Visualization is a way of motivating oneself to achieve goals. Take advantage of the ability to imagine so that what you really dream of can come true, for example by imagining that you have already obtained the desired result, won an upcoming match, or attended a graduation ceremony on campus. The only thing that can limit your imagination is your own mind. In addition, visualization is also a mental ability that can be used to imagine events or situations that you dream of in the future.
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Part 1 of 2: Visualizing Goals Achieved
Step 1. Visualize the desired activity, event, or outcome
Close your eyes and imagine something you want. For example, you want to be promoted at work. Imagine that you are at the door of your new office and see your name emblazoned in gold-plated letters. Opening the door, you see a black swivel chair behind a massive mahogany desk and a reproduction of a Renoir painting between your diplomas.
After visualizing the achievement of your main goal, imagine the little things, like dust in the corner of the room, coffee grounds in a cup, or sunlight on the carpet seeping in through the open blinds
Step 2. Visualize while thinking positively and optimistically
Things won't get any better if you're always thinking negatively about yourself and being pessimistic about the future. Instead of thinking, "I can't be a great basketball player because I play really bad," say to yourself, "Right now, I'm not good at basketball, but in 6 months, I'll be a lot better." Then, imagine you hit the ball with a 3-pointer and your team wins.
- Visualization is like hypnosis. Visualization will not work if you doubt its effectiveness. Positive thinking is the first step to ensuring successful visualization so that all your dreams come true.
- Realize that life is a journey you take to reach the destination you always thought of. Visualization makes the process of achieving goals feel more enjoyable. This method keeps you focused and excited because your life will always be filled with positive things.
Step 3. Point the visualization to real life
After visualizing for a moment or a few days, change your life by focusing your mind on a goal. Just before you undertake an activity, task, or job to produce something or achieve a certain goal, imagine as clearly as possible the action to be taken. Even if your desire is something intangible (for example, "to have more money"), it can be experienced in everyday life, visualizing before working, running a business, or doing other activities.
For example, if you want to hit a baseball, imagine as vividly as you can hitting the balls one at a time with a very precise height and speed. Watch the ball float in the air and land where it's meant to be. Visualize the experience using all your senses: seeing a ball fly toward you, feeling a hit on the ball while hearing the sound, and smelling grass
Step 4. Think of the sequence of events needed to achieve the goal
Big life changes can happen if you allocate time and focused effort to take a few steps. If you visualize wanting to achieve a certain goal or goal, think about how to make it happen. For example, if you want to be president, imagine the various aspects that support your political career, such as campaigning, attending charities, meeting major politicians, and giving your first speech.
How would you visualize yourself in this situation?
Step 5. Visualize the personality it takes to become the person you want to be
Instead of just dreaming of wanting to be a director at the company you work for, think about the personality that supports the realization of that dream. In addition to imagining things around the director's position, also visualize the ability to communicate effectively, persuasion, sharing, discussing, delivering constructive criticism, respecting others, etc.
Imagine you behave the same way you visualize. If you realize that a director must have confidence at work, imagine being a confident person in the office
Step 6. Use affirmative sentences to motivate yourself
In addition to pictures, words can also be used as affirmations. If you want to be a branch head that is always healthy and fit, say to yourself, "My body is getting healthier the way I want it to be and it feels really good." If you want to be a good baseball player, say to yourself, "I saw the ball fly towards me and hit it as hard as I could out of the court."
Say affirmations as many times as you want, but make sure you believe them
Step 7. Visualize when you feel calm, focused, and comfortable
Visualization is useful only when you feel calm, comfortable, and able to focus on peace so that you are free from worry. Visualization techniques are similar to meditation, but more active and clear. When you visualize, you need to think about possibilities, but when you meditate, you have to ignore things that are not relevant to your dreams and goals in order to focus on what you're dreaming of.
As much as possible, visualize when you feel comfortable. The fewer distractions, the easier the visualization will be. In addition, it will be easier for you to think when the conditions around you are calmer
Step 8. Visualize you being able to overcome failure
Obstacles are a natural thing in everyday life and no one can achieve success if they have never failed. Even if you make mistakes, rest assured that you can handle them. The ability to bounce back after a failure is far more important than the fact that you've made a mistake.
