PICTURE IT IN YOUR MIND:
VISUALIZATION
“Visualization is an important tool for me”
Phil Jackson,
One of the Most Successful Coaches in NBA History
Visualization is using your imagination to create what you desire in life. Yet the term visualization can be misleading. Perhaps another word might be image---to put an image of something into your mind. Don’t let the words confuse you, because either word is fine. Just see what you want.
I can remember when I was 10-years-old; I used to always create mental pictures of myself succeeding in sports. This started at an early age when I first became interested in sports.
Through these mental images I created, I knew that I could give extraordinary performances on a basketball court, football field, baseball field or track. I just felt that my talents were unlimited. I was like most young men who gravitated to sports. It was a way of expressing myself, as artists, musicians or writers might express themselves. Visualization was also a way to go deep down inside and touch that creative presence, which opened my imagination to ideas that could help me pursue my lifelong dreams.
A lot of times when I was growing up, I used to sit in our living room and play music that would help me create those mental images of what I wanted to become. I wanted to be a successful athlete.
When I created those pictures in my mind, I could feel a presence within me that reassured me and gave me a sense of confidence. It was as if the mental images were reality. I would let my total being melt into the music and imagine that the pictures were happening to me at that very moment.
The lyrics of certain songs expressed what I felt inside, and fostered in me a greater realization of success and the good things that could happen to me.
Had it not been for my accident I believe I would have surely achieved professional status. The scholarship offers from top colleges around the country and me constantly mentioned in the newspaper sports section, all pointed in that direction. But my accident took me in a different direction. Obviously, that was not the path I was supposed to take. I had to release my anger and focus my gifts elsewhere.
We can still be successful in whatever we choose even if we have to change directions. The important thing is not to give up seeing in your mind being successful.
When I became inducted into the Stockton, California Sports of Fame as an adult, I realized my ability to visualize myself successful, not only helped tremendously in sports, but also gave me the drive to pull through my accident. I transferred that same feeling of success to my present career as a speaker and author --- which I love. Success is success no matter what you decide to become.
We can’t all be superstar athletes, actors, singers, musicians…but we can be successful in our chosen fields. If you look at most any field, the successful people will most likely say they visualized themselves achieving their goals.
HOW THEY DO IT
Successful athletes envision themselves winning in their sport. Coaches even draw pictures of the plays on blackboards in practice rooms. The diagrams show each individual player how he is supposed to execute his moves in order to make that play successful. Over and over again, athletes visualize themselves executing the right moves. They see themselves making the perfect block or pass to make the play exactly as it was designed on the board.
Phil Jackson believes in visualization. He guided the Lakers to three titles in his first stint as their head coach from 1999-2004, and guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in his nine years as head coach from 1989-1998. In his book, “Sacred Hoops,” he wrote “Visualization is an important tool for me.” Jackson helped his players not only visualize their success winning games, but he gave them guided meditations called, the “Safe Spot” during half times to help the players calm down to focus. The players in their visualization each went to a special place in their minds where they felt safe and at peace.
In 1968, two young football rookies, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, became best friends when they met at the Oakland Raiders training camp. They would visualize their dreams and share them with one another. Upshaw hoped one day to be a politician, Shell wanted to be a football coach, and they both longed to be elected to the Football Hall of Fame.
By 1987, their dreams started becoming reality. Upshaw, who by then was the executive director of the NFL Players Association, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The next year, it was Shell’s turn. He became the NFL’s first African American head coach in 64 years when he was named coach of the Los Angeles Raiders.
When Shell heard the news, he called Gene, who was elated, “I can’t believe it, Gene,” he said. “All those plans we made years ago have actually come true.”
In his 15 seasons as a Raider player, 1968-82, Shell was named All-Pro three times and played in eight Pro Bowls, more than any other Raider ever. Like his friend Gene, he was also elected to the Hall of Fame.
