I believe you must see it before you can be it and one of the biggest roadblocks or hurdles blocking us from the life we truly want, is our own ability to see ourselves actually living that life before it comes to fruition. The path between where we are and where we ultimately want to be often looks fuzzy which routinely results in the denial of our desires. We silence our own ideas in an effort to stick with what we know effectively blocking our own growth.
While we might see other people who have what we want (identified through envy and comparison), we cannot see how we can achieve the same things for ourselves and therefore talk ourselves out of ever starting. This has become increasingly problematic with the expansion of social media and the often glorified highlight reel that captivates so many of our minds.
As we spend more and more time online, we repeatedly see examples of other women who have what we want but the ability to connect the dots between where they started and where they are now is often missing, making our own roadmap nearly impossible to complete. We accept ‘good enough’ instead of reaching for more, we accept what is instead of imagining all that could be.
When I was busy juggling my corporate career in the midst of new motherhood, I couldn’t help but notice that I no longer aspired (or had the capacity) to climb the corporate ladder. After a decade of ceaselessly reaching for the next well-worn rung, I found myself standing still which was a position I didn’t know how to occupy. My identity was closely tied to my career success and I wasn’t sure who I was if I wasn’t rising.
When I looked around my office I no longer saw any examples of women that I envied or wanted to be. But when I picked up my phone and logged into social media, I found countless examples of other mothers who were raising babies and building businesses and chasing dreams and these women sparked something in me.
I longed to get myself out of that office and build something of my very own, but launching a business with a newborn in tow felt damn near impossible. It would be another two years before I eventually quit my corporate career and the birth of my second kid, another year later, finally inspired me to take action toward making my dreams a reality.
Long before I found the courage to build my first business, to sign my first lease, to leap head first toward chasing my dreams, I repeatedly daydreamed about a life that was incredibly different than my own. I had left my corporate career to stay home with my kids and more than anything I wanted fulfilling work that allowed me to mother from a place of strength rather than weakness. I wanted to hang up the selfless badge of honor I had been wearing and replace it with one that felt a bit more true to me.
I couldn't erase the image of an office space where women could come with their kids, to pursue the things that were important to them while their kids played nearby and every single time I closed my eyes I saw myself working there. I saw the tables and chairs, I saw the white walls and wooden toys, I saw the mothers and kids thriving and I couldn’t think of much else. I carried that image around for years and the clearer that image became, the closer I got to creating it.
True story: Years before I brought that dream to life I created a vision board full of pictures and images to inspire me. Most of them said Together or Togetherness along with community and co-working and childcare. I also included a handful of cartoon drawings of women sitting together. Years later, after building and closing my space, I stumbled upon my long forgotten vision board and realized the cartoon women were sitting on a pink couch that looked exactly like the pink couch I had purchased for my own space. I had brought that vision to life without even realizing it.
I never would've found the confidence to pursue my dreams without first imagining this different version of me. Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” and I couldn't agree more. The reason visualization or using your imagination is so powerful is because you are creating pictures and images inside of your mind, seeing yourself with the life you want, and in doing so you are creating thoughts and feelings of having that life right now.
I believe that if you can see it in your mind, you can achieve it in real life. I also happen to believe that we all have a dream or two locked deep inside of us and my goal is to coax it out of you, to encourage you to pursue it, to talk yourself into your best life rather than out of it.
You can begin to imagine a life different than your own and to manifest whatever it is you desire through repeated thoughts. You imagination is limitless and your vision can change, but the first step toward getting what you want is visualizing it until it arrives. Visioning connects the dots between where you are and where you want to go.
If you want to learn more about my original vision you can read more here.
Visualize your best self and start showing up as her.
I am hosting a FREE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP next Monday, this is the first in a series designed to help you expand your vision of who you are and all that you can be.
Visualization is a proven method that can help you identify and manifest your desires, by creating a clear mental image of what you want to achieve you can align your thoughts and actions to bring that vision to life.
Maybe you have an idea that you can’t quite figure out what to do with or maybe you have a business that you cannot quite figure out how to scale or maybe you feel trapped in a career or job or role that isn’t exactly fulfilling, creative visualization might be just what you are missing.
Together we will create a vision for yourself and for your life that you can take with you into 2024, creating a roadmap that can help bridge the gap between where you are and where you ultimately want to be.
This workshop takes place on Monday, November 27th at 10am (PST) on Zoom. It is FREE to join so please feel free to share this link with a friend or anyone you think might benefit from visualizing their best selves.
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#57: Commitment: When in doubt, commit.
#56 Goals: Nothing will work unless you do.
#55 Knowing: Knowing is not enough, we must do what we know.
Full archive here.
The Latest from the Self/Talk Podcast:
#5: Work, Motherhood, and Self.
Join the conversation here.
Book a Visioning session with me:
I help women connect to themselves and expand their vision for what is possible, bridging the gap between where they are and where they ultimately want to be.
Black Friday Promotions:
Sign up for a one-on-one Self/Work session between November 20-27 and receive 50% off your first session - only $87.50 per hour (discounted from $175/hr, limit one discounted session per new customer).
Buy six Self/Work sessions and get one free - $875 (discounted from $1050, payment due upon first booking).