How to Make Sure You Don’t Miss a Single Beat

You've seen professional skiing on television? The athlete at the top

of the piste, every muscle primed and poised, waiting for the gun

to propel him to ultimate victory. Look deeply into his eyes and

you'll see he is having an out-of-body experience. In his mind's

eye, the skier is swooshing down the slope, zapping back and forth

between the poles, and sliding across the finish line in faster time

than the world thought possible. The athlete is visualizing.

All athletes do it: divers, runners, jumpers, javelin throwers,

lugers, swimmers, skaters, acrobats. They visualize their magic

before performing it. They see their own bodies bending, twisting, flipping, or flying through the air. They hear the sound of the

wind, the splash in the water, the whirr of the javelin, the thud of

its landing. They smell the grass, the cement, the pool, the dust.

Before they move a muscle, professional athletes watch the whole

movie, which, of course, ends in their own victory.

Sports psychologists tell us visualization is not just for toplevel competitive athletes. Studies show mental rehearsal helps

weekend athletes sharpen their golf, their tennis, their running,

whatever their favorite activity. Experts agree if you see the pictures, hear the sounds, and feel the movements of your body in

your mind before you do the activity, the effect is powerful.

39

How to Make

Sure You Don't Miss

a Single Beat

✰9

01 (001-042B) part one 8/14/03 9:16 AM Page 39

Copyright 2003 by Leil Lowndes. Click Here for Terms of Use.

"Twenty-Six Miles on My Mattress"

Psychological mumbo jumbo? Absolutely not! My friend Richard

runs marathons. Once, several years ago, a scant three weeks

before the big New York marathon, an out-of-control car crashed

into Richard's and he was taken to the hospital. He was not badly

injured. Nevertheless, his friends felt sorry for him because being

laid up two weeks in bed would, naturally, knock him out of the

big event.

What a surprise when, on that crisp November marathon

morning in Central Park, Richard showed up in his little shorts

and big running shoes.

"Richard, are you crazy? You're in no shape to run. You've

been in bed these past few weeks!" we all cried out.

"My body may have been in bed," he replied, "but I've been

running."

"What?" we asked in unison.

"Yep. Every day. Twenty-six miles, 385 yards, right there on

my mattress." Richard explained that in his imagination he saw

himself traversing every step of the course. He saw the sights,

heard the sounds, and felt the twitching movements in his muscles. He visualized himself racing in the marathon.

Richard didn't do as well as he had the year before, but the

miracle is he finished the marathon, without injury, without excessive fatigue thanks to his visualization. It works in just about any

endeavor you apply it to—including being a terrific communicator.

Visualization works best when you feel totally relaxed. Only

when you have a calm state of mind can you get clear, vivid

images. Do your visualization in the quiet of your home or car

before leaving for the party, the convention, or the big-deal meeting. See it all in your mind's eye ahead of time.

You now have the skills necessary to get you started on the

right foot with any new person in your life. Think of yourself in