Visualization is a very powerful tool for making our most ambitious desires come true: here’s how it works and how we can use it to make our dreams concrete
Why can’t we make our dreams come true? Many people, despite having big goals and ambitious dreams, fail to realize them.
They encounter daily obstacles, lose motivation, or simply don’t know where to start. But there is an element that is often missing in the wish fulfillment process: visualization.
The key to success is imagining it
The visualization technique is very present in the world of sport and adopted by numerous athletes who, before taking to the field, visualize themselves running, crossing the finish line, raising their arms in a sign of victory – as if the victory achieved were already a memory and not a fantasy.
And in fact, it is not a fantasy, but a deliberate act of visualization, through which they create a connection between mind and body, mentally preparing themselves to face challenges and increase the likelihood of success.
But it’s not just athletes who benefit from visualization. Business leaders, artists, actors and successful people in different fields have used this technique to achieve their goals.
Lady Gaga she imagined herself already famous all over the world when the bullies at her school made fun of her in high school because they considered her ugly; Jim Carrey he had written a million-dollar check to his future self when he was still an unknown stand-up comedian without much hope.
These two examples, among many, demonstrate only one thing: imagining in detail the future we desire is the first step in starting to make it concrete.
What is visualization
There visualization it is a mental process in which they are created vivid and detailed images of what you want to achieve. The power of this technique lies in its ability to “program” the brain to recognize opportunities that bring us closer to our goal.
Psychologically, the brain does not fully distinguish between imagination and reality: when we visualize something clearly, we create new neural connections that reinforce the idea that that goal is possible and achievable – or that it is even already part of our present.
But visualization doesn’t just work on a mental level: when we already see ourselves in the desired situation, our body begins to physically prepare for that event.
For example, if we visualize ourselves in a different economic condition, better than the one we have, our attitude will slowly become that of a wealthy persona – just as we will begin to increase our self-esteem if we imagine ourselves as established professionals.
This phenomenon is called mental simulation and represents one of the key aspects of visualization success.
How to harness the power of visualization
Often, the first obstacle that prevents us from achieving our goals is the lack of clarity. Maybe we don’t know what we want or where we want to go – and this makes it difficult to make concrete decisions and stay motivated in the long term.
Imagining your future clearly, thanks to visualization, not only helps us understand where we want to go, but it also allows us to visualize the steps necessary to achieve it.
This process creates a sort of mental map that guides us in daily choices, keeping motivation high and reducing procrastination.
So, if we want to bring visualization into our lives, the first step is to take the time to clearly imagine the future we want, to take action without losing time and concentration. Here’s how to do it:
Define a goal
Let’s take a pen and paper, settle down in a place free of distractions and let’s start describing in writing and in detail our ideal day in five or ten years.
Where do we live? What work do we do? What is our financial situation? Who are the people around us? Let’s take all the time we need to do this exercise: the more details we include, the more vivid and powerful the mental image will become.
An additional tool to increase the strength of visualization is creating a vision board – that is, a collage of images, words and symbols that represent what we wish to achieve.
As we explained in this article, keeping our goals “in sight” at all times will help us stay focused and motivated even when tiredness and frustration make themselves felt.
Imagine the process
We don’t have to limit ourselves to just visualizing the final result, but also the path that will take us to that finish line.
For example, if our goal is to lose twenty kilos, in addition to imagining ourselves in the desired physical shape, we must visualize preparing healthy meals, working out in the gym, walking in the park and so on.
So, let’s stop for a moment and ask ourselves: What can I do today to get closer to my goal? What concrete actions can I take in the coming weeks or months? Visualizing these intermediate steps will help us stay focused and reduce anxiety related to uncertainty.
Also, imagine the process it allows us to anticipate any obstacles and find solutions before they even arise.
For example, if our goal is to get a promotion at work, we can visualize ourselves successfully tackling the most challenging tasks of our job, improving our skills and gaining recognition from colleagues.
Visualize yourself
Finally, a fundamental aspect of visualization it is imagining ourselves concretely carrying out the actions necessary to achieve our goal – similarly to the athletes before the race that we talked about at the beginning of the article.
This exercise not only helps us feel more prepared for the future we have imagined, but reinforces in us the idea that we are fully capable of making that journey.
When we visualize ourselves, we try to involve all our senses, so that the vision is as tangible as possible. Let’s imagine how we feel as we work towards our goal. What emotions do we feel? What do we see around us? Who surrounds us?
Adding these details makes the mental image even more real and it will increase the chances that the brain will accept that future as possible and concrete.
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