How To Anchor Your Visions

Yesterday, Shannon from Reading Has Purpose left an intriguing comment on my post “What Do Your Dreams Look Like?“:

I dream everyday. I think I’m actually too busy dreaming. I envision a future so bright that I sometimes forget to live in the present moment which sometimes causes me to neglect the obligations I have today.

I think she made a great point.

Getting Lost In The Sauce

Dreaming without direction, without an action plan behind it and without parameters can sometimes lead to neglecting your present moment. There are a few ways you can avoid getting lost in your own dreams, but first you’ll have to realize the need to stay on course.

It may be tempting to live in your head instead of living right now. Especially if the dreams you live in your mind are more appealing to you than the reality you live when you open your eyes.

For me, its so much more appealing to think about the perfect man who lives in my vision for my future, then it is to meet, interact and go on dates with the men in real life who I may not like. But if I allow my creativity and desire to get in the way of the opportunities I have every day, then I won’t get any closer to realizing moments that may meet or even exceed my vision.

How To Plan Your Visualizations

The first thing I do to ensure I don’t get lost in my own head, is to set boundaries for my visualizations. I typically visualize at the same time each day, which is right before bed. After I turn off the lights and get under the covers, I let my mind roam until I fall asleep. If I have time when I wake up, I visualize for a few minutes then too.

I used to visualize for about 15 minutes at a specific time each night. But I found that that took the fun out of visualizing and I felt it becoming a chore.

I also tend to visualize one dream at a time. I tried to visualize what my perfect day would be – I saw myself running my own business, being affectionate with my future husband, and living in my dream home. I also saw myself enacting some of the habits I wanted to install, such as working out every day and eating healthy foods.

I found that to be too overwhelming. I concentrated so hard on trying to cram everything into my vision and make it perfect. It just seemed contrived to me and it wasn’t enjoyable.

So I took a step back and let pictures flash in my mind until I eased into a visualization habit that felt fun and pleasing to me, without any pressure.

When visualizing, I also focus on those aspects of my dream that feel the hardest to accomplish or the farthest away. Sometimes when thinking about something I desire to happen, if it feels too far away or too hard to accomplish, then I get discouraged about it ever happening.

So I use my visualization time to see how it’d feel to actually have it, to reassure myself that its not as far away as it seems, and that reassurance adds to my motivation as well.

Dream About Tomorrow, Live For Today

I think focusing on one goal allows me to stay grounded in the present. I try to work on more than one goal at a time, and usually the goal I’m visualizing is not one I’m actively working on. Its so easy to get discouraged when you’re not yet where you want to be – so I try not to give myself reasons to feel like my life isn’t as great right now as it could be.

I often remind myself that I’m doing the best that I can, and if I can’t say that to myself truthfully, then I ask myself what I can do better.

So by bridging the gap between my vision and my present moment, I find ways to take steps to get from where I am to where I want to be. By analyzing my actions against my visualizations, I can see the areas I need to improve or change. And I take steps toward that, so that my dreams will become real one day.

Do you ever get lost in your dreams? Is it easy to feel like your dreams are better than your current life? Leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about today’s topic.

What Do Your Dreams Look Like?

When you close your eyes and look at your dreams, what do you see?

When you think about the future and what you where you want to be, what do you feel?

When you listen to loving voice in your head, that’s guiding you to the person you were born to be, what do you hear?

Do you take the time to listen, to feel, to see what’s before you?

So often, before we dare to dream and to desire something new in our lives, we allow our negative self-talk to talk ourselves out of what we want. You might say things to yourself like:

• I can’t possibly go back to school, because that costs money.
• How am I going to afford that trip that I’ve always wanted to take? Might as well not even think about it.
• I might as well start adopting cats because there’s no good men left.
• I don’t have enough time to start my own business. I’ll be in this rat race forever.

Whatever YOU tell yourself about yourself, is definitely true.

Click Here To Continue

Take Your Vision Farther

There’s something to be said for the power of your vision.

We often don’t believe that we can accomplish a goal, because we simply can’t see ourselves doing it. But the visions you have for your future can take you from the realm of wishes to tangible, achievable goals. This is especially important when you have a burning desire that others call impossible to achieve. Call it wishful thinking, call it daydreaming, but whatever you call it, visualizing your goals can be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

From Vision To Reality

I always had a passion for flashin’
Before I had it
I closed my eyes and imagined, the good life

~ Kanye West, Good Life

You may not be a Kanye fan but his lyrics are a great example of my point. In his songs, he talks about how he used to work at The Gap, lived at home with his mom and was so poor that he and his girlfriend had to split the buffet at KFC. Yet he’s one of the most popular (and, admittedly, controversial) artists out today; he’s won 12 Grammy awards and has his own label, which is home to Common, Kid Cudi and John Legend. You may think his rise to fame was largely a product of luck, but I beg to differ. He was on his grind and made things happen for himself, but during those dark, lean days, he held his vision in his mind long enough to get him to each next step.

This example is a great template for us to follow. Click Here To Continue