“All things are created twice; first mentally; then physically. The key to creativity is to begin with the end in mind, with a vision and a blue print of the desired result.” – Stephen Covey
There’s a fun exercise I like to use to help me create a crystal clear vision for my future. Here’s how to do it: write down a detailed account of what your ideal day looks like. Start with when you first wake up, and write down everything you would do in your ideal day.
That’s what Tony Robbins did. In his book Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, Robbins shares the approach he used to create his ideal day, and ultimately, his ideal life.
He writes:
“It’s great to have all kinds of different goals. However, what’s even nicer is to be able to design what all of them together would mean for you. Now create your ideal day. What people would be involved? What would you do? How would it begin? Where would you be? Do it from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. What kind of environment would you be in? How would you feel when you climbed into bed at the end of a perfect day?”
Writing it down and getting specific will help you to get more clarity on what you really want.
“Use pen and paper and describe it in detail. Remember all results, actions, and realities we experience start from creations in our minds, so create your day the way you desire it most.”
Tony Robbins’ Story…
“Does all this work? You bet it does. Three years ago I sat down and designed my ideal day and my ideal environment. I’m living both right now.
At that time I was living in a dinky place in Marina del Ray, California, but I knew I wanted something more. So I decided to design my perfect day and then program my subconscious to create that ideal life by daily experiencing in my imagination my life exactly as I desired it most. This is how I began. I knew I wanted to be able to get up and see the ocean in the morning, and then I wanted to be able to take a run on the beach. I had a picture – it wasn’t perfectly clear – of a place that had both greenery and the beach.
After exercising, I wanted to have a great place to work. I saw it as someplace tall and spacious. I saw it as a cylindrical shape on the second or third floor of my home. I wanted a limousine and a driver. I wanted to have a business with our or five partners who were as strong and excited as I was, partners I could meet and brainstorm new ideas with on a regular basis. I dreamed of the ideal woman to be my wife. I didn’t have any money, and I decided I wanted to be financially independent.
I got everything I programmed into my mind. Everything I imagined then has come to pass. My castle is exactly the kind of place I imagined when I was living in Marina del Rey. I met my ideal woman six months after I imagined her, and married her eighteen months after that. I’ve created an environment that totally nurtures my creativity, that constantly triggers my desired to be everything I can be, and that creates for me a daily attitude of gratitude. “
Now it’s your turn!
Imagine yourself three years from now. In your journal or notebook, describe your ideal day. Imagine how you would feel as you start your day. What would your first action be? Your second? What would you eat? How would you spend your time? Are you drinking margaritas on the beach, spending time with your kids, or writing a novel? See the scenes and imagine the experience.
To help you envision this in detail, walk through the following questions:
You wake up.
- What time is it?
- Where are you living?
- What does your living space look like?
- Are you alone or with a partner or family?
You start your normal morning routine.
- What is your normal routine?
- Do you eat breakfast?
- Drink coffee or tea?
- Shower?
- Exercise?
- Get dressed?
You start switching into work mode (if your perfect day involves work).
- Do you travel to work or work from home?
- If you travel to work, how do you get there?
- How long does it take?
- What does your work environment look like?
- Do you work indoors or outdoors?
- Do you have an office?
- Do you have a lot of coworkers or work mostly by yourself?
- How long is this day?
- What kinds of tasks are you doing exactly?
- Are you working primarily with things, primarily with people, or a combination of both?
- Are you working primarily with ideas, primarily with data, or a combination of both?
- Do you have a lunch break, and do you spend it alone or with coworkers?
- Do you engage with customers of some sort?
- Do you work nonstop or have a lot of breaks?
If your ideal day does not involve work…
- How do you spend your day?
- Playing?
- Shopping?
- Visiting with friends?
- Enjoying quiet time?
Your ideal day winds down.
- What does your typical evening routine look like?
- Do you exercise?
- Eat dinner with friends and/or family?
- Watch TV?
- Read?
- Socialize?
- What time do you go to bed?
After you have written out the details, spend a few minutes envisioning yourself experiencing your ideal day. Revisit your script on a regular basis, get into the feeling place of it, and in time, like Tony Robbins’ story, it will become your reality.
