The 4 Step Process to Creating a Vision for Yourself (Increased Motivation Levels Guaranteed)

The human mind is the most valuable asset in our possession. The mind has the ability to live in the past, re-living experiences through thought. The mind also has the ability to live in the future, imagining experiences that haven’t happened yet.

Thought is unlimited, and mind harnesses thought. Your mind has unlimited potential. Harnessing control over this potential means to give it a direction. You know that you have the ability to think about things that haven’t happened yet; but why haven’t you created your vision yet?

I believe that having something to work towards is the most important factor in increasing motivation levels.

“Champions create their vision and work towards it. A person with an average level of thinking moves through life without planning for the future, simply living and existing with what they have been given. Champions create a vision, specific and detailed, and work towards it each and every single day.”

The Letter to Myself

It’s always been hard for me to create a vision.

What do I do? Get a vision board and cut out clippings from magazines that I have no emotional attachment to? How is that supposed to motivate me?  How am I supposed to know what I want? How do I know that in 5 years time I’m going to want the same things that I want now?

Life is always moving forward, and when it moves forward change comes about with the people that come in and out of our life presenting us with new opportunities. With the variable of change it’s hard to know what stays constant, and what to work towards.

Our body cannot travel back to elementary school when we were 5 years old and re-live the experience. Our body cannot travel back to high school and re-live our graduation ceremony. Our mind can, though. Our mind has the ability to travel back to our childhood to re-live the experiences of youth. Our mind has the ability to travel back to high school and remember the time we walked across the graduation stage.

Our mind also has the ability to think about the future. As I meditated and become more aware of my thoughts I realized that I constantly worried about the future.

I believe one of two things happen: our mind is living in the future WORRYING about what COULD happen, or our mind is living in the future PLANNING for what WILL happen. Our mind’s ability to live in the future gives us the ability to imagine our ideal life, and have a destination to work towards.

Who Do You Want to Become?

Why not use our minds ability to live in the future to create our ideal life?

I wrote a letter to myself in 5 years time. In the letter I detailed the accomplishments I was proud of, the feats I had overcome and the relationships I had developed. When I wrote my letter, I wrote as if I was “proud of accomplishing your dream,” I wrote it as if I had already accomplished the dream.

A vision is to be created without censorship. Without any limiting thoughts on “how it will happen” or “what the steps will be to make it happen”, a vision is to be created through free-flow writing. It is only through letting it flow that you will uncover what it is that you’re actually feeling. Who do you want to become, really? Are you tired of living the same old life, doing the same old thing, stuck in the same old routine? Do you want something different for your life? Isn’t it time that you started living your dream?

I’ve created a 4 step process to creating a vision for yourself. It’s extremely simple. Follow the steps in order and watch your vision come to life.

Once you’ve created your vision, put it in a place where you can read it every single day.

Remind yourself why you’re going to work and saving money, why you’re pushing to make your relationships healthier, why you’re going to school for long hours.

Creating a vision is the most basic thing you can do to substantially increase your motivation levels.

1. Set aside 1 hour of time.

Set aside 1 hour of time. 15 minutes of that time will be spent on “Step 2”, and 45 minutes of that time will be spent on “Step 3”. Set a alarm on your phone.

If you’re starting at 5:00, set a timer for “5:15”, giving you 15 minutest to complete step 2, and “6:00” giving you 45 minutes to do step 3. Plug in your headphones and link to Camerondare’s mix here: http://soundcloud.com/camerondare/camerondare-podcast-006. The mix is 1 hour long and will keep your thoughts rolling for the time you create your vision.

You want to remove any possible distractions while you’re creating your vision. Turn off Facebook, turn on airplane mode, plug in your headphones for an hour and start creating.

2. Spend 15 Minutes writing down the things you dream of accomplishing.

Write down the things that you have accomplished by the time 5 years comes around. Make sure you write without censorship. I’m talking if you could do anything, that people would think you were kind of crazy for even dreaming of, what would you do? No limitations.

Write down a list, in bullet point form, of things you would do if you could do ANYTHING. Your phone is set to go off in 15 minutes. It will remind you when you need to move to the next step. FORCE YOURSELF TO SIT THERE FOR 15 MINUTES!  You’re creating your ideal life, take it seriously.

You’ll be suprised at how much you think about when you sit down, plug in for 15 minutes and have a timer telling you when to stop thinking.

Ex. 

– I own my own house

– I am travelling the world painting canvasses

– I have an amazing, sexy wife/husband

– My family relationships are strong and loving

– My house is on a beach

3. Spend 45 Minutes Writing a Letter to Yourself

Following steps 1 and 2 means you’re 45 minutes away from living your dream. Spend the next 45 minutes plugged into Camerondare’s mix and writing out your dream.

Write a letter to yourself as if you’ve ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED your dream!

The letter to yourself is in 5 years time. When you’re writing the letter, imagine yourself opening it in 5 years and smiling at your predictions.

Keep your headphones in for 45 minutes. It’s going to take mental energy, planning out your dream. You’ve never imagined yourself owning a house on a beach, with an amazing wife that cooks over-easy eggs for you each morning. Don’t name PEOPLE in your dream, because people change, but name the role that they play.

“You have an amazing wife named Jennifer and she’s 5’9”

“You have an amazing wife and she loves you very much”

Keep the headphones in, and keep writing! Tell yourself how proud you are of what you have done. Our minds have this innate ability to re-live the past, which keeps us from living in this moment. Our minds also have the ability to think about the future, which keeps us on our toes afraid to move forward.

