“When you imagine yourself performing a task, your muscles contract as though you’re actually doing it. The contractions are so small, you can’t feel them, but it’s enough to strengthen your muscle memory,” says Nicole Detling, Ph.D., an assistant professor of kinesiology and sport science at the University of Utah and a sports psychology consultant to Olympic Athletes (think #PhelpsFace).
Now this isn’t just for sports teams. Visualization is awesome for reducing stress, boosting your day and increasing your confidence. Your brain will respond in wonderous ways. Pray and meditate on it. Start with just a minute each morning before your workout and increase each day until you are at 10mins. You will see benefits and start to notice you will hold your head higher each day.
If you need a non-equipment workout, here is mine for the week. I post different ones on Sundays. I have to change up my weekly routine or otherwise I get bored.
New Week = New Workout
Let’s set a goal. We all have numerous goals, but let’s set just one together. Be direct about the actions you will take to achieve this goal. That will help you to visualize what you will deliver on. Write it down somewhere you will see this each day and put a bulls-eye over it to make your brain target right to that goal. You will achieve stronger results this way, because all of a sudden your neurons will link to each other & create pathways of achievement.
Let’s take my goal for example, so that we can walk through this process. But, don’t think that I am letting you off this easy. Let me know in the comments what your goal will be and we can map it out together. I am in Talent & Analytics, and want to stop just merely attending conferences. I want to be a speaker that receives thunderous applause.
Ask yourself what you will need to do to make this goal happen. So to start getting those neurons ready, I will need to get my Powerpoint refined and get to committing it to memory. Now get up in front of a full length mirror to get comfy talking about your presentation and holding your head up. All those push ups we’ve been doing will help keep your posture muscles up. Practice stage angles. Arms wide open at times to show dominance over that stage.
Use your senses to picture that crowd past the microphone. What are you seeing? What are you hearing in the crowd? Is there coffee in the back of the room that you wish you didn’t have because now your voice is a little shaky? Can you smell lunch being brought in? Make this your room and your crowd. Practice this as much as possible to get those pathways in your brain optimized.
Get your suit on! How will you look that day? Makeup? Hair? Perfume or Cologne? Keep imagining this crowd that is tuned into your every word. Y0u are giving them what they want. Give it that #PhelpsFace treatment and your muscle memory will be created. Even though it is a speech, there will be those little contractions I mentioned before.
Grab some friends and practice in front of them. Take criticism and make change. Your motivation is to get on that stage and no longer be just a participant. You will be the dominant speaker that everyone will rush to after to pick your brain apart even more. As always, imagine and smash your goals.
To view my 2 previous posts on our New Years Resolutions, click here:
Make 2017 Happen with Brain Power
Murray’s System of Needs for Resolutions
#GlitterisLife 