This 1 powerful tool improves your mental game and helps you learn from mistakes

This 1 powerful tool improves your mental game and helps you learn from mistakesThis 1 powerful tool improves your mental game and helps you learn from mistakesA confession I used to have a slight road rage problem.Now, I wasnt getting out of the car to fight or driving people off the road, but I was an aggressive driver. I would yell and honk at the smallest slights.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIt wasnt long before I realized I needed to do something about it. Road rage can be dangerous, and it was definitely affecting my own stress levels. The guy who cut me off probably never thought twice about it, while I ended up fuming for the rest of my commute.So, I decided to try something Id learned as a kid practicing martial arts- visualization.I began picturing those saatkorn road rage-inducing situations in my mind, but with a twist. Instead of flipping out, I was cool as a cuc umber. I brushed it off and kept singing along to my tunes.And it helped. Im not going to sit here and tell you I never honk my horn throw up my hands when someone cuts me off, but I forget about it quickly. Maybe theyre late to something important. Maybe theyre on their way to the hospital. Doesnt matter. Why get angry about it?Driving isnt the only area of my life where Ive applied visualization to, either.When I started insale, I was reading as many books as I could get my hands on- and lo and behold, I found more info on visualization. Over time, I came to understand the tactic is widely applicable and unbelievably useful.Heres why you should give visualization a try, and how you can use it to improve in a variety of areasVisualization gives you the confidence to flip your mentalityNo one wants to feel desperate.Whether its dating, sales, or anything else, you dont want to go in hoping and begging for a positive outcome.Ive actually noticed that most people in sales who arent do ing so hot tend to walk into meetings with an urgent demeanor. Theyneeda sale, and it shows. But the best salespeople approach potential clients like peers- like theyre going to be the one helpingthe clientsbecausewhatever theyre sellingis going to save time and money and make the clients life better.To approach a goal with this kind of confidence, you have to flip your mentality. Theres a quote I love that goes something like thisWhen you find yourself in a room surrounded by your enemies, tell yourself, Im not locked in here with them. Theyre locked in here with me.Adopting this mindset is all about how you view your situation. And visualization is what helps you see it in the proper light.Start by picturing a successful outcomeBefore Iwalk into a sales pitch, I visualize everyone liking me. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and set the scenebehauptung people are going to like me. Im going to show this group something that will really benefit them, and theyre going to eat it up . Im going to close the deal.By the time Im actually walking into the room, Im itching to get in there and start talking. Why wouldnt I be? Everyones going to love what Im selling.You can do the same thing with any situation. Picture the successful outcome that you want to happen, walk through each of the steps involved in obtaining that outcome, and visualize yourself nailing each of them.Now that youre in a positive, confident mindset, so your odds of success are that much higher.Dont overdo your visionKeep in mind, theres a fine line between visualization and daydreaming.When some people talk about visualization, they act like you can picture yourself in a mansion with a five-car garage and it will just happen. Thats asking way, way too much of the technique.But its easy to fall into daydreaming when you begin using visualization. When I first started applying it to sales, Id imagine a whole story Id close this deal, then the next one. My year would go perfectly, and Id be riding around with the top down and several commas in my bank account.Of course, if one thing went wrong in the story- if I didnt close that first deal- it would completely take the wind out of my sails. Id start moping, wondering why this stupid visualization thing wasnt working.Visualization can be powerful, but your imagination isnt reality. You have to distinguish between specific situations where you can improve and pipe dreams that are just nice to think about.Be ready to adapt to the real outcomeVisualizing an outcome wont make it happen. If that were the case, Id be the most successful salesperson on the planet.Visualization isnt the solution- its a tool to help youreachthe solution.The technique helps you isolate areas where you needto improveand consider how you could do better. You then have to actually apply yourself and do what youve been imagining. Sometimes, it will go well. Other times, it wont. But this isnt about achieving perfection, its about helping you improve little by little.When a situation doesnt go the way you visualized it, you can analyze where you went wrong and decide what you can do better next time. If you keep this cycle up long enough, the gaps between your imagination and reality will begin to shrink.And theres no better feeling than executing a situation exactly as you visualized it.This article first appeared on Minutes Magazine.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people