Welcome to the Oracle on Purpose Podcast with your host, Lia Dunlap. Where we help intentional leaders clarify their purpose and next steps to create a work and life of significance.
current episode
EP10: 4 Tips to VISUALIZE YOUR GOALS FOR 2020
“The Power of Visualization Lies in The Single-Minded Focus on The Vision.”
Lia Dunlap (00:40-00:46)
Many leaders tell people under their supervision to visualize success as if it's a concept that's universally understood. What if you've been doing this visualization thing all wrong now? In this week's episode, Lia Dunlap highlights the 4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020.
Part One of ‘4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020’
First, let's talk about what it's not. It's not thinking about a goal, writing it down and reading it aloud to yourself. That's not it. Many times, people believe that they need to meditate on something. That's similar to visualization but, not the case. That's letting your mind wander. It's like holding a thought, but it is a little bit different.
“Go from seeing the results to experiencing the results with all your senses.” – Lia Dunlap (04:59-05:08)
So, the first step to visualizing your goal for 2020 is to receive all the benefits of visualization. We must start with the end in mind. What is your desired result? Think about that. Not only the overarching goal but this specific exact result you're hoping to achieve.
Once you have a clear idea of what that result is, close your eyes and picture the results taking place.
Take yourself through the achievement of the result. Make it about success, not only the goal itself. The second thing you need to do is to expand your senses. As I was mentioning earlier, like having that pen and handing it over to the client to have them a sign, feel the weight of the pen, feel the sense of the room. So, what is the temperature of that space? Is it a crisp fall day or a warm summer night? Is the place air-conditioned or full of body heat from the crowds of people and lights on stage?
What does it feel like to be in that space? What ambient noises are floating around you? It could be the hum of equipment outside the sound of traffic or the pounding of surf on the sand. Any of these things like the more details you can imagine as you're visualizing, the better. Our sense of taste is a fascinating one. Because often, people forget this sense, but we can be very activated by taste, right? Something tastes sour or sweet. It can have a visceral reaction for us. Don't forget to think about that. Do you relish the salt air? The cold beer, warm tea, or the bubbles of the champagne. So, what is all that? You get to have the flavor of the experience as well. What about your body? Does your body feel relaxed or energized? Are you pumped up, or are you muscle strain from that last mile? Think about all those senses.
Part Two of ‘4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020’
The other thing is that people don't often think about the smell, like the smell of salt air, fresh-cut grass, or ink from the pen. So, think about as many senses as you can bring into the picture. The visualization, the better. Make it multisensory. Now, it's time to get physical. I love this piece because it's something that I learned back when I was a teenager. I used to be a member of the theater group in high school. She said that the secret to memorizing your lines is movement. She knew that if we got up and walked the stage while practicing our lines, the aesthetic connection to the words would help us remember the lines when we got back on stage again. Even as I moved on in life, if I had to memorize a speech, I would stand up and walk in my living room or my office space. It worked because it created a multi-dimensional experience of taking those words and implanting them in my memory.
If you have a clear idea of the result, then you've tapped into the senses. Remember getting all your essential experiences. What are the things you have to do with your body during that experience? Let's say you take a step through the doorway of that new home. Imagine yourself taking that step, unlocking the door, turning the handle, pushing the door open, and taking that first step inside. While you're visualizing what that looks like, is it a new home? Does it smell like a fresh home smell? Does it smell like a new car? If you want to think about the feeling of holding the mic in your hands if you're standing on stage, does it feel heavy? How are you keeping it when you're talking? Do you feel like you can move around and speak with a microphone? Get yourself into that physical space. You can imagine shaking hands of your new clients, waving to the crowd, and taking a bow after delivering your TEDx talk. All those things. By adding that extra element of being physical, it allows you to create a much more robust visualization process.
“You have to be consistent with your visualizations.” – Lia Dunlap (11:16-11:18)
The last step is going to look easy, but it's one of the hardest steps. Practicing visualization is not a one-time thing. You're not going to be able to get results by one time even. And all those things I gave you, that's not enough to change your mental patterns. The practice of visualizing something over and over again helps construct that neuropathway. It allows you to have a clear signal that you're sending out to the universe about what you want. The stronger the practice, the stronger the signal. Taking the time to practice is the key if the whole purpose of doing the visualization is to achieve your result. How do you practice? Well, you have to be consistent with your visualizations. If you've done all the steps mentioned, you want to keep that visualization steady, right? You want to keep touchstones of the expanded experience in your mind, and you want to set aside time to hold your vision at least once a day. If it's something big and worth visualizing, then take a few moments at least once a day.
You're creating these goals. You're creating these visions. You're creating these desires from a part of you that knows it's something for you. Don't worry so much about why or how it's going to happen. Always leave space for the universe to surprise you with something even better than you already imagined. Remember, you're a co-creator using a tool of unlimited possibility. So, when you become hardened by your vision, you lose the chance to achieve even more than you can imagine. Don't put creation in a box. It doesn't belong there.
