There is no question that goal setting is an incrediblyimportant step when it comes to actually achieving the goals you set foryourself in life. You may know what you want in your mind, but by actually writingdown specific goals on paper or on your computer, you help to make these goalseven more real and you allow your mind to focus on getting there even more.



 

There is another trick that works perhaps even better forhelping you achieve your goals and it is called Visualization. Visualization ispretty simple, you visualize yourself in your mind doing something and then youwork to achieve that picture that you have created in your mind. You see, yourmind can't necessarily tell the difference between what is actually happeningand what you are IMAGINING. So in effect, using the techniques of visualizationalone can actually make you better at whatever it is that you do. A studyconducted of college basketball players demonstrated this in details. In the1980's, a study was conducted that demonstrated the effects of a group of menactually practicing their basketball skills for 6 weeks versus another groupwho simply visualized going through the drills in their head. As it turned out,the group that merely visualized practicing showed as much or in some casesMORE improvement than the group that actually practiced the drills. While thiswas only on experiment and can't be proof positive that this concept iffoolproof, it does demonstrate that this concept may have some real merit.

 

One of the reasons why this exercise may prove effective forsomeone looking to improve a skill or reach a goal comes down to one simplething?focus. When you are visualizing something, it can be much easier to focuson it than by actually doing it. Sounds like a weird concept, but here is anexample. Imagine you are playing basketball yourself. You have to dribble theball down the court and make a basket. When you are actually playing the game,you have the opponents to deal with, your teammates, the folks in the crowd,the sound of the buzzer and perhaps even other stimuli that can get in the way.It can be hard to focus on truly improving your game at that particular time.Even if you aren't playing and are just practicing, your focus can bediminished by anything else that exists around you at the time. When you arevisualizing, however, all your focus is on the skill you are trying to improve.You can spend time analyzing every detail of your moves?what works, whatdoesn't, how to move your body in such a way to make you even more effective onthe court. How to plant your feet before you make a shot and many other areasof the game you want to focus on. By visualizing, you increase your focus.

 

The key question is how do you do it? Visualization is easy,but first, rid yourself of distractions. You want a quiet room, but it doesn?thave to be completely dark or void of all noise. The goal is to focus, not goto sleep. Simply close your eyes, and picture yourself doing whatever it isthat you want focus on. Perhaps you want to lose weight?then picture yourselfthinner, or perhaps picture yourself running an extra mile every day. The moreyou can picture yourself doing or achieving whatever it is that you want, youwill be much closer to actually getting there. The more specific and detailedyour vision, the better your results.

 

No one is saying to stop actually DOING, but by adding thetechnique of visualization, you can help support your other efforts and you mayjust reach your goals much faster than ever before.

http://www.M2FitnessPros.com,  aka, Emile Jarreau is 31 year veteranfitness professional and co-owner of  MrFatLoss.com in Long Beach, California.Also having 19 years of bodybuilding and figure coaching experience, hespecializes in fat loss and all its aspects and freely shares online resourcesto the world.