Brain hack one: visualisation
The evidence behind mental rehearsal, plus how you want to spend your money, time and energy.
One workbook for the whole course. This stage starts on page 10. After the exercise, add a row to your trackers at the back of the workbook: New Life (page 28) and BE, DO, HAVE (page 30). Already downloaded it? Keep using your copy. Lost it? Download it again (a new copy starts blank).
The power of visualisation
Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to reorganise itself, so it can learn how to respond to events. Visualisation encourages your brain to learn and change, especially when it involves imagining your actions in intense sensory detail, from the perspective of actually doing the action.
Imagining is a simulation exercise
Your brain can simulate situations and anticipate outcomes to compare courses of action. Neuroscience shows imagining your actions is processed in the same way as if it were really happening. The same neural pathways activate. Other brain regions inhibit the physical action, but the emotional experience is the same as reality (which is why movies are so captivating). This means you can mentally rehearse the actions you want as often as you like.
Sports: athletes combining physical practice with visualisation outperform those who only train physically (Guillot & Collet, 2008).
Strength: mentally rehearsing contractions produced measurable strength gains: 13.5% vs 30% for physical training (Ranganathan et al., 2004).
Public speaking: visualising a successful speech reduced anxiety and improved delivery (Ayres, 1995).
What about imagined success?
Many people visualise the build-up (the preparation) but skip the part where they actually succeed. That matters. Imagining success:
- Strengthens your brain’s feedback loops
- Activates the same neural pathways as real success
- Triggers your brain’s reward (dopamine) system
- Boosts confidence and self-belief
- Reduces performance anxiety
- Sharpens goal clarity
- Aligns your behaviour with your identity
- Sparks creative problem-solving
- Makes success feel closer
Think, then write: money, time, energy
Four more questions
- What do I want to spend my money on?
- What do I want to spend my time on?
- What do I want to spend my energy on?
- What do I give other people? (often it’s what you want or lack for yourself)
Five minutes per question
Write without judgement. If stuck, ask “What else?” or “What would childhood me say?” or “What would older me say?”
Imagine your Next Version of Me: Exercise 1.5
Spend it the way you want
Reread what you wrote about how you want to spend your MONEY, TIME and ENERGY. Imagine for 5 minutes spending them on what you want and giving to others. Make it vivid, detailed, multi-sensory, emotional. Play it like a movie trailer.
Find somewhere quiet, press play and close your eyes. Headphones help.
Give your Next Version of Me a score out of 10 and note it down: “My new life (3) <score>”, e.g. My new life (3) 10
Repeat at least once more today.
Done it once and you can already feel it? Check your score out of 10.
- 7 or more, and higher than last time: one go today is enough. Move on to the next stage tomorrow.
- Under 7, or not moving: do the extra goes and reread your trackers. That’s what moves it.
Stuck later, or a part of your new life still feels strange? Come back and repeat this stage.
Well done! See you tomorrow.
This course is educational and not a substitute for therapy or medical advice.