Athletes do it. At least, the great ones do. So do actors, architects, inventors, race motorists, archers, chess players and dancers. Believe it or not, so should you. It’s called mental imagery.
Picture this. You’re at the court. You see the ring approach as you dribble the ball toward it. The other team’s power forward is charging in your direction. With quick footwork, you avoid his attempt to steal the ball. The crowd grows wild. You jump into the air and release the ball. It shoots straight into the basket. Score!
That is mental imagery; and psychologists believe that it has a profound impact on your performance. Many of them have debated on how it works, but they all agree: see yourself achieving your personal goals, and you end up succeeding. To see is to achieve.
It’s no secret that Formula One champion Damon Hill practiced mental imagery in his race from “zero to hero.” Before each race, he would sit still and mentally rehearse steering the wheel through the race line and around each corner in sharp precision.
Open your mind. Tiger Woods would first see in his mind’s eye the golf ball soaring in the air and landing in the hole. Firmly holding that image of precision, he grips the golf club and executes that famous swing. Only then would we see what he first saw in his mental imaging. “I’m very open-minded toward any innovation that can potentially make me a better player,” he says. “What really excites me is the prospect of even greater breakthroughs in all of these areas.”
Active mental imagery is not just visualizing. All your senses imagine, too. While visual images are the most common and literal, you can also create aural, olfactory, kinesthetic and tactile images.
To demonstrate, try this experiment right now. Imagine yourself running. See it. Feel your feet hitting the ground. Smell the air hitting your face. You can either hear cars honking or birds twittering. You pause to breathe and take a swig of your sports drink. That tasted good. You experienced all this even now just reading this.
Use it. We were all born with the capacity to use imagery. The difference lies in how often—and how well—we use it. What you image can either empower or debilitate you.
For instance, try visualizing standing on the edge of a diving board and looking down. Not even the huge “3.0 Meters” sign can convince you that the water isn’t miles below your feet. You imagine how cold the water will be. You feel the pain as your chest hits the water. Your knees begin to shake and finally, you turn tail and climb down the ladder.
Now try it again. Use the same diving board scenario, but blot out thoughts from “looking down…” onwards. This time, use imagery to feel yourself soaring into the air, raising your arms up in one fluid line, and diving smoothly into the pool. Feel the water embrace you. Hear the cheers greet you when you break the surface.
You smile. You feel your confidence rise. And so do you, the moment your feet leave the board and you execute a perfect dive - from your visualization alone all the way to the real thing, when you actually perform well.
Realizing that the image you create in your mind affects your performance is just as important as deciding what exactly that image will be.
Sharpen it. Consciously decide to focus on your fitness goal. Stand in front of the mirror. Do you want to add inches to your arms or chest? Is it a slimmer waistline you are aiming for?
Now take few, slow, rhythmic breaths. Many proponents of imaging agree that while you can practice this technique anywhere, the best place to start is from a state of relaxation. We all have our own unique ways to relax – think of yours. Do you need to lie down so your mind can settle? Do you require absolute silence or need some soft, non-intrusive music? Will a cup of chamomile tea do the trick for you? How about a jog through the park? Whatever it is, begin by relaxing.
Now see yourself doing what you need to do to achieve your goal—and doing it well. Picture yourself completing 50 crunches, or working your whole body on the rowing machine. Instead of watching yourself do it as if in a movie, try visualizing in the first person point of view. See the bar rise as you perfectly execute your bench presses. Feel the strength in your arms and chest, and the tightening of your abs. Hear your personal coach’s voice counting your reps for you. Make the image as vivid as you can.
Cap your imaging session with encouragement. Surround your image with positive energy. Exactly how would you feel after achieving your goal? Allow yourself a few moments as you stay with that feeling.
Now go to the gym and do exactly as the image you saw dictated. As Thomas Edison said, “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.”
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