Episode 89 - Don't ask yourself 'Who' but 'How' you want to be
In this podcast episode, I look at designing your future from a meta-perspective and challenge conventional wisdom around visualization techniques.
The commonly suggested approach to visualize your ideal self often lacks emotional depth and may not be the best strategy for fast-brained humans like you for reasons I dive into in this episode.
Instead of asking the question "Who do I want to become?" I suggest a more dynamic and emotionally resonant method: focus on how you want to feel on a daily basis.
This is how you can 'design' a fun future:
make a list of the emotions you wish to experience regularly
identify activities or experiences that evoke these emotions.
redesign your life to incorporate more and more of those activities
By focusing on feelings rather than a rigid identity, you can chart a path towards a life that allows for flexibility, resilience, and fulfillment.
This way of doing things turns traditional self-development on its head by emphasizing feeling states as guideposts, which enables a more organic and emotionally rich planning process.
Main Learnings and Takeaways
Traditional self-development methods, like visualization, may not work for everyone, particularly those who are very smart, highly adaptable and resilient.
Instead of focusing on "who you want to become," concentrate on "how you want to feel"
Make lists of the feelings you want to experience regularly and the activities that evoke these emotions to create a guidepost for your life direction
Go for small shifts rather than giant jumps
Resources:
Episode 47 on Visualisation: https://managingthesmartmind.buzzsprout.com/1960175/11977984-episode-47-how-to-use-visualisation-to-improve-your-life-and-make-much-better-use-of-your-smart-mind
Episode 48 on Troubleshooting Visualisation:
https://managingthesmartmind.buzzsprout.com/1960175/12023543-episode-48-troubleshooting-visualisation-internalised-oppression-social-cultural-pressure-other-programming-and-bridging-the-gap
Ready to learn how to Manage your Smart Mind? Then download my free 'Mapping Your Unique Brain' Workbook. Go to:
https://www.coachkramer.org/brainmap to get access.