The Nike ad, embedded above and released Monday — timed to Serena's appearance at the 2018 U.S. Open in New York — is inspiring, but it's more than that. It illustrates a success hack: visualization — if you can see it, you can be it. 
 
 Visualization, or mental imagery, is a common technique in sports psychology and its based in science. Mentally simulating performance in a competition can improve actual performance and confidence. Basically, your mind experiences mental performance in a very similar way to real performance, using many of the same networks in your brain. 
 
 NFL star Richard Sherman imagines himself making great plays when he is getting ready for a big game. "I've had great games before. I've made great plays. I've done the things like I would be looking to do again," Sherman tells CNBC Make It. "I think about those moments. I recreate those plays. I remember how I was in those moments, especially if I'm having self doubt." 
 
 But imagery is not just for athletes. Studies have shown that mental imagery works when it comes business and management. Anyone can use it when gearing up to make a presentation, give a speech or even ask for a raise. 
 
 For example, if you have to have a difficult conversation with a direct report or a boss, "Mentally rehearsing maintaining a steady assertiveness while the other person is ignoring or distracting you can help you attain your goal," psychologist Daniel Kadish told Real Simple. 
 
 "Envisioning this calmness may also decrease physical symptoms of stress, like an increase in heart rate or stress hormones," according to Kadish. 
 
 In addition to a lesson on mental imagery, the ad is an homage to pursuing your passion with hard work. 
 
 "If you don't dare to try and chase your dreams, you'll rob yourself the joy of doing it. Don't just dream it," Serena says in a tweet she published sharing the ad. 
 
 Serena won her Open matches on Monday and Wednesday, and will play her sister, Venus Williams (for whom dad Richard was also an early coach) on Friday. 
 
 On Monday, Serena also gained attention for playing in a tennis tutu, which was a collaboration between Nike and American fashion designer artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection Virgil Abloh. ||||| Editor's Pick 
 
 Serena Williams is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, man or woman--just ask 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer. 
 
 But Williams' dominance of the sport didn't come easy. Her painstaking training began early, not at Swiss academies like many of the world's top players, but on public courts in Compton, coached by her father. A new spot for Nike from Wieden & Kennedy seamlessly merges archival footage of a young Williams and her father on those courts with scenes of the adult Williams in action. "Be tough, just like you want to win," says Richard Williams in a voiceover. "Just like you're at the U.S. Open." 
 
 Serena Williams made it to the U.S. Open, and won the tournament six times--so far. This week, the competition in New York City begins again, and Williams is there, looking to tie Australian Margaret Court's record with a 24th Grand Slam win (and what would be her first after giving birth late last year). 
 
 The Nike spot will run on ESPN during the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, which begins Monday. It's part of a summer-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of Nike's iconic "Just Do It" tagline. ||||| A new ad by Nike might as well be an extremely emotional short film, because that's how it's making people feel. To mark Serena Williams's return to the US Open, Nike released a 60-second clip that shows just how far the icon has come since her days as a determined little kid practicing tennis with her father, Richard Williams. The ad shows a home video of her training with her dad, whom you can hear saying, "This is you at the US Open." Cut to the next frame, and it's the powerhouse Serena we know and love today serving at the US Open. 
 
 Not only is the spot a testament to Serena's athleticism and GOAT reputation, but it also drives home the power of a parent's support and love. Richard coached Venus and Serena for many years and has been by their sides throughout their careers. The hardworking dad reportedly wrote a 78-page plan to help his daughters become successful tennis players, and he's been cheering them on ever since. Serena shared the emotional ad and said, "If you don't dare to try and chase your dreams, you'll rob yourself the joy of doing it. Don't just dream it. #JustDoIt." 
 
 Ahead, watch the tear-jerking video and see some sweet photos of Serena and her dad through the years.
– Serena Williams went from training with her dad on the public courts in Compton to winning the US Open—six times so far. She's competing there again now, and in a new ad, Nike celebrates that incredible journey, Ad Age reports. The video combines shots of an adult Williams playing tennis with archival footage of a 9-year-old Williams and her dad on those Compton courts, complete with her dad saying in voiceover, "Be tough, just like you want to win. Just like you're at the US Open." PopSugar declares that the minute-long video "might as well be an extremely emotional short film," while Revelist calls it "goosebump-inducing." CNBC points to the "success hack" the ad illustrates: visualization. "If you can see it, you can be it."