What Future Will You Choose to Rehearse?
What Future Will You Choose to Rehearse?
In lower consciousness, you react.
In moderate consciousness, you respond.
In higher consciousness, you rehearse.
To flow in the highest stage of consciousness, I’ll share a secret from Michael Phelps, winner of an unprecedented twenty-three Olympic gold medals. When I heard the aftermath of a particular race at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games, I was mesmerized.
In the 200 Fly gold medal race, Phelps’ goggles waterlogged, meaning he swam ninety percent of the race blind. Most other swimmers would blindly grovel at their misfortune to last place, but Phelps? Not only did he win…not only did he capture gold…Phelps set the world record in the 200 on his path to bagging a ludicrous eight gold medals in Beijing.[1]
Talented and hardworking, sure—but what separated Michael Phelps from the pack? Phelps’ shares his stroke of genius: “I mean the biggest thing, I think, that really separated me through my career was my mental game…I would visualize probably a month or so in advance just of what could happen, what I want to happen and what I don't want to happen because when it happened, I was prepared for it." Through visualization, Michael Phelps’ rehearses his future reality, over-and over.
Phelps’ consciousness—his ability to work through anything—exponentially increased. Michael Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, echoes, “By the time Michael gets up on the blocks to swim in the World Championships or Olympics, he’s swum that race hundreds of times in his mind…The key to visualization is that it has to be very vivid.”
What energy do you choose to embody? Who do you visualize yourself to be?
Your mind and body are powerful and beautiful. Together, you can experience beliefs (in the mind) and emotions (in the body) to see and feel a reality before it happens. Physically practicing is critical, but if you want to create your highest quality life, visualization is vital.
In this very moment, you could close your eyes, pause, and orient your energy as if it were your last week on Earth. Consider your breaths wouldn’t extend beyond week’s end. How would you see life differently? What would you feel?
As you’re walking on the sidewalk, how would you feel? Would you walk faster or slower? Would you admire the way leaves on trees flow in the wind? Would you bask and breathe in the glowing sun a little stronger? Would you take off your shoes and dig your toes into the dewy grass and dusty dirt? Would you spend a little extra energy with loved ones? Would you choose to ignore energy that took away your own?
In higher consciousness, you have the option to rehearse and feel into any reality you crave. If the last week on Earth felt too morbid, what if you visualized it’s your first week on Earth? Take a beginner’s mindset, almost as if you knew nothing about life. How would you experience your day-to-day differently?
Would you take a newer route to work? Would you ask a colleague you’ve known for years why they chose to work here and if they liked what they did? Would you ask yourself the same questions? What energy would you choose to embody? Likely, you’d radiate energy of curiosity, intrigue, and fascination. Likely, energy of boredom, greed, and envy would feel filter out.
Through the practice of visualization, you can rehearse any reality you so choose.
[1] https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/olympics/michael-phelps-swam-blind-2008-olympics