Visualization: Start practicing this today
For as long as I can remember, I've been a dreamer. Getting lost in my intense inner world which gets mistaken for me being aloof or out of it. But I'm far from those things- I actually notice even the smallest details and can recall such vivid memories from years ago. This intense inner knowing can be scary sometimes because I can get lost in a sea of negativity as a result of my mind misinterpreting events. But once I learned that this was actually a gift, I was able to harness this power of dreaming to construct the life I only dreamed of. When I decided that I wanted to move across the country, my environment quickly changed to support that dream. Below are the reasons why I believe in using more visualization to reach our goals. I believe this is something everyone can and should do. Allow yourself to be alone and really start to dream of how you want your life to look.
Feel your way to the goalThe first thing to ask yourself in dreaming of a goal is how do you want to feel? Do you want to change careers because you want to feel empowered in your work? Or maybe you want to get healthy because you want to feel in control of your life. For me, the main reason behind wanting to clean up my diet was that I just wanted to feel in my body. I felt like I was against it for so long and I just wanted to be at peace and give it what it needed. The reason we want to make any change in life is because we want to feel something different. It is crucial to first decide how you want to feel before you think of the outcome. Our end goal may look very different than what we thought but if we align with the feelings we strive for, our environment will shift to provide them.
Design your dream environmentVisualization was a technique I used to move across the country and find a community where I felt at home. I first recognized that my current environment wasn't conducive to my ideal life so I knew I had to change it. Sure I had an idea of where I wanted to live but I was open to multiple options. But the most important thing I did was to identify how I wanted to feel in this new community and how others around me would live their lives, too. I identified what was important to me- close to nature, food quality, health consciousness- and decided to embark on finding my future home. Once I laid out these traits I started to live as if I was already there, really feeling as if this was possible for me. I spent my days as my future self would in this new found community. Sure enough my environment aligned to accommodate this life not too long after that. When an opportunity arose to move across the country I had no hesitation, I knew it felt right and I haven't looked back since. So I challenge you to identify what areas of your life you want to increase satisfaction in and start living in that way! You will find that it will come to you before you know it.
Visualize your healthiest selfIn any journey to get healthy, it's important to have a "why" to keep us motivated. If we don't have a reason to eat right then we will easily fall back into old patterns. When I first started my journey I thought of how my ideal day would look. Write down what healthy habits you will follow, how will food make you feel, what exercise will work best for you. This will start to construct the type of person you wish to become and your brain will start creating the pathways necessary to get there. You will find that this future healthy person won't have a hard time in eating right, it's just second nature. She will be excited to exercise because it gives her energy and confidence. She will forgive herself when she makes a less than healthy choice because she trusts herself to move forward. Visualize your healthiest you and start to see your reality aligning to create this person!
Lastly, but most important- don't be afraid to visualize what your truly want. No goal is too big, unreasonable, or unattainable. If you feel that it is what you truly deserve in life then start visualizing how to get there! The first step is committing to a journey and I promise that the universe will show you the way. Keep dreamin!