The Blog

blog_mobile
brushstrokes

[Podcast + Video] 4 Steps to Use Creative Visualization for Business Success

4 steps to creative visualization for businessToday I want to talk to you about doing those things you know you want to succeed at but that make you feel fear, anxiety or stress. As entrepreneurs, you have to do things like that daily!

You can be anxious about a meeting, presentation, webinar, teleseminar, your first big speech (your 101st big speech!) a strategy session, asking for the sale…the possibilities are endless!

Creative Visualization will change your life and your business if you really try it.

Create Instead of React.

create vs reactI really like calling it CREATIVE Visualization because It helps you CREATE the life and business you want. So many people are reacting to circumstances, reacting to other people’s beliefs and attitudes about what’s possible for them…

RATHER than using your focus to create exactly what you want…

You are so much more powerful than you know and when you REALLY start tapping into your mind, your focus, your mindset, your reframing of reality, your resilience, self-compassion and courage… you will be unstoppable!

Why Creative Visualization?

4 steps to creative visualization for businessMentally rehearsing new things or things that make you feel anxious, uncomfortable, stressed or fearful can help you feel and get comfortable and confident before you actually do those things! It will significantly increase your chances of success.

Physiologically, visualizing strengthens the neural pathways required for the skills you want to use.

You’ve probably heard about all kinds of studies showing how that’s true for athletes. It works for ANYTHING. With mental and emotional practice, you become more familiar with the actions and feelings of doing those things that make you feel anxious or uncomfortable.

How Visualizing Helped Transform my Relationship with Spartacus.

Years ago (about 20 to be precise!), I was involved in a riding accident while I was “mock bullfighting” in Spain. I fractured my pelvis and had to return to the U.S.

You can probably understand after that, I was feeling a bit of apprehension to begin riding again!

espartaco de la parra stallionWhen I returned to the U.S. I tried riding Spartacus, and at that young age he was a very large and spirited horse. I called him my Gladiator because he was SO big, he would’ve been a great gladiator horse…Someone said to me, “That’s a man’s horse.”  Basically, saying to me that he was too big for me and I was too small to handle him.  I let what this person said get to me and feed my fear.

I believed this for several YEARS. I tried to ride him and I failed. He’d kick his back legs up when he sensed I was scared, I thought I would fall and fracture my pelvis again… or worse!  So after a while, I stopped trying to ride him at all. I hated him … and mostly, I hated myself for giving up.

No real problem though. I could ride other horses that were much less of a challenge.

For years, that’s exactly what I did.

Until one day, my show horse died. And I had a huge paying horse show event coming up soon.

I had no choice but to ride Spartacus in my upcoming show.

People book my show to see the horses and to see me sing on horseback.  I had to be part of the show!  I made up my mind then and there that I had to do it.  And I did.  I did because I HAD to.

I had been LAZY about riding Espartaco, I didn’t do the work really trying, of believing in myself and doing it NO MATTER HOW HARD IT SEEMED.

I hadn’t really ever tried, I always gave up when I got scared and therefore, my fear always won.  This time, I scripted the ride in my mind, and I even wrote it all out, how easy and fun it would be.  I meditated, I visualized, and I imagined it being harmonious and effortless.

I empowered myself to do it.

The biggest tool I used was.. yes, you guessed it Creative Visualization!

Sometimes it can be really, really good when bad things happens to us.  We find strength where we didn’t know we had it before.  I remember thinking and believing before my performance, “I can do anything!”  My ride with Espartaco, the “man’s horse” was simply phenomenal… It felt like butter…

Spartacus and I become a team for many, many years after that.

What Creative Visualization is NOT.

It is NOT simply visualizing the end result.

what creative visualization is notIt is not visualizing yourself already on top of the mountain or already in the arms of the man of your dreams or already having the million dollars or already having the beach-ready body.

While that can be helpful the type of creative visualization that is the most effective is:

Visualizing yourself in detail moving through gracefully, with comfort, courage, confidence and ease thorough the SPECIFIC ACTIONS you’re taking that will get you to the end result you want.

The most effective visualizations focus you on how you FEEL while you’re taking those actions. One of the best ways to tap into your feelings is through your senses.

Use whatever you can to create a sensory experience of what you want to happen in your mind.

  • What are you hearing?
  • What are you seeing?
  • What are you feeling with your hands or your feet or on your face?
  • What are you smelling?

 key 1
Step 1: Choose a Place and Make the Time.

Maybe the first time it’s in your favorite chair at home.

You can even do it in bed (just make sure you don’t fall asleep!)

