Visualising Change

You might want to change but how do you do this?

Before even going towards change I like to ask people to develop their own change vision. We do this by using a process called ‘Visualisation’.

The nature of the mind is such that it gets used to certain thoughts and patterns. If you’re always telling yourself that you can’t do something or if you’re constantly going over all the bad things or experiences that happened in the past then a negative thought pattern becomes established. The only way to break this is by setting up a new pattern which will override the old.

Visualisation is a good way of doing this as is concentrates the mind on a new version of events. It allows for possibility and focuses the mind and spirit on the here and now and on the future rather than on the past.

Not everyone can ‘see’ in their minds but that doesn’t matter, you can just sense or feel what you are visualising in whatever way makes you most comfortable. The visualisation included here can be taped using your own voice or simply just remembered and repeated to yourself. I recommend taping where possible as it is easier to relax and even if you nod off the positive thoughts are still trickling in to your subconscious mind.

Your visualisation isn’t a day dream so try to really focus on designing the life you feel you want to create. Don’t get caught up in details or in wondering how it could happen. The design is the important bit and the bit you control, how it comes to you is the bit you hand over.

Look at the picture below to clear your mind.

Then, if you like, use this short guided mindful breathing to relax

Now move on to actually doing the visualisation.

Visualisation

Breath in deeply and hold the breath, now release the breath and feel all the tension in your body release.

Breathe in again, hold and release and one more time, hold and release.

Feel your body as it relaxes and just notice what parts are relaxing and what parts are a bit tense or sore.

Leave these feelings aside and feel yourself begin to drift.

If thoughts come in just let them slip by, no need to control them or to follow them.

Now imagine yourself five years from now having achieved everything you wanted to achieve. All your present day worries are gone and you are now exactly where you want to be, doing exactly what you want to do.

What are you doing?

Look at yourself and notice how you look.

Do you look different?

What have you learned?

How does your body feel now?

Look around you, where are you? Who is in your life?

Don’t force yourself to see.

Just take your time and let the feeling evolve.

All that matters is that what you’re doing makes you feel happy and content and that you feel relaxed and at peace with yourself.

Notice your future self, how happy you look, the sparkle in your eye, hear your laughter and feel gratitude for the wonderful life you have created for yourself.

What else do you feel?

Do you feel excited?

Do you feel clear?

Now notice that your future self hands you a gift. You are smiling and happy as you accept that gift from your future self.

Just relax now and look at what you have been given.

What is it?

Now just stay still for a while, breathing calmly and gently and think about what you have seen.

When you feel ready open your eyes.

Next Steps

Write down everything you saw, sensed and felt during your visualisation.

Now write:

– three words to describe the future version of you

– three words to describe how you felt as that person

– three words to describe what the future ‘you’ had that you don’t have now (this can be qualities, feelings or attributes)

Look at all the words you have written

Now list their opposites e.g. you wrote happy so opposite => sad

Generally the opposite words describe how you currently see yourself and what is holding you back so its worth looking at this to see how your concept of yourself may be affecting you. The words describing the future self generally list what you want to develop in yourself and where you want to go.

You may have to go through the visualisation process several times before you get a really clear sense of what you want your future self to be. That is OK because the more time you give to this the more a real change vision can develop.