Why Your Brain Loves Collages (and How to Make One Without Feeling Like You’re in Year 3 Art Class)
🧠 VISUALISE: HOW TO TRICK YOUR BRAIN INTO THINKING YOU’RE BRILLIANT (AND THEN ACTUALLY BE BRILLIANT)
🤔 1️⃣ The Dark Magic of Visualization (or: Lying to Your Brain, But Nicely)
Picture this: your brain, that wrinkly walnut, can’t tell the difference between what’s really happening and what you imagine is happening. That’s right. You can sit on your sofa eating crisps, visualizing yourself as a billionaire inventor-astronaut, and your brain will say, “Oh yes, that tracks.”
Dr. Tara Swart (actual scientist, not just some bloke off YouTube) explains that when you visualise success — in glorious technicolour, with sound effects and possibly dramatic music — you build neural pathways as if you’re actually doing the thing. So your brain starts setting you up for success.
It’s like Jedi mind tricks. But you’re Obi-Wan and the stormtrooper.
😎 2️⃣ Thoughts + Feelings + Actions = You, But Less Useless
The top 1% don’t just think positive thoughts and hope for the best while playing Candy Crush. No — they get their thoughts, feelings, and actions marching in formation like the Queen’s Guard (but with more smiling and less fainting).
You see, if you think confidently but feel like a soggy biscuit, you’re going to act like a confused duck. But when your thoughts say, “I’ve got this,” your feelings say, “YES, WE HAVE,” and your actions say, “WATCH ME NOW,” you become unstoppable.
Try this: each morning ask, “What would a mildly competent genius do today?” Then do that.
🖼️ 3️⃣ Vision Boards: Not Just For People Who Love Glitter
Let’s address the sparkly elephant in the room: vision boards sound naff. But Swart assures us they actually hack your brain’s reticular activating system (RAS — the bit that decides what’s important and what’s just background waffle).
A vision board is basically your brain’s shopping list. Slap on images that stir something in your soul — no random yachts unless you actually want a yacht — and your brain starts scanning reality for ways to nab those dreams.
So yes, you can stick stuff on cardboard and it will help. Just maybe skip the glitter glue unless you fancy hoovering for eternity.
🔮 4️⃣ Micro-Visualization: The Tiny Imaginary Victories That Add Up
Big, bold daydreams are marvellous. But Dr. Swart suggests you also master micro-visualization. This is the art of mentally rehearsing small wins, like acing a Zoom call or remembering your password on the first try.
Imagine nailing it before you do it. Why? Because your brain, bless it, loves a preview. It thinks, “Oh! This is what winning looks like — let’s do that!”
Before your next task, close your eyes, picture yourself smashing it, and then proceed with the swagger of someone who’s already succeeded. Bonus points for adding dramatic theme music in your head.
🧠 5️⃣ Limiting Beliefs: The Rubbish You Tell Yourself (and How to Bin It)
Your brain is like that friend who still believes you’re terrible at karaoke because of one dodgy performance in 1987. Limiting beliefs stick around because no one told your brain to update its files.
Visualization is your way of rewriting the script. When you picture yourself winning at things you thought were impossible (public speaking, negotiating, parallel parking), your brain starts to believe it’s possible.
Pair it with affirmations like “I am no longer terrible at karaoke” and soon, you’ll have your brain rooting for you rather than heckling from the sidelines.
