I wonder how many of us use visualizing techniques without even thinking about it! Visualizing goals is a common practice in business and in life. Remember back to when you were that little child, and you imagined being a nurse. That’s one of the professions I imagined when I was little. You used your imagination to create the scenes you were about to play. As you put yourself into character, you visualize your character’s ideal life, how they lived, what they did and then acted it out.
As I said, as a child, I’d imagine being a nurse.
I’d get my dolls, my teddy, my sisters or cousin and practice nursing on them, putting on bandages and ensuring they got plenty of rest if they were not well. It may have been a play role of a child. However, that play role needed imagination and some knowledge of what a nurse did.
Visualizing your ideal life can help you design your dream life. Just like as a child, you could design your dream character.
How do you visualize your goals?
When I first started blogging online, I was asked to imagine my ideal day. What would I do each day if I was not doing what I was doing right now? I was working shiftwork, and one of my core goals was choosing my working hours and working from home. With this in mind, I set about writing up my ideal day, using some questions to guide me.
My ideal life questions.
- What time would I get up?
- What would I do when I get up?
- Would I take part in any sport?
- Where would I live?
- What would I see around me?
- Who is in my life?
- What do I do each day?
- How many hours am I working on my projects each day?
- What hobbies do I have?
- What will I see, hear, feel, smell and taste each day?
Naturally, at first, while contemplating my ideal day, I just sat and thought because it is difficult just to put pen to paper and write with clarity on your goals. Over the years, we have become so brainwashed in just accepting life as it is. Where in fact, we have a lot of control over designing our dream lives.
I know the truth of living life your way from living in different countries, owning businesses, travelling and being there for my children before and after school right through their schooling.
Being there for my family is something I value. Family is one of my personal values.
As you write your ideal day, think of your core values. Your core values should align with your goals. When your core values and goals are not aligned, you could walk off-path and get nowhere for a long time. Additionally, when you are living by your own identified personal values you have more confidence.
Why it is important to visualize your ideal life.
Visualising goals is important because when you picture or think about your goals, you use your subconscious mind. And your subconscious mind prepares and helps you identify what you need to achieve your ambitions.
Just like as a child, you needed to know what your character did so you could act it out. When you visualize your ideal day, you need to know what you would like to do and how you would like to spend your time so you can picture it in your mind. As some people go about creating their dream life, they step into an alter ego to help them complete different business or career activities. Stepping into an alter ego uses the power of imagination and visualisation.
4 Ways to picture your ideal day.
There are different ways in which you can visualize your goals.
- Create a mission statement
- Make a vision board
- Say affirmations
- Write about your ideal day
There is no right or wrong way. The way that works best for you is the best way. I’ve found designing your ideal day, and your ideal life requires vision and the ability to craft your imagination using all your senses. This is why I like to have a written ideal day, which I then read and visualize as reality. I also create a vision board which helps with focusing on actions to create my ideal day.
Visualizing your ideal life can help you see the little things you do each day that are already part of your life.
Appreciating each day while designing your ideal life.
Imagining and writing up your ideal day is by far the best way. That is what I have found. It helps with creating habits, so dreams come true. Embrace the small daily actions, things or people that are already in your life. Be grateful for each day as you learn what you would like or would not like in your ideal life.
In my ideal day. I wrote about being connected with people and walking for health and mindfulness. I now do both and am connected with people in walking groups. Surprisingly I walked with friends I’ve known for quite some time who were looking for people to walk with.
I wrote about starting my day with a walk on the beach at sunrise. This was about mindfulness, and this I commenced. Reading the book, ‘The Miracle Morning’ has been such a blessing in discovering how to put some of the healthiest practices into my life. I’ve found that the lifesavers Hal Elrod discusses in his book help with happiness, peace of mind and progress toward your goals.
Read about the Positive Ways To Start The Day that will transform your life.
My ideal day includes lots of family time, one of my core values. It also includes a combination of activities that assist with living a more balanced life; mindfulness, walking, reading, working and giving. By giving, I mean sharing of knowledge and helping where I can in communities, both online and off.
Every day I read my ideal day, and every day I see that there are things I’m doing already that are in my future vision. By visualizing your ideal day daily, your subconscious begins to find ways for you to live it.
The power of reading your ideal day daily.
Once you have written your ideal day down, read it. Read it daily. As you read it, feel it. If you find it doesn’t feel right for you, rewrite it. Your ideal day can change. It is your day, the one you are creating for yourself.
Tip: Record your ideal day as you read it and play it back to yourself. Allow yourself to hear your ideal day. As you listen to your ideal day, imagine yourself living it.
