Visualize


Curiosity Chronicle

One of the things I love about Sahil Bloom’s Curiosity Chronicle is how he wraps up the year and starts the New Year.

This year, he shared 33 Life Learnings from 33 Years and it was a beauty.

If you haven’t met Sahil yet, he’s an investor, entrepreneur, and writer. Every week, he creates content that reaches millions of people across Twitter, his newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram and more.

If you want to live a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life, you need to check out the Curiosity Chronicle.

1%Better

At the bottom of our newsletter, you’ll see an example of how Charles did less, better.

It’s a perfect example of the 1% better club and I love reading your messages.

Drop me a line on how you’re getting 1% better.

Visualize

I’ve always believed in visualization.

Since my boys were young, I’ve used visualization with them in their lives.

As a coach, I use visualization with the kids. In fact, let me share an example.

Last year, we made it into the hockey playoffs at the U13 level (11 and 12-year-old kids).

In the round-robin, we played each team twice and the top two teams would play in the Final Game.

This meant each team you played, you’d have already had a couple of games against.

We were blessed enough to make the final game and I thought it would be tight, here’s why:

In the first game, we were up 4-1 and ended up tied 4-4.

In the second game, we got up in the game 4-1 again and squeaked through with a 4-3 win.

Pre-Game Visualization

I wanted to change the approach to the final.

Before the game, I had the boys form a circle in the dressing room and put a hand on each other.

I then asked them to close their eyes and visualize what I was going to share with them.

We walked through all the key things we’d been coaching during the year.

But, that’s not where it ends.

I walked through each player asking them to visualize what I saw in them and wanted from them in the final game…

I gave them time.

It was the best version of them.

I painted a picture of their best games.

The picture was them in their best moments.

It Worked

Each boy played their best game

Each boy did exactly what we asked them to do

We won that hockey game 10 – 0

Everything went right

From the drop of the puck to the closing whistle

Every single second the boys showed up the way we wanted

Can it Work Again

This came up for me because we had a hockey tournament this weekend.

In our third game, it was a must-win to make it into the playoffs.

So, I repeated the visualization exercise.

It was insane.

It was the same outcome, 4 – 1.

Each boy played the way we described.

The specific pattern we visualized for each boy was what we got out of them and we made it through to the quarter-finals, winning again, before being knocked out in the semi-final.

The Science Supports It

When we talk about visualization, we’ll often talk about stress reduction, motivation and goal achievement.

But, here’s a wacky one for you.

Scientists studied the power of mind exercises.

They had people think deeply about working out, picturing themselves getting stronger…Seriously, must be easier than lifting weights, right, but…could it do anything?

This process is called internal imagery. It’s like playing a workout video in your mind.

The study had three groups and one group practiced this mind workout, imagining exercise sessions for 15 minutes, five times a week, over six weeks.

They weren’t just daydreaming.

Their muscle strength went up by 10.8%.

It showed even thinking about exercise can make you stronger.

How to Practice Visualization

Here are some examples of areas you can use visualization and how you can use it for each area.

Goal Achievement

Exercise: Visualize achieving a major goal

Steps:

  • Sit quietly
  • Close your eyes
  • Imagine reaching your goal
  • Feel the joy and excitement of achievement
  • Visualize every step on the journey from start to finish

Practice daily for 5-10 minutes

Stress Reduction

Exercise: Create a tranquil place in your mind

Steps:

  • Find calm
  • Sit or lie down
  • Breathe deeply and slowly
  • Picture a serene and calm setting
  • Focus on the setting’s sensory details

Stay in peace for 10-15 minutes

Skill Improvement

Exercise: Master a new skill through visualization

Steps:

  • Sit comfortably
  • Close your eyes
  • Visualize perfecting the skill
  • Imagine the required detailed motions
  • Feel each of the movements and imagine the success

Practice visualization for 10 minutes daily

Confidence Building

Exercise: Boost self-confidence before big events

Steps:

  • Find quiet
  • Close your eyes, breathe
  • Picture succeeding confidently
  • Focus on how you want to show up
  • For bonus points, assume a Superman Posture

Visualize for 5-10 minutes

Personally, I use visualization on a regular basis and this last one is one of the ones I often use.

In advance of a big meeting, a podcast, or a speech, I play it out in my head, even so far as to have staged conversations with podcast guests in my mind before I even meet them.

TGG Podcast

This week on the Growth Guide Podcast, we talked to Yael Schonbrun about her book, Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (When Everything Feels Like Too Much).

Being a parent is hard, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this conversation, we talk about science-backed strategies to Work, Parent and Thrive and solutions to parenting anxiety:

  • Choice points
  • Benign neglect
  • Encourage boredom
  • Enrichment viewpoint
  • Model healthy relationships

Yael offers practical strategies for managing emotions, clarifying values, and making choices that align with our true priorities.

The 1% Club

Charles shared a wonderful story of Doing Less, Better.

He’s a self-employed strategy and operations consultant for fintech companies, and in December he told one of his not-so-great clients he didn’t plan to continue with them when his contract expired at the end of the year.

Bottom Line: He didn’t like the work they were assigning him nor the rate he was making.

They asked him to write his ideal scope of work where he could add the most value.

End Result: Charles is doing work that energizes him, spending half the time doing it and he’s making the same amount of money.

I love reading your 1% stories.

Drop me a line and share how you’re getting 1% better.

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