Removing Negative Blockers Through Visualization

In the last story, I shared with you a little bit about my history and explained what I was going to be reviewing with you in this series designed to help you remove negative blockers from your life.

Visualization is an exercise that has been around for a long time, and studies have shown that this practice works. What we think about and focus on, we can materialize. There is a psychology behind this theory that explores how we actively gravitate towards what we think about the most.

It is why when you were a kid in school and you 'actually' prepared for that oral presentation, you did better than those days when you opted to take the 'wait and see' approach. You might have even practiced in the mirror and kept at it until you felt more confident with your presentation. Am I right?

The excellent grade was the reward for that effort. Those days that you took that wait and see approach, you might have experienced less than desirable results. Even the negative results were the result of your action (or inaction).

You might find yourself wanting to ask me, "Well, Jen, you said VISUALIZATION shouldn't that mean that I need just to think it and it will be?" Good question.

Visualization is the first step towards achieving the results you are looking for; this is the hard part of the process. Let me caveat that by stating that visualization works best when it is followed through with action. The action itself is the mechanism that drives the ultimate result.

Allow me to present an example, I have said to myself on the way to my office "I will find a parking spot in the 3rd row near the doors," As I got closer to the 3rd row, I would reaffirm that I would find a parking space in that row. I always found a parking space in the 3rd row near the doors of the parking lot. Sometimes, my conviction was less robust, and I had to drive around a couple of times, but the spot would become available. Think about that for a moment, how is it possible for a full parking lot to have an empty spot in the 3rd row by the doors every single time? That my friends is the power of visualization.

Now you might say, "But where was the action?" The action in this scenario was in my actively driving to the 3rd row near the doors of the parking lot. If I was still sitting at home, visualizing myself parking in the 3rd row of the parking lot, but I decided to telework, would I have been able to successfully park in the 3rd row near the office parking lot's doors?

When you are performing the visualization exercise, you have to see the spot opening up for you just as you arrive, and you want to see yourself pulling into the spot. This is important because what you don't want to happen is visualize the spot opening up only for someone else to take it. That's happened.

The key to success with visualization is to be able to completely see the scene play out in your mind. You want to repeat the scene in your mind until it is so clear that you can see the cars next to the open spot in the 3rd row in your office parking lot. See it play out in your mind as though it was actually happening. What time did you leave your house? What route did you take, how many lights did you hit? When did you turn, etc.

The parking spot visualization challenge is one of the most fun ways to learn how to perform this activity because it allows you to see direct and immediate results for your efforts. It isn't easy because, in the beginning, you won't believe that you will find the spot, and so, you most likely won't find the spot.

It isn't until you first see it happening so clearly in your mind that you begin to accept that you will find that spot. It will seem like destiny that you got the spot. For me, parking in the 3rd row near the doors had become such a force of habit that the thought of parking anywhere else was out of the question.

I would travel at the same time to ensure that I would maximize my odds of getting the spot that I visualized in my mind. As I had begun to shape the area in my mind, I saw the route I would take, I saw the lights I would hit, and I saw the spot (or general location on some days) where I would park. I imagined myself pulling into the spot and preparing myself for the day. It was such an incredible feeling that visualizing the spot had become a part of my routine.

Gone were the days of struggling to find a parking space. This is the first stop of your road towards removing those negative blockers. With that being said, I have a challenge for you and I sincerly hope you take me up on this challenge.

Are you ready?

Challenge: Try this visualization exercise out for yourself. Remember, it gets easier with practice, so be patient with yourself if it doesn't work the first time. Remember, it is only parking space.