How to Get Involved
Would you like to align your unique life purpose with your business strategy to create stability and lasting fulfillment? Great! Find out how aligned your business is with your highest power. This quick quiz will help you determine how close you are to your business sweet spot. Once you take the exam, you'll get access to the proper tools to fine-tune your business. Plus, if you qualify, you'll get a step by step blueprint for better clarity and confidence in all areas of your business. Oh, and by the way, it's FREE - Take the POWER BIZ QUIZ Now!
https://oracleonpurpose.outgrow.us/powerbizquiz
Lia Dunlap (00:40-00:46)
Many leaders tell people under their supervision to visualize success as if it's a concept that's universally understood. What if you've been doing this visualization thing all wrong now? In this week's episode, Lia Dunlap highlights the 4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020.
Part One of ‘4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020’
First, let's talk about what it's not. It's not thinking about a goal, writing it down and reading it aloud to yourself. That's not it. Many times, people believe that they need to meditate on something. That's similar to visualization but, not the case. That's letting your mind wander. It's like holding a thought, but it is a little bit different.
“Go from seeing the results to experiencing the results with all your senses.” – Lia Dunlap (04:59-05:08)
So, the first step to visualizing your goal for 2020 is to receive all the benefits of visualization. We must start with the end in mind. What is your desired result? Think about that. Not only the overarching goal but this specific exact result you're hoping to achieve.
Once you have a clear idea of what that result is, close your eyes and picture the results taking place.
Take yourself through the achievement of the result. Make it about success, not only the goal itself. The second thing you need to do is to expand your senses. As I was mentioning earlier, like having that pen and handing it over to the client to have them a sign, feel the weight of the pen, feel the sense of the room. So, what is the temperature of that space? Is it a crisp fall day or a warm summer night? Is the place air-conditioned or full of body heat from the crowds of people and lights on stage?
What does it feel like to be in that space? What ambient noises are floating around you? It could be the hum of equipment outside the sound of traffic or the pounding of surf on the sand. Any of these things like the more details you can imagine as you're visualizing, the better. Our sense of taste is a fascinating one. Because often, people forget this sense, but we can be very activated by taste, right? Something tastes sour or sweet. It can have a visceral reaction for us. Don't forget to think about that. Do you relish the salt air? The cold beer, warm tea, or the bubbles of the champagne. So, what is all that? You get to have the flavor of the experience as well. What about your body? Does your body feel relaxed or energized? Are you pumped up, or are you muscle strain from that last mile? Think about all those senses.
Part Two of ‘4 Tips to Visualize Your Goals for 2020’
The other thing is that people don't often think about the smell, like the smell of salt air, fresh-cut grass, or ink from the pen. So, think about as many senses as you can bring into the picture. The visualization, the better. Make it multisensory. Now, it's time to get physical. I love this piece because it's something that I learned back when I was a teenager. I used to be a member of the theater group in high school. She said that the secret to memorizing your lines is movement. She knew that if we got up and walked the stage while practicing our lines, the aesthetic connection to the words would help us remember the lines when we got back on stage again. Even as I moved on in life, if I had to memorize a speech, I would stand up and walk in my living room or my office space. It worked because it created a multi-dimensional experience of taking those words and implanting them in my memory.
If you have a clear idea of the result, then you've tapped into the senses. Remember getting all your essential experiences. What are the things you have to do with your body during that experience? Let's say you take a step through the doorway of that new home. Imagine yourself taking that step, unlocking the door, turning the handle, pushing the door open, and taking that first step inside. While you're visualizing what that looks like, is it a new home? Does it smell like a fresh home smell? Does it smell like a new car? If you want to think about the feeling of holding the mic in your hands if you're standing on stage, does it feel heavy? How are you keeping it when you're talking? Do you feel like you can move around and speak with a microphone? Get yourself into that physical space. You can imagine shaking hands of your new clients, waving to the crowd, and taking a bow after delivering your TEDx talk. All those things. By adding that extra element of being physical, it allows you to create a much more robust visualization process.
“You have to be consistent with your visualizations.” – Lia Dunlap (11:16-11:18)
The last step is going to look easy, but it's one of the hardest steps. Practicing visualization is not a one-time thing. You're not going to be able to get results by one time even. And all those things I gave you, that's not enough to change your mental patterns. The practice of visualizing something over and over again helps construct that neuropathway. It allows you to have a clear signal that you're sending out to the universe about what you want. The stronger the practice, the stronger the signal. Taking the time to practice is the key if the whole purpose of doing the visualization is to achieve your result. How do you practice? Well, you have to be consistent with your visualizations. If you've done all the steps mentioned, you want to keep that visualization steady, right? You want to keep touchstones of the expanded experience in your mind, and you want to set aside time to hold your vision at least once a day. If it's something big and worth visualizing, then take a few moments at least once a day.
You're creating these goals. You're creating these visions. You're creating these desires from a part of you that knows it's something for you. Don't worry so much about why or how it's going to happen. Always leave space for the universe to surprise you with something even better than you already imagined. Remember, you're a co-creator using a tool of unlimited possibility. So, when you become hardened by your vision, you lose the chance to achieve even more than you can imagine. Don't put creation in a box. It doesn't belong there.
How to Get Involved
Would you like to align your unique life purpose with your business strategy to create stability and lasting fulfillment? Great! Find out how aligned your business is with your highest power. This quick quiz will help you determine how close you are to your business sweet spot. Once you take the exam, you'll get access to the proper tools to fine-tune your business. Plus, if you qualify, you'll get a step by step blueprint for better clarity and confidence in all areas of your business. Oh, and by the way, it's FREE - Take the POWER BIZ QUIZ Now!
https://oracleonpurpose.outgrow.us/powerbizquiz