Visualize Your Ideal Life
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I was about 12 or 13-years old when I read a book about high-performance athletes and how they get to Olympic level. I was a competitive figure skater and wanted to make it to nationals. Sadly, I can’t remember the name of that book, but it was fascinating.
One of the things I started doing was playing my solo music before bed, closing my eyes, and visualizing completing a perfect performance. That year was one of my best in terms of how I placed at competitions. While I never made it to nationals, I did make it to provincials that year.
That experience taught me the power of our minds. I believe we get what we focus on which is why it’s so important to train your brain to see the things you want and eliminate self-doubt. It takes work, but there are some simple things you can do every day that don’t take much time at all.
Key Ingredients for Successful Visualization
Since visualizing my perfect skating performances, I’ve used visualization for many other things: learning a new skill, meeting a new friend, finding the perfect job. The possibilities are endless. I’ve also noticed certain patterns about how visualization works best for me.
Eliminate Distractions
It’s really hard for me to focus on what’s going on in my head and see a clear picture of my goal when there are distractions around me. I’ve learned to visualize when I know it will be quiet and I won’t be interrupted.
Make it a Habit
The more you can visualize your ideal life or an outcome you are trying to achieve, the better visualization will work. Try to do it at the same time every day. Even visualizing in the same spot will help.
Use All Your Senses
The more realistic your visualization is, the better it will work. When I was running through my figure skating solos in my mind, I could smell the ice, feel the cold of the arena, see my breath, and feel my muscles working. If I knew the rink where I would be competing, I’d picture that exact rink.
Relax Into It
I find it really hard to visualize something when I’m in a bad mood. It’s important you aren’t stressed when trying to visualize. Do what you need to get yourself in the right frame of my mind before visualizing—play a happy song, dance around the house, punch a pillow. Get rid of any negative energy. It’s important to be in a positive state of mind when visualizing your future.
Here’s a short meditation I recorded from Freeing the Butterfly. All of the meditations in the book are visualizations. This one is from Chapter 6, and it’s about letting go of that feeling that we “should” do something. I chose to share this one, because I hear a lot of people saying, “I should do this, but I don’t want to.” I often wonder if it really is something they need to do.
If you have any questions about visualizations or the meditation above, please comment below. Enjoy!
