See It Before You Live It
“What’s your walk-on song?”
I got this question by email before my first major keynote.
I had no idea why they were asking, but learned the conference director wanted the song that would play as I took the stage.
That sounded fun, but then came the pressure to choose the right song. One that could hold the gravity of the moment and reflect the energy I wanted to bring to the room. Which song to choose was more than an entrance song, because this was my next chapter of a business I had built in the years after cancer.
Diana Ross's recording of “I’m Coming Out” was my choice for the walk-on song.
As a teenager, I danced to that song while trying to find my way through my parents’ divorce. My mom traveled 40 weeks a year, and with little supervision, I was figuring out a lot on my own. Dancing gave me moments of freedom and joy in the middle of it all. The song connected me to that girl who was still figuring it out and still finding her way. It gave me permission then and again ahead of this big moment.
Before the event, I pictured the stage. Preparing was harder than I had thought it would be. Not just the writing of the talk; memorization just wasn’t kicking in. Progress meant memorizing one bit at a time.
45 minutes of talk and no slides. I could count on a fumble along the way. So I imagined how I’d recover from a stumble. I visualized the moment I’d go blank and lose my words, and, as if on schedule, I’d reach for my cue cards and continue as if it was planned.
You cannot become something you don’t see.
Practicing seeing myself on that stage didn’t make the nerves disappear or make delivering the keynote easy. It helped me prepare for a moment I had never lived before. When I got there, I had already been there in my mind.
When you use your mind to see, you are more likely to produce the results you want.
Seeing.
Visualizing.
Imagining.
All have proven to raise performance. To increase the odds of reaching our goals.
New research on future-self visioning followed people pursuing goals; those who could picture their future selves more vividly made more meaningful progress.
The study also showed that simply feeling positive about your future didn’t have the same effect. Feeling good about something on your calendar wasn't enough to produce a positive result.
What is a moment you want to be ready for?
Maybe it’s a conversation you’ve been putting off, a room you want to lead, or a possibility you haven’t quite allowed yourself to claim.
Picture the moment you want, then picture yourself handling a moment that doesn’t go as planned. See yourself pause, find your footing, and keep going. You’re practicing trusting yourself to meet the moment, whatever it brings.
How do you want to show up?
If something gets difficult, what will you do?
What is one step you can take this week?
How will you recognize that you’ve moved closer?
Today, what one step would bring you closer to that scene?
I have found that visualizing and writing it out brings clarity, organization, and a sense of grounding that simply thinking about it doesn’t.
You don’t have to feel ready to begin.
Give yourself permission to picture what’s next.
Then give yourself a chance to live it.
