Day Twenty-eight’s Challenge:
Visualize your ideal future.
Do you often think about the future? Not so much in a general way, but in a more specific way. Do you have goals and dreams you want to realize? Today’s challenge is to set aside some time and really think about how you want to see yourself in the future. You can choose whether that is in six months, a year, or five years. Whatever your timeline is – just start thinking about what that looks like.
Imagine your day from start to finish if you could live your perfect life. What will your typical day look like? Where will you be located? How do you look? Who is with you? How do you feel? What do you do? Write down as descriptively as possible – even if it’s just in note or list form (there are no English teachers policing your response). Describe the smells, the sounds, and anything else that strikes you.
Is anything striking you oddly? For me, I keep imagining that I’m walking around in a flowing tunic thing and sandals (or maybe barefoot), which is not my current style! I’m writing it down anyway. I recently bought five-fingered shoes (shoes with individual toes, very comfy!) so maybe I’m getting closer to the barefoot thing.
To really be inspired to achieve your vision – you can go a step further and create a vision board. This is simply a piece of poster board upon which you attach photos (and even words) that represent your vision. The old adage is “a picture is worth a thousand words” so looking at this board will flood your brain with lots of positive information about what you want for your future.
If you look at the board every day and think about that future you want, you may be surprised at how things start falling into place working their way towards that very vision. Not is some sort of magical “think about it and it will happen” sort of way, but viewing your vision daily keeps it fresh and clear in your mind. How often have you wanted to do something but it completely slipped by you because you “forgot” about it? That’s not old age – that’s crowding out what’s important to you with the everyday mundane.
The more specific and precise you are, the clearer the vision will be to your brain – and to you. If you really want this vision to come to fruition, then begin sharing that vision (verbally, visually, or otherwise) with whomever will listen.
My vision
My ten nine-and-a-half year vision plan (and I’d like to see it happen sooner than that, so I’m getting it out there!) is this: I’d like to own a wellness/restoration/research center. The most unclear thing about my vision is what to call this “campus” of buildings.
There will be classes in yoga, meditation, and healthy cooking. There will be running and biking trails.
There will be conference centers for weekend to multi-week retreats on health & wellness. There will be edible gardens, meditation gardens, and forested trails. There will be amazing healthy food “restaurants” and markets. There will be learning centers for music and art. There will be research centers for health and technology (related to well-being and happiness).
There will be water (lately I see that in a completely unconventional landscaping way that I’m not ready to publicly describe). We may be near a river or lake. Waste water is recycled naturally though a series of stone and sand beds. Parking areas and roads are paved with permeable pavers to minimize runoff. Every structure has a negative or very low carbon footprint.
Even though I do not know where this campus will be located yet (I’ve begun to entertain some ideas), I’m working on a rough layout. My family will live there. Others may live there too, and will be employed by or own components of the campus. There might be grass fed cows and free range chickens (or they may be on a satellite part of the campus – “the farm”).
People will come for retreats and treatments. They will come to take yoga, walk the trails, learn to cook, or learn to dance. They will come to get away from their busy lives for just a little while and reconnect with themselves. They will come to be a part of a community that is welcoming and supportive.
They will leave happier and healthier. They will leave knowing more about themselves. They will leave armed with information and an action plan to make changes in their lives. They will leave yearning to return. And they will return. Again and again.
What I’m doing to make my vision a reality
For one thing, I’m getting it out there. The more I talk about it, the more I learn. I’m keeping my eyes out for the perfect location. I’m putting together a series of long weekend retreats for this fall and early winter to begin the experience of what the campus will eventually hold. I’m writing about it. I’m researching and planning. I’m thinking about it every day in glorious detail. I can’t wait for it to become a reality!
What’s your vision for the future?
Related articles:
The Power of Visualization
Previous Day’s Challenge: Organize Your Workspace Next Day’s Challenge: Eliminate a Bad Habit
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