- Ask yourself the question every day, "What can I do today to achieve a better tomorrow?"
- Carol S. Dweck's book Making You Succeed by Understanding the Power of Mindsets is useful reading for learning how to deal with failure.
Part 2 of 2: Improving Visualization Techniques
Step 1. Visualize until it feels natural and brings results
At first, visualization may seem useless. This may feel foreign and strange. Work on it! For beginners, you may feel uncomfortable visualizing because it's like daydreaming, but this is a phase that needs to be passed. You haven't done it the right way if visualization doesn't feel good.
- The only way to visualize properly is to practice diligently and this takes time. Like learning anything, there is something called a learning curve. Visualization will be more difficult if you are not committed. Just do it, then the difficulty will be resolved by itself! The only thing holding you back from successful visualization is yourself.
- Over time, visualization will activate the brain just like when an activity is carried out with real action because the brain can't tell the difference between the two! For example, if you feel scared when you want to sing in front of an audience, imagine that you are doing it. This method will manipulate the brain into thinking you can do it. Thus, you dare to come forward and sing in front of an audience if the opportunity arises.
Step 2. Focus on long-term goals
Everyone who expects change in an instant will be disappointed. Therefore, make a long-term plan to realize your wishes and dreams. Imagine what your condition will be like 5, 10, and 15 years from now and the things you hope for. Ask yourself what kind of situation and personality change you would like to experience. Give yourself a chance to imagine your life in the future.
- For example, imagining going to bed early or jogging at night is still helpful, but visualization helps you achieve more meaningful goals. For example, imagine what kind of parent you want to be, what you want to leave as a legacy for your children, and what your life will be like when they grow up.
- Think about what you want to achieve to make your life meaningful and what you want to pass on to your friends and community.
Step 3. Create a vision board as a means to remember the life you dream of
A vision board can be used to visualize life goals on a regular basis. To make a vision board, prepare a board and paste some photos and words that represent your dream. That way, you can see it every day to stay motivated while trying to realize the life you dream of.
For example, if you want to open a restaurant, paste photos of various restaurants you want to emulate and the food menus that will be served. Complete with photos of guests enjoying the food happily
Step 4. Determine the affirmative aspect of your goal
When visualizing or thinking positively, think about the affirmative aspect of what you want to achieve. Saying to yourself "don't want to be poor" is not a useful affirmation. Instead of making "don't want to achieve anything," "don't want to be something," or "don't want to have anything" affirmations, focus on your desired achievement, personality, or life state. For example, make affirmations: "I have financial security in my old age" or "I am ready to live abroad."
Say active affirmations with the present tense. If you want to visualize you're quitting smoking, instead of chanting, "I'll quit smoking," say to yourself, "Cigarettes are harmful to health. I don't need them anymore because they're useless."
Step 5. Visualize realistic goals
If you are a boxer and want to visualize your opponent fighting, as dominating, there is no point in imagining yourself as Muhammad Ali. In the end, you are not able to meet the standards you set for yourself, so you feel frustrated and disappointed.
- Instead, imagine that you're capable of the best swing you've ever had and that your opponent is a big bag that you hit every day while practicing. Imagine the coach shouting praises because you were able to achieve the best performance during boxing.
- Anything imaginable can happen and there's no reason why it shouldn't happen.
Step 6. Visualize according to your own perspective
This way makes the visualization feel more real, tangible, and achievable. Don't imagine your future success and dreams like you're watching a movie. You must be the subject who experiences for yourself what is being visualized. When you visualize, you are not the audience. You are the main character who achieves success.
- For example, if you want to become a doctor, don't think about it from the perspective of the patient being examined or the coworker in the room. Instead, imagine that you are examining a patient holding a stethoscope, etc.
- This is what it means to do real visualization. You see reality as if you are witnessing it yourself. Instead of experiencing an out-of-body journey, what you see is your future.
Tips
- Help others so that they are also able to visualize. The best gift you can give is hope and visualization is a way of hoping for better things. If you already believe in it, teach others how to visualize to share hope.
- You need practice to be able to visualize. Skeptics think this is a waste of time. Don't be swayed because everyone can benefit from visualization, even skeptics.
- When reading a book without pictures, you need to understand the written words and visualize them. Over time, you'll be able to imagine whatever you're reading.
