Using Visualization To Guide You Towards Your Goals

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Yesterday, we discussed 5 tips for realizing your goals.  The first of those tips was visualizing the end result.  Studies have shown that visualization can greatly improve an athlete’s performance.  It can also be used in accomplishing personal and business goals.  Today, we’re going to work on visualization a bit more.

Visualization is daydreaming with a purpose.
- Bo Bennett

Developing your vision…

Visualization can be powerful in moving towards your goal because it gives you a feel for what the result is like.  First, you need to create a vision of this result.  David Allen, author of Getting Things Done says “You often need to make it up in your mind before you can make it happen in your life.”  He gives 3 basic steps for developing a vision:

1. View the project from beyond the completion date.
2. Envision “WILD SUCCESS”!  (Suspend, “Yeah, but…”)
3. Capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in one place.

Visualization exercises…

So, what does one do when they are visualizing?  It can be as simple as closing your eyes at your desk and letting your mind wander for a few minutes.  Or, you can fully commit yourself to this a part of realizing your goals.  Investing 15 minutes a week on visualization can not only move you towards action, but also get you totally FIRED UP.  I get really excited when I start to see the future.

Here is a quick and easy visualization exercise:

1. Get out of your office. If you work from home, go to another room (bedroom or living room).  If you have an office, go to a nearby park.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Clear your mind. It’s important to become focused.  Attempt to erase the things running through your mind a mile a minute.  It can help to focus on other sounds.  You can turn on light music if that helps.  But, I find it useful to focus on small little sounds, like wind.
4. Think of one goal and envision the end result. What is it like once the project has long been completed?  What are all of the positive things that will come about?  (No negative thoughts here.  You want to envision good things.)
5. Let your mind race. Have fun with this.  Enjoy the emotions that you get from having this dream come to life.
6. Where next? Before you close out your vision, think of the very first thing you want to do next and commit yourself to working on it at a specified time.

Putting your thoughts on paper…

It’s natural to have a million things run through your mind when you are working on visualization.  Resist the temptation to write things down while you are going through the exercise.  However, when you are done, use the energy and positive emotion to brainstorm.  I find it useful to have a pad of paper next to me, so that when I’m done with my visualization exercise, I can write it all down.  Part of writing it down is a journalistic exercise in expression.  And, part of it is so that I can identify the things I need and want to get done to accomplish my vision.

How do you work on your vision?  We’d love to know!