Can We Imagine Our Way To Better Performance?

When tennis great Martina Navratilova was growing up, she would often dream of winning Wimbledon. Whereas many may dream of the endpoint of picking up the famous trophy, she would go much deeper and imagine hitting winning shots and succeeding at match point. She didn’t know it at the time, but she was engaging in Functional Imagery Training to help her to visualize success, which Jonathan Rhodes and Joanna Grover argue can be the key to our own success in life.

They explain in their recent book The Choice Point that the approach has been proven to be successful in everything from weight loss to sporting success, due in large part because it helps us to manage our impulses better and replace unwanted thoughts with goal-oriented imagery.

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Imagining success

Functional Imagery Training (FIT) is a therapeutic intervention that combines mental imagery techniques with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Participants are encouraged to create positive mental images of themselves, any goals they may have, and the specific behaviors they wish to change. The idea behind FIT is that mental imagery can be a hugely powerful tool for changing our behaviors and helping us to develop new habits.

During FIT, individuals work with a therapist to identify their goals and values, and then create vivid, multisensory mental images that reflect those goals and values. They are taught to use these mental images to strengthen their motivation and commitment to making positive changes in their lives. The therapist helps the individual to develop skills to incorporate these mental images into their everyday life, such as by visualizing themselves engaging in healthy behaviors or managing difficult situations.

FIT has been used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. It has also been applied in sports psychology and has shown promise in helping athletes improve their performance. FIT is a relatively new intervention, and research is ongoing to better understand its effectiveness and potential applications.

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Helping your career

There are a number of ways in which tapping into FIT could provide your career with a welcome boost:

1. Enhanced Motivation: For instance, FIT can be extremely powerful in helping us to visualize our desired outcomes and the various steps required in order to take to achieve them. This process can help to boost our motivation and ensure we remain focused on our goals, especially when we encounter setbacks along the way.
2. Improved Confidence: FIT can also help you to build confidence as it supports us in focusing on our strengths and the accomplishments we’ve achieved. This process can therefore help us to feel more confident in our abilities and more willing to take on new challenges.
3. Better Decision-Making: The FIT process can also help us to make better decisions by encouraging us to consider the various long-term consequences of our choices. The FIT process can therefore help us to avoid making impulsive decisions that may have negative consequences for our careers.
4. Increased Productivity: Last, but not least, the FIT process can help us to be more productive. It does this by encouraging us to establish specific goals and develop a plan to ensure we achieve them. This can help us to stay focused and motivated, which in turn can lead to greater productivity and success in our careers.

Getting started

Rhodes and Grover outline a number of steps you can take in order to get started with FIT.

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1. Align with your values – Rhodes and Grover suggest that the first step we should take when using FIT is to understand what our values are. These will be the “north star” that we will live by. “Your values are what you wear on your sleeve and are proud to share with others,” they explain. “To live by your values enables you to prevent the feeling of disequilibrium.”
2. Be curious to learn – The importance of a growth mindset has been widely discussed in recent years, so it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s also important when looking to tap into the power of FIT. “We need to be relentless with our own curiosity and drive, and allow our mind to imagine the possibilities that come from a flexible attitude of trying against the odds,” they explain.
3. Be detailed when you use imagery – Rhodes and Grover believe that the use of imagery is something that we can practice by utilizing approaches such as mindfulness. For it to be truly effective, they suggest that using as many senses as possible when imaging is the best approach. “Using imagery, ideally elaborating with three or more senses and using emotions too, enables you to look in detail at what’s beyond,” they explain.
4. Be alert to your cues – Cues can be verbal or physical triggers that lead to behaviors. These are likely to be important, especially when they’re paired with deep meaning. Rhodes and Grover suggest that we should begin by setting an initial cue in order to activate imagery mode, before then using a second cue to reset our thoughts should they drift and allow us to get back on course.
5. Be present with your behaviors – The authors believe that three commitments are key to making a success of FIT. Ask yourself if we are to live by our values, what three things could we do without compromise? These commitments should be things we can live by without having to compromise as living by these three rules or commitments will ultimately define us.

FIT can be a powerful tool for helping you to achieve your professional goals and advance your career. If you are interested in learning more about FIT and how it could benefit your career, consider speaking with a FIT practitioner or therapist who can provide more personalized guidance and support.