The key to Shell and Upshaw’s tremendous success was that they had pictures in their minds of what they wanted to become. They used their imaginations, worked hard, and dedicated themselves to creating an image of what they desired to manifest. Their dreams didn’t materialize instantly, but they still continued to focus on those images and eventually they came true.
Jerry West, the former general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, an extraordinary basketball player, as a kid growing up in West Virginia used to visualize being a basketball player. Jerry would dribble a ball on dirt well into the nights. His accomplishments have far exceeded his imagination.
“I was my own best friend,” he says of those days, “I was everything, actually. Player, coach, announcer, even the time-keeper. It was amazing to me how many times in those imaginary games there would be one second left, my team one point down and me with the ball, and I’d miss and---the really amazing part---there would still be time for another, shot, or 10.”
Not that many years later, and although the timekeeper was no longer his best friend, he would make a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to send a 1970 NBA championship game into overtime. Not even his dreams, as fevered as they may have been in Appalachian twilight, could have anticipated the glory of real life.
Every minute of every day we visualize, using the natural powers of our imagination to create certain things in our life consciously and unconsciously. We can see this principle at work. For instance, when we accidentally run into someone we’ve just been thinking of, or happen to find that book which contains exactly the information we need at that moment. But many of us have used visualization in negative ways rather than using it for positive growth. People frequently get angry because of what someone has done or said about them. Instead of forgiving and forgetting, they build on the negative, creating hurtful images of how they can get even. This is a waste of creative mental energy.
When we use negative mental pictures we develop an attitude which automatically attracts other difficulties to us. I had to work very hard to keep a positive frame of mind at my last 9-5 job. Constantly, there were situations where co-workers were talking about me and others behind our backs. Certain people in management were trying to make us employees feel less than important and our opinions were not taken seriously. This negativity about people and life causes us to imagine problems and trouble to be our way of life. There’s a saying ”You can’t climb up the ladder if you are keeping your foot on someone else’s hands who are trying to climb up too. You need both feet on the ladder rungs to climb to the top.”
We are always using the natural powers of our imagination, but not always in useful ways. There is nothing new or unusual about using the mind and emotions as tools of consciously creating our reality. As we become aware and begin to eliminate negative visualization from our daily lives, we can begin to think and act in healthy, positive, affirming ways.
One of the great things about visualizations, is if you are going through tough times, and everything is negative around you, you can go into your secret place, or as Phil Jackson calls it your “Safe Spot” in your mind and see the life you want. You can create this whole world in your head that not only takes you out of negative problems…but leads you toward a wonderful future. No one can touch that special world but you. You can go as many times as you want.
Some people visualize a beautiful garden, and see themselves walking by a babbling creek. When you visualize try to put all of your senses into the process. For example, being in your garden, feel the soft wind on your face. Hear the birds, imagine feeling the warm sun --- even imagine the smell of bright colored flowers. Ask yourself what kind of flowers are they. See wild life rabbits, squirrels. What color is their coat?
Some people have a hard time visualizing. If you are one of them, that’s OK. Just try to get glimpses of what you want to visualize. Be kind and gentle with yourself. This may be new to you, and you are training your mind. Work on feeling the wind, or whatever you want in your images.
When you visualize, put all of your senses into the picture. Feel the end result of having achieved your victory. Ask yourself, “How would I feel if this came true?” Most likely you’ll get a good feeling throughout your body. This is what you want to add to your visualization. When you feel and see something, your mind does not know what is true and what’s not, so it will do all it can to make your dreams materialize.
It’s important in your visualizations not to see harm coming to another person. Remember that what you put out, returns, especially when you visualize. See the power of the mind attracts what you think about. That’s the great thing about visualizing. But if you are seeing hurt and misfortune come to another person because you don’t like them, or want revenge, that same harm could come back to you because it’s energy. Energy has a boomerang effect. So be careful what you wish for and visualize.
