Visualization: The Power of Seeing Within

 

People who are successful as well as contented know who they are and what they want in life. Knowing and doing what one wants invariably requires that one is able to visualize the goal, act, or state. That is why great leaders are often visionaries: they visualize the future much before it is present and work toward it. While vision can indicate something huge, visualization can refer to small, daily, but important aspects of life. Visualization is powerful; it can keep our focus right and double the fuel to achieve what we need to.

Visualization, in simple words, is practicing or seeing within oneself what one wants to do or being in a particular state. It is like seeing a dream, but consciously. Many people who use visualization in their meditation practice find it powerful. LeAnn Thieman writes about the power of visualization and offers an example. A basketball team was divided into two halves. One group practiced one hour daily shooting free throws. The other group visualized shooting free throws for one hour daily. Surprisingly, they both performed equally. This is the power of visualization. However, we need to be conscious that we do not replace the effort required to achieve something, but rather supplement our efforts with visualization and see the visible difference in the outcome.

There is also a deeper dimension to visualization. What we repeatedly place before the eyes of our mind can influence what we begin to notice in our daily lives. Thomas Merton, through his contemplative spirituality, reminds us of the importance of learning to see beneath the surface of ordinary life. Perhaps, therefore, visualization is not only about seeing the future we desire but also about learning to see within and seeing the present differently.

In prayer, we can visualize ourselves responding to a difficult person with patience, approaching suffering with compassion, or facing a difficult situation with courage. When we repeatedly contemplate qualities such as compassion, forgiveness, courage, and the presence of God, we may become more attentive to opportunities to embody them in everyday life. Thus, visualization can become not merely a tool for achievement but a practice of transformation.

Perhaps the greatest power of visualization is not simply seeing what we want to become, but seeing within ourselves the person we are capable of becoming.

Notes

Merton, T. (1961). New seeds of contemplation. New Directions.

Thieman, L. (2008). SelfCare for HealthCare: Your guide to physical, mental, and spiritual health. SelfCare for HealthCare.