Goal Setting for the Professional in you.

Many of you probably know what visualization is from playing or watching sports. While most elite athletes visualize their success, this strategy for achieving goals is also effective off the field. Here's how I define visualization for the professional in you: the ability to effect change in your life by thinking positively about your future. It is a skill of imagining and accomplishing. In this blog, I will to tell you why I think visualization is a critical ingredient to your success and how it's played a role in my success as a young professional.

Visualize success not failure. Creative visualization is simply picturing what you want to happen in your future, not what you don't want to happen. It is a form of mental practice where you imagine yourself achieving your goals, not falling short. Essentially, it is the opposite of worrying, or imagining potential problems that could arise along the way. During visualization, you picture how it would look and feel to succeed.

Why visualize your success?

• Visualizing your success will help you break down mental barriers and gain confidence. Picturing yourself achieving your goals lets you know that you can and will achieve them.
  
• Visualizing helps you mentally prepare. By playing out the scenario in your mind, you can prepare for opportunities, anticipate potential obstacles, and in turn create solutions before problems occur.
  
• The alternative is to visualize failure. Positive and negative thoughts carry energy. They are powerful. Just as positive thinking can move you in the direction of your goals, negative thinking can move you towards failure. Worry, fear, and doubt just add unnecessary stress. If you encounter problems along the way, deal with them then. For now, visualize success. It's your choice.
  
• Finally, it's easy and with practice anyone can visualize their way to success.

Where to start? Take a good look at yourself. What do you want to get out of your career? What do you want to get out of your day?

• Set the tone by creating a space that is quiet and positive.
• Decide what you want to visualize. What's your goal?
• Imagine this goal as clearly as you can.
• Picture the steps along the way to your goal.
• Build the habit. You'll find visualizing becomes easier and more effective with practice.

In my experience. Being in the wine and spirits business hasn't always been rainbows and butterflies. As a young, aspiring entrepreneur, I took many setbacks on the chin as I tried to build my business from the ground up. My patience and emotional stability were challenged numerous times. Financial pains threatened to destroy my progress. My business just wasn't where I wanted it to be. Amidst these struggles, one day, something clicked and seemingly changed everything. I was doing some book keeping and it dawned on me that I had to think outside the box, try something new. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began imagining my shop not only looking differently aesthetically, but I created vivid images of how I would achieve success. I began to see success before it actually happened. This vision propelled me to realize that I would not give up until I was better then my competition, providing extraordinary customer service, and producing great concept. I knew this wouldn't happen over night and so anytime I came across a struggle, I would clear the canvas and redraw that picture of success in my head until I eventually achieved it. Today, my wine and spirits shop is successful because I visualized success.

A word of advice for the professional in you. I believe that if you have the desire to attain goals, the commitment to follow through and the ability to creatively imagine yourself in the position you dream of, you are more than halfway there. Keep visualizing, move forward, take risks, and your vision will transform your reality. Or as Thoreau says it, "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

by Raju Kansagra

e: rkansagra@goibelieve.com

Helpful links:

• Zen Habits on Visualizing
• Mind Tools on Visualizing
• Steve Aitchison Video on Visualizing