You may have heard about the magic of thinking big.
I first saw a book featuring this same title when I was in high school. It’s a good one.
Yet, the title is somewhat of a misnomer.
Why? Because it’s not “thinking” that you’re doing, at least not in the logical sense of the term.
It’s VISUALIZING BIG – or IMAGINING BIG.
Years ago I wrote: “There is no magic in logic.”
This sentence came to me when I was explaining mental imagery to a person who always wanted to know the “how” before he decided on a goal, or what I refer to as a “what.”
Instead of deciding upon a goal (what?), then picturing it, he wanted to know “HOW” picturing it would help – or HOW it could even be accomplished.
This question is similar to having a basketball in your hands as you stand at the free throw line, looking at the hoop. The obvious goal is to sink the ball through the hoop, preferably with a wonder-filled “swish” sound. But instead of focusing on the goal, you want to know HOW the ball leaves your fingertips, HOW it travels through air in an upward arc, HOW the ball knows how far to travel, and HOW the ball descends at the perfect time and swooshes through the center of the net.
How does the ball move that way? isn’t a bad question. But it’s definitely out of sequence.
The first order of business is having the goal to put the ball through the hoop. Simple as that. Know the “what” before you look at the “how.”
You can learn the proper mechanics of shooting the baseketball all you want, but if you cannot SEE the ball going through the hoop in your “mind’s eye,” you’re never going to be good at sinking free throws.
Last week I was shooting hoops as I waited for a friend to join me. Before that day, I hadn’t touched a basketball in at least a year, so it took about ten minutes to find my groove.
At first, my shots were off, but in true cybernetic fashion, I used all the missed shots as corrective feedback. This means all my mistakes were guiding me to better, more accurate shooting.
Some of the corrections I made were physical or technical.
But the biggest shift I made was inside the theatre of my mind.
When my friend showed up, I was on my game. I was sinking one swisher after another.
Within 20 minutes time I went from missing almost every shot I took to making seven out of the next eight free throws.
After my friend warmed up, I taught him the visualization secrets I was using and within short order he was knocking down free throws with ease as well.
Many people mistakenly think “I got it” when they have a positive experience such as the one described above. And they make the mistake of thinking they don’t need to visualize anymore.
Wrong.
Just as you need physical practice you also need visualization practice. Both are skills that you continually work on improving. There is no point in time wherein you no longer need to practice.
Keep in mind, though, that you are always visualizing, even if you’re unwilling to see this dimension of reality at this time. So my question is: Are you taking deliberate control of your mental imagery, or are you allowing Random (ran-dumb) to run the show?
When you get up in the morning, do you let Mr. Random decide whether it’s a good idea to brush your teeth today?
If you have a lawn to care for, you don’t mow it once and think your job is done forever, do you?
If you have a garden, would you rid the soil of weeds and think your job is completed throughout infinity?
Your practice continues onward even when you know what to do, even when you can do it exceptionally well.
You either take an active role in determining what you will picture in your mind’s eye, or you allow random forces put images into your mind.
Either way, you will become what you visualize.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
Note: Interested in my Mind Power Monthly Coaching Program? You have a few days left before the cutoff for the next lesson. Email me if you want to be involved.
