Imagine the Journey
overview
Some visions of a reshaped reality can be implemented in a short time. Others can take years or even decades to realize. Planning the details of implementing such visions is rarely possible, and it is always overwhelming. Since the reshaped reality you Imagine is likely to evolve and change throughout the journey, such planning is less effective the farther your vision is from the current reality.
Imagining the Journey is a purely imaginative practice. The goal is not to create a plan but instead to Imagine what would be the steps toward realizing your vision. Just like your vision of the destination, this is not a prediction but the journey you aim for. And just like the destination, your vision of the path can evolve and change along the way.
Treat your vision of the journey, especially the next interim goal, as you treat any other vision.
actionable steps
When the realization of your vision is not immediate, Imagine the journey.
Don’t aim for a plan (at least not yet). Aim for a vision of the steps toward achieving your goal. See them as clearly as you see the destination, even if you don’t know how to accomplish each of them yet.
Focus on the interim goals along the path, and specifically on the next one. Treat them as interim visions: explore them in your Imagination and Embody Them.
Revisit your vision of the path and allow it to evolve as you make the journey.
examples
Example 1
Example 1
If you have an idea for a book (fiction or other), an excellent place to start is to see in your mind its high-level structure. For a novel, this could be the skeleton of the plot, for example. It is not a plan, and it will probably evolve or even take unexpected turns along the journey. But imagining the high-level story, and visualizing it somehow, will make the next steps easier. You can treat each chapter or part of the plot as a vision by itself — a goal and a journey leading to it.