The Immense Power of Visualization: Getting What You Want Through Sheer Will

A woman using visualization to achieve her goals. She's thinking about a car, money and a house - as represented by a thought bubble.Photo byPeshkova via Shutterstock

Close your eyes.

Okay, read this before you close your eyes, then practice.

Think about a significant life goal. Now, imagine yourself accomplishing that goal. What do you look like? Who is around you? What did you do to get there?

It may seem silly, but visualization practices like this can help us live our dream lives.

Here’s how it works.

What is Visualization?

Visualization is the act of focusing your will on what you want.

It’s not a fleeting moment of thinking, “That would be nice,” but rather a long-term laser-focused picture in your mind of you accomplishing that epic goal.

Key components that set visualization apart from daydreaming and imagination include:

• Focus
• Regularity
• Detail
• Intention

Focus

A visualization practice must be focused. Typically, there will be one overarching goal that you’re attempting to accomplish. Whenever you visualize, you will focus on the same goal.

Regularity

Daydreams are fleeting. One day, you may daydream about a vacation in the south of France, and the next, you might consider raising horses on a farm in Montana.

A visualization practice focuses on the same goal every day. If you genuinely want that horse farm in Montana, you need to create a picture of it in your mind’s eye and never let it go. You must think about it every single day.

Detail

“Wouldn’t it be nice…” thoughts lack detail. A horse farm sounds fun – but that’s as far as it goes.

When you visualize, you consider all those details. How many horses will you have? What breed are they? What will your day-to-day look like? How will you pay for it? What does the barn look like?

The visualization answers everything you'd want to know about your farm. It places you there so you can see, smell, hear, and even taste it.

Intention

The most crucial aspect of a visualization practice is the intention behind it. This isn’t some “what if” scenario you’re indulging in for fun.

It’s real life.

It will happen.

You know it will in the very depths of your soul.

For your visualization to be successful, it must be a powerful intention, something you put all your energy into.

Why is Visualization So Powerful?

Visualization taps into one of our most potent weapons: our subconscious minds.

We don’t think about it a lot – in fact, that’s the magic of our subconscious; it does so much for us without us having to worry about it.

Our subconscious keeps us breathing and keeps our hearts beating. It warns us of danger and helps us react to our environment.

What we don’t realize is that we can train our subconscious, and we have been teaching it since the day we were born.

A visualization practice is similar to the law of attraction in that it helps us guide our subconscious.

The Law of Attraction

The law of attraction states that if you ask the universe for something, you will receive it. However, it’s more complex than that.

You must want it with all your heart and soul. You must live and breathe it, asking the universe to give you what you want every single day.

It works because it taps into your subconscious.

How Visualization Guides Your Subconscious

Our subconscious is far more powerful than our conscious minds. It acts without thinking, guiding your actions below the surface.

Visualization can train your subconscious to act in ways that align with your conscious goals.

Visualization helps you think about your goal with all your senses, embedding it into your subconscious. The more you think about it, the more your subconscious gets the message, and the more likely it is to act in ways that help you achieve your goals.

How To Use Visualization To Improve Your Life

Unlock the power of visualization to achieve your dreams with these easy steps.

Refine Your Goal

The most essential aspect of a visualization practice is defining the goal. Many people fail because they have multiple goals, don’t know what the result should look like, or constantly change direction.

You will confuse your subconscious if you don’t have a specific goal in mind when visualizing.

Set a SMART goal to ensure you’re focused on exactly what you want. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based. Using a SMART goal can help you laser-focus on what you want to achieve.

Consider Every Aspect of What You Want

When it comes to visualization, details matter. You must give your subconscious the complete picture of what you want.

Consider the major questions of any narrative: who, what, why, where, when, and how. Incorporate the answers into your vision.

Visualize Action and Accomplishment

A lot of people visualize themselves at the end. They’re at the podium, receiving their award. Everyone claps as they beam with pride and give a wonderful acceptance speech.

But that’s only half the story. You should also visualize how you got there. What action did you take that led you to the podium? That’s the meat of your goal. Don’t ignore the actions in your visualization process.

Create a Daily Practice

Training your subconscious only works if you take the time to do it regularly.

Make visualization a daily practice. Set aside ten uninterrupted minutes a day for it. Use the time to deep dive into all the details of your goal and how you will achieve it.

Use Tools

Some folks cannot picture things in their minds or focus on visualization for more than a few seconds.

That’s okay. Your visualization practice doesn’t have to be in your mind’s eye. You can use journals and vision boards to bring it to life.

Journal

Journals work well for those who lose interest quickly. Journaling forces you to actively engage in your visualization practice as you write (or draw) every session.

A bonus of journaling is you can look back and review how your goal has adapted over time. Are you changing an action or outcome? Explore why. The journal can help you maintain focus on the correct goal.

Vision Board

Like most things, the ability to visualize is a spectrum. While some people can see an entire movie play out in their minds, people with aphantasia can’t see anything. Some folks can see faint outlines, while others see full pictures.

A vision board helps those who can’t picture things use visualization to achieve their goals. It’s a physical representation of the things you would visualize if you could.

Hang your vision board someplace where you will see it regularly. Let it sink into your subconscious.

Get Everything You’ve Ever Wanted

You can have everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Train your subconscious and let it lead the way. Visualization helps you do that.

Start now. What have you got to lose?

This article was produced and syndicated by Partners in Fire.