what’s your vision?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about an important component of change…an idea so simple that it’s easy to overlook. I’m talking about your vision for yourself. Your vision is how you see the future you. It’s your mental and emotional blueprint for the next version of yourself.

Before I get deeper into vision, let’s talk about creating. My meditation teacher Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about the difference between creating from intention versus creating by default.

Creating from intention is conscious, deliberate, and planned. I have an idea of something that I want to create in my life, or a way that I want to be. When I create intentionally, I hold this vision of myself in my thoughts. I feel positive emotion - often, excitement, anticipation, and satisfaction - when I think about my future. Creating from intention is an active process in which I practice the feeling BEFORE I start to see any outward signs of change.

On the other hand, creating by default is being unintentional about the creation process. I may know what I want, but I don’t understand that I can actually create it. I may be hoping for it, and I may even be taking some physical action towards it, but I’m not imagining myself there. Most likely, I’m feeling the distance between where I am now and where I want to be.

And to take it a bit further, when I don’t cultivate a vision of how I want to be, and just roll with what life serves up, that’s also creating by default. I may feel content or I may not. My life is still unfolding moment by moment, but I’m not taking an active part in where I’m going.

I am in no way shaming creation by default. We all do some creating by default. However, if you really want to change or experience something new, creating by default is unlikely to get you to where you want to be.

So, back to visioning.

Can you see yourself becoming the person you want to be? Can you see yourself creating the life you want to experience?

Imagine you want a new job. You might think that it’s all about the job, but it’s really about who you’ll be in the new job. Focusing on who you’ll be requires you to access and amplify how you’ll feel in your new job.

Suppose you want a job with the freedom to work remotely. You’d like to earn more money than you’re currently earning. And perhaps you want to travel and work from wherever you are, so some freedom to make your own schedule is important too. To create a strong vision of this future you, it’s important to imagine how you’ll feel as this next version of yourself. What will it be like to have landed this job? How will your life change? What will your days be like?

When I imagine this (even though it’s a random example and not necessarily MY vision), I start to feel excited. I imagine feeling powerful and in control of my time. I imagine what it would be like to be flexible enough to schedule my work around my life. I envision the places I’ll experience, all while working this new job. I imagine all the things that will come from making more money…more freedom, more opportunities to do things I’ve always wanted to do. I see myself loving the work itself, and having colleagues who are like-minded, fun and inspiring to work with. I’m really just imagining future Amy with a really great gig. And it feels pretty amazing to imagine that part of my life feeling really solid.

Try it on for yourself. It doesn’t have to be with the job example. It can be anything at all that you want to experience or create or be. My one rule in visioning is that you have to completely go for what you want in your imagination. If you find yourself toning it down because you don’t think you can do it or you don’t think it’s possible, you’re not really doing this exercise.

Imagine yourself in this new situation. Can you start to feel what it will be like when you’re living it? What will you feel like in your body? What will your face look like…will you be smiling? Laughing? Imagine how you interact with others in this new reality. Are you excited for your day? What things in your life are easier now? What else is available to you? How do you inspire the people around you? How will this future you affect the world?

Lest you think this is getting woo-woo…

You are actually changing your brain when you do this. When you envision yourself in a new reality, you practice feeling - in advance - the emotions you will experience. Envisioning yourself the way you want to be feels powerful. The more you do it, the more you see yourself with agency. As you practice feeling into your future self, you become the kind of person who CAN live this way. You begin to see new possibilities for yourself. And when you open yourself to new possibilities, you open your perception to actual resources in your physical world that match your vision. Resources like new ideas, new people, meet-ups, places to hang out, even job listings.

Because you’ve broken out of your old pattern and consciously practiced seeing yourself in a new way, the physical manifestations of what you’re creating can appear on your radar.

You begin to embody the new you.

Don’t believe me? Try it out. The key is to feel an emotional connection to the future vision of yourself. This is not just a mental exercise. You have to feel a palpable connection to your vision. And when you do, it feels so good that you’ll want to practice it every day.

It’s not that you can’t do the outward things…like apply for new jobs, or talk with people that could help you. You can totally do those things. Just put your inner work, your vision, first. Because a powerful vision is like a magnet that draws you towards what you want to create.

Why wouldn’t you want to harness the power of a magnet?

Want to explore your vision for your future self? Let’s go! Click here to schedule a free connection call with me. And for more juicy life stuff, tune into my podcast, coming home (to yourself). As always, may your week be filled with self-love and rich insights. With love, Amy ♡♡♡