The Power of Visualisation

A sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favorable wind. — Leon Tec, adapted from Seneca the Younger

I am a firm believer in the power of visualization. Even if you don’t know just how you are going to get to your destination, holding a firm vision of that destination is essential.

Those of a more spiritual inclination might say that when you hold a vision, you are in effect giving an instruction to the wisdom of the universe, and it would be insulting to that wisdom to tell the universe exactly how to do its job.

I would phrase it slightly differently, and say that when you have a crystal-clear vision of where you want to be, it marshals the forces that already lie within you, in both your conscious and subconscious, so that you will recognize relevant opportunities when they arise, and will align your efforts towards that goal.

Regardless of your worldview, the end result is much the same. Once you have set your vision, it unleashes enormous potential in both yourself and others. The vision may not come true in the timescale you expect – in fact it almost inevitably won’t – but if you keep the faith and hold true, you will be amazed by what transpires.

To hark back to my obituary exercise (sick of hearing about it yet?!) – when I created that vision of the adventurous, life-loving, go-getting woman that I wanted to be, I was a world away from that coming true. And yet somehow that vision seemed so real, so authentic, to me, that I recognised I had the potential to get there.

After that, I didn’t have to chart every step of the way. It was a few years after the obituary exercise (the vision) that I was struck by the idea to row oceans (the project), and I saw that it would bring me closer to my vision. And so it proved.

Create a vision.

Find a project and ask yourself if it will bring you closer to your vision.

Don’t falter, keep the faith, and although I can’t guarantee that your dreams will come true, I’ll guarantee that they won’t come true without the vision!