Your Future Starts Today
What would compel you to be committed to a cause? Well, the cause is you—your life. How will you reach your goals and fulfill your dreams? You can find your strongest motivation by envisioning your future.
Taste The Freedom of Having Overcome
The future doesn't really exist except in your imagination. However, what you do today and everyday is the path that leads to what your future will be. So, if you want to make positive changes in your life, you can start by imagining what you want your future to look like.
Relax in a calm place and as vividly as you can, imagine five or 10 years from now, being free of your unwanted habit. Picture all that you will gain–within yourself, for the ones you love, and the dreams you will realize. Let yourself enjoy the rewards of your struggle in advance by savoring the feelings of freedom and power.
Write your vision down, to remind yourself why the struggle is worth it. Read it when you feel like giving up.
A Hero's Journey
When you can see your life’s challenges as a heroic struggle towards victory, it can give you the strength to stay committed. Having a personal vision keeps the day-to-day challenges in perspective.
Think of some triumph, large or small, you've already had in your life. Recall a time when a problem seemed like an insurmountable mountain. Maybe it was passing a class, making a friend, or winning a job, or a spot on a team. What lead to your success? How do you look back on that experience now? A few years from now, you could be in the same place with your current challenge.
Imagine yourself in the future telling others about your recovery. See yourself as fighting for your life, or fighting for those who love and need you. View your difficulties as given to prove how strong and courageous you are, and to dramatize your ultimate success. You can even imagine your story as a book or movie.
Now claim your daily setbacks and victories as part of your compelling story. Setbacks can lead to new insights that will make you stronger. Don’t get into guilt. Use every aspect of your struggle as training to meet your goals and realize your dreams.
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