what my vision was in 10 years, and I half-heartedly said something to the effect of: “I'll be an international business person.” My words at the time felt hollow neither with certainty nor confidence. It turns out, though, that a few years later, I went to an international business school and now regularly visit 4-5 countries in a single year, doing coaching and consulting (somewhat) globally. It’s hard to put into words how profoundly my life has changed - but I know the rudimentary visualization I did in that coaching conversation was a strong influence on me.
So as much as I have written about setting goals, it is equally important to visualize what you want. You'll see that the psychology and neuroscience of visualization and its benefits are clear.
The Science
Visualization is the process of fully exploring and visualizing the desired state, which builds a vivid picture of the future right now in the present. Research has demonstrated that repeated visualization of success and frequent reminders of our targets maintain a steady stimulation in the RAS and promote effective goal setting.
From Medium: “Several studies have shown that the brain doesn’t differentiate between a real memory and an imagined (visualized) one. If you can vividly imagine and visualize a future situation, your mind will record it as a real memory; the situation will become something known, something you’ve already experienced. Not only will the feelings of insecurity be reduced, but you’ll feel confident in your ability to go through the situation because you will have successfully done it before (although only in your mind).
Visualization under deep relaxation is also referred as self-hypnosis. When you relax deeply, your brainwaves move…to suggestible states in which it becomes easier to reprogram patterns and beliefs at a subconscious level.”
From Psychology Today: "Mental imagery impacts many cognitive processes in the brain: motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory. So the brain is getting trained for actual performance during visualization. It’s been found that mental practices can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success, and increase states of flow.”
In an article from the FastCompany: “Studies show that people who imagine themselves flexing a muscle achieve actual physical strength gains. Why? Because they activate the same pathways in the brain that relate to the actual, real-life movement of the muscle.
There’s nothing mystic and woo-woo about this…many successful people continue to use this technique to help them realize their goals. When you imagine your success, you’ll be more attuned to opportunities that can help you get there. You’ll be able to anticipate and plan for setbacks, and you’ll also have a constant reminder of why you chose to pursue those goals in the first place.”
In summary - visualization is grounded in neuroscience and helps you to orient yourself now to the goals you have in the future. The better you visualize, the better you train yourself to be the person you need to be to achieve your goals.
Visualize Your Future: An Exercise
Activity 1: Scene of Success
Begin by establishing a goal or vision. Imagine the future; you have already achieved your goal. Hold a mental "video" of it as if it were occurring to you right at that moment. Imagine the scene in as much detail as possible. Engage as many of the five senses as you can in your visualization. Who are you with? Which emotions are you feeling right now? What are you wearing? Is there a smell in the air? What do you hear? What is your environment? How do you feel?
DO for Visualizing:
You can start by writing your vision to get you thinking about what the vision entails
Sit up with a straight spine when you do this, and closing your eyes can be helpful.
Practice at night or in the morning (just before/after sleep).
Eliminate any doubts, if they come to you. Repeat this practice often.
Combine with meditation or an affirmation (e.g. “I am courageous; I am strong,” or to borrow from Ali, “I am the greatest!”).
DO NOT for Visualizing:
“Explain” your visual, instead of showing - by describing 3rd person
Share the vision as if it’s in the future, instead of the present
Hypothesize if your goal and visualization is realistic and achievable
Give options to your visualization - 2+ possible scenarios can’t be visualized at once
Reflection on Visualization:
After visualizing, ask yourself first about the quality of your vision. Is it clear, meaning can you see and experience the vision? Does it feel real? What else can you get more specific on?
Then, think about how the visual made you feel. Are you excited? Are you joyful? Are you nervous? Are you confident? Be with the impact of your visualization on the present day.
Lastly - what did you learn from your visualization? Did any subconscious desires come out? Any questions you have for yourself moving forward?
Examples:
Bad | Better | Better-er |
In 10 years, I will be living in Brooklyn, New York, in a loft-style apartment with my husband. We will be in a neighborhood that is quiet, clean and allows me to walk everywhere. I have the luxury of starting my mornings slow, first making some coffee, listening to news, and journaling. | I am in my loft-style apartment, making some coffee while listening to the news with my husband. I then journal a bit and take a walk around the block to get some fresh air and think about what I want to accomplish for the day, and am off to work. | Fresh from meditation with my husband, feeling the warmth from the floor to ceiling windows letting in the sunlight, I walk into my spacious loft and start the coffee. I love the ritual of smelling the coffee while making breakfast with my husband, listening to the news and making jokes. We ritually create possibilities for the day together and affirm our shared dreams, with an earnest "You got this" and "I love you". |
Follow-up Activities
Activity 2: Step into Your Future Self's Shoes
This process goes one step beyond visualizing success, to asking who you are. My friend said, "Think of this like method acting" - step into the shoes of future you, ask yourself: what do you care about? what is your identity,? what are you like in the future? Picture scenes of yourself throughout your future "average day", even mundane facts like what you eat or how your home is decorated. Empathize and learn to identify with this future self, to the point where you can "be" this future self.
Activity 3: Now…Bring Your Future Self Back to the Present
Neville Goddard, an American author once said, “Assume the consciousness of being the one you want to be, and you will be saved from your present state." Your success in life is a function of how you see life (and yourself). Why? Because how we see things shapes the actions we take. If you see yourself in this moment as your future self, you will take actions that you would already in the future. You're practicing to become a better version of yourself and will fail, learn, and grow much faster.
Bringing it all together
Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, on Chia-Jung Tsay: "Now a professor at University College London, she publishes her work in the most prestigious of academic journals...holds several degrees from Harvard....has degrees from Peabody Conservatory and yes, she's performed at Carnegie Hall...I've asked Chia what she makes of her own accomplishments. 'Well I guess I may have some talent...but I think, more than that, I loved music so much I practiced four to six hours a day all throughout childhood...When I practiced piano, I pictured myself on stage in front of a crowded audience. I imagined them clapping."
Chia is giving another crucial ingredient to visualization - that first of all, our visions can't radically shift over time if we want to attain something great for ourselves. We must have grit to maintain the vision and work for it over time.
Conclusion
Visualization is a very powerful exercise to propel you beyond your current level of thinking and performance. Goal setting is just a part of the process for creating your future - visualizing is the good stuff that will help you stay focused and persistent for the long haul.
If you're interested in doing some visualizing, book a consultation and we'll chat!
For Learning and With Love,
Chris
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