We use visualization for a wide range of reasons.  Basketball players use visualization to improve shooting hoops better.  Actors use it to connect with their characters. I could go on…but you get the picture.  Visualization is part of human nature and below I will touch upon some methods of how we can connect to that amazing resource.

Tricks of the trade: Here is a trick I learned from “Awaken the Giant Within” by Tony Robbins.  You can laugh, but it is actually a really good book.  Picture someone that has annoyed you lately.  Is it your boss, co-worker, loved one. Now manipulate the picture in your mind. If it is a man, have them wear a ballerina outfit.  If it is a woman, give them a beard.  Now hear them talk, and raise or lower their voice. Give yourself a good three minutes to settle in and explore this exercise. If everything went according to plan, that should put a smile on your face. 

Let’s move on to a different technique.  Look back at a memory, it can be good or bad, it does not matter. Now brighten up the memory, and check to see how you feel.  Take the color and turn it to black and white, how are your emotions now.  With practice you will see a difference with your reaction. This will be a vital tool if you witness death and destruction from the aftermath of a disaster. Where it would be helpful to mute those memories.

Wear their shoes:  Take in characters you have a link to.  This could be Generals, healers, movie roles, TV roles.  I have a great respect for Spartan Warriors. If I found myself in need of brute strength, I would “step in their shoes”. Take in the need to fight back, give no ground, and work as a team. These are just of the few elements I think of in connection to the warriors.  I love the show Supernatural, I find myself learning a lot from the two main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester.  You may think me crazy for finding value in people that do not exist. The importance is in the morals, strength, character and ethics we find in fictional and nonfictional characters.  Humans find value in people that have died hundreds to thousands of years ago. All we know of them is in the history and stories.  The point is, real or not, find the attitudes you love about them and “take it in”.  See the person in your mind, think about how, what they are. You can even see them step into you, changing you for the better. Find that strength in your darkest hour.  Find the courage to take the leap of faith.  Ask yourself what he or she would do in this situation, and then try your best.

Energy:  Some of you may find this “different”.  If you find yourself affected by the energies of others, then try this exercise. Picture your feet are growing roots deep, deep into the ground.  All the negativity, ugliness, fear, and doubt drain from your body down into the earth.  Now picture a white light comes and fills you from Head to Toe. Picture the energy filling you with peace, and confidence.  Now visualize a bubble, or shield around your body 360 degrees.  No negative energy can penetrate.  Under highly stressful situations you may have to do this exercise a couple of times a day. But with practice you should see an immediate difference.

Best of luck: If you are not a person that works off of visualizations this may be a difficult exercise for you. I encourage you to find articles on different methods people function or connect in.  Be that smell, sight, sound, or touch. Find a way to give yourself that extra strength.