Visualization, Imagination
When my younger daughter was in preschool, she came home one day so excited that her teacher had read her class a story about a frog. She said, “Mom, the frog jumped right out of the book and hopped around the classroom!” Being a #practicaladult, I asked, “Are you sure it did that?” and she responded with, “Yup, I saw his green scaly butt hop right out the door!” Now, I didn’t think to correct her that frogs don’t have scales, let alone on their butts, (#dreamsquasher) but I have always been in awe of her ability to have a vivid and detailed imagination.
You might automatically think, “Of course, imagination is for children.” But one of the major tools in my personal development toolbox is visualization. If you’re not familiar with visualization, it’s basically leaning into your child-like mind with a very vivid and detailed imagination and going with it. It’s the ability to see things that don’t currently exist in great detail.
It seems so simple, yet as adults, we struggle with visualization because we tend to focus on what we see rather than what could be. Now, don’t discount me for a daydreamer, just visualizing about unicorns, rainbows, and chocolate with no calories (that would be amazing). But if you hate your job and want to find a new one, you might spend all your time complaining about how dumb your co-workers are, how your boss doesn’t like you, how you hate the work you do, or how your office chair sucks. What do you see yourself doing in a new job that you love? What does the office look like? How do your co-workers treat you? How do you feel when you’re successfully completing projects? How does your boss speak to you? Most people focus on the negative aspects of their current job rather than visualizing what a new job might look like and how it might make them feel. Using visualization, or your imagination, you can articulate exactly what you want instead of all the things you don’t want.
I have often been told that I manifest what I want and things just magically come to life for me. Most untrue statement ever. What I have learned is two things: be very specific about what you want (and at the same time, what you don’t want) and keep your sights on the long-term goals. In my last job, I got to a point where I was comfortable. It was no longer a challenge, I wasn’t solving big problems anymore because everything ran smoothly as planned. Sounds like a cake walk for most people, but it was boring (with a capital B) for me. I could’ve continued day to day, letting my brain turn to mush and collecting a paycheck, but I couldn’t. I started using visualization with my coach (yes, I have a coach; coaches have coaches) to imagine what my dream job looked like. What were the best parts of my experience and how did I see myself using it in a future job? What did I want a “challenge” to look like? Was I missing any skills I might need? What kinds of companies might match my fast-paced work style? A coach doesn’t have the answers; they can help you sort out all those answers for yourself and help you clarify and articulate it. When I have a tough day, I keep my sights on the horizon and think about the long-term goals I’m striving towards.
There are five “simple” steps to visualization and I say “simple” with in quotes because it’s often not simple. It requires a re-training of your thought process, a change in your routine, and a commitment to being uncomfortable. Yeah, that’s not simple at all. But once you’re able to start seeing movement and growth, its value is immeasurable. The five simple steps are:
Know what you want
Describe your vision in detail
Start visualizing and create the emotions
Take daily actions
Have grit and persevere
Whether it’s starting a business, changing careers, being debt-free, or being in a new/better relationship, many people want some kind of change in their life that will make them feel happy and fulfilled. Weeks and even years will go by, waiting for a genie or magical unicorn to provide all the answers. Or my favorite, people place themselves as the victim, not realizing they have control and choice every day. And nothing changes. If you can imagine yourself reaching that goal or performing a task, what you see when you achieve it, how you feel, build it into your habits every day, and keep going even when it’s hard, you will be well on your way to achieving your goals and even more motivated. The more detailed, the better, so you can draw a direct line to the goal and create the steps you need to get there.
And you never know, if your dream is to have a frog jump right out of a book and hop around a classroom, you may just see his scaly butt hopping away!
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