Begin Each Day with the End in Sight
Rick Osborn | June 10, 2008
An Exercise in Visualization to Gain Perspective and Achieve Goals
Sometimes in the midst of life, we tend to become overwhelmed with the difficulties of the moment, to the point of being paralyzed with fear and confusion.
Perhaps this is the case with you. Maybe all you see right now is problems and not solutions -
- the stack of papers that need to be reckoned with on the edge of your work desk,
- bills that are ever mounting and need to be paid,
- family and personal issues that are growing by leaps and bounds,
- clothes that fit too tightly due to recent weight gain or being overweight.
It’s summertime and you feel miserable, but there is hope. It takes focus.
Think of it this way. You’re like a submarine - perhaps too deep down in the dark water to even raise your periscope to look above and beyond where you are.
Whatever your problem is right now - and God knows we all have problems - I’d like to offer you some encouragement for staying on track and moving towards solutions for your life.
Try this little visualization exercise -
- Stop what you’re doing right now, just for a moment, and close your eyes.
- Imagine you’re a submarine deep in murky water.
- Mentally, turn your engine off.
- With your eyes still closed - take in a deep breath and hold it.
- Allow yourself to be perfectly still and fully absorb where you are for the moment. (Feel all the pain of your current situation.)
- Exhale slowly.
- Now inhale again and as you do so, imagine your periscope beginning to ascend through the dark water towards the lighted surface. Higher and higher it goes - eyes still closed, body relaxed.
- Imagine your periscope breaking the surface of the water into the sunlight and turning towards a beautiful island. The breeze is blowing, the palm trees are swaying. (refer to image above)
- With the above site fixed in your crosshairs, exhale slowly.
- As you exhale, envision starting the engine on your submarine. With that island in view and in focus through your periscope, imagine your vessel moving upwards to the light surface and forward towards the island.
- Inhale as you keep the island in sight and exhale, allowing the escape of air to propel you towards your destination.
- As you reach the island, your vessel surfaces and the top door opens.
- Step out onto the beautiful beach, inhale the clean air and take in the landscape of paradise.
- Open your eyes and begin your day.
Read the keywords below and plug them in to the above visualization scenario to make it practical for your situation.
Keywords
Deep, murky water = problems, tasks, issues, fears, frustration, being overweight, personal issues, etc.
Submarine/vessel = you
Periscope = your mind, your soul, your spirit
Crosshairs/view/sight = your focus, your intent
Raising of the periscope = planning, praying, setting goals, strategizing, etc.
Island/destination/paradise/beach = goals, end results, rest, hope, relief, where you want to be
Engine = work, mind, intelligence, wisdom, talents, synergy
Breath/Inhale = inspiration, fuel, knowledge, empowerment, balance, spark, ignition
Exhale = expelling the negative thoughts, problems and emotions; propels you forward and helps fuel your engine
Now that you understand what the above keywords represent in this visualization exercise, apply them to your particular situation. If you have trouble doing this, feel free to contact me and I’ll help you. That’s what I do. If you’re confident to do it on your own, write down what each particular part of this exercise involves for you and allow it to bring your vessel back to the surface and towards your dreams and goals.
Don’t worry about tomorrow or the next day, but focus on today. Focus on what you can do today to make a difference. Focus on getting to this one island today, because getting there will bring you closer to the mainland - where you want to ultimately be. It’s not your final destination, but this island - now in the crosshairs of your periscope, is where you can get to today. Once you have it in view - once you have in your mind what you can do today, you’ll begin to move through, past and upwards towards your dreams and goals.
Designate an island for each day. You’ll do a bit of island hopping until you get to the mainland, but if you follow this strategy with good planning, you’ll eventually get there.
[...] When you think of yourself a certain way, when
www.RickOsborn.com » I Think . . ., Therefore I Am . . . - Cogito Ergo Sum | June 17, 2008[...] When you think of yourself a certain way, when you label yourself a certain way, when your self-talk is a certain way, your actions will become what your thoughts already created. This was very much the point of my last blog entitled “Begin Each Day with the End in Sight.” [...]