Creative Visualization Daytime Affirmation Series

It is the starting image for the whole session: an infinite canvas in your mind where colors can be brighter, dimmer or brand new. The message is that you are the artist in charge, so nothing you picture has to be limited or approved by anyone else. It gives you a free space to practise before you choose something to work on.

You take deep breaths, holding each one briefly and exhaling slowly through slightly open lips. On the first inhale you breathe in creativity and on the exhale release self-doubt. On the second, you breathe in the power to create anything, then let go of what other people think and their opinions.

Anything you like: a painting, a child, a chair, an event or your future. Across the pauses you imagine it, make something happen to it, then add color, sound and smell. After that you add how it feels. The same subject stays with you the whole way, so each step builds on the last.

Extreme close-up and extreme distance show different things. Up close you look at the atoms or molecules and let yourself be fascinated. Far out, you see everything around it and are asked what new lessons you can learn. You then zoom back in and ask what you have learned, which is where fresh insights can come from.

You do not picture a goal here. You picture yourself imagining, clearly and creatively, at any time and in any place. At six months and then at one year, you tune into what you are visualizing. It helps your ability to visualize feel like a natural part of who you are.

Choose your problem, project or goal as the subject during the silent pauses. Then follow the steps: add detail, feel it, zoom in, zoom out and make an adjustment. The final question, what can you add that did not exist before, is a good one to carry into your day.