Did you know I could predict the future at 16?
Don't believe me? Go read my journals as proof 😂 , that is if you could pry them away from my laughing teenagers!
I had described in detail what my life is today.
I had predicted that I would be married to an amazing man, raising our six kids, living in a house that we love, own my own business and have amazing friends.
Now if I really could predict the future, I would have bought lots of Amazon and Zoom stock and not have bought airline tickets for April and May!
So at 16, I obviously couldn't predict the future but I was really good at imagining my future.
Do you see how powerful visualization can be for our life and goals?
In our youth, we spend so much time visualizing our future, but as we get older we tend to stop doing this.
Why do we stop?
According to research on the Big 5 Factors of personality, as people age, we tend to become less and less open to new experiences.
We stop seeking novelty and change. We stop imagining a bigger future.
We start using our past to predict who we will become. Our life becomes increasingly routine. Although routines are good for momentum, over time they are very bad for the brain.
The brain thrives on novelty, newness, and challenge. But our brains like to be really efficient, they like to rinse and repeat (routine) so in order to have growth and progress, we have to challenge our brains.
It's time to go back to the habits of our youth and invest time in redeveloping your imagination.
I promise you this is an investment that will reap great returns no matter what age you are.
Look at the success of McDonalds and KFC, both were started by men over 50. Ray Kroc started McDonald's at 52 this is when most people are only imagining their retirement. Harlan David Sanders filed for bankruptcy at age of 65, this was the year he started Kentucky Fried Chicken. He cashed his first-ever Social Security check and used this money for the first KFC.
We all have imaginations but some of us have let our imaginations go dormant. It’s time to start imagining a bigger and better future.
It’s time to stop attaching yourself to the person you think you are. Let yourself believe in bigger things. It’s time to let go of the notion that your future self is going to be the same as your present self.
It’s just not true.
Your future self will be a different person regardless of effort and intention.
Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” - Albert Einstein
So the question is how much imagination are you willing to create? What will be different in 3 years?
This week's challenge: imagine who you will be in 3 years.
“Your vision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Without having a goal it’s difficult to score.” – Paul Arden
Your current and future selves are two different people
Viewing your future self as a fundamentally different person allows you to think about what they would want
This is where your imagination skills come into play. What is your vision for your future?
How detailed is your vision?
When you create a new vision for your life, you immediately begin to see your whole life in light of that new vision. It becomes the context of your life.
Do not focus on how you’re going to achieve the vision. You simply want to get clear on what you want three years from now.
Write down and journal in detail these questions:
✅What does your life look like?
✅What do you look like?
✅What does your environment look like?
✅Who are the main people in your life?
✅What is the overall experience you’re having?
✅What does your typical day look like?
✅What is important to you? Where is your focus?
When you start realizing the untapped power of your brain and start letting go of limiting thoughts and habits, you will create a future even better than you had imagined. I did at 16.
Next week, I will teach you how to turn your what into a solid plan, step 2.
When you start realizing the untapped power of your brain and start letting go of limiting thoughts and habits, you will create a future even better than you had imagined. If you would like help with your personalized plan, schedule a strategy session and be ready to get blown away.