I’m a self-help junkie. I’ve read countless books and listened to multiple teachings on self-improvement. These authors and speakers have become my imaginary advisors, as I learned from the book Think and Grow Rich. I consult their media resources for advice.
A common word used by these individuals is vision (i.e., destination, target, or desire).
It’s a must to KNOW where you want to go, but more importantly, don’t put too much emphasis on how you’re going to get there.
Once you pinpoint your destination, like a GPS in a car, a step-by-step route will magically manifest. It’s important that you have good listening skills and are capable of following directions.
Once you are there, you’re likely to take a photo to remember the experience.
For instance, when you go on vacation, you take pictures and typically print your trip’s highlights. Put them in picture frames somewhere visible in your home.
In other words, you frame your past.
Well, vision requires you to FRAME YOUR FUTURE.
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What Does It Mean to “Frame Your Future?”
“THE NUMBER ONE REASON MOST PEOPLE DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT IS THAT THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT.”
T HARV EKER
Framing your future means intentionally deciding:
- who you want to become,
- how you want to live,
- what you value,
- and what kind of life you are building.
It especially means refusing to let temporary seasons define your permanent identity.
In essence, don’t be vague or general about your desire. Instead, be specific. The quote from T. Harv Eker says it all – “The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want.”
One man of God made four valid points about VISION:
- Something becomes essential to you when you decide that it is what you want.
- When you decide to focus on it, you’ll find more of it.
- The reticular activating system (RAS) gravitates you toward your desires, and this happens at a subconscious level (part of the mind not fully aware but that influences one’s actions and feelings).
- If you cannot SEE it, you cannot SEIZE it.
For example, have you ever shopped for a specific car?
The simple fact that you decided to purchase a specific car, you begin to see it everywhere, all the time.
Well, it happened to me when I decided to purchase a Toyota Prius years ago.
That’s our reticular activating system (RAS) at work. It’s a bundle of nerves that filters out unnecessary information so that the important stuff gets through.
RAS is helping you FRAME YOUR FUTURE.
Therefore, the sooner you decide what you want, the sooner the thing you desire will start revealing itself to you.
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“TO HAVE A BIG DREAM REQUIRES THE SAME EFFORT AS HAVING A SMALL DREAM”
JORGE PAULO LEMANN
DREAM BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS DREAMS
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that your environment or those temporary seasons can quietly convince you to settle.
Sometimes you stay in a place that no longer aligns with your future because it feels comfortable, familiar, or predictable, which in turn makes you doubt your ability.
You begin to tell yourself:
- “It’s too late.”
- “People like me don’t do that.”
- “I don’t have enough money.”
- “Nobody in my family has ever done it.”
- “I’m too old.”
- “I’m too behind.”
But growth often requires discomfort which in turn requires you to put your faith into action.
This leads to the next point from my Imaginary Advisors: DREAM BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS DREAMS
Chip Ingram, the author of GOOD to GREAT in God’s Eyes, writes, “[God] wants your heart to be filled with dreams that are far bigger than you are.”
One woman of God offers a different perspective in her teaching: “There is no need to see something bigger than you; nothing is bigger than our God.”
In the Science of Getting Rich book, Wallace D. Wattles tells his readers, “You need not hesitate to ask largely. Your part is to focalize and express the desire to God” AND “All that is a possibility is seeking expression through men“.
Terri Savelle Foy wrote a book titled “IMAGINE BIG“. She advises her readers to
- “give yourself permission to let your imagination run wild at any age, and
- never let anyone discourage you from believing anything is possible.”
I heard somewhere that dreaming costs you nothing, but not dreaming will cost you everything.
So what does your DREAM life look like? Your DREAM car? What’s your DREAM job? Your DREAM vacation? What’s your life’s purpose? Your life legacy?
In 2018, a big dream of mine was to live in Dubai. At the time, that dream felt almost impossible. No one in my immediate family had ever lived abroad. Dubai felt worlds away from my reality. But something inside of me kept pulling me toward my dream. I call it baby stepping my dreams into reality. That is the power of vision. Sometimes your future has to exist internally before it manifests externally. Even when it does not fully make sense to other people.
Then, in 2022, another dream took root in my heart: I wanted to help others experience Dubai too. Not just through photos or social media but through actual travel experiences. I wanted to book trips to Dubai. And now? That dream has happened too.
Looking back, it reminds me that many of the things we desire begin as uncomfortable visions long before they become reality.
Dr. Cindy Trimm, another one of my imaginary advisors, in her book Commanding Your Morning, calls this “possibility thinking,” and it requires cultivating a thinking environment.
“YOU MUST CREATE AN OPULENT THINKING ENVIRONMENT
DR. CINDY TRIMM
IN ORDER TO CREATE AN OPULENT LIFE. “
CULTIVATE A THINKING ENVIRONMENT
A meaningful life rarely happens accidentally. If you want financial freedom, peace of mind, better health, stronger relationships, freedom to travel, confidence, or personal fulfillment, you must become intentional. Intentional people create plans, develop habits, protect their peace, invest in themselves, and stay focused on long-term vision.
One imaginary advisor shared a habit of Peter Daniel, a third-generation welfare recipient, now an international businessman worth millions. Mr. Daniel attributes his unprecedented success to scheduled thinking. He reserved one day a week on his calendar to think. Mr. Daniel said his most fantastic ideas, opportunities, and money-making ventures came from [intentionally] taking days off to think.
Dr. Trimm advises her readers in Commanding Your Morning to “create an inspirational environment around yourself” that spurs creativity.
Next, she urges her readers to spend blocks of time in their most creative space, whether it’s the quietness of nature or a bustling cafe. Lastly, when you identify that place, practice thinking.
SEEING THE WORLD EXPANDS YOUR THINKING
International travel became one of the greatest catalysts for my personal growth.
Travel taught me confidence, problem-solving, courage, cultural awareness, and how much bigger life truly is.
Sometimes the reason people feel stuck is because they have only experienced one version of life.
It helps you realize there are different ways to live, think, definitions of success, and possibilities for your own future.
Travel forced me to confront fear and step outside my comfort zone.
And honestly, many of the things I once thought were impossible for me became believable once I started seeing more of the world.
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