This week I watched a YouTube by John Doran titled, “Positive Education for the 21st Century”, and I was reminded of a saying by William H Johnsen, “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me”. I have added this to my media YouTube page – click here. I have this saying on my desk, and it reminds me that it is up to me. I can make the changes I want to see in my life and the future lifestyle I want to have.
I went to a seminar not long ago where we were all asked to draw a picture of where we see ourselves in five years. I drew a picture of me typing on my laptop, sitting on a yacht, next to a tropical island with a palm tree.
My vision wasn’t good enough for the facilitator who accused me of not taking the activity seriously. I asked her why she thought this, and I was told to look around because everyone else was drawing pictures of being a manager, or a CEO, leading a large group of people and not holidays. My answer was that they’re entitled to their dreams, but I’ll keep my boat and tropical island.
My drawing
It is worth considering what you want in life and not limiting yourself to the expectations or limitations of others. This week I have added a short activity that you can complete. I’ve called it “Now and Future”. Let’s aim for five years into the future. It’s a good time-frame, with plenty of time to make some great changes.
So, how do we complete the activity?
Step 1
Download and print the activity sheet “Now and Future” – the link is below. You’ll see there are two A4 sheets; one headed “Now” and the other headed “Future”. Both have a stick figure holding a yellow balloon.
If you don’t have a printer, you could copy the pictures on to a couple of pages, or buy an exercise book or notebook and copy the images onto two pages.
Step 2
You will need some pens and pencils and a quiet place to sit. Make sure you find time when you can sit and concentrate.
Step 3
Consider how things are going and what you feel your life looks like today. Start with the “Now” sheet. You can insert an emoji in the balloon the stick figure is holding and draw a facial expression on the face to get started. Try not to focus only on the negative aspects of your life; look at things that are good too. At the moment for many of us, we have found ourselves with less work, or no work, or we may have had to change jobs. However, it may have meant we have time to spend with family, or exercise, clean out cupboards, plan a healthy eating schedule, it’s okay, draw or write that down. You may even write “starting again”. If that’s your current state, it’s okay too; there’s many of us in the same position. You can write words or draw images to represent where you see yourself now. If you’re a visual person, use lots of colours; alternatively, write words around the stick figure.
Step 4
When you have completed the ‘now’, it’s time to look to the future. This is the part where you need to focus on future you. Let’s think about where you want to see yourself in five years. Perhaps you want to have a new career, a family, travel, buy an apartment, a house, a new car, a motorbike; get fit, lose weight, gain a qualification or even the boat to sit on and write. I’m sticking to that one. Dream about what you would like to be writing about in five years. Remember, a lot can happen in five years.
The trick to this activity is to not think about how you’re going to achieve the future you; we are purely dreaming. We will come back to the ‘how’ next time.
If you are feeling low at the moment, do call a family member, a friend or a helpline, and just talk. It’s amazing how someone else’s view can help you to feel better about things, and sometimes talking helps. Remember, when you fill in the “Future” sheet, dream. Dreams don’t have to cost thousands of dollars. A dream could be to get fit, and this can start with a walk. Don’t forget; we can figure out the ‘how’ next time. Today it’s positive thoughts for our future, and moving from our ‘now’ to our ‘future’.
When you’ve finished the activity, you can stick the ‘future you’ paper on a wall or even the bathroom mirror so that you see it every morning and every evening — a little reminder of where you’re heading. Alternatively, place the page in a folder and look at it and read it every morning while you have breakfast, and again before you go to bed. This way, you are creating a vision of where you want to be, and it’s something positive to think about and aim towards.
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I will be adding many new videos to my YouTube channel to assist you in developing these skills, as well as a variety of downloadable printables and ebooks. To stay up-to-date, subscribe to my newsletter and YouTube channel, and please follow me on social media.
