Visualization Techniques to Affirm Your Desired Outcomes

“When you visualize, then you materialize.” ~Denis Waitley

If you’re following along in this series, then you know that last week I shared several powerful benefits of utilizing visualization to dynamically create the future you desire. But I realize that starting something new can feel awkward or difficult. Maybe you’ve tried visualization before – once or twice. But “just couldn’t get into it.” I hear you… but don’t worry. There’s more than one way to practice visualization and I have no doubt that with a little effort, you can find something that you can easily do AND enjoy doing.

Which is what this post is all about! I want to give you several simple techniques you can choose from, to practice visualizing your future identity and your desired future, as if you’ve already achieved it all. So what do you think? Are you ready to have an open mind and commit to a practice of visualization, in order to be able to more rapidly reach your goals and dreams? If that’s a YES, then let’s get going…

So how can you practice visualization?

Visualization in its simplest form requires you to sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and imagine (in vivid detail) what you would be experiencing if the dream you have were already a reality. The problem is most people have never been taught how to use visualization effectively or even at all.

Below are some of the most common forms of visualization and how to do them:

Mental Rehearsal Technique:  Elite athletes often use a visualization process called “Mental Rehearsal”. They visualize every detail of themselves performing at the very top level to win the race, make the basket, score the goal, etc.

To practice this technique, you’ll want to set aside about 5 minutes when you first wake up and just before you go to bed (as these are the time you are most relaxed) to sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and go through the process.

This is done by imagining yourself in the moment of what you want to experience. It’s like watching a movie of yourself doing exactly what it is you want to do. The key is to see as much detail as you can create. Visualize your clothes, the expressions on your face, your every move, the environment, and other people around you. Use all your senses. Hear the sounds you would here, the smells you would smell, etc. Visualize what you’d feel both externally and internally.

Then once you’ve created the entire scene, you put yourself in it completely. You watch the scene again only this time instead of watching as if you were seeing a movie on a screen, you put yourself in the scene and watch everything unfold from your own eyes. From your viewpoint as it’s happening to you. Again, seeing everything with vivid detail, hearing the sounds you would hear, smelling the smells you would smell, feeling the feelings you would feel. Then you take that image, you gather it in, and you place it in your heart.

When you have finished this process, you can open your eyes and go about your business. If you make this part of your daily routine, you will be amazed at how much improvement you will see in your life.

Dream Pictures:  Another powerful visualization technique is to find or create a picture of every aspect of your dream life. And even of yourself with your goal, as if it were already completed. (These are called dream pictures or goal pictures.)

For example, if one of your goals is to own a new car, head down to your local auto dealer and have a picture taken of yourself sitting behind the wheel of your dream car. If you dream of visiting Italy, find a picture of the Colosseum in Rome or a gondola in Venice, cut out a picture of yourself and place it into the picture. Or if you know how to photoshop pictures, give that a try. (There are great free programs out there like PicMonkey or Canva that will help you do this.)

Create a picture or a visual representation for every goal or dream you have — financial, career, relationships, hobbies, new skills and abilities, things you want to purchase, and so on. Then put them somewhere that you can see them. A Vision Board is a great option for creating a place to put all your Dream Pictures in one place. Then look at them - every day! Look at yourself within that dream and really let it soak in as you visualize yourself in that space. Talk about activating the Reticular Activating System, right? (If you don’t know what the RAS is, then you missed last week’s post. Check it out HERE.)

Goal Cards:  Write down each goal you are currently working on, using a 3×5 index card for each goal, and keep those cards near your bed. Each morning and each night, go through the stack of cards, one at a time. Read the card, close our eyes, see the completion of that goal in its perfect desired state for about 15 seconds, open our eyes and repeat the process with the next card.

Affirmations: An affirmation is a statement that evokes not only a picture, but the experience of already having what you want. Here’s an example of an affirmation:

I am fit and healthy, happily vacationing two months out of the year with my family in a tropical paradise and working just four days a week owning my own successful business.

The "I Am Affirmation" can also be done as an excellent way to create your internal future identity. These affirmations might sound something like this:

I am confident. I am loving. I am wise. I am joyful. I am peaceful. I am brave. 

Repeating an affirmation several times a day keeps you focused on your goal, strengthens your motivation, and programs your subconscious by sending an order to your brain to do whatever it takes to make that goal happen.

Expect Results!

When you put in the time to write down your goals, use the power of visualization and repeat daily affirmations, you really can achieve amazing results.

These practices engage your subconscious in a process that can transform your life forever. They allow you to change your beliefs about yourself and the world around you. And they help you to harness the 18 billion cells in your brain to get them all working in a singular and purposeful direction. The direction of your dreams!

I really want to encourage you to make a commitment to consistently practice at least one of these techniques for ten minutes a day. They just might be the ten most important minutes of your daily life. Or for best results, try utilizing all of the above, every morning and night for a month so they can become an automatic part of your thinking to help you not only form your future identity but create your ideal life.

Still feeling a mental block? Don't let that stop you from creating the future you desire. Find out how to gain the mental clarity you need to move past that block and forward into your future. Schedule Your KickStart Session today!