321: Using Visualization TO Achieve YOur Dreams
Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!
I want to share a tool I’ve been using for my own life that maybe you want to try using. Maybe it sounds weird to you, maybe it seems fake or whatever, but it’s been incredibly helpful for me, and I will explain a few reasons why, my own experience with visualization, but also, how the brain works, and so why this is such a powerful tool to use.
Okay, what is visualization? It’s a way of playing a video in your mind of sorts , usually of a future event that you want to live, or a dream you have, or even a reaction or response you want to have to a situation, you play it in your mind.
And maybe you’re thinking, I can’t visualize. You know what…I can’t really either. I don’t clearly see a video of pictures in my mind like I know other people can. Instead you focus more on what comes more naturally for you. For me, it’s the feelings I want to have in my body, and then it’s like a narrative or a story in my mind. So instead of clearly seeing pictures, I hear words, and then have a feeling.
Okay, so why visualization? And what does it do?
It’s a way of living something as if it’s already happened. You live something a thousand times in your mind, and then it becomes reality. You see it, you feel it, you become it, and then it becomes you. And here’s why this works within the subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind does not know what is real or not real. It only knows what it sees, and it believes what you think as real. So if you want to respond a certain way to your kids, or to a certain situation, you can go through a visualization process where you already responded and acted in the way that you wanted to in the situation. And then, your mind believes it’s already done. You already did that, and it gathers details for this is how we do it.
I use some visualization techniques to help people with phobias, or fear of driving, social anxiety, or things of that nature, where they get to play out in their mind situations and create either funniness around it, silliness, or just feel what it feels like to already be over this struggle and problem.
But you can use visualization to achieve your dreams. I know this, because I’ve done it. Our bus is a great example. Every single night for probably a year, I visualized driving down the driveway in our bus. By the time we actually drove down the driveway in real life, it felt so surreal. I’ve already lived it so many times…but now it was real, and it felt crazy but also absolutely normal.
The same way with our sauna. I wanted a sauna forever, so I started visualizing having a sauna, taking a sauna, feeling what it feels like to be in the sauna and enjoying the sauna ... .I did this for probably 6 months, and what do you know, we have a sauna. And it is different from how I thought we would get a sauna and how I pictured it coming about, but it’s perfect for us right now, and it’s the best thing to have a sauna.
Here are some tips for visualization
-first, remember it doesn’t have to be just pictures, it can be a feeling, words, scents, whatever feels best for you
-second, get very clear on the vision or goal you want to achieve. You can even take a moment to write it down. But when you write it down, you write it in present tense, as if it already happened. When you are visualizing it, you are seeing it as if it’s happening right now, or as if the goal is already down. Who are you when you have that? What does it feel like to have or be that? What does it look like? Sound like?
-Third, you can use a guided meditation process like I have in my program Cleared. Or you can just visualize in your own mind, see the start to the finish of you already living your dream as if it’s already done. Not wishing it were, or anything like that. As if it already happened. That’s the key to all of this, because then when the subconscious sees it as if it’s already happened, your subconscious mind starts working towards that automatically. There is so much that happens within the subconscious that’s pretty incredible, and if you start feeding your subconscious mind things you want and where you want to go, it will work with you to get you there.
-fourth, notice the feelings you get in your body. When you think of a goal that you want, and you ask yourself why do you want this goal? Do this with me right. Think of a specific thing you desire in your life. And if I were to ask you why do you want that? What will that give you? For example, I want to be able to respond to my kids when they are screaming instead of reacting and screaming myself. If I were to ask you why do you want that? You might say because I want to be a better mom…then why? Why do you want to be a better mom? Then you might say, I want more connection and love with my kids. And so the value you have is the feeling. The love and connection.
So when we think about what this goal or vision will give you, it will ultimately give you a feeling in your life. And so when you do this visualization, notice what that feeling is, and feel the feeling already. Enjoy that feeling now. You don’t have to have this happen already to feel it. Feel it as if it has already happened and you get to enjoy this feeling ever more.
Okay, so I’m curious what your thoughts are on this. I have found this to be an incredible tool for many reasons, but also to just stay focused on the dreams or goals that you have. It’s so easy to get distracted, to get burnt out, or whatever, but when you see the vision, and when you feel it in your body, it brings you back into focus, and brings you back to being right here, right now, and gives that energy or motivation maybe you were looking for to take that one step one thing you need to do to get to that goal.
Alright my friends, I am still hosting live trainings every single week, they are so so fun, and if you are living with anxiety and trauma, you do not want to miss it, you can get so many questions answered like what’s happening in your body with anxiety and trauma, and what you need to do in order to actually heal it!
Go to www.meganhillukka.com and click on the pink button and it will take you to the page to get registered!Or you can just go to my IG account megan_hillukka and the link to join is in my bio!
Alright my friends, I hope you start to implement visualization into your life and see what happens! If you’re skeptical, just try it and see, you never know until you try!
Take care, until next week!
I have a free class that I am currently hosting where you will learn the secret to healing anxiety and trauma. If you really want some relief from the triggers and anxiety that are keeping you stuck, come join me. You can go to my website, www.meganhillukka.com and you will see the bright pink button there that will bring you to the page to join!
If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.
