A Beginner's Guide to Visualization

If you’ve read my previous article, you already know that visualization is an extremely effective tool to accomplish goals and focus yourself. If you haven’t read my previous article, here’s a summary of what visualization is: you simply focus your mind on a goal that you have and visualize the process of getting there, problems you may have along the way, and what the final result looks like. In this article, I’ll be running through the basic instructions on visualization.

Step 1: Find a Comfortable Place to Practice Visualization

It goes without saying that you should be comfortable when practicing visualization. I usually lie on my back, but on a relatively hard surface, a bed won’t work very well since it can sometimes be TOO comfortable. I recommend a yoga mat or other exercise mat as they’re comfortable enough that your back won’t hurt from being flat on the ground, yet they’re hard enough that you won’t be too relaxed to think about your visualization.

Step 2: Think About Your Goal, and Where You Are Now

Before beginning your visualization, think about what you’re about to visualize so that when you’re in the middle of the visualization you don’t need to stop and decide what you should be thinking about. When you’re about to begin, make sure you have these points nailed down: what is the end goal? What are four actions that you’ll need to take to get there? What is your starting point, and what skills do you have that will aid in reaching your goal?

Step 3: Begin the Visualization

There’s really not much instruction from here on out! To begin your visualization, close your eyes and fill your mind with where you want to start shooting for your goals. An example of this is if your goal is to do well in a sports game see yourself on the field, warming up for the game.

Step 4: Envision the Process

This part is unique to you; what your goals are, how long or short term the goals are, etc. The basic steps to this, though, are to run through those four steps you decided on earlier and envision yourself performing those actions. If you want you could focus on more than four steps. Additionally, if your goal is shorter term, you may want to blend all of those steps into one, and visualize the entire process without skipping anything along the way.

Step 5: Throw in “Roadblocks” Along the Way

If you’ve read my previous article, “3 Life-Changing Tips for Self-Improvement,” you’ll already know that I believe it is very helpful to put problems into your visualizations. This will allow you to have a plan in place when you run into a “roadblock” in real life. An example of this could be that your goal is to impress your boss in a presentation, and a “roadblock” in this could be spilling coffee on your shirt. Since you’ve visualized this happening already, you have a plan to get out of the situation.

Step 6: Finishing the Visualization

Finally, visualize yourself clearing the “roadblocks” and reaching your goal; see yourself succeeding at whatever task you’d set out to complete. You should see, hear, and feel what it’s like to be there, so much so that you feel excited when you open your eyes at the end of the visualization!

Now open your eyes: you’ve done it. Those are all the steps to complete your first visualization. I hope you learned something and that these steps will help you reach your goals!