ATHLETES VISUALIZE:
Jack Nicklaus also known as "The Golden Bear", is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time, in large part because of his records in major championships, claims that his success is entirely owed to practicing concentration and visualization.
Mary Lou Retton is one of the greatest female US gymnastics. She was the first American to win the all-around gold medal in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Time Magazine reported in an Olympics cover story, "On the night before the finals in women's gymnastics, famous athlete, Mary Lou Retton, then age 16, lay in bed at the Olympic Village mentally rehearsing her performance ritual."
A 1984 survey of 235 Canadian Olympic athletes preparing for the Games found that 99 percent of them were using imagery. Professional athletes spend a good deal of time visualizing their victory by telling their minds exactly what they want their bodies to achieve. Timothy Gallwey author of “The Inner Game of Tennis” says, “Athletic improvement without the development of mental skills (such as visualization) is impossible."
There are many important aspects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone) so I will try to cover some of the important ones, plus special tips on how you can use visualization.
Craig Townsend Director of It's Mind over Matter in Sydney, Australia has worked with National and State level swimmers for over a decade, teaching them various methods of improvement through mental training. Townsend says the biggest problem he has found facing most swimmers is a lack of real belief in their own ability and knowing they can win or swim the time they desire. He says when these athletes lack real belief in themselves it creates fear which causes a variety of problems before races such as:
* A deep inner feeling of not being good enough
* Extreme nervousness (which sometimes manifests as vomiting)
* Negative thoughts of all types
* Low energy
* Worrying about small details which may never occur
* Intimidation from other competitors
* Unusual or silly mistakes during the race
* Not looking forward to meets/swims
*Jealousy of other swimmers
Townsend says the best way to create belief in yourself and your own ability is to visualize every day for five minutes or a few minutes vividly imaging the perfect outcome. It helps program your subconscious mind for success, like a computer.
“When you visualize a race in your mind,” Townsend tells swimmers, “Use all your senses - imagine seeing the swimmers, pool and surroundings in their respective colors, smell the chlorine of the pool, hear the sounds of people cheering you, and most of all - feel the joy of victory when you win the race or swim that time you desired. If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before races, and your times will begin to steadily come down.” He says the benefits of visualizing everyday will help any one:
* Overcome extreme nervousness
* Reduce and erase pain
* Learn new skills more easily and quickly e.g. kicks/turns
* Overcome major intimidation from a competitor
* Increase your energy
* Relax more easily
* Increase speed / reduce times
* Banish negativity, and sustain positive attitude
* Recover from illness and injuries more quickly
Shakti Gawain, a pioneer in the field of personal growth and visualization, consciousness, says, "The most important thing to remember is to use creative visualization often, to make it a regular part of your life. Most people seem to find that it works best to practice it at least a little every day, especially when they are first learning."
Albert Einstein said "Imagination is more important than science." Professional athletes have known this for decades.
HOW TO VISUALIZE:
* Identify the goal you want to visualize. Find a comfortable place to sit and relax.
* Eliminate all distractions. Turn off the phone, television, etc. One of the best times to do this is just before you go to sleep, or when you wake up in the morning.
* Close your eyes and focus on feeling relaxed
* Now, imagine yourself in the situation where you want to improve. Create a picture in your mind of the sights, sounds, and smells. You can picture yourself succeeding in sports, on a test in school, getting a job, or wherever you want improvement in your life.
* See yourself happy that you have attained what you wanted. How does that feel? See yourself smiling and happy after reaching your goal. Take a moment to feel the pleasure and excitement of achieving this goal already complete.
* Picture yourself finishing the course and feeling great, both physically and emotionally.
* Visualize a few minutes every day.
AFFIRMATIONS
Today, I am easily and effortlessly seeing my goal accomplished.
Today, I see myself successful.
Today, I see myself_________________(your goal).
