Your personal development coach

Imagine Your Desired Future

Your imagination empowers and motivates your learning. In fact, you have the ability to create a multi-sensory, virtual reality experience of the future you desire by drawing on your ability to dream and imagine. This creates a very potent learning ally.

Consider creating this imaginary view of the future for any personal change and development you want to embark on. You can use a very simple imagination support tool -- the Future Card. You can download it from the Tools section.

Part I of the card is a place for envisioning where/who you want to be in the future and where/who you are today. Part II is a single page where you can list the actions you’ll take to get there.

So, use the Future Card (in Tools) as an external expression of where you are and want to go. Doing this will activate a variety of sensations and capabilities of your brain/body system. It will begin to enlist your unconscious as well as your conscious self to bring your hopes into reality.

It will be worth your time to follow these steps because a powerful vision energizes many aspects of your learning and change process.

  • Imagine the future as you would like it to be
    • Close your eyes and put yourself into a Virtual Reality future as you would like to be – being, saying, doing, feeling, seeing, touching. Draw on as many senses as you can. Make your experience real.
    • See and hear the people and things and situations around you in your desired future. Again, be as real as you can.
    • Notice all the benefits to you, people around you, your company (if a work vision). Experience these as though you are in the future you desire.
    • Capture your future scenario – as a drawing or lists
  • Paint an honest picture of where you are today.
    • What is happening today? What are you doing, saying, feeling, seeing, touching? What are others saying, doing? What is the environment around you?
    • Note what the results and benefits are today.
    • An image is better than a list because it activates more parts of your brain.
  • Feel the positive tension between where you are today and the vision you want to move toward. You’ll resolve this tension through managing your personal learning and change using the SMART Learning methods.
  • Revise your image as you learn more about what is possible and what you want!

Part II of the Future Card will help you organize your learning activities.

Identify your journey’s activities and resources (Think of them as dots you connect throughout your journey.) Dots to connect include:

  • Planned learning activities & resources
  • Spontaneous resources, experience, adventures, experiments
  • Environment, tools, materials, aids to support learning
  • Support from others
  • How/when you will recognize progress and completion
  • Reflection, review, recall dates

As other learning opportunities that fit your vision arise, add them to the path

Your ultimate learning journey will emerge and refine as all the dots connect over time

When you are thinking about making any change or pursuing even a small goal, close your eyes and imagine success. Put yourself physically and mentally into the future – feel it, smell it, see it, taste it, touch it. You will increase your chances of success because you will signal your conscious and unconscious self to notice opportunities and to pursue that goal!