Okay, I’m about to get a little more Sunday-morning infomercial here for a second.

 

And at first, I was pretty skeptical of this myself. But, after doing it, I’m now a believer in the power of visualization. 

 

I’m not really sure what to call this I’m going to talk to you about creating. Some call it a Photo-Board, others have called it a dream board, a manifestation visualization, and a slideshow of your life. 

 

I’m going to call it — Your Visual Launch Pad. 

 

So, today, I want to talk to you about building your Launchpad. It’s the visuals that embody the goals you have in your life.

 

But, first, a story...

 

Before every major race when I use to coach, I would have my athletes write out what their race is going to look like. What would they wear, eat. What would they smell, see, feel, think? I wanted them to experience the race before actually stepping on the start line.

 

Now, I didn’t make this up. It was taught to me by the USA Triathlon guys who taught me how to coach, but as soon as I first did it, it stuck. Because it works.

 

There’s actually a lot of research behind how this intense level of visualization activates the brain.

 

Olympians and other elite-level athletes often do this during their training too (many times before going to bed) — not just during their races. Because the research suggests that the brain creates synapses that tune into the muscular skeletal system just through the simple act of visualizing. 

 

So, a runner, for instance, could hypothetically lay in bed and think about the movement of running: level pelvis, chest tilted upwards, raising of the knew, forefoot strike. And do this while laying in bed and actually get better at running. It’s a training hack the best in the world take advantage of. 

 

NFL football players do this all the time too.

 

So, when it comes to planning out your life, your career, or a shift you want, visualizing your goals helps to concretize them.

 

This helps for a number of reasons.

 

Many people complain about being unhappy, but fail to celebrate when accomplishing a goal (even the small wins). By visualizing what the finish line of a goal looks like or what you want in your life, it lets the mind know when a finish line has been reached. So, if the ocean and the beach are part of your launchpad, then when your toes crunch in the sand, you’ll know you can check something off your list.

 

So, if in college you had an intense love for open-mic nights at the local coffee shop and don’t have that any longer in your life, put up a picture of a microphone. 

 

If donning the white coat of a doctor is what you’re going to school for, then put that up.

 

If you dream of running a non-profit that helps those in need, put the word 501 (c)3 up.

 

And if making a lot of money so you can do greater good in the world is what you crave, then put a wad of cash up there. 

 

A launchpad helps create a language for you to express what you want in life, along with giving someone else the opportunity to help.

 

In fact, Natalie Sisson and I spoke about this for a while. She said that it’s important to not just create a private photo-board, but to rather create a slideshow to share with the others. In fact, Natalie shares her slideshow of what she wants in her life with the entire world. 

 

That, Natalie argues, is how the law of attraction works. 

 

This one is simple. If a major move or change  in your life is being offered to you and it’s not a heck yes in the gut, then if it’s not on your life plan you can easily brush it off and move on.

 

So, now it’s time for you to sit down and create your visual launch pad. I created a collage of pictures and words to define what mean the most to me and then put them on my closet, along with taking a picture of them to share with the world.

 

I will be taking Natalie’s advice as well and creating a slideshow to share with the world.

 

On my wall, you’ll see the ocean, palm trees, elements of different cultural architecture to signify my love for travel and the many human cultures, a waggy-tailed dog, footsteps in the sand, me speaking in front of a large audience, and other things like two hands holding each other. That last one came true in 2011 when I married my wife Kaitlyn. 

 

Of course, it’s nearly impossible to connect the dots looking forward, but it’s very possible to visualize the things you want to feel, see, and experience in this life. How you get there will most definitely be a journey quote unexpected.

 

Share your wall with me at [email protected] and say hi on Twitter @markwguay.