Today on the Big 4 of Mental Toughness, we're going to hone in on "Visualization." Seems simple right? Visualize and attack, like you are the Waterboy. Find a goal and stick to the outcome you picture. Like many things in life, the concept of visualization is a lot more nuanced than that.
“Begin with the end in mind.” ~ Stephen Covey
Many people go through life not necessarily knowing what they are aiming at. They are at the whims of convenience instead of being the master of their own fate. Assuming you even have goals: fitness, financial, personal, professional, you have the greatest obstacle that lies in your own way: you. How is that? We have subconscious belief systems and stories in which we view the world. Some of them may be warranted or understandable, given challenges we faced coming up, but not all of them are helpful and our ability to rewrite the narrative is fundamental to our ability to take what we want in life. It's not just about seeing victory, it's about not subtly and subconsciously sabotaging your self with beliefs of inadequacy, fear, trauma and shame. That's a bigger topic for another post, but fundamental to clearing the deck for what lies ahead: victory.
Picture the Victory Visualization is more than just writing a note on a piece of paper, or a weight loss goal with systemized steps: it's a full body, comprehensive, sensory experience that takes significant concentration and ease to pull off. Let's pick a goal with a very decisive finish: running a marathon. Marathon season is in the fall, there is a finish line and very specific experiences involved with it. How do we picture this? First, find a calm, quiet place to still your mind. Visualization isn't a logical left brained process, its creative in it's basis. Slow your breathing down into a controlled fashion, in through the nose and out through the same. Five seconds in, five seconds hold at the top, five seconds out, five seconds at the bottom. From then on, begin to visualize, not just with your eyes, but with all the senses your outcome. See your body crossing the finish line, exhaling with that final push, to the crowds of supporters on all sides, the timer in the distance, the music blaring in the background. Feel the crisp autumn wind as the temperature chills, and wind gusts by, pushing you to the finish. Hear the thunderous applause of the crowds carrying you to that end you worked so hard for. Smell that faint fall hue permeating the environment as you're tasting the dry mouth that comes with pushing that last finish. Don't see yourself from the outside in, feel it in your soul. Look through that first person perspective and see the moment happening to you. You've done it. You've already won. Now you just have to close the gap between that moment and your current reality. How do you Visualize? How do you do that? Find yourself a competent professional to write you a plan and coach you through it, but beyond that, have faith in your capabilities. Victorious warriors win in the mind before entering the field of battle, instead of seeking to win once they show up. You're less likely to rise to the occasion than to fall to the level of your training. Not just the preparation for your body, your program, but of your mind. Ice can stay cool under pressure until the heat turns on. Will you wilt? Crumple under the pressure of competition, life's petty strife's and distractions. Will you be so committed to your goal that you feel it in your heart and soul that you won't be derailed by easy distractions and self-destructive belief systems about what you really think that you can't do? Change up the narrative, see victory instead of taking an L. The mind is a terrible thing to waste and one person's faith can become the architect of another person's self-fulfilling prophecy. Practice the above for 30 days, before an event, a speech, a new skill like a muscle up or planche. You'd be surprised how much more potential you have when you stack the deck in your favor instead of working against yourself.
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