Day 3
“Man is what he believes.” – Anton Checkov
Are you still with me?
To recap:
So far, we’ve declared our theme word for the year.
And, you looked back on 2021 and answered a few questions to capture some lessons learned.
Today we’re going to do a little time travel so that we can create an effective roadmap of where we really want to be as our future selves.
Find a quiet place to answer a few questions before we start. Open up your notebooks to a clean page, make sure you have at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to write down the following along with your answers:
If money were no obstacle I would _________________________________ (fill in the blank)
If I could make money at it, I would …. _________________________________ (fill in the blank)
I feel most happy when I am _________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Growing up, I always wanted to try _________________________________ (fill in the blank)
If I wasn’t afraid to look foolish, I would _________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Time travel into the past
Now take a moment and remember a list of at least 10 things that you thought you wanted to be when you were 16 years old and younger. To help you remember, just close your eyes and let’s do a little time travel. Picture a time travel spaceship. Get in and set the date to when you were 5 years old. Go back and imagine yourself meeting with and talking to your younger self. Ask them what you wanted to be at this age – just write it down without judgment. Next, go back to the time travel spaceship and set the destination to when you were 8 years old and repeat the same process. Keep repeating the process for ages 12, 16, 18, and 21, and each time right down the answers that your younger self gives you. Don’t judge your responses. Simply record them.
This is a good time to take a short break – all this time travel makes me hungry. See you back in a few.
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Look over the list and see if there’s a hint about what your secret desires are. One small bit of advice here. When we begin this journey, our dreams are tender and fragile, so be mindful of who you share these ideas with. Sometimes it’s best to keep the information inside your inner circle and share it only with the people who you know will support your dreams and nourish the seedling idea.
Now let’s time travel forward in time. Let’s take our time machine 10 years into the future. Open up a fresh notebook page and record in as much detail as possible what you see yourself being, doing, and having at that time. Record all of your sensory perceptions. Do you see certain objects, are there certain sounds around you, what are the tastes that you frequently enjoy, what odors will the air?
Here is an example:
I’ve traveled to the year 2032 and I’m lying in a hammock under a shady elm tree. My home overlooks the ocean and I can hear the gentle sounds of the waves as they lap toward the shore. It’s a warm spring day and the air is filled with the sweet aroma of jasmine mixing with the brine of the ocean. I can hear the sounds of Abba playing in the house and as I stare at the row of rose hedges, I am excited about the upcoming week of travel to launch my latest book. I can see the white curtains billow out threw the patio doors as a gentle breeze dancing across the yard.
Now it’s your turn.
Fill out your 10 years from now vision in as much detail as you can imagine.
When you’re done with 10 years from now, next see if you can do the same thing for 3 years from now and then 1 year from now.
Creating the vision is the first and most important step in this journey. If you don’t have a compelling and meaningful enough vision, you’re not likely to follow through. So, take this step seriously. And go ahead DREAM BIG!
Once you’ve outlined your vision, tomorrow we will walk through figuring out the action steps that will take you in the direction of your dream.