One of the most studied and researched characteristics of highly successful individuals is Self-Confidence. HOW an individual perceives her/himself (positive expectations of the self) and their ability to expect positive outcomes (based on past experiences) in relation to life, its challenges or a task are key in creating SELF-CONFIDENCE. No matter the outcome.
Now, what happens when the individual can only recall negative experiences & has a negative self-image?
It becomes impossible to remain optimistic if you cannot think/feel positively about your own ability or the potential of the experience.
William James (author, philosopher & founder of functional psychology from the early 20th century) reveals in his research: although experiences from the past are powerful & drive behavior, visualization can be just as powerful & strongly empower the individual to override past negative emotional memories & build their self image.
“THE BRAIN CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FACT & FICTION”.
A study out of Australia by Psychologists Alan Richardson demonstrates this beautifully.
The basketball players in the study were asked to practice to improve their free throw percentage for 20 min in a period of 20 days. From the 3 groups selected, one was asked to only use visualization to improve their skills. 2nd group was asked to physically practice for the same duration. The 3rd was not given any special instructions.
The results showed that group 2, who had done the physical practice had improved their free throws skills by 24%, group 1 had made a remarkable 23% improvement without even stepping on a basketball court.
Such is the POWER of Visualization.
Watch the YouTube Video on this topic: VISUALIZATION for self confidence – YouTube
No matter what YOUR pre-conditioning, memories & experiences, YOU CAN REWRITE your Self-Confidence by utilizing this powerful simple tool for a mere 10 min daily practice.
1. Self-reflection: Get to know yourself and discover your unconscious negative thoughts & emotions in relation to the thing in your life you want to improve upon, such as making effective decisions or being a better speaker….etc. Practice visualizing yourself the way you rather view yourself and how you rather feel about your capabilities
2. Mental road maps: interrupt and replace negative thought patterns for successful alterations of your negative self image & expectations. set an intention for how you want to see yourself and what you rather think about the potential of successful participation in a task rather than fixating on results. if you chose to use the past failures for feedback, focus on the lessons learnt for constructive feedforward.
3. The small wins count the most: the daily practices you put into place such as visualization & intentions setting…etc. Will empower your progress & your SELF CONFIDENCE. Celebrate them!