It is during the times of imagining yourself living your ideal day that you find ways to design it and live it.
Let your subconscious guide you.
Naturally, it is you that puts in the work. The subconscious guides you.
You set your goal, believe in yourself, visualize your ideal day and take action towards living it. Visualization is important it helps you see the daily habits you require to take to get you to where you want to be.
When you can imagine your goals as if you have achieved them, your mind records it as a real experience. A memory of something you have achieved or experienced. You feel more confident, and your internal GPS guides you as you take steps towards creating your ideal life.
Take steps in designing your ideal day by visualizing your ideal life. Get the guide sheet to help you.
I love this so much! It is extremely hard for me to visualize my ideal day! I’ve started catching myself every time I think “I wish I had time to do this more often” and writing those things down. It’s a process, but it’s definitely helpful.
I agree Rachel, it’s definitely a process. It took me many rewrites before I finally felt comfortable with my ideal day visualization. Starting small is the best way forward adding and editing along the way. We will always be short of time, however, a few steps each day is better than no steps at all as the destination will come quicker.
You brought up so many great points about living a more positive life in this post! It is so important to be mindful of our goals and what makes us happy so we can celebrate those small, daily victories instead of focusing on the inevitable negatives which come along. If we are actively looking for the good in our day, it is much easier to move past the bad. Great post – thanks for sharing!
Thank you Amanda, it sure is those small daily victories that need celebrating for they are the stepping stones that help lead to a better tomorrow. Have an awesome day.
Good article! Visualizing my life is tricky since it’s hard to know what I always want–but like you said, your ideal day could change!!
Understand that Kara, as life changes. To help working out what you want in life it helps to understand your core values and what is important to you. I mention core values and life goals in this article. https://lifestyleanytime.com.au/life-goal-examples/
Great blog. I definitely am in total agreement about writing your perfect day! Visualization does work as well. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Beth, yes, the power of the mind is amazing. As I write I picture the beautiful smiles you must receive with your wonderful blog name.
Great details to think through and how to use it after you write it down. I need to take time to do this so bad!
Thank you Trina, it is a powerful tool to use to stay focused on the ultimate goal, a wonderful and purposeful life. Enjoy creating your perfect day.
Thank you for sharing this. There are some great ideas in here! I really like the idea of the recording, I think I should try that. Visualizing is so important to creating the life you want. I have really seen the truth of this in my own life. I realized that, in focusing on all of the negatives in my life I was creating more negativity. I began to visualize the kind of feelings and thoughts I wanted to have and it began to transform my mindset and then my life!
It is great to hear Amanda, how visualizing has and is working for you, especially on how focusing on the changes you wanted to see in your life, made things happen.
I know some people may find this hokey (couldn’t be further from the truth) but I have found it be incredibly helpful on many levels. It helps you identify your real goals, how to get there, and to focus on them. It really does work!
Thanks, Lisa, I agree with you some people don’t believe in visualization, which is why there are so many different ways and systems helping people. I’m so pleased to hear that visualization works for you too.
Oh my gosh, yes! I’ve started doing this every day for the last couple months and everything has taken a turn for the best! Sharing for sure!
This is fantastic to hear Erin. Keep on creating and visualizing your awesome life. Have an awesome day.
Great ways to visualise your ideal day, thank you. I usually like writing down what I want to achieve before the day starts (or the night before), and this includes little breaks for self-care. That way I know that it’s not going to be all work, work, work, which makes the day a lot easier and more motivating.
Yes, Corinne, those self care breaks are important. If it is all work work work, we’ll end up with burnout, not a good thing.
I’ve been dabbling into the Law of Attraction and this fits perfectly with everything that the law teaches. I’m going to have to write about my perfect day the next time i journal. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Your welcome Mariam, there is so much with the law of attraction, it is one of constant learning that leads to constant growth. Enjoy writing about your ideal day and tweaking it. Also see within your ideal day, what you could be doing now. For example, my ideal day includes walking on the beach and yoga poses, both easy to implement into my day today. This is an example of an ideal day I wrote for myself https://lifestyleanytime.com.au/future-ideal-day/
Excellent post! I really needed this because lately I have been all over, but I now have a plan to focus on starting small but resulting in my ultimate goal.
That’s great Ashley, the little steps towards the big picture are the way to go. I know you are going to have an awesome 2020.
Hey, this is great! I’ve never written down my ideal day before, will definitely give it a try! Thanks.
Thank you. I hope you enjoy visualizing and writing about your ideal day. I’m sure you’ll find some simple things that you can start adding to your current day that you would like in your ideal day.