Visualize your life after a big change
Humans are visual and using our senses and imagination can be a powerful tool in navigating difficult changes in life. In this post, we will look at ways to visualize your life after a big change. Use the following 4 exercises to see what your life might be like.
(Part 4 in a series on navigating difficult changes in life.)
Visualize what the future looks if you change
During the first step, the goal is to create a vision of what the change looks like after it occurs. We often have a “knee jerk” reaction to the thought of change and immediately perceive it as negative or scary. So, we just want to visualize what life will look like after the change occurs. Changes also tend to involve others. So, be open and curious about what the expectations are for yourself, and any others affected by the change you are making. It is likely that you and your partners in the change have different visions. Get creative and actually talk about or create a vision board as you go forward.
Visualize what the future looks like if you don’t change
Another powerful way to overcome resistance and create a vision of what the change looks like is to image the opposite; what will happen if you don’t make the change. As scary and negative as thinking about change may be, the result of not making the change could be even worse. We risk stagnation if we don’t change. Although the status quo can be a powerful pull, putting our heads in the sand and hoping the situation will improve on its own can lead to pretty uncomfortable experiences, too. And don’t forget to include your partners in the necessary change. Often, working as a group can provide a variety of ideas and enticements to work together toward change.
Try a pros versus cons analysis
This tried-and-true method of decision making works well when a change is needed. It is an important step in visualizing what the change will look like. Given that you have already talked about what life will look like after the change and what it will look like if change doesn’t occur, the act of listing the pros and cons can create additional motivation for you and your change partners. A fun fact: Benjamin Franklin was one of the first people to actually write about using a pros and cons list for decision making. It worked for more than 200 years, so we know it can make things clear for us today.
Create a vision board
Another tool to help you visualize what the change looks like is to create a vision board. It can be simple or elaborate, but the act of creating it can incentivize you to take the next steps toward creating change. Now comes the fun part. Get creative with a document or poster showing the existing situation, what you need to learn to change, and how the change will look once it’s finished. Now place it somewhere you will see it often. Each change partner can create their own, or it can be a group project. Either way, this chance to usual visual tools and creativity can spark interest and excitement about the upcoming change.
Next week, we will look at the next step in navigating change…overcoming obstacles.
