Imagine for a second what it feels like to cross the finish line of a marathon?
Most people (I believe) would associate it with positive imagery – cheering, happiness and a sense of achievement. Crossing under the finish gantry is your moment of triumph.
You can stop running now…. you made it!
For anyone attempting their first marathon that brings this journey to an end. It is an exciting maybe even pinnacle moment. It is also a moment you can leverage to keep you motivated. When we imagine or visualise something a lot, our busy minds can’t tell the difference between something that really happened or something we imagined. It’s almost like writing a script of your desired outcome and memorizing it.
Conor McGregor uses visualisation. He has called himself ‘Mystic Mac’. He visualises the fight unfolding and then tells us how it is going to be in the pre-fight interviews.
Many sports people use visualisation.
Close your eyes and try it. From my experience of setting challenging goals, visualisation works best on individual pursuits where you are in control and not relying on others. However, success is not limited to working alone. Share your vision with your team. Passion can be infectious.
There are ways to take visualisation to the next level. Firstly, make the image of finishing line amazing! Go beyond just watching yourself finish. Feel the emotions of finishing. Hear the cheers from the crowd and imagine that it is all for you. The more you add in – the better it becomes. Watch a video of people finishing a marathon for reference.
If you are not a visual person I suggest you become creative (visual people can do this too).
Find a photo of the finish gantry from your race. Print if off on an A4. Stick a picture of yourself in your running gear under the gantry. Take a photo of this and make it the screen saver on your phone and also stick it on your fridge (or any other place where you regularly look).
Last word on visualisation. What you say to yourself and others must back up your visualisation. If you do all of the above and then tell people that your ‘hoping’ to finish, then you are giving yourself mixed messages. Say it with certainty in every sentence. ‘I will finish… When I finish… After finishing’.
Visualise and talk yourself into success