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It is not enough to simply imagine a bright future for it to actually come. You will have to make an effort, and visualization is one way to help yourself achieve your goals. This works even for rational, skeptical people. Sometimes, the most powerful visualization is imagining how you'll handle obstacles, not just the shiny end goal.
My Goal Visualization Experience
Recently, it has become a trend to use visualization practices. Television stars and popular bloggers share tips on how to correctly create a wish map. An avalanche of information with the message “Everything is possible, you just have to want it!” and “The limit of your desires is the limit of your capabilities” falls upon us from everywhere. Does goal visualization primarily tap into our ambition, or can it cultivate a deeper sense of purpose?
It became impossible to stay away from this motivational madness, so I decided to take the simplest route - create my own wish map
Friends, their mothers, and strangers on the Internet try to convince me that this is an easy and fun task, but I have an unexpected problem. A society obsessed with goal visualization - does this foster relentless striving, or a culture blind to present contentment? Surrounding myself with stacks of magazines and printouts of pictures, having prepared “inspiration” on my phone, I fell into a stupor. All these pictures of an ideal life, love and friendship, fashionable interiors and slender bodies looked like plastic. How can you strive to obtain something that does not exist in reality?
Being a skeptical person, I realized that the college idea went against my beliefs. I had to postpone this business because it is advised to create it only with a light heart and in a good mood, in order to breathe your life force, soul, and so on and so forth into the pictures, divided into sectors.
What the Science Says…
What should a person with rational thinking do? Of course, turn to science. I read that visualization is a completely scientific phenomenon and many personal development coaches consider the ability to manage mental images an important component of the path to success. But, can goal visualization become a substitute for action, a comforting mirage instead of a catalyst?
Scientifically speaking, it is creating a mental image of a goal that you would like to achieve in the future. You use your thoughts to visualize your desired outcome and your actions to achieve it. Despite popular belief, visualization is not about wishing and hoping for something to happen. This is fantasy. Effective visualization is future-oriented but grounded in reality. Can goal visualization honor both the thrill of achievement and the inherent worthiness we possess regardless of outcomes?
Scientists are learning more about the brain, so it is now known that the mind does not distinguish between imagination and reality.
It doesn't matter to the brain whether you think about the past, present or future. When you just think about some action, the same neural connections in the brain are activated as during real activity. That’s why they say that you shouldn’t talk about your plans —having shared them, the brain begins to believe that the action has already been completed, and motivation decreases.
Visualization stimulates the area of the brain that is responsible for scanning the environment and searching for new opportunities. Therefore, when you define a goal for yourself, everything around you seems to help you achieve it, and new opportunities appear. Visualization is not something from the field of subtle matters and extrasensory perception, but simply a way of influencing the brain. And this method works.
Visualization and Efficiency
Many high-ranking people rely on this tool to reach heights. Athletes use guided imagery and scenarios to overcome fear and even recover from injury. Sports psychologists say visualization is effective for improving athletic performance and creative thinking. Development occurs:
Confidence
Endurance
Memory
Concentrations
Energy regulation
It’s not just a sports thing: visualization helps improve productivity for people in other professions. Doctors make fewer mistakes, police officers reduce stress levels, and musicians play more accurately.
Link Between Visualization and Productivity
Visualization can greatly enhance our productivity. Despite these findings, it seems that we often neglect to utilize it or simply disregard it entirely. Is our society's obsession with visualizing goals leading to a constant pursuit of success, or is it creating a culture that overlooks the importance of finding contentment in the present moment? It seems that the essence lies in our inherent humility - aspiring for a prosperous future is often regarded as embarrassing and foolish. It's no wonder that visualization is often hailed as a powerful technique for learning new skills, conquering challenging goals, boosting confidence, and managing anxiety and stress. There are a few essential components needed for this.
1. Measurable and Understandable Goal
Does goal visualization primarily tap into our ambition, or can it cultivate a deeper sense of purpose? Not “I want to earn a lot of money,” but “I need a certain amount of dollars per month to live. ” To better cope with this task, try asking yourself the following questions:
Who do I want to be?
What do I want to have?
What do I need to do for that?
2. Ability to Adapt
If the 'self' is constantly evolving, how can we visualize a future destination without losing sight of who we are becoming? When you start thinking about the future, concerns will inevitably arise. All fears and anxieties will come to the surface. Use them! Think about the barriers you may face, both internal (trust, energy) and external (time, money).
Then imagine how you would react to each one. Instead of letting your fears hold you back, imagine the worst-case scenario and how you would deal with it. Goal visualization makes our desires tangible, but does it make them too rigid? Where's the space for joyful detours? Gradually the panic will decrease overtime.
3. Paper and Media
People who write down goals on paper are more likely to achieve them. You can record audio files. By listening and reading them several times, you will encode the words in your brain. This will allow you to better target different senses to engage multiple areas of the brain.
4. Elaborate Details
Imagine everything down to the smallest detail: from how you will feel when you achieve your goal to how you will be dressed and where you will be.
Goal Visualization Techniques
If you want to take a scientific approach, you can use the WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) technique. It is based on research by Professors Gabriel Oettingen and Peter Gollwitzer from New York University. The essence is the same: you imagine the ultimate goal and how you deal with obstacles on the way to achieving it. How it works:
1. Write Down Your Wish
Think about the next four weeks of your life. What are the priorities for this period? Write down up to six main goals so that they are challenging but achievable. It is the time limit that is very important in order to make them realistic and not put off their achievement for a long time. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to achieve them.
2. Present the Result
Use positive visualization - you achieve your goal:
What does this moment look like?
How are you feeling?
What do you think?
Write down as many details as possible.
3. Describe Internal Obstacles
What obstacles must you overcome to achieve your goal? What internally may be holding you back from achieving your goal? It's not about external obstacles that you have no control over, but about identifying what you can change. Plan ahead. For each obstacle you find, you need to create an “If, Then” plan. Work out how you will step over your internal barriers.
The Bottom Line is This…
Visualization for a rationalist is not just fantasizing about a bright future that should happen on its own. This is a clear action plan for working through desires and internal pressures.
Ready to ditch that skeptical frown? Maybe there's something to this goal visualization thing after all. Give these techniques an honest try – you might surprise yourself with what you see... in your mind and your life!