It sounds like some magical, mystical practice: Creative visualization. Who really uses this stuff?

Well—you do.

Creative visualization simply means using your imagination to create with. There is nothing odd or unusual about it; in fact, everyone uses visualization and imagery every minute of every day. It is nothing more than the ability to have an idea or create a mental picture in your mind.

The good news is you can use this miraculous mental skill to empower yourself for success with your goals and dreams. How?

What at first seems challenging, improbable or even impossible becomes practical and understandable when we use imagery and visualization effectively. Let me explain.

If you had never seen a beautiful, awe-inspiring sunset and someone tried to describe one to you, it would seem unlikely, miraculous or even outlandish. But once you had seen a few for yourself and learned about the natural laws that create them, it would seem completely normal.

That is the power of visualization.

Creating anything always begins with a thought or idea, and that idea becomes the blueprint which precedes what we experience. “I think I’ll have lunch” is the thought that comes before the meal; “I need a job” is a thought that may eventually lead to one.

That same mental principle operates even when we do not take direct action on it. Simply holding the idea or thought in your mind is enough to create the beliefs and behaviors that support it.

Because of their dominant fears and painful emotions, people use the skill of creative visualization against themselves, and you have probably done it yourself from time to time.

The fact is, people often worry about their situations or circumstances, which is a form of creative visualization. Worriers create images in their minds of what they fear, however briefly, and these images and thoughts get planted into the subconscious mind where they are then acted upon.

If you constantly think about illness, you can make yourself sick. If you truly acknowledge your inner beauty, you’ll develop more of it. If you see yourself healing and growing, that’s the direction in which you move. In this way we create our internal feelings, and determine just how we will experience them in the world around us.

That is the power of visualization. Now that you know how it works, be sure you use it wisely.