How to Use the Power of Visualization to Achieve your Dreams

This chapter is a continuation of the previous ones. It contains more tips that
will enable you to leverage the power of visualization to achieve your dreams.
However, unlike the last one, it is more systematic.

Choose a SMART Goal
Setting goals is the foundation of visualization. If you don’t have things that you
want to accomplish, then there’s no reason to create imageries for anything.
So, you need to start by deciding what you want to achieve. SMART stands
for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. When your
goals don’t have these characteristics, you are just emotional.

Specific means that the goal is clearly spelled out and not vague, while
measurable means that there are benchmarks and milestones that indicate
the achievement of the target. Achievable means that the goal is realistic,
while relevant means that the target is connected to meaningfulness. Finally,
time-bound means that you intend to achieve the goal within a specific
period.

Envision it in Detail
After choosing your target, the next step involves creating imaginations
around the goal. Imagine yourself performing and achieving the goal. If your
dream is to become a medical doctor, imagine yourself treating people and
helping them to recover from pains and diseases. In the same way, if your
target is to learn how to play the piano, imagine yourself dazzling a crowd
with your skills.

However, don’t just be fixated at the end. Begin by thinking about the process
of achieving your target. For example, think about the training process and
how you’ll choose to endure all the difficulties that might come during the
period. Determine not to quit regardless of the challenges that come your
way while envisioning the process.

Employ all your Senses
All your senses have to be involved during visualization. You will engage your
sense of smell, sight, sound, taste, and feel. What will you be wearing on your
graduation day? How will it feel on your body? What kind of food will be
available on that day? Your mind has to capture all these details and engage
your senses to make them as real as possible.

When your thoughts have been able to capture the details and translate them
to your senses, you will keep working hard to ensure that it comes to pass.
You’ll want to get to the finishing because you want to have an actual
experience of your imagination. Therefore, you will buckle down and get to
work because you have dreams to achieve.

Be a Storyteller
You can aid your imagery by writing a story of your success. Emily Cook
employs this approach. Investigators have discovered that people who write
out their goals have a higher chance to achieve them than individuals who
don’t. You don’t have to write it down in a book. Instead, you can record it as
audio. Then play it to yourself at different times. Playing it to yourself
multiple times will help you to encode the words in your brain, helping you
to form images of it easily.

Scientists have found that various parts of your brain are activated when you
synthesize an experience by using multiple senses. The resultant effect of this
activation is a powerful visualization and more productivity. So, you will be
boosting your chances of creating images that will spur you to success when
you write and record your expectations and read or listen to them repeatedly.

Be Flexible
It’s always good to have multiple roadmaps in life to avoid being stranded.
You cannot afford to be rigid because things don’t always happen exactly as
you want them. So, while thinking about a particular target and how you can
achieve it, you should also think of similar alternatives in case things didn’t
turn out the way you planned them.

For example, if you’re trying to learn the piano, you can see learning the
guitar as another alternative in case you find the going too tough. Indeed,
this isn’t an option you should plan to exercise. However, it will come in
handy in case you had to seek a different option. There’s no point sticking
with something if the best you can be at it is an average performer.

Identify Inner Obstacles
After writing down your goal and creating imaginations of it, it’s crucial that
you identify the likely challenges that can frustrate your effort. You need to
start from the internal factors such as your confidence, self-esteem, and
motivation. Whether you realize it or not, you have control over these things.
No one can shatter your confidence or reduce your self-esteem if you don’t
allow them. In the same way, no one can make you lose the motivation and
desire to achieve your dreams if you don’t empower them to that extent in
your life.

There will always be people who will discourage you regardless of what you
want to achieve. You should think about the likely criticisms that can be
levied against your targets beforehand. Provide reasonable and logical
responses to those allegations before anyone comes up with them. You
should be your own greatest critic to ensure that you will be able to stand
against the scorching words of destructive critics.

Identify External Obstacles
You don’t have only internal issues to contend with whenever you are trying
to accomplish a target. There are also external factors that can derail your
ambition. Funding can be a critical factor that can make it impossible for you
to achieve some things. You should plan for it as you think about how you
will reach your destination.

You can always ask people you know who can give you tips regarding how
you can get money to finance your dreams. You might be surprised to find
out that there are opportunities such as grants that can make things easier.
Don’t be a lone-ranger because it makes you susceptible to being stranded.

Implement Intentions
Whenever you’re trying to achieve a goal, there will always be doubts rising
in your heart. It only shows that you are a human being. However, you
shouldn’t let anything stop you. The last phase of visualization is the
implementation of your intentions. Start with the simple things first.
You might need to talk to an experienced person first before you get started.
You need to be careful when trying to talk to people because some
conversations with some people can drain out all your energy and
motivation. It’s always better to speak to people who are either doing what
you want to do or have succeeded in it.