Hello future you! In these uncertain times we would all like to predict the future you and what our future looks like. There are things that we can do to shape the future, even if we don’t know what it will look like. Understanding the parts that we want to keep or let go can also help with anxiety. Being able to make decisions for the benefit of ourselves isn’t a bad thing. If you aren’t sure where to start I cover this and more in the podcast below.
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What to do when you don’t know where to start
We don’t have an idea of what the future will hold right now. This doesn’t mean that we have to stop dreaming, or planning what we want to do in the future. Our world doesn’t stop at our front door, even if we are in lockdown at the moment. We can predict the future you.
Start from where you are right now. What are you grateful for? Can you think of three things? Even if they are small, like being able to see Spring flowers out of your window, or that you were able to find a can of beans at the grocery store yesterday.
Building in three things that you are grateful for each day is going to help you to build resilience. If you are feeling a range of anxiety at the moment, you might find this podcast I recorded about anxiety helpful. You can listen to it here: Take me to the podcast.
Once you start to build up your own resilience you can start to plan what you want your future to look like. Now I don’t want you to pause here thinking “I don’t have resilience yet, so I can’t move forward”. That isn’t what I want for you at all. We can take steps forwards even if we aren’t feeling confident or resilient. I’ll explain how.
How to plan your future
Hello 2.0 future you! There are steps that you can take right now to move forwards and predict the future you. It doesn’t have to be massive, and you might not have all of the answers.
- Start where you are right now. What are your aspirations, dreams and goals?
- What don’t you want from the future? It could be where you work, the type of clients you work for, the clothes that you wear or the people that you hang out. Before you think that is a harsh place to start, my clients often find it easier to start with what they don’t want to find what they do want.
- Press pause. Well, the world did that for us! Take a moment to really think about what you want your life and career to look like in the recent future and in 5 years time. Don’t worry about the specifics yet, this is about getting you to visualise it.
Start with a list of no
What are the things, places or people that you don’t want to bring into your future. Make a long, long list and include everything from the food that you eat to the clothes that you wear. You might think that this is a flippant place to start, but this can actually help you to gain clarity about what you really want.
So often we try to please the people around us, or try to fit in. When if we are honest with ourselves we don’t fit, or it isn’t making us happy. This is the time to give yourself the gift of reflection. Be honest with yourself. What do you really want your future to look like? Own your dreams. Don’t be embarrassed about them, and share them with people that you can trust, or people who can help you to make them happen. They don’t even need to be people that you have met in person, they could be someone online that can help you get there.
You can see how I did it from a place of no help to reaching a career I wanted in my book The business of Creativity.
Now I’m not here to do a sales pitch, I wanted to show you that if I can do it, you can too!
Build the future you want
Take that long list that you have made and of what you don’t want, and repeat for what you do want. If it helps to cut pictures out of magazines, or make a board on Pinterest do it. Visualising the future is a great way to help you achieve it. Now before you think that it is all mumbo jumble, there is scientific evidence that backs up the power of visualisation. Many successful sports people use it to help them make it across the finish line. Evidence shows that it can spark those areas of the brain that make us think we have already done it.
This is so exciting to know if we are trying to build a future that looks very different from the one that we have now. By visualising all of the parts we want it to be made of. We can go out there and find it.
What to do next
I have a challenge for you that I talk about at the end of the podcast. It doesn’t need lots of fancy equipment, and it will help you start to build that future. Download the podcast to find out what it is…. Then come and let me know the outcome at Philiy@creativewomeninternational.com I love to hear from you.
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