Envision a Future Reality
overview
Creativity is a special kind of journey in which you define the destination (which is always part of a grander journey), and anything can happen on your way there. Whether that destination is around the corner or years away, the journey always starts with envisioning a version of it.
Any creation you see around you started with a vision someone had. It can be a world-changing vision or something more personal and local in scope. But it always reshapes some aspect of reality.
Mentally creating a future version of reality is the first generative step toward materializing it. Some realities you Imagine will never be actualized. Others will take some surprising turns along the way. But the imaginative creation is always a necessary step toward the possibility of physical creation.
To change reality, even on a small scale, you have to first see an alternative in your mind.
actionable steps
Think of a task you have to perform, a goal you have, or a situation you are in. Acknowledge the fact that you can shape a future reality.
Imagine a future reality in that context. Depending on the context, your vision could be short-term or long-term, as long as it is a vision — a reality that still hasn’t materialized.
Don’t try to predict that future reality — shape it, even if you don’t know how to get there just yet. Don’t dismiss it because you believe it is not feasible.
See yourself vividly in the future reality you envision. Explore this potential future in the context you started with, without letting constraints or current knowledge limit you.
examples
Example 1
Think of the year ahead. What are you going to achieve? Where will you be a year from now? Create a Year in Review video or presentation for the future year, as if you are making it in retrospect.
Example 2
Consider a challenge or an opportunity you face. Visualize in your mind a future in which you overcome the challenge or realize the opportunity. This is not an exercise in positive thinking. See it in detail and avoid thinking about how to get there or what could limit you. Explore this future reality and yourself in it.