Use your minds ability to think of the future to think of your future. When you’re finished, put the letter in a place that you can read it every day.

4. Keep your ultimate vision to yourself.

Psychologists have now proved that when you tell someone you are going to accomplish a feat, and they acknowledge you for it, that it removes the motivation to accomplish the feat in the first place. The social acknowledgement you receive from TALKING about your vision is enough to keep you from actually WORKING towards your vision. I call this “validation by language” or “validation by process”, meaning once you have your vision, you can either talk about being somebody or you can be somebody.

There will be individual parts of your vision that you may need to talk to your friends about (before you plan your vision and finalize it) but NEVER, NEVER tell your ultimate vision. That is your baby to keep and read and enjoy and love and cherish.

Your motivation levels depend on it.

Below I wrote a template for what your letter could look like. I took out a few paragraphs of my accomplishments from my letter (read step 4) but this is the general template of what your letter will look like.

Dear (Your Name Here),

I’m so proud of you. You’re a man now, and a damn good one. You take pride in all of your work, you keep every promise you make to every person you make it to. I love how much joy you and your wife have in your relationship. Your grandmother is a shining star and you shower her with your love and affection, and your niece has a role model she can look up to and develop her mind along the same patterns yours exist.

You’ve always wanted to be a (your dream), and here you are. Making (your dream) happen in 2012 was the tipping point for your life. You did it, (name). You said you were going to do it and you did it.

(Name), you can do anything you set your mind to. You have no limitation. The sky is the only destination for you (your name here). Your will is strong, your physical strength is a reflection of your mental power. Accomplishing (your ideal accomplishment) that would be laughed at by those who heard, but you were smart (your name here). You never told a soul but your own.

The commitment to (your favorite skill) you have made has forever changed your life and the lives of those around you. You make every decision not only for yourself but for the well-being of everyone you cross paths with. You go to bed on time, get your 6 hours of sleep and you eat everything in sight while you’re awake. You take care of yourself on every level possible, you have an immense love for each one of your clients you work with now, your wife loves you now, your (dream) career is better than ever now, and your (skill) is at an entirely new level now.

I love how selfless you are. The needs of others always come before the needs of yourself. The wants of yourself are always questioned. “Do I really need that?” you ask yourself. What a wise question, and what an amazing way to hold yourself accountable to your dreams! Your presence demands respect everywhere you go, for you are shaped with perfect symmetry, your muscular form and function are perfect..Your voice commands authority and your leadership abilities have flourished in your family and your social circle.

Your story, (name), inspires each individual who hears it. You created a vision for yourself and you made it. I’m so proud of you.

You’re willing to do whatever it takes to live your dream. No obstacle will ever stop you; for an obstacle is only a hurdle. You will always move forward. No matter what it takes. To take the ultimate internal mental journey to come to your inner truth. The truth always lives inside you. It always has, and you developed the courage to face all of your fears. To come to the realization that to live your dream would be the hardest journey you’d ever have to venture on, but to come out on top. You are so inspiring.

You are such an incredible man. Your family skills continue to support your grandmother through any rough times that she goes through. Your financial abundance allows you to provide for all of your family members needs. Your sister never goes hungry because you are the one who provides for her and your niece. Your mother has enough money to send all of your brothers and sisters to the necessary developmental schools of thought to become the people they’ve always wanted to become. You are the best teacher for those that you love. Your family members love you for being a man of integrity, for they hear your wise words and applaud your congruent actions.

Financial abundance is a result of your alignment, consciously and subconsciously. Your conscious actions are in line with your core values. You have earned my respect.

You are the most powerful man I’ve known in my life, and I’m so happy that I am you.

It is you, (name), who has made it to your unlimited vision.

(Name), you continued to push forward even on the day that you write this letter. Hard work is your motto and relationships are your driving force through every obstacle that comes your way in life. Relationships must always be the driving force for it is only love of another that will carry you through the day. The courage you possess is unmatched by any man, the strength you have is long-term and fulfilling. Your willpower grows with each day that passes. It is you that has been faced with the ultimate mental test, and you have passed.

You are strong, (Name).

Your level of self – understanding is astounding; it is what gives you the greatest edge.

You are strong, you are fast, you are determined, you are a consistent closer of all deals, you are a great husband, you are an amazing uncle, you are a family man until the day you die, you are the supporter of those who love you, you are the anchor for anyone who needs you. (Name), you are the strongest man that I have ever known. I am so thankful that I am you. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with the ability to be you.

Thank you for pushing your limits every single day. Thank you for making your life better every single day. Thank you for making the lives of those you love better every single day. Thank you for making a positive impact on the world at an individual level on a mass scale. I love you so very much for the work that you do.

Your accomplishments in the last few years are far beyond anything realistic. You are not realistic, you are wholistic. You are a human being living at his potential. You are the being your mind creates, you are the external reflection of the incredible amount of mental work you have done.

You are the Most Valuable Player in your family, you are the Most Valuable Player in every single one of your relationships, you are the Most Valuable Player in every area of your life. Your (favorite) skill is a gift from God himself, for there could be no man without connection to a greater power that comes up with the words you use to describe the images you see. You are blessed with an ability from someone special.

Thank you (Name), for becoming the man you have become. Thank you for working towards your dream.

Live Your Dream

You can be anything, anyone, anybody. Thought is unlimited, and your mind possesses thought. Your potential to become anything is at your fingertips in this moment right now. What will you do with your potential? Will you sit at your desk and continue browsing the web or will you take control of the direction of your life?

It’s your vision. Create it.