Does Visualization Help?

Does visualization actually work? Does it do anything? I feel like I’ve heard a lot about how manifestation and visualization are techniques that can help a lot. At least, they’re very trendy on instagram and tiktok right now. But do these things actually help? Truth be told, I’ve always been kind of skeptical of manifestation and visualization. In general I have taken the stance that the best (and only) way to make what you want happen is by putting your head down and working hard. My views on that have changed, recently.

I still think working hard is important, but I no longer completely discount visualization. There’s a few reasons for that. First of all, I realized that I have actually been practicing visualization techniques on a low level my whole life without meaning to. In fact, I now think everyone does. Maybe not actively, but we all think about the kind of future we want, right?

I’m not an expert in manifestation or visualization by any means, but I think that thinking about what we want is, at some low level, doing the same thing as those practices. If you cannot picture what you want in the future then you can’t work toward it. Thinking about what you want is the first step to working toward it. The mind is the first place where the process begins.

I also think that repeatedly picturing in our mind what we want is motivational to some extent. When used correctly it can be helpful.

For example, I struggle a lot with getting out of bed if I don’t have a hard deadline. My bed is very warm and my room is very dark and it’s so easy to push things off until later and sleep in longer. However, if I’m laying in bed thinking that I should get up but I don’t really want to then visualization is one of the best things I can do for myself. If I am laying in bed and start to picture how my day is going to go then it’s a lot easier for me to actually get up and start my day.

Another case where this seems to help is my education. Sometimes it can be really challenging to feel motivated. Learning remotely through the pandemic only enhanced that challenge. However, visualizing where I want my degree to take me makes it a lot easier to complete those assignments that I don’t want to do.

So, does visualization help?

I think so. I don’t think that you can will something into existence. However, visualizing the future that you want can be motivating enough to actually do the work that will get you there.