Visualization can also be used to address personal areas of a client’s life. For instance, if a client would like to find a romantic partner but has not had any luck achieving that goal. One method of written visualization is to write letters to the client’s Ideal Partner. In those letters, the client would vividly describe the partner and what kind relationship they will have.
In her book, Write It Down, Make It Happen, Henriette Anne Klauser gives an example of a client using the letter writing method of visualization. Gloria was looking for The One but had not had any luck in finding him. She decided to start writing letters to him even though she had not met him. In these letters she detailed what he looked like, what kind of personality he had, how she felt when they were together and what kind of relationship they had. As she continued to write the letters, they became more vivid and detailed. Two weeks after she wrote her final visualization that detailed their lives together, she met Ted. He matched all of the details in her letters and they were married eleven months later.
It was not magic that brought Gloria and Ted together. Once Gloria decided on her goal and set her intention, she began to live her life as if she had already met The One. She stopped staying at home and started living her life fully. She began collecting things that she had always wanted to share with a romantic partner. She began going to events and places that she enjoyed because those were the kind of things that she would enjoy doing with him. It was while she was out at one of these events that she met Ted. This is further proof that thinking alone will not achieve results but rather actions are required. Gloria’s visualization led to her actively making changes in her life and those changes that lead to the result that Gloria sought.
Conclusion
Fundamentally, visualization is about setting a vision of your goal in your mind that leads to setting your body in motion. Simply put, visualization is Thought + Action = Results. It is not enough to simply think about reaching your goals but rather it is about doing something to achieve those goals. Visualization is the first step in that journey. Like with any journey, there are different ways to get the destination. Vision boards and written visualization are two methods to start the journey by focusing the mind on the destination. Using them in coaching will allow clients to get to the heart of what they want and provide motivation to continue working toward their goals when things get rough or are uncertain. Visualization is a power tool in the coach’s toolbox and can be adjusted to meet the needs of any client.
Bibliography
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Klauser, Henriette Anne (2000). Write It Down, Make It Happen. New York, Scribner
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