What do you imagine for your life? Do you have a vision? Are there things you dream of, that you haven’t yet achieved?
What do you think is possible? What will you allow yourself to believe is possible?
There’s a theory of motivation in psychology called the Theory of Possible Selves. This theory tells us that there are all kinds of possible selves that we can imagine, both desired and feared. The idea is that working towards a desired possible self can be very motivating.
Yet sometimes we’re limited by our imaginations. We may not believe it’s possible to get everything we want. Sometimes we’re too narrow in our viewpoints, based on what we see around us, and based on our beliefs; be it consciously or unconsciously. As a result we can box ourselves in.
Often it’s easier to take the shortest route, or to follow the crowd. It can take guts to do something different, and to back yourself in aiming for something that others may perceive as risky or off the wall.
But we know that life is short. So don’t we want to create the best individual masterpieces we can, with the raw materials we’ve been given? Don’t we want to take chances? And to know that if they don’t work out, that we at least tried.
We may not allow ourselves to believe that we can get what we really want. We may not allow ourselves to hope or dream, because we fear disappointment. It’s safer to stop ourselves from even contemplating it in the first place.
But how much are we limiting things by trying to keep ourselves safe in this way? At times we can actually hurt ourselves by being careful.
So allow yourself to dream. Allow yourself to envision your life, with no restraints or restrictions. Allow yourself to think outside the box, and to imagine what you’d do if there were no limitations. Often within this you’ll find some really great clues and messages about what you really want, and about what matters to you most.
Even if you don’t see a way to have these things right away, it may be that you can start working towards them, step by step. Or you may be able to bring in simpler elements of these dreams and scenarios, right now.
How do you imagine the things you envision would make you feel? And what can you do to bring more of those feelings into your life, right now?
Having a vision also helps us to see where things are off track. If things aren’t matching up, what are the differences and how can we close the gap?
If you aim for what you really want, you may just get there; and if you don’t you’ll end up somewhere else en-route that may be even better than you’d imagined.
We have to take the first steps and then stay open to being surprised and delighted. To allowing room for things that feel so good, making us wonder how we could ever have known to ask for them. Holding a vision, but staying open to what wants to come.
I encourage you to join me in allowing yourself to dream. In knowing that you’re worth it. In knowing that you’re capable of moving towards anything you want, and in feeling gratitude for everything you already have, along the way.
With love,
Kelly x
If you’d like some help in building your vision, and taking action towards it, you may like to check out my clarity and unsticking coaching package – http://www.kellyjburns.com/inner-jewel-coaching. I’d be thrilled to help you tune into what you want the most, and to create a map to help you get there.