A big part of achievement and being successful is the ability to create a compelling vision and dream big. The ability to brainstorm creative ideas and alternatives is essential to visualizing an exciting future to pursue. Entrepreneurs and innovators rely on this skill to solve problems and overcome obstacles.

This ability comes from discipline at turning off your inner critic as well as ignoring the naysayers around you. Don’t fall easy prey to critics, objections, and opposition.

Suspend your disbelief about what is possible.

This assignment is an exercise in working these muscles. And this assignment has an added benefit. Many people who have done this are astounded that what they write comes to pass. Join them. You will be writing about your future.

You will be crafting your remarkable and exciting life. When what you aspire to is compelling, your mind will figure out ways to make it happen.

This assignment is to describe in detail your life ten years from now.

I first heard about this from listening to Debbie Millman on a podcast.

Write about what you would do and become if you knew for sure those things would come true. Describe a truly remarkable life.

Imagine what your life would be like if you could do anything you wanted with no fear of failure.

Dream big! Dream without any fear.

Visualize this: It’s ten years from now. Describe your life in detail. How do you spend your time? Where are you living and with whom? Describe your home and furniture. What adventures are you planning? What have you achieved? What kind of clothes do you wear? Talk about your significant other and your career. What excites you? How are your health and fitness?

Write about this single day, ten years from now. Describe your whole day from the minute you wake up through to when you go to sleep. This writing isn’t for sharing, so don’t censor yourself. Don’t hold back. Put your whole heart into it. Write like its life or death, because it is.

Put it in a private place and read it once a year. And see what happens.

This visualization exercise has had incredible results for many people. Once you have explicitly described to yourself what you want and where you want to be, your subconscious will begin working on making it happen. Your goals will pull you towards them like a magnet.

Imagination’s the Mother

Now that you have imagined in detail what your life will be like in ten years let’s take some time to flesh out your goals a bit more.

Dream

Just write it all down. Dream big. There are no limits. Write down all your thoughts on things you want to do, own, be, and share. Envision the people and places you want to be a part of your life. Feel the feelings and describe them. Write it all down.

Timeframes

Go over your list and estimate when you anticipate achieving each outcome. Understanding what is feasible in six months, a year, or five years will be helpful. Some big meaningful goals will take a decade or more. Don’t shy away from longer timeframes. We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade. Decade long goals can be the most exciting and rewarding. Go for it!

Why

Choose three of your goals that you can achieve this year. Pick the ones you are most excited about and committed to making happen. Write down why these three results so compel you. What excites you about them?

Write down all the reasons why you will make this happen. Be clear about why, and you will figure out how. A time horizon of within a year is close enough that you can taste it and feel it.

Action

Now that you have some clear goals take immediate action to support them. Progress starts right now, step by step.

Every day take a few minutes to think about your goal. Find a quiet place with no distractions. Imagine you have already achieved it. Feel the thrill of fulfillment and imagine all the details.

Goals

May I suggest making one of your big goals about achieving financial independence. Financial independence is an incredible accomplishment. Incredible accomplishments begin with setting a goal.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline. “

- Napoleon Hill

Goals are how we connect our dreams with our reality and make them come true. Setting goals puts off some people. They are afraid to set goals because they think they will be disappointed or fail. Achieving a goal isn’t nearly as important as setting it.

A goal isn’t about reaching perfection, but if we strive for perfection, we can achieve excellence.

Choosing a goal may seem to have a negligible effect on your life’s direction at first. But that slight change in the course of your path will take you to a completely different destination over time. We are now thinking with a long-term perspective.

Slight directional changes acted upon over a decade or two or three will have a massive impact on where you end up. Think of your course as a large ship at sea, and you are the captain. Shifting course a few degrees isn’t noticeable at first. But over time, this change in direction brings the ship you are navigating to a different destination.

The reason we set goals is to provide focus to our lives and to move us in the direction we want to go.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

- Yogi Berra

We identify where we want to go. Then we set a goal. Then we take massive action toward attaining it. We take action steps, and they become habits.

Take the example of financial independence. Lets first find out what your numbers are. What will it take for you to be financially independent? Many people overestimate what it will take and, as a consequence, don’t get excited about how close that feasible horizon is. Once we realize our financial goals are achievable, we get excited and pulled towards them.

Visualize the prospects and optionality that financial freedom represents. Know why you are doing this. Understand why, and you will figure out how.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Be more concerned with a low aim. Most times in life, we aim too small in our goals because we want to play it safe. A clear path to a lesser goal is more the reason for not reaching our big goals. Get clear, and don’t settle for poor prospects.

Poor prospects engender poor self-esteem. Engaging and exciting opportunities boost self-esteem. Once we define the goalposts clearly, the powerful forces of possibility will grip us and pull us deeper and deeper into each day and step along the path.

When we apply milestones, deliverables, and deadlines to dreams, they become actionable goals.

Plan

Like an athlete, dedicate yourself to continuous improvement. Be competitive against who you were yesterday. Be consistent in your actions, and continuously strive to improve.

A plan is an act of dividing a long-term goal into smaller actionable items that are measurable, achievable, and have a deadline.

I have links to some of my books throughout the article. I am the author of the books referred to in the links and I will earn money if the reader buys through my links. Thanks!

‍