How Good is Your Imagination?

Here’s a question: How good is your imagination? Now, when asked that question, most people invariably say that they have an active imagination. If that’s true for you, too, then you should certainly be using visualization techniques to help you get the results you want in the future.

Why? Well, because if you do it right, it works. How do we know this? Here at The Pacific Institute, in all of our offices around the world, we see evidence of it every day. Across the wide spectrum of human existence, we constantly work to describe the future we want. And in these descriptions, we are visualizing our futures.

Rather than take this for fact, prove it to yourself. Do some research of your own. Log on to your favorite search engine and see what you come up with regarding visualization. You’ll find more than enough to keep you busy for quite a while, and almost all of it will point to the same thing.

You see, the imagination is a powerful tool that, when used properly, can enhance the results you get. High-performance athletes know more about this than most of us. In fact, you might want to start your research with the May 1985 Psychology Today and an article called “Visualization by Athletes.” Thirty-five years later and the information still holds true, as we have found in our work with athletes around the world.

Keep your mind open, because what you will find may amaze you. You see, one thing that separates human beings from most other forms of life on this planet is the power of forethought. We can look forward and imagine, plan and goal-set, and “see” this imagined future, just as real as where we are standing today.

Just remember that visualization isn’t solely for athletes. It is for anyone who wants to improve performance, in any endeavor. Since we are one month and a bit into the New Year, most resolutions have been broken, re-started and broken again. Now might be the best time to get your imagination involved, and put stronger, more engaging pictures to those resolutions.

Visualization techniques are not difficult to learn. In fact, you already use them all the time. It’s simply a matter of bringing conscious control to the process.