Is life about finding yourself or creating yourself?
We believe that life is about creating yourself and build, alter and shape life as we please. The question is, do you have a clear vision of the life you want to create?
Most of us take life as it comes and we are mostly focused on current situations and upcoming events rather than thinking long term. We get it, what’s happening right now is affecting us in this moment. But developing a clear vision for our life leads to the totality of our being.
The best metaphor for creating a vision is comparing it to cooking a meal. Before you even start, you have to have an idea of the final result you want to create. Once you know what you want to cook, you know what ingredients you need to add, in what order you need to add them and how long it will take you. The same goes for creating a vision for your life. Without knowing where you want to end up, you don’t know what steps you have to take and what ‘ingredients’ you need to add and you’ll always end up short of your dreams.
Having a clear vision and knowing what the future holds gives us a feeling of being in control of our life. We are in command and can make plans on how to realize our vision. Vision comes from the Latin word visionem, which means wisdom. To have a vision means to have the wisdom to see past events and circumstances in order to see a bigger picture.
Once you create a vision for yourself and your life, you can go far beyond what you had previously imagined possible. So go deeper and understand yourself better to be able to create that vision that will lead you to live the life of your dreams. Remember, the visionary Walt Disney always said: ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’
How can we create a clear vision for our life? Here are our TOP 10 tips to dream, create and manifest the life of our dreams.
#1 What Do You Want Out of Life?
This is a deceptively simple question, though the reality is that it is the most difficult to answer for many of us. It can be scary to allow yourself to explore your deepest wishes and desires, but in order to be fulfilled in life, we need to remember that life doesn’t happen by chance, but by design. Ask yourself some thought-provoking questions to discover what you really want out of life. Consider every aspect of your life and look at all the important areas like health, friends and family, career, quality of life, success, spiritual development and personal growth. And don’t forget to include some fun and excitement. It may be helpful to write down your thoughts and create a vision board.
#2 Start to Dream
Dream big and allow yourself to imagine and create your ideal life in vivid pictures. Focus on how this dream life of yours would feel like. It may be difficult to have a vision for your life 20, 30 years from now. Start envisioning the next one to five years into the future first, this will give you a great starting point. Set aside all your judgments, assumptions and preconceived notions and really give yourself the chance to fantasize. Dream big and focus on the results. Just for the moment forget about the next step and how to get there. Give yourself permission to dream as big as you can without seeing the obstacles or challenges. Revisit your vision every single day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. You want to make sure to keep your vision in the forefront of your mind at all times to keep it alive.
#3 Create a Vision Bigger Than Yourself
We have the tendency to place ourselves within boundaries that define what we can and cannot do and who we can and cannot be. This only leads to a mindset of limitations that causes us to settle for less than we can be. Free yourself from those boundaries and dream as big as you want, not limiting yourself to what you think you will be be able to achieve right now. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Create that vision that is bigger than yourself and visualize yourself as if you’ve already attained your greatest goals and achieved your deepest desires. This mental image helps you to rewire your brain to achieve anything you want.
#4 Check Your Emotions
Our vision can get cloudy when we let our emotions and feelings take over. Don’t misunderstand us here. Yes, it is profoundly important to get in touch with how you will feel once you realized your vision and make that a vivid visualization on a daily basis. But what we mean here is that you want to keep your emotions and feelings in check when you hit an obstacle or setback. Don’t let your emotions and feelings block your vision when you hit a bump in the road.
#5 Let Go of Your Ego
Our Ego constantly compares and always filters the information that’s coming in to make sure we take the safest and least threatening course of action. The ego can be seen as the connection between our body, mind, emotions and feelings. It is programmed for survival and constantly filters our perception. The ego creates emotions, feeling and thoughts that have physical reactions to perceived threats to our ego and perpetuate a cycle of worry. In order to have a vision without our ego interfering, we need to learn how to let go of the ego. Only then can we evaluate information based on facts and truth that we can align with our vision and purpose.
#6 Plan Backwards
While it may sound counter-intuitive to plan backwards, it is a very useful strategy to plan your life from the end result. Remember our example with cooking a meal? Same applies for making your vision a reality. Start from the end result and then consider the last step and then make your way to the present moment to see the first step. It’s easy from here, once you figured out the first step, think about the step after that and then the next and so on. It may seem impossible to bridge the gap between where you are right now and where you ultimately want to end up in the future, but it is possible if you take it step-by-step. Make sure to revisit your vision along the way, because reaching for the stars can change you in unforeseeable ways, which can change your vision as well.
#7 Take Action
You have to take that first step and spring into action, otherwise your vision will only remain a dream. Put your intention to use and initiate action. Yes, your first step may be a huge leap of faith that gets you out of your comfort zone and can be a bit scary, but taking that first step proves to yourself that you can do it and makes you believe in your own abilities.
#8 Learn From Setbacks
Remember, having a vision means to have wisdom and having wisdom means to have an understanding of the bigger picture and not getting caught up in momentary obstacles or setbacks. Remind yourself that there may be a lesson to be learned from having to deal with a setback. Take a moment to evaluate what just happened and how it will affect your vision. What are the lessons that you can learn from your setback to help you achieve the bigger picture.
#9 Celebrate Your Achievements
Yes, of course there will be some obstacles and setbacks on the road, but it is just as true that there will be achievements and victories to celebrate. Take time to reflect and see where you were five years ago and where you are right now. Congratulate yourself for all your achievements, big and small, and don’t forget to reward yourself for all the hard work you put in to make your vision a reality.
#10 Never Give Up
Never ever give up! Simply creating a vision does not fulfill it. You have to put in the work to materialize your dream and yes, you will experience bumps in the road and people who are trying to keep you from succeeding. Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated. Remember, you are on a mission to realize your vision. You are on the way to your dream life and to achieve something incredible. It will take a lot to stop you. Keep your eye on your goal and don’t let circumstances and people derail you from getting what you want.
It may seem like creating a vision for your life is a bit frivolous. But it is not! If you can’t envision your future, you can’t possibly create it and if you can’t create it, you will never be able to achieve it. So creating a compelling vision for yourself and your life is actually the most effective way to achieve living the life of your dreams. Think of your vision as a compass that helps guide you make the right choices and take the right actions towards your goals, dreams and aspirations.
ENVISION LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES AND STEP INTO YOUR FUTURE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked