Create rapid change - use these tools

You have two gyms. One is made of iron and sweat, where a single set of ten repetitions takes a minute. The other is built of imagination and focus, where you can complete a hundred reps in the same time. The world's best athletes, speakers, and performers know the second gym is where championships are actually won. They understand a simple, profound rule: You must do everything twice—first in your imagination, then in reality. I learned this not on a stage, but in a courtroom dock, while guarding a prisoner.

The Swish in the Courtroom

As a police officer, I had hours of mandatory stillness during court proceedings. My mind was free. I was also a chronic nail-biter—a habit resistant to potions and willpower. In that dock, I began practicing the "swish pattern," an NLP technique. I would imagine the compulsion to bite my nails, then mentally "swish" that image away, replacing it with a vivid picture of myself as a confident coach with well-kept hands. I didn't just do it once. I did it fifty times. A mental repetition takes seconds. Within days, the compulsive grip of the habit loosened. I had performed more "anti-biting" reps in my mind than I ever could in reality, and my unconscious mind accepted the new program.

Why Imagination Beats "Trying" Every Time

The unconscious mind cannot distinguish between a vividly imagined experience and a real one. This isn't a metaphor; it's neuroscience. When a golfer visualizes the perfect swing fifty times before addressing the ball, their brain fires the same neural pathways as if they had physically executed those fifty swings. They have, in effect, already practiced. This is the shortcut past "getting used to change." You don't wait to adapt through slow, painful reality. You adapt at the speed of thought through mental rehearsal.

My 98-2 Job Interview Rule

When I applied for two major career shifts, I didn't just research the companies. I applied the rule. For the first interview, I did 98 mental rehearsals. I didn't just rehearse answers. I rehearsed states: feeling calm, confident, and relaxed. I visualized walking in, shaking hands, answering smoothly, and leaving with a sense of success. Then I did the two real interviews. I was offered both jobs. Why? Because by the time I sat down, my unconscious mind was not in a stressful interview; it was in a familiar, already-mastered ritual. The panel saw a candidate who was unnaturally composed under pressure. That composure was the real credential.

The Architecture of a Mental Rep

A mental repetition isn't daydreaming. It's specific, sensory-rich, and state-based construction.

1. Define the Desired Outcome: Not just "do well," but "feel unshakably calm and answer with clarity."
2. Run the Movie: In your mind, move through the entire sequence—from preparation to completion. See the environment, hear the sounds, feel the emotions you choose to have.
3. Focus on State, Not Just Script: Your emotional state (calm, confident, joyful) will dictate your performance more than any memorized line. Rehearse the feeling.
4. Compress Time: A 2-hour routine, a 30-minute meeting, a 5-minute difficult conversation—you can rehearse it perfectly in 60 seconds. Do it 10 times. You now have 10x the experience.