The Happy Teacher Habits: 11 Habits of the Happiest, Most Effective Teachers on Earth by Michael Linsin

Author:Michael Linsin [Linsin, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JME Publishing
Published: 2016-04-28T21:00:00+00:00

Envision

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

-Japanese proverb

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.”

-Helen Keller

Twenty minutes before the start of a race, Lindsey Vonn, the winningest skier in World Cup history, finds a quiet spot behind the starting gate. She dons her helmet and goggles, snaps into her skis, and loops the ski pole straps around her wrists. She takes a few deep breaths and then does something onlookers find bizarre. She closes her eyes, bends into a semi-crouch, and begins slowly weaving her head to and fro. She reaches one hand out in front of her and it too begins to wheel, dip, and turn, as her body sways along with the motion.

She'll continue in this manner for a minute or so, or about the time it will take her to ski down the mountain. A moment later her eyes will open. She'll straighten, make a quick check of the time, and then do it all over again. She'll run through the same oddball movements 10 or 15 times before stepping into the starting gate. At first glance, it looks like she's grooving along to music, perhaps trying to relax and focus before the race. But what she is doing is far more purposeful and one of the keys to her success. She is visualizing herself negotiating every turn, rise, and jump from start to finish. She is seeing herself in her mind's eye, following a predetermined line down the mountain that will give her the best chance of winning.

Long before the actual race, Vonn and her coaches will study the course. They'll pore over maps, test snow conditions, and inspect every section along the way. She'll then take practice runs to get a feel for the optimal path to take around and over the obstacles. She'll make equipment choices, consult her coaches and trainers, and come up with a plan of attack. In the evenings, and while relaxing between practice sessions, Vonn will do hundreds of visualization exercises. She and her team do all this pre-race work so that when she bursts from the gate at the top of the mountain, she can rely exclusively on her ability, instinct, and muscle memory.

Because she knows every inch of the course, she can relax, clear her mind, and focus on finishing the run in the fastest possible time. It gives her the confidence to race at full speed without worrying about something coming up she is unprepared for.

Athletes in a wide range of sports use visualization because research has shown that it can train cognitive processes like attention, perception, motor control, and memory nearly as well as actual practice, but without the stress on the body. It can also increase motivation and help the performer get into a faster and deeper state of flow—which has been shown to vastly improve performance. But visualization isn't just for athletes. Salespeople, artists, actors, marketers, clothing designers, police officers, and scores of other professions also benefit from visualization.

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