You want to start somewhere you feel comfortable and peaceful.

Later, if you have the opportunity, you can do a visualization in the very place where you’ll be doing that thing that scares you.

Let me give you some examples:

  • When I had a very difficult horse to ride (Spartacus!), I started doing the visualization of riding him while I was in the barn.
  • When I was going to do a huge speaking engagement, I was able to go into the room with the stage well before any attendees arrived. I got onstage and went through a short visualization.
  • When I began selling high-ticket coaching, I got in my office chair, put on my phone headset.

key 2Step 2: Get Rid of Distractions.

At first, you want to make sure you get rid of things that can interrupt your visualization.

  • Turn of your cell phone.
  • Put a “do not disturb” sign on your office door.
  • Close all your social media accounts.
  • Use a timer at first so you’re not worried about time getting away from you
  • Whatever it takes.

key 3Step 3: Relax.

Take several deep breaths.

Let your mind focus on your breath.

Allow your body to relax.

(Since you used the timer, you now have the perfect excuse to relax)

Don’t think you have enough time? Who does?!?

If having more success is important to you, you will try it. We all have some guilty pleasures like tv shows or whatever… take the time from there.

key 4Step 4: Create a movie in your mind. Daydream. Visualize.

This is the best, most fun and effective way I’ve found to describe how to visualize.

Set the stage.

Where are you and what are you doing?

  • About to do that sales call
  • Taking the stage for your speech
  • Asking for the sale on a webinar or in an email
  • Sending your first ever offer to your list community
  • Doing your first webinar

See yourself there.

Imagine what you’re doing.

Feel your body moving through the exact motions you’ll be taking.

Hear what you’re saying (or what others are saying to you)

Feel the positive feelings you want to associate with a success in this area.

Most of all, ENJOY this process.

You are creating this visualization, this inner movie. Create it with the feelings and outcomes you want to experience! Here is a video I did several years ago with some more information that can help make these things go much more smoothly so you can enjoy massively positive results.

In this video, I talk about how you can use it to push yourself further, and with more peace.

I learned this from working with my horses and use it for all kinds of things I find uncomfortable or new.

Spartacus and me Levade

The end of the story with Espartaco is that he passed away a few years ago.

Here we are after he give me the MASSIVE gift of forcing me to really use all of the tools at my disposal to be more courageous, more peaceful and more successful.

I hope it inspires you to really try creative visualization.

Let me know in the comments section if you will try it or if you already have a visualization practice!

28 Comments

  1. Paul Blais on September 8, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    Great point! Basically you are saying to decide beforehand how you will behave. If you show up without that forethought, then you are destined to fail. Practice totally helps me get it right in the face of fear. Fear is going to be there. That is unavoidable. But being unprepared mixed with fear equals disaster. Why not just show up with half the equation taken care of?
    Great post.

    • Maritza Parra on September 8, 2014 at 2:31 pm

      Thanks so much Paul! Love the way you put it – “Basically you are saying to decide beforehand how you will behave.” <== great way to think of this! I've used visualization (also known as "visual mental rehearsal") with my horse shows, speaking stuff and asking for the sale when I've been less than completely confident and preparing like this has made me a much more confident and happier person!

  2. Christine Rose Elle on September 8, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    I need as many tools as I can get when it comes to facing fear! Thanks so much for this awesome insight Maritza! I used to work with newborn babies a lot and they pick up on EVERYTHING! You really couldn’t fake it when it came to working with babies. Calm and collected was the order of the day!

    Thanks again for this great post! oxox

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:12 am

      Christine, Amen, sister – Me too! What an amazingly cool experience with newborns…

  3. Frank Gustafson (@fgustafson) on September 8, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    Love this Maritza. In the great book “Dream Year”, Ben Arment says that “Courage is your only gatekeeper” Getting past that fear is so critical to success in any arena. Thanks for the great tips!

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:13 am

      Frank, just put that book on my “must read” list, sounds wonderful!

  4. Wade Danielson on September 8, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    Great advice, we all have fear but knowing what to do with it is HUGE! I have never tried the recording method before but I will now.

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:14 am

      It’s really helped me to get in the “shoes” of my audience when I’m going to do a big speaking gig. Biggest one to date I used that for was speaking at Dan Kennedy’s Superconference – I used this method to prepare a LOT!

  5. Darcy Sabatino on September 9, 2014 at 12:27 am

    Great insights Maritza. I just recently began recording and listening to my own voice to hear what I sound like when I’m speaking, and it was a huge shift in perspective to understanding how others perceive me. You have some wonderful tips and advice for improving my message.

