Visualization Tips from a Paralympian

An avid snowboarder, Amy Purdy, was just 19 years old when she contracted meningococcal meningitis.  The doctors initially gave her a 2% chance of survival.  She did survive but lost both legs below the knee.  Most people would expect that this would end her snowboarding career but not so.  In fact, she not only continued her snowboarding career but was the 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist!

I recently saw an interview that Oprah Winfrey had with her.  In the interview Oprah asked her about her visualization practices.  She had some profound thoughts that I would like to share with you here.

After she had lost her legs she thought to herself, “If my life was a book, and I was the author, how would I want this story to go?”  

A great question, how would you answer that?

In one of her darkest moments she asked herself.  “What do I want to see?”  And responded with,  “I want to see myself walking again gracefully, and I want to see myself somehow sharing, somehow helping other people through this journey, and I saw myself snow boarding again.  And I visualized it so strongly in that moment that I didn't just see myself carving down this mountain of powder, I could feel it.  I could feel the wind against my face, I could feel the beat of my racing heart, I could feel my muscles twitching as if it was happening in that very moment.  And I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I knew that I was going to do it.”

This is a great explanation of just how vivid the visualization process should be.

Finally, in my opinion, her best quote from the entire interview was, “And now I try to live my life with that knowingness that if you can see it, and you can feel it, and you believe it, then it is completely possible.”

Wise advice from an amazing woman!

Wishing you success in all aspects of life,
Tom Klisiewicz
Founder and President
Smart Health Wellness and Performance

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