How Visualization Can Help You Reach Your Goals

Every thought we have leads to another thought. Your thoughts eventually create new pathways in the brain. The more negative thoughts we have, the more negative thoughts we will have in the future.

By Kathy Gruver


The brain cannot recognize the difference between what is actually happening and what we are imagining and pretending in our minds. Therefore, it’s important to keep our thoughts and images as positive as possible.

This is the key to visualization. So many of us daydream. We allow our thoughts to form elaborate movies in our minds. It’s so easy to let those movies drift off to a horror story.

We imagine our spouse dead on the side of the road when he’s just a few minutes late or worse yet, cheating on us with the secretary. We can play out the conversation with the boss on Monday morning in our minds and suddenly we have ourselves unemployed and homeless.

We have an enormous ability in our minds to not only create change in our physiology but also create a change in our external environment. Every opportunity we have, we created. With every success we have, we made choices to get there.

If you subscribe to writing such as Think and Grow Rich, The Secret, or the movie What the Bleep Do We Know?!, you understand the power of the mind in creating our future successes.

Here are a few tips for creating the life and business of your dreams.

Set very specific goals before you visualize

Don’t simply say, “I want to be successful.” Make it very specific, including dollar amounts, dates and positions. The more specific you are, the more abundant the universe is going to be for you.

Write your goals

Preferably at night and preferably in longhand script. Half an hour before you go to sleep is the most suggested time. This way, anything you write goes straight into your subconscious.

When you write in longhand (or cursive) that also helps to solidify those thoughts straight into the subconscious mind. Then, during sleep, you can work on making it a reality.

Use pictures, images, and visuals

Many people do a yearly vision board where they cut out of magazines and newspapers those things that represent what they want. This is materially visualizing.

The brain works in symbols and images. When you can find imagery that represents what you want, your subconscious is going to be more apt to get you there.

Use your daydreams and fantasies to your advantage

Since our brain doesn’t recognize fantasy versus reality, those things that you’re dreaming about, those scenarios you run through your mind, can become real.

Know exactly what you want in real vivid color. Think about it, dream about it, feel as if you already have it and it’s completely possible that you will.

Don’t forget to work hard

It’s great to sit there and visualize the perfect mate coming to you, but unless it is the UPS man, you actually have to put yourself out there. Look for what you want.

It’s great to say you want financial success, but that has to come through employment or investments that get you there. Visualization will help but it can’t be depended on 100%.

Try not to scatter your energies. Put your thoughts towards one goal at a time. I always like to say if you have a dollar in quarters and put $.50 in the soda machine and $.50 in the snack machine, you will get nothing. Better to put the whole dollar in one machine and at least have something! Then work on making the next dollar.

Socrates said, “Know thyself” and that is completely true. Have full knowledge of your strong points and your shortcomings. And if you meet failure, learn from that and grow. Analyze what did and did not work and the next time you visualize, make sure you enhance the positive aspects of that experience.

And lastly, dream big!