How Elite Performers See It Before They Do It

Have you ever stood on the edge of a big life moment… your heart is pounding, your knee stability threatening to betray you, but you felt: “I’ve been here before”? That is the magic of visualisation.

Success isn’t just about physical preparation. It's extremely dependent on your mental state. And one of the most effective mental tools in your kit is the ability to visualise. It goes beyond manifesting - this is about controlled, specific, repeatable mental reps and regular rehearsal.

It’s something I relied on heavily at points during my diving career, points where - by coincidence - I found the most success. I visualised dives hundreds of times before actually performing them in competition, which helped me build familiarity with pressure, develop composure, and execute when it mattered.

Here’s how to make it work for you - whether you’re stepping onto a 3m springboard or into a boardroom.

1. Step Into the Scene – First-Person Visualisation

Practice imagery seeing everything through your own eyes. You hear the crowd, feel your pulse in your fingertips, notice the ground under your feet. This is first-person visualisation. And it’s gold.

By mentally walking through a high-stakes scenario, you train your mind and body to recognise the sensations, the emotions, and the decisions that come with it. When the real thing comes around, your nervous system is like, “Ah yeah, we’ve done this before, we’ve been here before.”

Before Olympic qualifiers, I’d visualise standing on the board, I’d increase my breathing rate to simulate the feeling of adrenaline bubbling under the surface, cameras waiting, crowd quiet. Over and over. So when the day came, I could stay calm, composed, and focused - because my brain had already been there.

Practical takeaways:

• Visualise the full experience, not just the highlight. Feel it. Smell it. Hear it.

• Use it to rehearse composure, not perfection. Expect nerves. Manage them.

• Make it yours. Success should feel familiar before it’s real.

2. Watch Yourself Win – Third-Person Visualisation

Sometimes, it helps to step outside your body. Think of it like watching yourself perform. This is third-person visualisation, and it’s especially powerful in skill-based sports or performance settings.

Diving is subjective. Judges are influenced by how confident you look, how strong your posture is, how you carry yourself around the pool - even during training - believe me, they take notice of it all. So I’d visualise from the outside - imagining how I looked walking out, how my body language spoke before, during, and after my dive.

This method sharpens your awareness of presence. And even in objective pursuits, confidence is contagious. People pick up on energy. If you look like you’re in control, you’re more likely to convince both them - and yourself - that you in fact are.

Practical takeaways:

• Use third-person imagery to refine your presentation - how you walk, stand up, and show up.

• Craft a confident version of yourself, then watch it on repeat.

• Visualise your body language, not just your actions.

3. Match the Mood – Recreate Real Conditions

Visualisation isn’t just about what you imagine - it’s about where and when you do it too. I used to visualise my dives in the shower. Why? Because I’d always shower poolside before stepping onto the board in competition.

That ritual, that environment, those sensations - it all helped trigger the same emotions I’d feel in competition. The butterflies, the laser focus, the heightened awareness. It made my mental reps more powerful because the conditions matched my reality.

Want to boost your visualisation practice? Get specific. What clothes are you wearing? What's the temperature? What sounds are in the background? Prime your brain to associate that moment with performance. You’re building muscle memory - in your mind.

Practical takeaways:

• Choose a location linked to your real performance space - trick your brain into syncing up.

• Incorporate routine into your visualisation - timing, triggers, rituals.

• Let the nerves in. That means it’s working.

Conclusion: You Can’t Be What You Can’t See

The most successful people I know see thei achievements first. Before the medal, the deal, the standing ovation - they already lived it in their minds.

Visualisation helps you embody success before it happens. It’s a practice that grows your confidence, your composure, and your conviction. And it’s something anyone can apply - athlete or not.

Because here’s the thing: if you can train your mind to expect success, to believe in success, then you’re far more likely to step up and deliver it. Self-belief doesn’t arrive fully formed. It’s built rep by mental rep.

Join the Conversation

Got a visualisation trick that works for you? Or a story where mental prep changed the game? Drop it in the comments 👇

If this helped shift your mindset or prep routine, send it to a teammate, friend, or fellow high-performer. Want me to dive (pun intended) into another topic? Let me know what you'd love to read next.