From "Sporting the Right Attitude: Lessons Learned in a Troubled Family" by Walter H. Jackson
PICTURE IT IN YOUR MIND:
VISUALIZATION
“Visualization is an important tool for me”
Phil Jackson,
One of the Most Successful Coaches in NBA History
Visualization is using your imagination to create what you desire in life. Yet the term visualization can be misleading. Perhaps another word might be image---to put an image of something into your mind. Don’t let the words confuse you, because either word is fine. Just see what you want.
I can remember when I was 10-years-old; I used to always create mental pictures of myself succeeding in sports. This started at an early age when I first became interested in sports.
Through these mental images I created, I knew that I could give extraordinary performances on a basketball court, football field, baseball field or track. I just felt that my talents were unlimited. I was like most young men who gravitated to sports. It was a way of expressing myself, as artists, musicians or writers might express themselves. Visualization was also a way to go deep down inside and touch that creative presence, which opened my imagination to ideas that could help me pursue my lifelong dreams.
A lot of times when I was growing up, I used to sit in our living room and play music that would help me create those mental images of what I wanted to become. I wanted to be a successful athlete.
When I created those pictures in my mind, I could feel a presence within me that reassured me and gave me a sense of confidence. It was as if the mental images were reality. I would let my total being melt into the music and imagine that the pictures were happening to me at that very moment.
The lyrics of certain songs expressed what I felt inside, and fostered in me a greater realization of success and the good things that could happen to me.
Had it not been for my accident I believe I would have surely achieved professional status. The scholarship offers from top colleges around the country and me constantly mentioned in the newspaper sports section, all pointed in that direction. But my accident took me in a different direction. Obviously, that was not the path I was supposed to take. I had to release my anger and focus my gifts elsewhere.
We can still be successful in whatever we choose even if we have to change directions. The important thing is not to give up seeing in your mind being successful.
When I became inducted into the Stockton, California Sports of Fame as an adult, I realized my ability to visualize myself successful, not only helped tremendously in sports, but also gave me the drive to pull through my accident. I transferred that same feeling of success to my present career as a speaker and author --- which I love. Success is success no matter what you decide to become.
We can’t all be superstar athletes, actors, singers, musicians…but we can be successful in our chosen fields. If you look at most any field, the successful people will most likely say they visualized themselves achieving their goals.
HOW THEY DO IT
Successful athletes envision themselves winning in their sport. Coaches even draw pictures of the plays on blackboards in practice rooms. The diagrams show each individual player how he is supposed to execute his moves in order to make that play successful. Over and over again, athletes visualize themselves executing the right moves. They see themselves making the perfect block or pass to make the play exactly as it was designed on the board.
Phil Jackson believes in visualization. He guided the Lakers to three titles in his first stint as their head coach from 1999-2004, and guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in his nine years as head coach from 1989-1998. In his book, “Sacred Hoops,” he wrote “Visualization is an important tool for me.” Jackson helped his players not only visualize their success winning games, but he gave them guided meditations called, the “Safe Spot” during half times to help the players calm down to focus. The players in their visualization each went to a special place in their minds where they felt safe and at peace.
In 1968, two young football rookies, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, became best friends when they met at the Oakland Raiders training camp. They would visualize their dreams and share them with one another. Upshaw hoped one day to be a politician, Shell wanted to be a football coach, and they both longed to be elected to the Football Hall of Fame.
By 1987, their dreams started becoming reality. Upshaw, who by then was the executive director of the NFL Players Association, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The next year, it was Shell’s turn. He became the NFL’s first African American head coach in 64 years when he was named coach of the Los Angeles Raiders.
When Shell heard the news, he called Gene, who was elated, “I can’t believe it, Gene,” he said. “All those plans we made years ago have actually come true.”
In his 15 seasons as a Raider player, 1968-82, Shell was named All-Pro three times and played in eight Pro Bowls, more than any other Raider ever. Like his friend Gene, he was also elected to the Hall of Fame.
