To Visualize or Not Visualize Achieving Goals

What Are the Benefits of Visualizing or Not Visualizing Achieving Goals?

To visualize or not to visualize, that is the question …

Do you imagine yourself achieving a goal on your own?

Has it ever been of assistance to you?

If you’re anything like me, envisioning yourself attaining a goal doesn’t work very well.

However, according to self-help books, if we visualize ourselves as having already accomplished the goal, we are more likely to succeed.

However, the literature on sports psychology emphasizes the importance of visualizing the steps required to achieve the goal.

Who is correct?

 

 

Visualization Techniques

Should we see ourselves having accomplished the goal, or visualizing the technique or actions we need to take?

Well, it turns out that picturing yourself achieving a goal isn’t the best way to go. In truth, when we picture an end product, we’re substituting real development for the dream of achievement.

Moreover, focusing on the goal’s completion rather than the steps necessary to achieve it can lead to confusion and discouragement, especially if the goal is large.

It also encourages us to think in all-or-nothing terms rather than breaking things down into manageable chunks.

If you want to be successful in achieving your goals, you need imagine the steps you need to take to get there.

 

Visualization experiment

Taylor, Pham, Rivkin, and Shield (1998) investigated whether it was far better to envision achieving a goal (called end result visualization) or see the technique, or steps, required to achieve a goal (called procedure visualization) (called process visualization).

They divided the students into three groups for their research.

Team 1 was given the task of visualizing the exam preparation process in detail (process visualization).

This included seeing oneself relaxing at their desks, researching the chapters, turning off the television, declining invitations to social events, and so on.

Group 2 was instructed to envision themselves appearing in front of the board where the grades were posted, as well as seeing that they had received an A on the exam (result visualization).

No instructions were given to Group 3 (the control team).

Teams 1 and 2 each spent 5 minutes a day practicing their visualizations.

The results showed that Group 1 (the procedure visualization team) began studying sooner, studied for longer periods of time, and had an exam quality that was 8 points higher than Group 3 (the control team) and 6 points higher than Group 2. (the outcome visualization team).

They looked into it further and came up with identical results.

So the message is clear: if you have a goal in mind, it’s far better to see yourself taking the necessary steps to achieve that goal than it is to imagine yourself achieving that goal on your own.

 

 

Visualizing the steps toward your objective reduces anxiety and boosts motivation.

How does visualizing the procedure aid trainees in achieving higher levels of performance?

They were less stressed and anxious, and their efficiency improved as a result of imagining the procedure.

It also assisted them in planning their research study strategy, which in turn assisted them in maintaining their drive.

The outcome visualization group concentrated on the delight they would have if they received an A, but they failed to look further, which diminished their drive.

 

 

Just how you can use visualization

Excessively optimistic estimates of how long a task would take are one of the problems with business order.

This results in us planning too much in a day and then feeling discouraged because we haven’t completed everything on our to-do list.

Visualizing a process or set of steps leading to a goal can help us prepare more effectively and troubleshoot problems.

This, in turn, reduces our anxiety and increases our motivation.

Creating regular routines and habits is one of the most basic ways to increase your productivity.

You may free up your mind for even more creative endeavors by ritualizing daily routines. Visualizing the tasks required to achieve a goal might assist in defining these everyday routines and behaviors.

Visualizing the process, just as students studying for an exam, might assist you in sticking to your rituals and behaviors.

Not everyone is a visual learner or thinker. Making a note of the acts provides a variety of benefits, whether you’re aesthetic or not:

When you write it down, you can see what you’ve done;

It creates a call to action, as well as another source of support for aesthetic thinkers.

 

If you’re ready to start building daily routines that will help you achieve your objectives, go to manifestationmatters.com to get your free “Law of Attraction” video-course and learn how simple it is to create a new life with your dreams.

 

 

Play in Your Own Movie

This is an extremely effective visualization method, but it will take some time to master. Take your time and practice as much as you can.

 

Step 1:

Imagine you’re at a movie theater, the lights are dimming, and a red curtain rises in front of the screen.

The movie then begins. Your dream is to make a film, and your goal is to achieve it.

Examine each and every aspect in this film.

What do the actors look like, what do they wear, how do they walk, what sort of facial expressions do they make, and what type of emotions do they exude?

What is the environment like, and how is the weather?

Is the film light or dark, and does it take place inside or outside? What do you hear, do you hear people talking?

If so, how loud or quiet are the noises, and what else do you hear?

 

Step 2:

You now rise from your seat in the movie and run slowly towards the screen.

Tear a large enough portion of the screen away so that you can get into it.

Now enter the theater, turn around, and gaze out the screen into the audience.

You have a greater understanding of your surroundings; take another look at what is going on around you; what do you see, hear, and feel?

In your film, your dream, you are now portraying yourself.

 

Step 3:

Step out of the screen and back into the theater, but your image stays on the screen; you are still a character in the film.

Return to your seat and re-sit, this time with your back to the screen. Now take your hand and shrink the picture on the canvas.

Take it between your fingers and roll it into a little ball approximately the size of a chocolate bar.

Then you take the picture to your lips and chew it till you can swallow it in pieces.

Consider how, like a movie, each piece you swallow contains your dream. And how this film is dispersed throughout your body.

Every scene of your movie is distributed throughout your blood circulation and into every cell of your body.

Now you’re the star of your own movie.

When combined with a method I term “visualization with intention,” this is a highly strong visualization technique.

 

Step 4

When you act out your visions, you’re acting as if you’ve already achieved the lifestyle you desire.

This is an internal mechanism that balances the imagination’s power with emotion’s power.

Consider the following scenario:

You’re driving to work in your beat-up Honda Accord, which you despise.

The gas light starts to blink, and you start to worry how much longer you can go before having to fill up.

You use your mental calculator to calculate how much money you’ll need.

The realization that another month’s salary is slipping through your fingers fills you with dread…

You may not have encountered this precise circumstance, but you are undoubtedly familiar with the sensation.

When you’re in a similar situation and detect a spiral of negative thoughts being thrown out into the cosmos, stop and think about it.

Consider the following scenario:

Imagine yourself driving your Ferrari to your ideal job while on your way to work.

Consider the engine’s purr, the smoothness of the ride, and the aroma of the leather seats.

You suddenly look down and realize you need to refuel.

You are unconcerned about this conclusion since you know you can easily buy extra gasoline.

Take a moment to be excited and grateful for how wonderful life is right now.

When you have the opportunity, use this pretend play approach to life, and never underestimate the power of the imagination.

“Thoughts turn into things.” You can hold anything in your hand if you can picture it in your head.” – Proctor, Bob

 

 

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To visualize or not to visualize