Do you know only 9% of new year’s resolutions succeed?
Most people quit their resolutions during the first half of the year.
What does that tell you?
I spent 5 years making plans and resolutions the conventional way.
I sat down with my notebook and attempted to conjure up an ideal image of how I should live, achieve, and become that would optimally benefit me. Then list down the things I wanted to conquer.
My mind would tell me what my family and companies expected of me and what I should achieve in order to look successful.
I would produce a list of egoistical goals after which pursuing them was like walking with a gun against my back.
To be honest, it was exhausting.
Even when I accomplished some of the goals, the journey was everything but joyful. Most parts of the list failed to be actualized.
It was not because my goals weren’t established according to the SMART principles. It was not because of my lack of dedication and discipline.
3 years ago I came to realize this hyper-rational method was simply counter-effective for me — a highly sensitive introvert who is stubbornly intuitive.
I needed a better approach to planning.
The problem with the conventional way is it only incorporates your analytical brain (left hemisphere).
It’s the part responsible for synthesizing information from your external environment in order to make survival decisions. The analytical brain is not capable of “dreaming” — a foundational element of planning.
That is why it only provides you with suggestions to succeed according to the norms. So that you can fit into your social roles or expectations, and be accepted by your community — in order to help you survive.
That is why your resolutions may be a list of things you feel responsible for, instead of inspired or excited by. Or in other cases, the things you feel too pressured of, instead of delighted about.
And when you fail to fulfill these superficial resolutions, you carry that shame and guilt into the next year. You then establish even more misaligned goals in efforts to compensate, and get trapped in this feedback loop.
This time, let’s do it differently.
I invite you to experiment with this process called Visioning.
Visioning is a powerful tool to start a strategic planning process.
Visioning taps into the power of your intuitive brain (right hemisphere). This part specializes in visualization, emotions, and daydreaming.
It enables you to leverage your holistic thinking — not just analytical thinking — into surfacing your deepest desires, your wildest aspirations, and your anticipation toward your future.
If done well, visioning helps you
- gain amazing clarity about your future,
- create a future image that balances both the “reach for the sky” mentality and remaining practical,
- develop emotions and anticipation toward your future (often introduces feelings of delight, excitement, or inspiration)
After practicing my 4-step guidelines on Visioning, a subscriber of my growth-letter, The Pathfinder, has been able to crystalize her vision and goals for 2023 — not only in her analytical brain, but also in her intuitive & creative brain.
‘Kim, I didn’t know my vision could appear so realistic and so close to me. What I wasn’t so sure about became very deterministic. I’m feeling I could actually realize this life. I’m much more confident about pursuing it. I even didn’t know I had a thing for art. It makes so much sense. I just didn’t want to admit that part of me’.
So here we go.
What you need:
- A quiet space
- Any of these inspiring elements: candles, diffused essential oil, nightlight, instrumental music…
- A paper and a pen
Simple visioning steps:
- Prepare
- Choose a specific time & date to mark your targeted future 1-3 years from the present.
- Enter a meditative mode. Keep your eyes closed, your body relaxed, your mind calmed, and your breath slowed. Stay aware and connected to your body and surrounding.
- Imagine
- Traveling through space and time to land on the future date you target.
- Establish that your future life is blossoming with all of your desires and dreams turning into reality and you are loving this life with your whole heart. Take some time here to really establish within your mind & body the beautiful life you have in your future.
- Visioning
Use these questions to paint a vivid picture of your vision- Who have you become at that time? What are you doing on that date? Where are you then? Who are you with? What does your life look like in that future? How do you feel about your life and yourself then? What has happened in the past 12-36 months? What have you accomplished or changed?
- You are painting a mental picture here. Let your mind create any images it wants. Do not let your analytical brain interfere with this process. Even if the images seem too odd or too wild, let them be, even encourage yourself to express those visions.
- Incorporate your sensory imagination into this process to make it more powerful. Create the smells, the sounds, the touches. Feel them through your physical senses.
- Reflect
- Once your vision has become vivid, open your eyes and write down (or draw out) what you have seen.
- Ask yourself
- What is interesting about this vision?
- How do I feel about this vision?
- Do I want to actualize this vision into reality and how?
That’s it.
Envision, instead of thinking, your future image.
Envision, instead of calculating, your goals.
Let your nervous system guides the way to your authentic success.
This is one of the lessons I shared with the subscribers of my growth-letter, The Pathfinder, every Friday. If you would love to receive one like this, leave your email here.
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