43 – Friday Fix: The Science-Backed Visualization Technique That Will Help You Reach Your Goals

Summary

Visualization is a powerful tool for success, but only if you use it correctly. Many people make the mistake of visualizing themselves celebrating a victory or enjoying a reward because they think it will motivate them. But research shows imagining a successful outcome actually decreases that chances that you’ll achieve your goals.
 
Fortunately, there are ways to use visualization to enhance your performance, improve your motivation, and increase your chances of success. Some of the things I share are why vision boards don’t work, how to use visualization to increase your motivation, and the one research-backed visualization strategy that helps students, athletes, and musicians reach their goals.

Key Takeaways

1. Visualizing oneself already successful reduces motivation to take action.
2. Imagining the steps and hard work required for success increases motivation and improves performance.
3. Athletes, students, and musicians perform worse when they visualize themselves succeeding rather than visualizing the process.
4. Visualization of the reward or positive outcome is useful for shifting emotions, but not for motivation and hard work.
5. Visualize yourself putting in the effort and doing the work required to achieve your goals.