The key to Shell and Upshaw’s tremendous success was that they had pictures in their minds of what they wanted to become. They used their imaginations, worked hard, and dedicated themselves to creating an image of what they desired to manifest. Their dreams didn’t materialize instantly, but they still continued to focus on those images and eventually they came true.
Jerry West, the former general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, an extraordinary basketball player, as a kid growing up in West Virginia used to visualize being a basketball player. Jerry would dribble a ball on dirt well into the nights. His accomplishments have far exceeded his imagination.
“I was my own best friend,” he says of those days, “I was everything, actually. Player, coach, announcer, even the time-keeper. It was amazing to me how many times in those imaginary games there would be one second left, my team one point down and me with the ball, and I’d miss and---the really amazing part---there would still be time for another, shot, or 10.”
Not that many years later, and although the timekeeper was no longer his best friend, he would make a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to send a 1970 NBA championship game into overtime. Not even his dreams, as fevered as they may have been in Appalachian twilight, could have anticipated the glory of real life.
Every minute of every day we visualize, using the natural powers of our imagination to create certain things in our life consciously and unconsciously. We can see this principle at work. For instance, when we accidentally run into someone we’ve just been thinking of, or happen to find that book which contains exactly the information we need at that moment. But many of us have used visualization in negative ways rather than using it for positive growth. People frequently get angry because of what someone has done or said about them. Instead of forgiving and forgetting, they build on the negative, creating hurtful images of how they can get even. This is a waste of creative mental energy.
When we use negative mental pictures we develop an attitude which automatically attracts other difficulties to us. I had to work very hard to keep a positive frame of mind at my last 9-5 job. Constantly, there were situations where co-workers were talking about me and others behind our backs. Certain people in management were trying to make us employees feel less than important and our opinions were not taken seriously. This negativity about people and life causes us to imagine problems and trouble to be our way of life. There’s a saying ”You can’t climb up the ladder if you are keeping your foot on someone else’s hands who are trying to climb up too. You need both feet on the ladder rungs to climb to the top.”
We are always using the natural powers of our imagination, but not always in useful ways. There is nothing new or unusual about using the mind and emotions as tools of consciously creating our reality. As we become aware and begin to eliminate negative visualization from our daily lives, we can begin to think and act in healthy, positive, affirming ways.
One of the great things about visualizations, is if you are going through tough times, and everything is negative around you, you can go into your secret place, or as Phil Jackson calls it your “Safe Spot” in your mind and see the life you want. You can create this whole world in your head that not only takes you out of negative problems…but leads you toward a wonderful future. No one can touch that special world but you. You can go as many times as you want.
Some people visualize a beautiful garden, and see themselves walking by a babbling creek. When you visualize try to put all of your senses into the process. For example, being in your garden, feel the soft wind on your face. Hear the birds, imagine feeling the warm sun --- even imagine the smell of bright colored flowers. Ask yourself what kind of flowers are they. See wild life rabbits, squirrels. What color is their coat?
Some people have a hard time visualizing. If you are one of them, that’s OK. Just try to get glimpses of what you want to visualize. Be kind and gentle with yourself. This may be new to you, and you are training your mind. Work on feeling the wind, or whatever you want in your images.
When you visualize, put all of your senses into the picture. Feel the end result of having achieved your victory. Ask yourself, “How would I feel if this came true?” Most likely you’ll get a good feeling throughout your body. This is what you want to add to your visualization. When you feel and see something, your mind does not know what is true and what’s not, so it will do all it can to make your dreams materialize.
It’s important in your visualizations not to see harm coming to another person. Remember that what you put out, returns, especially when you visualize. See the power of the mind attracts what you think about. That’s the great thing about visualizing. But if you are seeing hurt and misfortune come to another person because you don’t like them, or want revenge, that same harm could come back to you because it’s energy. Energy has a boomerang effect. So be careful what you wish for and visualize.
