Let's Make Believe Instead - Casey Green Weddings

As we look to wrap up this year and prepare for the next, a lot of us take time to reflect on what we hope to experience or accomplish in the future. Do you do this too?

Being the crazy type A person I am, I have always been big on goal setting. I used to make a big, long list of things I wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year. Then I would work backwards and try to figure out what steps I would need to take to reach each goal. Often this is where I would get stuck. I would think, “I’m not exactly sure what steps I need to take to accomplish that goal…” Then I would start to freak out. How am I supposed to accomplish that goal if I don’t know how I could ever get there from where I am?! AHH! Before I knew it, I would start to feel a little discouraged and unsure of my abilities. What was supposed to be a fun, happy exercise suddenly turned into a point of stress, sadness and frustration.

I knew there had to be another way.

Thankfully, after years of experiencing goal setting stress, I have found a different approach to be more effective – visualization. Okay, before you roll your eyes, hear me out. The visualization process forces you to shift your thinking around your “goals”. I strongly encourage you to give it a try. There are a bunch of ways you can approach this.

Here are my pointers…

First, let’s make believe. Remember when you were a kid and you would make up elaborate stories you would act out when you played with your friends? Maybe you would just play house? Or maybe you would jump from your couch to your Dad’s recliner to avoid touching the hot lava running through your living room. Whatever it was, this process of “playing pretend” is very powerful. As you start to visualize your upcoming year, it is important to really believe in what you are imagining will be your future. You must be open to all possibilities. No matter how “crazy” or “impossible” they might be. Make this mental shift before you begin.

Draw it out. Images are really powerful. If you’re not artistically inclined, photos will do the trick. Find a magazine clipping of a thing you want or an image of person living the life you want to experience. Place these images in locations you naturally look at all the time. Put them by your desk, in your bathroom or by the front door. You want to place them locations you naturally look everyday. The idea is every time you see these images, imagine how wonderful it will feel when these images are a part of your reality – and get excited – you are moving closer to these experiences.

Don’t forget the details. When you are imagining the goals or things you would like to bring into your experience this year, remember to be specific. Don’t just say, “I would like to make more money.” Instead, say specifically, “I would like to make $1,000 more each month.” Then imagine what you do with this extra cash and feel how good it will feel when this is your reality.

Get emotional. One of the most important components of this whole process are your emotions. Identify what emotions you will feel when the goals you hope to achieve have occurred. Will you feel proud? Relieved? Excited?

Dream big. As you go through this process, be a little outlandish. Don’t be afraid to “think big”. If you find yourself saying to yourself, “I would really like X, but there is not way that could happen.” – Stop it!!! Listen to your thoughts, and nip those negative ones in the bud. Also, acknowledge your negative thoughts around a particular goals. Those are often the goals you want the most, but have fear associated with accomplishing them. Really take time to unpack those issues. Then blast through them – and allow yourself to think crazy and dream bigger than you think could be possible.

Don’t worry about the “how”. As you identify each goal or experience you want to have, don’t worry about how you’re going to get there. Don’t say to yourself, “I really want to be promoted, but my supervisor never notices the good work I do. How is that ever going to happen?” How you’re going to get promoted is not your concern. What is your concern, is believing you will get promoted and feeling excited because you know it will happen one way or another.

Act as if. You must “act as if” you have already accomplished your goals. Feel how proud, happy, relieved, free, you will feel when you have accomplished these goals. Already be in the place you will be emotionally when all of your goals have been achieved. This emotional shift is key bringing your goals to fruition.

I hope these tips are helpful.

Now let’s make this next year, the best year yet!

All my best,

Casey