Posts Tagged ‘visualization’

Did you ever stop to think that success and failure are all in your head? No, that doesn’t mean the Olympic medals Apolo Anton Ohno added to his collection at the 2010 Winter Games are a figment of his imagination. It means the champion short-track speed-skater had to make the decision to succeed or fail long before he took the ice in Vancouver.

It’s simple. If, in your mind, you believe success is possible, it is. And if, in your mind, you believe failure is inevitable, it is. You can’t necessarily ensure your success by believing in success, but at least you give yourself a fighting chance. You can, however, ensure your failure by believing in failure. If you believe failure is inevitable, your preparation will be half-hearted. Or you may stop preparing. You may stop trying. You may neglect to show up at all. Why bother? You can’t win.

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A few years ago, I lost my way while sightseeing in an unfamiliar city. Suddenly I was alone, on foot, in a deserted area with no map to guide me. Searching the skyline, I spotted the steeple of a famous church building and kept winding through the back streets toward it. As long as the destination was in my sights, I knew I’d get there eventually.

But what happens if you can’t visualize your goals? Usually, it’s failure—as American swimmer Florence Chadwick once learned the hard way.

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