See Your Future to Create Your Future

In my last article, I attempted to plant the idea that regardless of your age or situation, you have the ability to change. The reason for that it’s true. Today, I’m talking to you about how you can actually get yourself to change. But first, I want to share some interesting research I learned recently.

There was an experiment done with people learning the piano. They focused on teaching something simple, like scales and chords. They had a control group that was taught but did not practice at all. One experimental group practiced on real pianos, and a second experimental group only did a mental rehearsal. That means they never actually touched a keyboard but imagined it in their minds. Interestingly, when they did brain scans, the two experimental groups looked the same! That means there wasn’t any difference in the brain between the ones who did the physical practice and those who did the mental rehearsal. The brain made the same neural connections!

There was another experiment but with bicep curls. One control group did not do the exercise. A second experimental group did bicep curls, and another group mentally rehearsed bicep curls.  So, rather than actually doing the bicep curls, they imagined doing it with full intensity and emotion as though they actually were doing it. Do you know what happened? The people who did the mental rehearsal had a 13.9% increase in muscle strength without doing a single rep!

Here’s the thing with mental rehearsal. You need to be able to see what you’re going to do, and you also need to feel what you’re doing. Do you know how you pump yourself up at the gym to get one more rep in? You need to do that. The emotional part is what makes it real to the brain. Once it becomes real in the brain, it becomes real for the body. Kind of crazy to think about, right?

So, what do you want for yourself? What is that thing you’ve been wanting to achieve or attain? Can you see what it will be like to have it? Can you clearly feel what you would feel if you already had it?

I’d like you to take some time for yourself between this article and the next one that comes out in two weeks to think about those questions. If needed, write it out. Pretend it’s a journal or diary entry, and you’re writing out your dreams. If you can, take the time to visualize it and see it all. Then, sit with it long enough to feel it. Let it come alive for you! Involve all 5 of your senses if you can. That helps with the emotional part.

After you’ve done that and feel good about it, let me know what you wrote if you’re willing to share. I’d love to hear about your dreams about your health, wealth, or relationships. If you’d like some support with this exercise, you know where to find me!

Coach Kev helps people find calm, clarity, and confidence in their lives while dreaming and feeling. Contact him at kevinkoocoaching@gmail.com, or follow him on IG and YouTube @kevinkoocoaching