Imagine Yourself Doing Something to Perfection
What Would That Look Like?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve treasured the power of a vivid imagination. To me, it symbolizes a network of associations developing unconventional thinking and vulnerability. I hadn’t fully realized, however, one of the most valuable qualities of the human imagination - that envisioning something can bring it closer to reality.
If you close your eyes and spend a few minutes imagining yourself in a specific situation - whether it’s making crepes in the morning or giving a talk in public - you gain some capability to reproduce this fantasy. You think about the clothes you will wear, how well lit the room will be, what emotions your gestures will express… These are all real details that you can incorporate in an imagined situation. Going through these details, in a sense, becomes a mental preparation for something you might do in the future.
“Watch the videotape,” swimming coach Bob Bowman would tell the then seven-year-old Michael Phelps after they were done training for the day. That meant Phelps had to visualize the perfect race before going to sleep and as he woke up in the morning.
UK Ministry of Defence
In “The Power of Habit” Charles Duhigg describes Phelps’ mental visualization,
He would imagine the wake behind his body, the water dripping off his lips as his mouth cleared the surface, what it would feel like
to rip off his cap at the end. He would lie in bed with his eyes
shut and watch the entire competition, the smallest details,
again and again, until he knew each second by heart.
When Phelps was back at the pool and training, coach Bowman would sometimes say, “Put in the videotape!” and push the swimmer toward a faster and faster race… and toward the 22 medals Phelps has won.
windthoek
I’d like to steal a page from Bowman’s coaching book and start ‘watching some videotapes.’ I’d love for you to join me. Be bold and imagine yourself executing something to perfection. How would that look like? Visualize the details. And let the reality become an extension of your imagination.
