Visualization: Powerful Tool We All Have

Hello there, lovely Positivity and Gratitude Community! I hope all of you are doing well. If you’d like, do feel free to check-in with us here >>CLICK ME<< and check this amazing event, Happiness for all, Together by our community >>EVENT: CLICK ME<< Today we are talking about Visualization - what it is, its benefits and how you can visualize to actualize!

The Cambridge Dictionary describes Visualization as the act of visualizing something or someone (forming a picture of it in your mind). Visualization is something all of us do daily without even realizing it. It is impossible to create something you can’t first imagine. An interesting thing about our brain is, it cannot easily distinguish between what is real and what is not. Psychologists have been using this visual imagery as a way to help people do better, be in better emotional states and achieve their life goals. From the sound of it, visualization seems to be the key to getting anything done, right? You’d be shocked to know that just visualizing yourself achieving something can help you achieve it. If you can imagine yourself playing the piano, for example, there are higher chances of you learning the piano piece much faster and better. By visualizing that you can do something, you actually reinforce a belief that you actually can do it which helps in achieving the said goal. Visualization is basically a simulation that you play in your head where you are able to carry out the thing that you want to and can feel how it would feel if you’d actually carry it out. This process can be very natural at times and we wouldn’t even know of it. But that also means that often we wouldn’t be able to dictate that reality. Thus, learning to visualize with a sense of control becomes a powerful tool that we can all use. You don’t just see yourself accomplishing something, you feel that you’ve already accomplished and felt that satisfaction within you which helps stimulate the actions that will help you get to your desired result. The key to visualization is believing you already have it, and feeling as if you do so that all your actions after will be motivated by the simple goal to achieve neglecting certain limiting beliefs in case there were any.

Now let’s talk about some benefits of visualization:

The most obvious one, it helps you define what you want to achieve. When you decide on a goal, you try to focus on the feeling you'll get when you'll achieve it and then start pretending that you already have it. This helps you to stray clear of any negative thoughts and only focus on what you want to achieve, thus requiring you to further define your goal and amplifying the whole process for better results.

Increases positive thoughts and motivation. Visualization requires a lot of active mental efforts. When you constantly remind yourself to feel happy and accomplished, it becomes hard to distinguish whether or not you have it, making it easier for you to focus on the positive and ultimately increase your motivation to continue wanting to feel that way. It stimulates your senses and makes the accomplishment of the goal feel so real that it comes as second nature to pretend having already achieved it.

Reduce Stress. When you're visualizing, you're putting yourself in a reality where you're an accomplished person. This can help you reduce stress and any anxiety related to the goal you're working on. When you already have what you most wanted, there's not really much to worry about, right? So by visualization, you can actually feel a lot calmer and think clearly.

Optimize your performance. When you believe you can do something, you really put yourself ahead in the game. By visualizing something, you set a mental image in your brain of you doing it so when the time comes, your brain just retraces what you originally visualized making you do the activity in a much better and faster way. As I mentioned before, your brain can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not, and it can be a good thing when used wisely.

Visualization fosters courage and purpose. It helps you to tackle any situation that you've visualized thus giving you courage at the moment you need it. When it comes to doing the activity you visualized your brain realizes it has already done it before and takes it just as some sort of re-do. It also helps in fostering purpose because it helps in creating strong beliefs, it reinforces your actions and helps you in feeling capable and ready to tackle any issue.

Now that we have discussed what is visualization and its benefits, you may be wondering, “well, how do I even start?” so now I will list some ways you can do visualization and I hope it will help you out! While I am discussing the steps, I will also include personal examples so that they may be easier to understand.

Step 1. Close your eyes and try to breathe as deeply as you can. The goal is to put yourself in a calm state so that you can think clearly and feel at peace. If you’re feeling anxious, go for a walk, get some water then get comfortable on a chair, sofa or even your bed, wherever you think you will feel comfortable.

Example. I will drink some water, ask my family members to not disturb me for a while and sit on my study desk and try to get comfortable. I will keep my phone on silent and make sure there’s nothing in my surrounding that will require me to immediately act. No distraction is the goal while achieving this step.

Step 2. Try to focus on your desired goal, imagine yourself achieving it, feel the way you’d feel if you really did and only think of positive thoughts. Details, details - this step is all about putting a clear image in your mind. What type of person you would be? What would your surrounding be like? Who would you be around? What will you be feeling? If there’s any setback, how will you be tackling it? Plan it all through and through! The goal isn’t to resist the negative thoughts or doubts that you may have, it is to work consciously towards believing that you already have what it takes.

Example. Let’s say my goal is to get good marks for my final examinations, so I will be visualizing myself getting my results online and having scored 95%+ I will feel happy thinking about it, hear “I am proud of you” from others and even myself. I may even tell my friends and then we’re all celebrating it. Don’t worry that the details will be too much, the more the better because it will help you to want to pursue it even further! If I do end up thinking, “well I am not even studying enough for it… maybe I won’t get it,” it’s okay to think that but I need to combat that thought with a positive one so that I don’t get swayed away by my doubts. I believe in you, you can believe in yourself too!

Step 3. Create a vision board or write this out somewhere where you’re able to see this. Now that we have the mental image in our mind, all we have to do is work on it! And I know, that’s the hardest part but hey, we came such a long way! We could see ourselves achieving it, so maybe we can do it, right?

What all goes on this board? Anything and everything that is related to your goal! A person you look up to? Their picture can be used. Maybe some quotes that can inspire you to remain positive. You can check out a guide for Vision Board here >>CLICK ME<<

Step 4. Repeat! You’ve got everything planned out now. The only thing you can do is keep pushing through. We all have what it takes to achieve all that we want to. It’s really about believing you can do it, and I know that we all can!

Question. What are your thoughts on visualization and what goal are you currently working on to achieve? Feel free to share with us by replying to this thread!