The Power of Visualization

The words dream, imagine, and visualize all have very similar meanings. To visualize something is to form a mental image of it. The first step to achieving something is to see it happening.

The day I shot that 32 was very interesting. I wasn’t nervous or distracted. I wasn’t trying to fix my swing or hit the ball really far. What happened that day was I became truly focused. I trusted myself to do what I knew I could. Before I stepped up to hit my shot I saw the shot happening. I didn’t aim generally “over there.” I aimed close to the hole because I knew I could hit it there. I saw every specific detail. I saw my swing, pure and relaxed. I saw the flight of the ball through the air. I saw the exact spot the ball would land, and how far it would roll. When I was putting, I would see the ball break with the curve of the ground, and hear the sound of the ball landing in the hole.

This was my purest sports moment, the time where the mental and the physical came together perfectly. My mind saw what I wanted to do, and my body just did it.

The mind has an amazing ability to see something, and make the body do it. That is the reason we take photos of other successful runners for you to see. It is why it’s good to watch high level athletes compete and analyze their technique. Students often wish that they could learn by osmosis. Well, this is one area where you can truly learn just by watching.

If practice makes perfect, what does practicing negative habits do?

Training your body will only take you so far. In order to truly succeed you must also train your mind. All of you are doing this now without realizing it. Every time you think about how your race will go, and every time you get into your “zone” before your event, you are training your mind. You are practicing a mental state that gets you ready to run.

So back to the question, if practice makes perfect, what does practicing negative habits do? The answer is you will consistently achieve what you don’t want to.

So if you are practicing negative mental habits, you must change the way you think in order to be successful. Don’t think about what could happen. Don’t think anything negative. You must stay positive and visualize what you want to do. What you will do.

The mind doesn’t understand the word “not”

Do not think of a pink elephant!

What image just popped into your brain? Most likely a pink elephant, or an elephant you tried to paint pink in your head. The point is that you can’t tell your mind not to do something. It simply doesn’t understand.

I have proven this to myself many times when I need to hit a golf shot over a lake. If I simply let my mind and body do what I have trained it to, the ball goes into the air and over the lake. The same as any other shot where there is grass instead of a lake. Why should the lake change anything?

Well, what happens if I see the lake and think, “I hope I don’t hit it in the lake”? My mind has to see the image of me hitting the ball into the lake in order to process that thought. My body will do what my mind sees, and so my body does exactly what it needs to in order to hit the ball into the lake! I was effectively telling myself, “I hope I hit it in the lake.”

Your body will, 100 percent of the time, without fail, do what your mind tells it to do. This is why it is so important to stay positive and stay focused on what you want to happen, and why you need to visualize, and replay in your head, over and over, what you want to do.

When someone is successful at doing this, it is referred to as, “being in the zone.” What is the difference between “being in the zone” and normal? There is no training difference; no physical feeling that is different. What happens is the negative thoughts and doubt fall away. The what ifs and the I can’ts disappear. All that is left is the mind seeing and the body doing.

A great example of this is a player making a basket to win a basketball game at the buzzer. First the player must practice shooting, and develop proper technique. Then the player begins to dream of hitting a shot at the last second. The player begins to see the visual of hitting that shot. The player may even act it out, counting down the clock as he shoots, and making cheering noises from the crowd after the shot goes in, further reinforcing the positive visual and making it even more real in his mind. When the time comes in real life to hit the shot, the player has no nerves and no doubt, he simply replays the visual in his mind and does what he has done countless times before.

Practice Positive Visualization

You can practice getting mentally prepared for your race. In fact, you are always practicing and reinforcing habits even if you don’t know it. Make sure you are practicing the right habits.

Visualize how you want your race to go. If you want to run at Stanford, CCS, or at the Olympics, see yourself there. See how you will look running the turn, or going over the hurdle. See your goal, and how you will cross the finish line. Visualize the reaction you have after the race. Hear the cheers of the crowd, and the congratulations of your coaches and teammates. Just stay positive and focused on what you want to have happen.

Remember that this is a process and you need to practice it. Obviously, doubt and questions will sometimes pop up into your mind. The important thing is to quickly let them go and refocus. Change your thoughts and see yourself doing the positive thing. Make sure the last thing you see is the image of yourself doing what you want. If you are worried about being tired at the end of the race, see yourself powering through it, having your mind tell your body what to do, and responding with a strong and relaxed finish.

You guys have put in the work. You have trained your body. Now see yourself accomplishing your goals. Be mentally strong and block out the doubt and negativity. Focus your mind solely on the image of your success.

Now go out and RUN!