ATHLETES VISUALIZE:
Jack Nicklaus also known as "The Golden Bear", is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time, in large part because of his records in major championships, claims that his success is entirely owed to practicing concentration and visualization.
Mary Lou Retton is one of the greatest female US gymnastics. She was the first American to win the all-around gold medal in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Time Magazine reported in an Olympics cover story, "On the night before the finals in women's gymnastics, famous athlete, Mary Lou Retton, then age 16, lay in bed at the Olympic Village mentally rehearsing her performance ritual."
A 1984 survey of 235 Canadian Olympic athletes preparing for the Games found that 99 percent of them were using imagery. Professional athletes spend a good deal of time visualizing their victory by telling their minds exactly what they want their bodies to achieve. Timothy Gallwey author of “The Inner Game of Tennis” says, “Athletic improvement without the development of mental skills (such as visualization) is impossible."
There are many important aspects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone) so I will try to cover some of the important ones, plus special tips on how you can use visualization.
Craig Townsend Director of It's Mind over Matter in Sydney, Australia has worked with National and State level swimmers for over a decade, teaching them various methods of improvement through mental training. Townsend says the biggest problem he has found facing most swimmers is a lack of real belief in their own ability and knowing they can win or swim the time they desire. He says when these athletes lack real belief in themselves it creates fear which causes a variety of problems before races such as:
* A deep inner feeling of not being good enough
* Extreme nervousness (which sometimes manifests as vomiting)
* Negative thoughts of all types
* Low energy
* Worrying about small details which may never occur
* Intimidation from other competitors
* Unusual or silly mistakes during the race
* Not looking forward to meets/swims
*Jealousy of other swimmers
Townsend says the best way to create belief in yourself and your own ability is to visualize every day for five minutes or a few minutes vividly imaging the perfect outcome. It helps program your subconscious mind for success, like a computer.
“When you visualize a race in your mind,” Townsend tells swimmers, “Use all your senses - imagine seeing the swimmers, pool and surroundings in their respective colors, smell the chlorine of the pool, hear the sounds of people cheering you, and most of all - feel the joy of victory when you win the race or swim that time you desired. If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before races, and your times will begin to steadily come down.” He says the benefits of visualizing everyday will help any one:
* Overcome extreme nervousness
* Reduce and erase pain
* Learn new skills more easily and quickly e.g. kicks/turns
* Overcome major intimidation from a competitor
* Increase your energy
* Relax more easily
* Increase speed / reduce times
* Banish negativity, and sustain positive attitude
* Recover from illness and injuries more quickly
Shakti Gawain, a pioneer in the field of personal growth and visualization, consciousness, says, "The most important thing to remember is to use creative visualization often, to make it a regular part of your life. Most people seem to find that it works best to practice it at least a little every day, especially when they are first learning."
Albert Einstein said "Imagination is more important than science." Professional athletes have known this for decades.
HOW TO VISUALIZE:
* Identify the goal you want to visualize. Find a comfortable place to sit and relax.
* Eliminate all distractions. Turn off the phone, television, etc. One of the best times to do this is just before you go to sleep, or when you wake up in the morning.
* Close your eyes and focus on feeling relaxed
* Now, imagine yourself in the situation where you want to improve. Create a picture in your mind of the sights, sounds, and smells. You can picture yourself succeeding in sports, on a test in school, getting a job, or wherever you want improvement in your life.
* See yourself happy that you have attained what you wanted. How does that feel? See yourself smiling and happy after reaching your goal. Take a moment to feel the pleasure and excitement of achieving this goal already complete.
* Picture yourself finishing the course and feeling great, both physically and emotionally.
* Visualize a few minutes every day.
AFFIRMATIONS
Today, I am easily and effortlessly seeing my goal accomplished.
Today, I see myself successful.
Today, I see myself_________________(your goal).
From the Book "Sporting the Right Attitude: Lessons Learned in a Troubled Family"
by: Walter H. Jackson