    PS. I love how you put this video together. Very original and I loved the fact that you included your stallion as the co-star!

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:16 am

      Thanks so much Darcy! YES ==> great for understanding how you’re perceived! Huge!

      The horses were my very first entrepreneurial venture and I love using them as examples for all the things they’ve taught me.

  6. Jodi Flynn on September 9, 2014 at 8:10 am

    Maritza, great advice. I’ve always been a proponent of being prepared and visualizing success but I never thought to be aware of how I was feeling when I was doing these things. I’m going to be much more mindful of my state of being – and get myself to a peaceful state – to visualize my success. This is Gold!

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:18 am

      Thanks Jodi, I sometimes think we’ve kind of been socialized to stuff our feelings, when they are our greatest intuitive guide.

  7. Karen Osburn on September 9, 2014 at 8:49 am

    WOW-awesome! Great tips, and love how professional and clarity of your message and your delivery with it.

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:20 am

      Thank you Karen, I really love doing videos (lots of practice and ay chihuahua, you don’t want to see the early ones!)

      I especially love it when one of my babies is trying to eat my hair like he was in this one 😉

  8. Amber Hurdle on September 9, 2014 at 8:57 am

    Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Yes! When I used to produce events one of the last things I would do would be visualizing arriving as a guest…how the entrance or registration made me feel…was it clear where the food stations were…how was the flow? Was the band too loud in certain areas…where would I sit, etc…

    There is nothing more powerful than “going there” mentally before you arrive physically!

    And I lovelovelove that you let your baby co-star in this video, too! 🙂

    • Maritza Parra on September 9, 2014 at 9:22 am

      Amber, yes, if athletes use this stuff to prepare, it just makes sense for entrepreneurs to do the same when we’re going into our “big games”.

      (I was actually standing on a stepstool in this video because he’s so much taller than I am!) 😀

  9. Dean Patino on September 9, 2014 at 9:51 am

    Such powerful advice, thank you Maritza! With all the presentations and shows you have done, appreciate sharing your wisdom and guidance on this topic. Practicing a run-through and then watching it back when in a relaxed, objective state of mind is 1st place advice!

    • Maritza Parra on September 10, 2014 at 11:48 am

      Thanks Dean! I especially appreciate your words coming from “the king of the BIG sale” as I know you have so much experience and success asking for million dollar deals.

  10. Paul Colaianni on September 10, 2014 at 12:47 am

    I get this completely! I started podcasting just last year, and hearing my own voice was hard! I kept recording, and listening, and improving. And as I repeated that process, I learned to be more and more comfortable with my voice. I love this advice. I have done this and it has helped me tremendously. Thank you!

    • Maritza Parra on September 10, 2014 at 11:49 am

      So glad you overcame that (I think we all dislike our voice on recording at first!) because your content is so needed and appreciated Paul.

  11. Justin Williams on September 10, 2014 at 1:05 am

    Great insights. Maritza! And yes, the best way to get rid of fear is to prepare for it and expose ourselves to it until get immuned.

    • Maritza Parra on September 10, 2014 at 11:50 am

      THAT is the truth! prepare and get out there doing what scares you… and then one day, it won’t.

  12. Charlie Poznek on September 10, 2014 at 6:50 am

    This is so helpful Maritza! So many talk about visualization but few show us how to actually do it. Thank you!

  13. Jessica on September 10, 2014 at 10:54 am

    Perfect timing Maritza! I’m going to be doing recording video for a four part series as part of my opt-in offer today. I’m a little nervous so I will try to visualize while I’m getting my hair done!

    • Maritza Parra on September 10, 2014 at 11:51 am

      You are going to do great Jessica. there are so many women who need to hear what you have to share!

  14. Anthony Tran on September 10, 2014 at 11:13 am

    Visualization is a powerful technique to overcoming fear and preparing for success. It’s amazing how a simple exercise can be so powerful. Love the video too Maritza keep them coming!

  15. Celest Horton on September 18, 2014 at 11:33 am

    Thanks Maritza! I love these tips. With how much stress our teenagers are under these days it seem that my kids are so often stressed and fearful of their class presentations. These are such great tips and I know that it will help relieve some of their stress. 🙂

  16. […] is about using visualization to reduce your fear, anxiety or stress around doing something out of your comfort zone in your business. As entrepreneurs, you’ll have […]

Leave a Comment





HEARTWORK JOURNALING LESSONS

HEARTWORK JOURNALING LESSONS