Visualizing Obstacles

There I was, teetering on the edge of a dark staircase, adrenaline pumping. I knew if I made any sudden moves I risked falling down the crooked steps. I began mentally chanting, “Breathe deep. Stand your ground. Don’t panic.”

If you are imagining me doing something incredibly heroic, you would be right. Was I fighting a terrifying monster like some kind of superhero you ask?

Why, yes. Yes I was.

You see, I was helping my friend Sam get a bat out of his kitchen. And let me tell you, it. was. intense.

Ok…so it was not exactly like fighting a demogorgon, but it felt like it at the time!

You may be wondering what does any of this have to do with effectively setting, achieving, and failing at your goals? The answer is: visualizing obstacles in order to plan how you will respond to them is essential.

*Quick side note: Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t listen better in high school soccer when you told me to visualize running down the field on a breakaway before every game – think of how many more goals I’d have under my name!

Ok, back to the story. To prepare for the obstacle ahead, my friend and I prepared as much as we could for the inevitable battle. We both did our independent research to determine the best course of action, and after putting our heads together, we felt pretty confident about our plan.

Sam read that a bat will use it sonar to determine which direction to fly. A good way to encourage one out if a room is to block off anywhere you do not want to go. For example, if a blanket is hanging over the entrance to the basement staircase, the bat will assume it is a wall and go a different direction.

Hence why I was standing carefully at the top of the stairs, holding up a large blanket in front of me. As Sam was gently nudging the bat with a broom to encourage it to latch on to the bristles (another tactic we discovered in our research) I realized that there is a chance this animal is going to come flying at me, hit my blanket, and cause me to scream and jump.

Of all the possible bad outcomes, the best bad outcome one was that if I panic, the bat might get into the basement, making it really difficult to get it out. The worst bad outcome was that I might fly down the stairs with it.

That’s when the mental chanting began. I actually started to visualize the bat hitting my blanket. The thud it would make, the fact that it might hit on the other side. I decided if that happens I will stand firm and not panic.

Rehearsing it in my head turned out to be a very good idea.

Keep in mind that because I was holding up the blanket, I could not actually see what was going on. I could only hear. And this is what I heard next:

Sam: “Come on little guy…just grab on…you got it…there you go…oh S#*&!!!”

*flapping wings*

*thud*

*crash*

Silence.

I started to peek out when I saw it, hanging just over my head in the corner of the door frame. Thanks to my rehearsal, I remained calm, regrouped with Sam on our next steps, and held the blanket up even higher.

The next few minutes were not our most graceful, but we did manage to get the bat safely out of the house and into the backyard. After all the nervous laughter that comes after an adrenaline pumping experience, I realized how helpful it was to visualize possible outcomes. I wondered, what else could I apply this technique to?

Rest assured, this is not some hippy-dippy stuff; it’s a proven technique that has been used for hundreds of years, particularly by athletes. And it makes perfect sense. We all know the things that will typically trip us up when it comes to our goals: failing to save enough money, snacking on something bad for us, not making time for ourselves, the list goes on and on.

Wouldn’t it be better to anticipate those obstacles and make a plan for how you will respond? For example, if you have a food craving, perhaps you come up with a mantra you will repeat to yourself to gain control. Or if you are struggling with the idea of heading out the door to go for a run, try visualizing yourself on the run, and what it will look and feel like when you are done.

Give it a try! And as always, use these thought experiments to help you along the way:

What obstacles might come up for you? Picture them, including how you will respond in detail.