Visualization - Why it works and how to do it

Visualization works - Here’s Why

Visualization seems hokey. It has strong “Field of Dreams” vibes. It’s the belief that, if you imagine something, it will happen. 

Well, it does work. I’ll tell you why. Briefly. Then I’ll tell you how to put it into practice. First let me give you a clear definition.

Visualization is when you give your brain a clear, concrete picture of what you want and the steps to get there. 

Your brain wants to keep you alive. You have a conscious and an unconscious part of your brain. Your conscious brain is responsible for analytical thoughts, decision making, and all the stuff that you’re aware of, like what you’re going to watch on Netflix tonight or what you want on your pizza. Your unconscious is responsible for everything else. It makes sure your blood is pumping throughout your body and your heart is beating. It regulates your lungs and is constantly monitoring data outside of your body for anything that can harm or help you. 

Your unconscious is directly linked to your physical body’s need to stay alive and stay happy.

The power of the unconscious seems “woo-woo.” And that makes sense, because your unconscious is powerful. Its power and capability are by definition beyond our conscious, analytical mind. When you learn to control its effect it does seem ultra-powerful.

Your unconscious has to monitor far more information than you can ever imagine or comprehend. And by the time you’ve gotten old enough to read this, it’s become an expert at keeping you alive. It’s like Liam Neeson...you could say that it has a particular set of skills acquired over a very long career.

Your subconscious thinks in images. 

That’s why we say that visualization is the language of the subconscious brain. When you were first born, your brain became an expert very quickly at putting together all of the pre-verbal information from your five senses in order to achieve one goal and one goal only: keeping you alive and happy.  And it did it over and over and over again from the day you were born until now.

You can control that ability by giving your brain a clear image of what you want to achieve.

You can’t just formulate a generic idea of “happiness” as your goal. All the habits that you currently have are there because your brain developed them for some other reason in the past. Those habits may not fulfill their original role anymore, but they were formed for a purpose. So if you just tell your unconscious that you have a vague goal without really defining it, then it’s just going to fire off the same habits that it’s been using to achieve “happiness” and you’re going to get the same results. 

That’s why people fail. It sounds simple, but they fail because they don’t know what they want. As long as their goal is just a generic, muddled concept of “success” then their subconscious is just going to keep running the same programs and habits that achieved what you defined as happiness in the past, even if those habits don’t serve you anymore.

Start with a single habit that you want to change. Clarify an exact picture of what you want to change and how.

For example, let’s say the habit you want to form is to wake up early and get work done early. Right now you stay up too late, wake up late, and are rushing in the morning and don’t get as much done.

What you need to do is paint a picture of what that looks like and all of the steps that it takes to get there. Paint a picture. Write it down. Include all of the five senses in your picture. 

Come up with five steps. Example:

1. Visualize yourself preparing dinner and eating earlier. What are you cooking? What does it smell like? How does it taste?

2. Visualize relaxing earlier. What do you need to do to sleep early? Imagine yourself turning off the phone or the tv.

3. Visualize the clock at the hour you want to get up. Picture what the light outside is like at this hour. How quiet the house is. 

4. Visualize the first part of your morning routine. Listen to the quiet house. Smell the coffee brewing.  

5. Visualize yourself starting to work. Listen to the click of the keys as you type and imagine how they feel. 

Maybe this fits your morning routine. Probably it doesn’t. As you read this, you thought of ways your morning routine is different. 

Guess what? You’re already practicing visualization!

So, that’s what you need to do. Pick one concrete goal. Write down all of the steps that you need to do to achieve that goal or start that habit. Involve all the five senses. Touch, taste, smell, sight, sound. 

Write all this down. Clearly and simply. Mentally review each step, visualizing it before you go to sleep. Choose another time during the day to visualize these steps. Choose a time when you are mentally and physically relaxed to visualize each step.

Finally, take action. 

Visualization is easy, but you have to take action. When you practice visualization consistently, your brain will put all the pieces together to help you achieve your goals.

Take action and regularly evaluate your goals and visualization. When you do this consistently, you’ll start creating lasting change. Some change will be fast, some will be easy, but it’s important to make it lasting. By visualizing your goals in the manner that I’ve described, you’ll create transformation that lasts.

Work with Anthony and hit the rocket fuel 🚀button on your success!

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