The Write Mind: Visualize This

Ever had one of those surreal moments when you realize you’ve become the person you once imagined? You don’t fit the original vision exactly, but there are similarities you can’t ignore: You’ve optioned your screenplay, agents are calling and you can almost afford that European vacation. Somewhere in the past you envisioned this future—or some version of it—and here you are now, flesh and blood proof.

Forget mysticism, psychology and quantum physics for a second, and ask yourself this: If you’d known then what you know now, wouldn’t you have envisioned the most compelling future possible? And if you’d done that, where would you be today?

You might not be penning bestsellers fireside in your Swiss chalet, but I’d wager my world view that a compelling vision—one that resonates with your authentic self—can bring you nearer the Alps than you’d otherwise get. A compelling vision can also work in the present, to free your mind, energize your spirit and inspire your writing.

Here’s how to get started making and using a vision:
1. Relax. Close your eyes. Visualize your future self: the apex of your development as a writer. What do you see? Who have you become? How do you feel? What have you written? Pay attention to your heart and head. Stay authentic and have fun with this. Extend yourself, but don’t forget to breathe.

2. Visualize your circumstances. Where does your future self live? Where do you write? What’s in your house? Your office? Your garage? What sights, smells, tastes, images, objects characterize your life? Get concrete with the details.

3. Consciously feel the wisdom, experience and accomplishments of your future self. Pleasant sensations should arise in your body. Are they in your chest, gut, head? Let them sink in deeply to energize and empower you. Are you feeling it?

4. Encapsulate your vision in a descriptive paragraph. Post it in your writing space. Incorporate the images, thoughts, circumstances, etc. that resonate most. Like your vision, this sentence is “living” and should be revised and refined as needed.

5. Activate your vision. Access its power before you write, or when you’re feeling uninspired. Think, feel, respond, create like your future self does. Run those pesky plot, publicity and personal problems by this future guru who is you, and be amazed by the wisdom and clarity you receive in the present.

Like a personal Mont Blanc, your compelling vision can be as high and spectacular as you choose to make it. You might not reach the summit, but that’s not the point.

Your vision is there to remind you where you’re headed, show you how far you’ve come and inspire you to keep ascending. If you dream big, push your comfort zone and have a good time, when you next look back the view might blow you away. And that’s a future worth climbing toward.

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Doug Kurtz is a published novelist, certified life coach and the owner of Write Life Coaching (www.writelifecoaching.com). He earned his MA in creative writing at the University of Colorado, where he also taught fiction writing. He currently lives in Boulder, where he’s busy coaching other writers and working on his next novel.