Читать книгу 100 Steps Towards Success - Shehzad Amin PH.D - Страница 16

Ever fantasized that you’re a lean, mean fighting machine, with Churchillian speech-making talents, winning charisma, and superhuman willpower? If so, then you have already tapped into the tool that can help you get there in real life. Mental imagery—the kind that involves imagining success—has long been employed by professional athletes to boost their strength, confidence, and results. (Arnold Schwarzenegger imagined his biceps to be mountain peaks as he pumped iron.) But the technique is good for more than just sports. “Everyone can use imagery to prepare for all kinds of situations, including public presentations and difficult interactions,” says Daniel Kaddish, Ph.D., a psychologist in New York City who guides clients in mental imagery. Research has shown that surgeons, musicians, and business executives have used it to focus and to improve their performance.

Big or small, goals give us purpose and, like a compass, keep us headed in the right direction. — Frank Niles

In laymen’s terms, it means recreating all the images, sounds, and feelings in your mind surrounding an activity to practice in a perfect environment – just like the small dojo where Morpheus and Neo fight in the movie. It may sound hard, but let me prove to you that you can do it. Take a couple of minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself going to the kitchen and getting a cup of coffee. Try to imagine every detail, even the smell of the coffee. Were you able to imagine the cup of coffee? Maybe you were using your favorite cup and that awesome coffee brand that you love. You may even want a cup of coffee right now. That’s how visualization works. Don’t worry if you didn’t catch all the details; just like any other skill, you need to practice. However, it is worth the time it takes to learn it.

Visualization is simple, but it requires you to practice often to get the best results out if it. Just follow the steps and enjoy the process:

 Relax: Take a couple of deep breaths, let go of all the tension, and close your eyes. It works even better if you find a quiet spot where nobody will bother you. I do it right before I go to bed.

 Start imagining the environment: Let’s say you want to play guitar. Start by imagining your guitar, the shape, then the strings, the thickness of each string, until you have a clear and defined picture of your guitar.

 Third person view: Now imagine yourself coming closer to the guitar. Look at your hands and slowly add detail to the image. Look at how you sit and hold the guitar, always trying to add as much detail as possible.

 First person view: Feel the guitar in your hands, feel each string, and focus on the sound that each string produces. Allow yourself to start playing, just as you would do in practice with the same exercises. Imagine yourself playing through the whole set without failing or stopping, just as if you were an expert.

 Wrapping it up: Allow yourself to slowly come back. You completed your practice and the image slowly fades. When you feel ready, open your eyes again.