5 Steps to Getting What You Want and the Power of Visual Attention
- Apr 30, 2025
- 4 min read
Dr. Kimberley Linert is a Transformational Mentor for Visionary Leaders who are ready to move beyond traditional success and into deep clarity, purpose, and fulfillment. Blending neuroscience, visualization, and intuitive strategy, she helps high-achieving individuals unlock their next evolution—personally, professionally, and spiritually.
Want to attract more of what you truly desire? The secret may lie in where you focus your visual attention. These five simple yet powerful steps can help you train your mind to align with your goals and turn intention into reality.
Step into the mind of a champion
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles stood at the edge of the balance beam in Tokyo, the world watching. After withdrawing from multiple events due to overwhelming mental pressure, few expected her return. But Biles came back with remarkable clarity, focus, and grace, earning a bronze medal.
Her secret weapon? visualization
She mentally rehearsed every mount, leap, and dismount. She pictured herself performing with excellence, feeling the rhythm of her routine and the poise in her body. Visualization didn’t just calm her nerves; it anchored her focus and triggered her best performance under pressure.
This isn’t just an Olympic trick. It’s a science-backed strategy called visual attention that anyone can use to gain clarity, concentrate better, and take meaningful action.
Why visual attention works
In a world flooded with distractions, it’s not enough to want something. You have to train your brain to see it, focus on it, and act on it.
Visual attention is the ability to focus on specific images or mental scenarios while filtering out noise. When paired with intentional visualization, it becomes a powerful tool for:
Heightening concentration
Activating motivation
Reinforcing clarity of goals
Building new neural pathways that influence behavior
If you want to get what you truly desire in business, health, relationships, or performance, visual attention can help you see what others miss and act with precision.
5 steps to activate this power in your life
1. Understand the science of visual attention
Your brain is wired to filter visual information based on relevance. This is how you can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room or notice an opportunity others overlook.
Research from Harvard University (Intriligator & Cavanagh) reveals that visual attention is spatially selective; your brain zeroes in on what it believes matters most. The good news? You can train it.
Key takeaway: Visual attention helps your brain prioritize goals and filter distractions, giving you a performance edge.
2. Use visualization to enhance focus
Visualization is not daydreaming. It’s a deliberate, vivid rehearsal of your goals.
Joel Pearson’s neuroscience research shows that imagining an experience activates the same neural networks as living it. This primes your brain to expect success and prepare for action.
Try this exercise:
Close your eyes and see yourself completing a goal (e.g., giving a speech, closing a deal).
Include physical sensations, emotions, and details.
Repeat daily for 3–5 minutes.
Key takeaway: The brain doesn’t fully distinguish between real and vividly imagined experiences. Use this to your advantage.
3. Strengthen your concentration
Visualization sharpens your ability to sustain attention.
Mental imagery, when practiced regularly, increases cognitive stamina. Just like physical reps build muscle, mental reps build mental endurance.
Tools that help:
Visualization journaling
Vision boards with focused reflection
Anchoring your visual focus with affirmations or music
Key takeaway: Consistency in visualization creates lasting improvements in focus and concentration.
4. Link visualization to action
Seeing it isn’t enough. You must connect your vision to real-world behavior.
Studies from Nature Scientific Reports show that visual attention influences working memory and decision-making, which are directly linked to taking action.
Bridge the gap with prompts like:
"What’s one step I can take today to make this vision real?"
Use visual anchors (e.g., post-its, wallpapers, screensavers) to cue action
Key takeaway: Visual attention is most powerful when it triggers action, not just insight.
5. Make it a habit
The mind craves repetition. To get what you want, you must see it consistently.
According to research by Borkin et al., visuals that are regularly seen and emotionally engaging are easier to recall and more likely to influence behavior.
Sustainable practices:
Morning visualization rituals
Guided imagery audios
Keeping a "Future Self" journal
Key takeaway: Long-term visualization builds deep belief, which leads to consistent, aligned action.
Visualization in the real world
Jack Canfield taped a $100,000 check above his bed. Olympic water polo captain Maggie Steffens imagined each pass and shot before winning gold. Entrepreneur Shelly-Ann Gavidia saw herself confidently pitching investors and later secured $2 million in funding.
What do they all have in common? They used visual attention to:
Stay emotionally connected to their vision
Maintain focus through challenges
Translate imagination into achievement
If they can do it, so can you.
From vision to victory
Visualization isn’t woo. It’s neuroscience in action.
When you train your brain to focus visually, you sharpen attention, ignite motivation, and take deliberate steps toward your goals. The more vividly and consistently you see what you want, the faster your brain works to bring it into reality.
Ready to activate your next level?
Let’s explore how you can use brain-based visualization techniques to create clarity, concentration, and results.
Book a 15-minute discovery call with Dr. Kimberley Linert.
Read more from Dr. Kimberley Linert
Dr. Kimberley Linert, Transformational Mentor for Visionary Leaders
Dr. Kimberley Linert is a Transformational Mentor for Visionary Leaders who feel called to something more. With a background in behavioral optometry, neuroscience, and intuitive strategy, she helps high-achieving entrepreneurs and CEOs break through inner limitations, realign with purpose, and experience greater clarity, joy, and fulfillment. Her work blends science and soul to guide leaders into their next powerful evolution. Discover more or book a call.
