Envisioning.

Ever wonder how you manage to spin quite so many plates? Well, it’s time to add ‘time traveller’ to your resume.

As an entrepreneur, you’ve surely been called a daydreamer in your time. I’m praying I’m not the only one who had school report cards along the lines of, “Georgia has a brain, she just doesn’t pay attention for long enough to use it”?

Brutal actually, now I write it down. I just had a good imagination, thanks. 

Maybe you’re a realist and don’t consider yourself particularly imaginative at all. Perhaps you assume that only an artistic person possesses the ability to conjure visions that sparkle with creative magic in the cauldron of their mind’s eye, and paint pictures in illustration-free books with their cleverly chosen words. 

Sure, people who naturally think in the abstract might find it easier to imagine than those who work with the tangible, who might vision board, sculpt, or demo their thoughts instead. The point is, we each have a way of making our thoughts become real.

“Goals do come true”, as business coach and lifestyle financial planner, Doug Bennett always says. 

But what if the conversation turns away from imagination for a minute, and turns towards our ability to envision? What if we are all, regardless of stereotypically creative abilities, able to envision a bigger and better future for ourselves and others around us? 

Tonnes of thought leaders, high-achievers, and change-makers from all professions promote envisioning as a tool for personal and professional expansion: Janet Echelman, Joy Page, Tony Hsieh, Dan Sullivan, and Selim Nurudeen, to name but a few.

In fact, whatever your preference or drive, it seems essential that all entrepreneurs figure out which door to open when they want to step into their future. Can you do that on demand?

Can you access another world, another year, where everything you wish for now is real and your aspirations are even bigger there than they are here today?

When entrepreneurs start a big project with massive opportunities attached to it, they must be willing and able to envision their future as a real place. Even better if they can go there and experience it as if it’s already here.

Why envision?

Because big projects usually require time, money, and energy, and other commitments. Assuming those things are used correctly and thought of correctly, they are investments rather than costs. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to make changes that can feel like sacrifices, too. And those changes are the challenge.

There are shifts involved in achievement. 

To be challenged productively rather than stressfully, we have to welcome uncomfortable introspection, critically evaluate, make strong decisions in decent time, continually self-assess, and improve. And this can be sustained over long periods of time. Climbing ladders and moving mountains is always hard, no matter who tries it. 

So, being able to time travel to the week/month/year after completion is a huge advantage. 

Envisioning isn't just thinking. It's resilience, focus and longevity. It's part of your stamina. It feeds your appetite for completion.

All of a sudden, you’ve reached the summit, the pain has faded away and you’re enjoying the panoramic view of all you’ve achieved. You can feel the win, and use it to gain fresh momentum whenever you need the second wind.

Coach Lauren Tickner, who created a 7-figure business in her twenties, says that all the millionaires she knows make sure they complete, no matter how much they'd rather just start.

Let’s take becoming an author, for example. 

Even for those who outsource everything including the writing of the book itself, speaking your content still requires energy, confidence, thinking, a 12- month to 3-year view, and alignment with your audience today at the same time you’re aligned with your future self.

And by the time you’ve provided your chapter content, a few weeks or months have passed. Whilst your main role is done, the editor has their bit to do. Then the proofreader. Then the designer. Then the publisher. Then the marketer… it’s a project that can take up to a year to get really right, and that's with the right team around you. It’s a “thing”. 

If someone isn’t willing or able to transport themselves to their exciting, successful, impactful future, they’ll inevitably feel stuck, frustrated, bored when working hard on a big project. 

The emotional value of the tasks at hand won’t seem high enough. The focus will be on what it’s costing versus what it’s providing. And you won't finish what you started. This only denies you and your audience better results.

What can you do?

Give your imagination a regular outing, and screw the report cards. You don’t have to wait until the end of your book, podcast, or blog launch [or insert big project here] to appreciate the beauty of what you’re creating and celebrate your success. 

You just need to become a time traveller. Simple.