At this point, I have met just about everyone around the office. And at first glance, I imagine my coworkers saying to themselves, “Hey, that hunky new guy seems to have it all figured out.” Well, I want to come clean. The path hasn’t always seemed this clear. Obstacles exist, whether they are in the form of the next big account at work I’m hoping to land or the swarm of bats in my attic that were graciously added to the honey-do list over the weekend. My solution for keeping sanity and effectiveness intact? Seeing the solution in my mind and working to make that my reality.
Given the opportunity, I will never pass up on a chance to quote “The Governator” himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger: “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it as long as you believe 100%.”
To me, when visualizing success, there are a few key attributes to keep in mind. Effective visualization requires:

1. Imagination. It may sound a little silly, but truly to achieve your dreams, you need to create those dreams in your head before you can turn them into anything. The more detailed an image you can paint for yourself, the easier it will be to actualize. It is also helpful to consider alternate outcomes for when things don’t go according to plan, which is inevitable from time to time.
2. Determination. I make mistakes. You make mistakes. That isn’t what defines us. What defines us is how we come back from those failures and learn how to be our best self. Be patient with yourself, yet still diligently work to reach your end goal.
3. Positive Attitude. A great attitude makes a world of difference in nearly any situation, and visualization is no exception. Having a goal is one thing, but believing you can accomplish it is wholeheartedly is another.
4. Self-Awareness. An understanding of how your mind, body, and surroundings work helps you realize just how to utilize the tools at your disposal. I recall the last time I went bowling, which is a relatively infrequent activity for me. Before I got into any sort of groove, I just threw the ball as hard as I could in the general direction of the pins (a fun game in its own right, but it doesn’t lead to very good scores). Once I got going, I started to draw a path in my mind from the spot of contact I wanted all the way back to the ball in my hand. By the time I adopted this strategy, I understood the way my body released the ball, and the natural spin I produced. I started to do well because I was able to picture what my success looked like, which allowed me to make an effective plan.

Visualizing isn’t some sort of voodoo trick to help magically accomplish mental and physical tasks. But, It is a really helpful way to have familiarity of a situation, ease nerves, and breed confidence. There is still the tremendous responsibility of actually accomplishing what you set out to do, but with the help of a little visualization, you’ll be armed with a good picture of where you’re headed.

The Sales Slugger is up to bat this week for the very first time with some home run tips on getting where you want to go, regardless of what’s in front of you. Who’ll be John’s very first commenter? Or new email friend? You know what to do, REMAN U.