When we are faced with uncertainty, it’s quite easy to think of everything that’s going wrong and could go wrong in the future. Our mind, in an attempt to protect us from harm, creates a scenario often dramatized and colored with fear. As we repeat these thoughts, we begin to “live” in this fear world that we’re creating. This negative visualization conditions us to react to the events we encounter and the actions of others in a negative, defensive way. As our external world reacts to our fear-based actions, the cycle continues.
Visualization is one of the more widely used practices to accomplish goals in sports, business, and art. People actively create in their minds an image of what they want their future to be, and much like a basketball player on the free-throw line, focus on making the shot and not the infinite ways in which they could miss.
Positive visualization can often feel a lot harder than it actually is. This is because a lot of us habitually focus on what can go wrong in any given situation, and because we habitually do this, it becomes automatic. So for many of us, thinking about what could go right in a situation becomes foreign and unfamiliar.
To ensure that we are positively visualizing our lives and future, we must be guardians of our thoughts. When negative thoughts and visualizations arise, we don’t necessarily have to focus on stopping the thoughts or thinking about something else, but rather analyzing what it is we are thinking and how these negative thoughts could possibly help us get what we want. By examining our negative thoughts, we take away their emotional fuel and disarm them of their power to negatively affect our lives.
The awesome news is that it’s easy to start training your mind to think positively right now. By taking even the smallest goals and visualizing ourselves completing these tasks happily, successfully and without difficulty, we start making positive thinking a habit, and as we all know, habits are pretty darned hard to break. Take 30 seconds right now and imagine yourself doing any insignificant task, exploding with energy and enthusiasm. Visualize yourself achieving these little victories and see how you feel completing these events happily and fulfilled. With each positive visualization, we are actively training our minds and our bodies to be happy and full of life.
Statements like “I am” as opposed to “I can” also condition us to be more successful in achieving our goals. Say to yourself “I am achieving my goals.” Take note of the sturdiness we feel when we say this, like a tree with deep roots holding us steadfast to our objectives. Now say “I can achieve my goals.” It feels as though that statement almost begs the use of the word, “but.” “I can achieve my goals, but I am too busy,” or “I can achieve my goals, but I am too broke.” The list goes on and on.
So go get yourself on the free-throw line, close your eyes, and visualize sinking one ball after another, imagine yourself living life exactly how you want it to be—happy, healthy, and full of enthusiasm!
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