How to Visualize Like Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrate an incredible leader, activist, and hero, Martin Luther King Jr. In addition to taking this day to breathe, reconnect with loved ones, and prepare for the week ahead, we encourage you to reflect on the incredible work of this day's namesake, and to evaluate where some of his strategies could become helpful in your life.

One of his key tools was visualization. In his "I Have a Dream" speech, he famously told of the country he visualized, and then acted upon it. Here our tips to make visualization an effective tool for you:

1. Practice in your head. Meditation has been a practice employed by multiple successful thinkers, business people, celebrities, and everyday people. Some techniques are to try to clear your head of all thought, and this creates a relaxing experience that helps you focus the rest of the day. Many others use their meditation time to visualize their upcoming experience - whether that be successfully giving a work presentation or giving their all at a workout class.

2. Outline the process. It's amazing that you have an idea about where you want to end up, but that is not enough to accomplish a goal. They say "failing to plan is planning to fail," and it's true. In your visualization practice, make sure that you are not focusing all of your energy on the vision of your final outcome, but instead casting your imagination to the intermediary steps between now and where you want to be. Dr. King did not simply dream his dream, he worked for it, too.

3. Be sensual. Despite its root word, visualization does not have to be confined to only what you see. Let the entirety of an experience play out in your head from your perspective - from the smells to the sounds and even to your nerves. This way, you can take all these factors into account when making your dream a reality.

3. Take action!