This weekend, I had a post go “viral.” At least, viral for me, with over 400 shares and 275 likes and still going strong. It was a heartfelt thought, and of course, a funny idea.
After a moment’s thought, it dawned on me, many of us are so wracked with dread about the next four years, that we’d gladly just trade them away for a new Trump-free era. Fast forward four years.
That is where I’ve been cogitating. My imagined future, 4 years hence. When you think of what you’d like to achieve and become during this four-year term, can you really afford to wish your life away, and worry constantly about what Trump might do? (If you cannot talk yourself off the ledge, I get that. I’m 100% in support of action against Trump. However, before you give your life over to Trump-dread and Trump-hate, consider what you’re putting at stake.)
This is a great exercise to visualize your ideal day in the near future. Imagine yourself four years from today – what’s going on? I’m going to go ahead and share this exercise for those of you willing to dream big.
Your Ideal Day (~Martha Beck)
- You wake up and …. who’s with you? how do you dress? how do you feel about your upcoming day?
- Where are you? What are your surroundings? Are you in your current home? Have you moved?
- What are you doing on this ideal day?
- Let yourself visualize your whole day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Who do you meet? Who calls you? Do you win an award? Are you making an appearance?
- Do you have new (and fantastic) friends?
Write 2-3 pages about your ideal day and let yourself visualize your life four years from now. Please actually do this. Imagine what might come to mind for you. Just let yourself write and revel in your ideal future. And once that visualization is written, it will be that much easier to attain it.
If you find yourself worrying constantly about Trump and his policies, ask yourself: how much time is he worth to you? Are you willing to wish your life away? Willing to worry for the next four years, and give up this ideal outcome?
If you want some freedom from the fear and worry, watch this great video from Byron Katie. Katie uses a brilliant tool called “the work,” a simple thought turnaround, and the Judge Your Neighbor worksheet to get people to see the freedom they can have, if they stop believing their own worst thoughts.
This woman says “I’m afraid of Trump.” If you share her worry, watch and see how to gain some peace of mind again.
For me Four years from now, in March of 2021…
I will wake to a busy, amazing day. I will awake in a hotel suite in Carlsbad, CA. I will be hosting my own event, Write Without the Fight, with 400 attendees. They are all excited and ready to learn about Deliberate Creativity and the creative process. I’m being dressed by my stylist, and it is fun to look and feel good. It’s been a couple of years since I lost the excess weight, so I’m pretty energized today, too.
My day is filled with inventive, creative quirky writers whom I help by sharing the science of creativity and coaching techniques, so they can share their voices and original thinking with their waiting audiences.
The evening ends with a mixer in the Hotel lounge. I’m excited to get the chance to talk with my people. They have already learned a lot, and will either sleep very well tonight, or not get a wink of sleep, because they’re too revved up. It’s gratifying, fun and I can’t believe my darned luck that I get to do this for a living, and get help these amazing clients do what they do.
Writers are thoughtful, observant, insightful, empathetic, and original. We need them. (They need us.) I guess that’s why that’s my ideal day. And I don’t want to give that vision away to any demon in my mind.