As I promised, I am going to start, probably will be a series, on the role or ‘future’ on your behavior.
I’ll start with a personal example.
As you may know, I am old, fragile, living on borrowed time.
Back in November, meaning six months ago, my main computer was giving me grief, so I bought another one, but my main computer recovered, and I never installed the new computer. Yeah, I know, but I didn’t have the physical strength… or a good enough reason.
I have a vision for my work, but had no vision for the ‘company’… but that changed about a month ago.
Three things contributed to that:
1. I found a teacher who is a solo entrepreneur like me, off-kilter, like me, and curses like me… lol. I got revitalized. I started to see that I am not alone, even though I have never spoken to him, and he has no knowledge of me.
Following just a handful of his ideas, I grew my income enough that now I don’t scramble, and can save a chunk of that income for whatever I want to invest it in. Suddenly I had a future I could ‘finance’, if I wanted to.
2. I could see that I can expand my efforts and both live and work… and have my ‘borrowed time’ be more than must surviving: maybe I can live. LIVE.
And then came the notion of publishing my stuff on mobile phones… after all more than 50% of my visitors use a mobile device to visit.
3. I also saw that if I had my audio purchases on my smart phone, then I could always listen to them, wherever I am, including in the bathroom, bedroom, when I walk… I would not have to transfer the audios to some other device, or sit and get old by my computer.
So I decided to get a mobile app for my stuff… And suddenly I needed a bigger, faster, stronger computer.
And although it felt like it was killing me, I set up the newish unused computer… even though for six whole month it was not worth the trouble.
So what am I saying here?
That when you have a future you can see, that you can see that you can build, your behavior changes. Automatically. Sometimes as dramatically as mine.
Another thing I did, just today: I ordered a set of wrist weights… so I can ‘exercise’ 24/7… OK, when I am up and about… not while I am sleeping.
Those of you who don’t seem to ‘implement’ any of my teachings, you do that because you don’t see a future.
So how do you start seeing a future?
First, you need to get rid of pie in the sky futures: I’ll be a billionaire, I’ll be a bestselling author, I’ll make millions with copywriting.
I didn’t see a fixed achievement in my future… Fixed achievements, also know as goals, are detrimental for your vision.
So if you think creating a future goal would be useful: think again.
Most ‘desire traps’ are from a future goal…
In stead try to imagine a future beingness.
My vision was: being able to live, not just survive. Be well enough to maybe, <gasp>, even travel. Get a car. Be independent again.
Of course, this, in addition, to be able to do my work. But I can survive and do my work, but my vision went beyond just doing my work.
- One of my clients has a six year old son… her vision is to live long enough to see him become a man… This will help her through the inevitable health issues that she will face, that she is facing.
If you don’t have a vision for your future, it is mighty hard, near impossible to do what you need to do to be well, to grow, to live a life worth living.
One of the 67 steps, #20, suggests that you re-imagine your world to your own image.
When people do that step, ultimately they create a laundry list of doings that is as far of a re-imagining as one can get.
For example: my vision about health, as I said before, is to be able to travel, and experience living, not just surviving. Living.
Did you notice I didn’t say: exercise seven days a week, get up at the same time every morning, eat according to my food list… Of course, if the vision is real for me, I’ll look at everything I do whether it forwards the vision of not.
Same in the area of money, relationships. Vision is a picture. Short, sweet, and inspiring. To you.
- Work less, make more
- Call the shot in life
- etc.
I re-imagined my life back in 1988 as a publishing empire.
I had no idea at the time what that was, but it sounded good to me.
I went through stages. I published a wildly successful magazine. I am writing an article a day. I am in the process of putting hundreds of audios on a mobile app.
Will I have a publishing empire? Likely not.
So if you look, what I could have said, had I had the right words: I want to influence people. And that, that I am doing. Empire: big word. Even intimidates me? lol.
Did I have any thoughts about money? Not any. I never cared about money. But influence? I do care about it.
OK, more in some other articles… especially asking the question: who would you need to be/become to make that vision a reality?
For now, who you are will not be able to do that, have that… or if you can, then it’s not a vision that will inspire you.
Tomorrow, at the usual 4 pm, I’ll have my talk to me webinar.
Let’s talk about your vision… if you have questions, about that, or anything else, please join me at the webinar.
Go to step 2
