Before we jump into how visualization can completely transform your career, let’s quickly cover what, exactly, visualization is.

Visualization is seeing, feeling, and completely embodying a future outcome—whether that’s snagging the corner office, completing a marathon, or buying your dream home—before it happens.?

By creating your desired future outcome in your mind in as much detail as possible, you can actually transform your visualization into reality.

When you visualize yourself hitting a specific goal, your brain interprets that imagery as reality—and, as a result, creates new neural pathways to support that reality.

In other words, by using visualization, you’re tricking your brain into acting as if your desired outcome—whether that’s nailing a presentation, landing a big promotion, or launching your own business—has already happened.?

And because your brain thinks your desired outcome has already happened, you’re more likely to take the actions necessary to align with your brain’s perceived reality.

If you’re just hopping on board the visualization train, you’re going to want to start with the basics.?

Carve out a few quiet minutes each day to sit down, close your eyes, and picture where you want to go, who you want to be, and what you want to do in your career.?

You can start small (like picturing yourself rocking an upcoming presentation) or go big (like celebrating your first six-figure year in business).

The key to this exercise is being as specific as possible.

See what’s going to happen clearly in your mind.?

Home in on all the small details, from what you’re wearing to the way you’re speaking. And let yourself experience the emotions that go along with the visualization (so, for example, the sense of pride you’d feel when landing a raise or the rush of excitement you’d get when you launch a new product).

The more realistic you can make your visualization, the more effective it’ll be.

There are bound to be obstacles on any career journey.?

With visualization, you can anticipate what they’ll be—and come up with a plan so you know exactly how to handle them when they arise.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re gearing up to pitch a new project idea to your team.?

Visualize all the things that could go wrong—your presentation crashes, you forget important information in the middle of your pitch, your team says they’re not interested—and, more importantly, how you’ll handle them.

As the previously mentioned study showed, practicing a task in your mind can yield measurable results—even if you never practice that task IRL.

Want to become a better public speaker??

Spend time visualizing yourself speaking to large crowds. Want to increase the number of potential clients you speak to each day??

Picture yourself hitting the phones and connecting with tons of prospects each day.?

The point is, the more you practice the skill in visualizations, the better you’ll be at said skill in reality.

Have a hard time visualizing things in your mind? No worries! Writing down your visualizations can be just as effective as picturing them in your head—perhaps even more so.

Visualization is like a roadmap for that old saying—if you can dream it, you can achieve it.?

Because the right exercises can help you imagine the career you want. And with that vision, plus the corresponding actions, you can start making it a reality.