How I envision my life will be + why it matters

There is this crazy balance, I think, to be found in living in the present + casting a vision for the future. I mean, I am 100% believer in focusing on here + now. And, I seek to create a life that is slow, mindful, and present-focused. Because, ultimately, life is right here, right now. So, how do we envision our future + stay grounded in today?

However, we cannot live without dreaming dreams, or casting visions, or crafting goals. Right? Or, can we? I’m just throwing these musings out into the universe right now – no need to feel pressure to give me an answer. Hehe.

For me, the risk is, that as we create goals, the more we may slip into focusing only on those goals + the steps to making those goals a reality and forget to focus on right now. What’s more, we just might find ourselves stuck in thinking that those specific goals we set are exactly what we must achieve, thus leaving no space for the natural unfolding, evolutionary way of life.

What I mean, is that goals/dreams/visions give us something to work toward, which is super duper good. But, we may get hung up on the end result and miss the journey. We may get caught in thinking that things have to turn out as we planned, and find ourselves disappointed when life throws us a curve ball or takes us down another, very much unexpected path (which almost always is the case).

Maybe, focusing on how we get there (to our goal, dream, vision) is what we need to let go of. And to let the process unfold as it will. Maybe the best thing for us is to cast that vision. Set that goal. And dream that dream. And then throw it out there to the universe. Trusting that, if it emerged from our soul, all things will work to make that shit happen. Just maybe in not the way that we ever thought.

So, it’s a balance of being both active + passive. Of actively choosing how we want to live our lives, setting our intentions, and then (kind of passively) trusting (which is still an action actually) the process. We’re engaged throughout the entire journey, but we also are not freaking out whenever the journey takes an unexpected twist. We’re able to be flexible, open, and adaptable.

So, here’s a little something that I want to add more of to my life. I wanna spice my life up with envisioning my future. Not just casting a vision or making a goal, but actually, literally, envisioning it.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I expect things to look just like how I envision it. But, it does mean that I fully expect that my dreams and visions can become my reality.

My new co-worker, who I am now officially announcing as my very dear friend and soul sister, has shared with me some things that have popped up in her visions lately. Some of them are things that she consciously dreams of, while others are visions that just appear in her mind’s eye. The thing is, she really truly sees them. And she feels them. They are her truth. They are real. And she deeply believes without a doubt that they will become reality. Like, literally, no doubts.

I’m pretty sure that I’ve approached life this way myself… without even realizing it. When I was in my 20s I knew that I’d live in Europe. I didn’t know how or where or why, but I knew it. I could see it. Even though in my 20s I was living a life that was so incredibly far from even the possibility of living in Europe. Of course, I didn’t see how it looks now, I saw no details, but I saw it in my soul. I don’t know a better way to explain that.

But, what about now? What do I envision for my future today? Well, I do have a few things. Some are super clear. Some are just ideas and feelings, but strong ideas and feelings. They are, in fact, goals that I have, visions that I have cast, and intentions that I have set. But, they are also things that have risen from my soul + thereby have emerged as goals + dreams + intentions that I literally envision happening. Just like that vision of living in Europe 20 years ago.

Wanna know what they are?

1. I am going to live in New York City for 1-2 months + work on a book. I see it. I feel it. I smell it.

2. I will publish a book. Something with words + images. Meant to inspire. And there may be multiple books coming.

3. My life will be filled with travel of all kinds. Mostly short, week-long or month-long trips.

4. Lina + I will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary in a year and a half in a tropical paradise.

5. I will go on a pilgrimage retreat. One of silence + contemplation. In Ireland, Scotland, or India.

6. There will be some days of photography + AirBnbing  in Joshua Tree National Park

7. I’ll own a a little retreat home (with Lina) in the woods.

These, of course, are pretty big things that I envision for my future. There are also tiny, little, everyday things that are way more short-term. It’s even a way to approach every single day. By envisioning how we want the day to be. What kind of mood, atmosphere, vibes, and feelings we want to put out there into our little corner of the world.

Because, ultimately, it’s not about what kind of vibes we want to receive, what kind of feelings we want to feel, what kind of mood we want to evoke, what kinds of things we want to occur… it’s much, much more about what we want to cast out there into the world. And, I guarantee, that whatever we cast out there, we will receive in return.

photos of pineapples as my way of envisioning summer days in the middle of this super wintery march

So, whenever we wonder if we actually have any power or control over our life or not, we can rest in remembering that, while we may not be able to change our circumstances sometimes (and sometimes we can!), we can most definitely always decide how we show up in them. When we literally envision our day, or a big dream, as if it is already real, then we tap into some kind of positive magic that helps to thrust us forward. It’s not just some silly day-dream.

You know that old saying/believe about self-prophesying… about sabotaging ourselves by thinking negatively ahead of something and setting ourselves up for failure. Well, envisioning is the complete opposite. It’s setting ourself up for positively and success. If we can affect ourselves negatively, why can’t we affect ourselves positively?

From big dreams to teeny tiny moments, go big. Cast wide. Believe. And envision all that your soul desires + is calling you to.

And tell me… what do you envision for your life? for your summer? for your day?

xoxo. liz.