Did you know that more than HALF of your cortex (the surface of your brain) is devoted to processing visual information? In comparison, 8% is reserved for touch and just 3% for hearing. That’s a lot of brain power!

Also referred to as mental imagery, visualization is a much more powerful tool we have at our disposal than most of realize. Tiger woods. Michael Jordan. Almost all Olympic athletes. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even Oprah and Jim Carrey praise visualization as helping them reach their goals.

But this isn’t just some hokey way of convincing us to obtain our objectives but grounded in science. Here are some interesting studies:

An exercise psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio wanted to see if there was a difference in muscle strength for those who went to the gym compared to those who completed a virtual workout in their heads.

His results?

Those who went to the gym increased their strength by 30%…but those who sat in their armchairs and only carried out the mental rehearsal of weight training in their minds – having never pumped any iron – increased by almost half of that. That’s incredible!

And this wasn’t just one random study. Another had volunteers imagine flexing one of their biceps as hard as they could during daily training exercises.

Researchers were cautious to ensure the participants were not doing actual exercises and later found that, surprisingly, these folks had an increase in muscle size and strength of 13.5% just after a few weeks. This remained in effect for 3 months even after the mental training stopped!

So how do we harness this power?

First, it’s important to recognize we’re doing this already throughout our daily life. We think in pictures.

If I asked you what was happening for you on 9/11, you’d have images flash into your mind of where you were, who you were with, perhaps even recalling what you were wearing.

When we worry about the future or dwell on the past we’re visualizing too, but on the negative. Our bodies then respond in real time to those images (since our brain and body can’t distinguish the real vs. imagined).

So here’s some simple things you do can do:

1) Process vs outcome visualizing: Depending on what resonates with you, you can either focus on the successes you achieve on your journey towards your destination or just focus on the end result. Both are powerful.

2) Tell your brain your plan with pictures: Be intentional about what images you want to be thinking about. Make a vision board where you see yourself accomplishing all your goals. Don’t forget to put yourself in it. Draw. Paint. Color. Cut out images from magazines or Pinterest pictures that inspire you or have you feeling the success you’re dreaming of.

3) Get all of your senses (and emotions) involved: This makes it more real to your brain and has a greater convincing edge. What will you notice in your body? What will you hear? Etc. And don’t forget how you’ll feel: what positive emotion will you experience? These help anchor in the desired effect.

4) Repetition is the secret sauce: Last, but not least, review these often! Take creative control as the director. The more you can replay this mind movie, the more real world effect it will have.