Re-imagine your future, build on your past, connect with your resources and expand your possibilities.
Something interesting happens to your heart rate as you breathe. With every inhale, your heart beats faster so your heart rate goes up. With every exhale, your heart rate slows down.
We are in the time of year when things speed up like a big inhale. Our diaries are fuller, deadlines are looming, and we are asked to do more and more. Hopefully, this is the prelude to an exhale and a slowing down over the festive season.
This is often a time of reflection that starts with, “I can’t believe it’s December already,” and continues to, “Where did the year go?” With that impetus, this reflective attitude can help us to do something exciting: Imagine the future we want to create next year.
There is a simple 4 step process you can use to constructively re-imagine your future, so it’s not bogged down by the patterns of the past.
The first step would be to cast your mind into the future and think of your ideal:
- What would need to be true for you to feel that 2023 was a raving success?
- How would it be if your health, wealth and relationships were all amazing at the end of 2023?
- What would you love to accomplish, be, do, create or manifest in 2023 that would fill your heart with joy?
Once you have some ideas sparking around in your mind-body, the next step would be to build on the past.
A good way to do this would be to list out all the things that have gone well in 2022. We can agree that there would have been some challenges in many areas. We can also agree that you might have dwelt on some of them for too long. This is an exercise in building excitement and inspiration, so this is a space to contrast the challenges with the ‘wins.’ Start with the smallest items and build from there.
- What has happened in your personal and professional life that you are proud of?
- What was positive in your health and well-being?
- What was positive in your financial well-being?
With a foundation of positive progress from the year that is passing and a vision for what you would live in the year ahead, now it is time to call forth support to your cause.
All of your visions require resources. Time, energy, will, skill and money are common themes that you may need to rally – some from within you and some with the help of others. In this step you ask:
- What resources will I need to make my vision a reality in 2023?
- If I don’t possess the resource needed, who does and how can they help me?
Now you’re armed with a vision, proof of your ability to progress and the necessary support mechanisms the last step is to make it bigger.
With all you’ve dreamed of so far, what else could you do?
While this last step may feel like a big step, it’s a vital one. Only by stretching your imagination can you stretch your mind beyond its current limitations. The limitations you have in your mind space have created your current reality. To create a new one, you will need to go beyond your current limits.
After you’ve taken a few moments to work through these steps, take another breath in and hold your new vision for 2023 in your mind-body. See it and feel it. Now breathe out and commit it to paper and put it up somewhere you will be able to see it every day.
