What can Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and you all have in common? Don’t worry- this will not require you to become a professional basketball player or fight in a boxing match.

It’s simply one technique you can practice just as these legendary individuals have done:
positive visualization.

Have you ever been nervous about giving a presentation in class? Or taking that exam you have been dreading? As someone that can profess to having experienced these feelings, I have been trying to find ways to change my mentality to one that is more positive.

So I visualize. I visualize walking confidently to the front of the room and giving the perfect presentation. I visualize working diligently to prepare for the exam and receiving a score I am more than pleased with. I visualize and visualize, just as Muhammad Ali visualized being victorious in his match and Michael Jordan visualized taking the winning shot.

It’s inevitable at times for us to feel discouraged about our current state. There will be challenges that test our willingness to persevere. Keep in mind, some of the greatest minds and bodies in our history have reached a nadir at some point in their lives, and still harnessed positive visualization to become successful. So just as we study to learn a subject or practice to get better at a sport, let us work on training our minds to visualize the “perfect” anything.

“The man [or woman!] who has no imagination has no wings” – Muhammad Ali