Setting goals is the first step towards success. Converting those goals into reality, however, is where many of us get stuck. By learning how to harness the power of visualisation, you’ll be able to bridge that gap.
The best-kept secret of successful people is right before your eyes.
Well, your mind’s eye, actually.
From Muhammad Ali to Jim Carrey to Oprah Winfrey, many high-achievers have reached stratospheric levels of success through one key tool — mastering the art of visualisation, which is simply a technique for creating a mental image of a future event.
Muhammad Ali
One of the greatest sporting figures the world has ever known, boxing legend Muhammad Ali would rehearse every move of a fight in his mind before it took place. He called this “future history”, where he would see himself at the end of a fight with his arms aloft and the referee declaring him the champion, imagining the crowd chanting his name and celebrating his victory. He was extremely well prepared mentally and physically, so that by the time he stepped into the ring, he was already a winner.
Jim Carrey
As a struggling and broke actor in the early 1990s, Jim Carrey took a decision to stay motivated by writing himself a $10-million check for “acting services rendered”, dating it 5 years in the future. He kept it in his wallet for daily inspiration, constantly visualising his success. Sure enough, he landed a lead role in his career-defining movie, Dumb and Dumber, within 5 years — reaping exactly $10 million.
Oprah Winfrey
Before her fame, influential entrepreneur and media mogul Oprah Winfrey convinced herself that she deserved a happy and impactful life after suffering years of sexual abuse by family members. A big believer in daily affirmations and the creation of vision boards to realise her dreams, her commitment to a better life saw her pull herself up from poverty to become a global icon.
Each of these successful celebrities created a mental picture of themselves reaching their desired goals so that the possibility of achieving them could become tangible and real.
Scientific studies backing the effectiveness of visualisation confirm that the brain doesn’t know the difference between thinking about something and actually doing it. This is why you may break out in a cold sweat when you’ve had a nightmare. Visualisation is said to activate the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) which filters out irrelevant information so that we are able to focus on the things that are pertinent to us.
Similarly, once you create a mental picture of yourself attaining your ambitions, your body perceives the imagery as reality and works cooperatively with you to close that gap. At the core of things, visualisation helps you to focus on your goals and increases your internal motivation to achieve them.
While the process of visualisation happens without physical movement, it doesn’t mean you can sit with your eyes closed and have success fall into your lap. The brain strategically positions you to identify and receive the opportunities, skills and resources that will lead to goal success, but the onus is on you to take action.
Like Jim Carrey once said, “You can’t just visualise and then go eat a sandwich”. You’ll need to put in the work, every day.
