Creating Change: Step 5B – Three Techniques For Giving Your Vision Form

Congratulations - You know you want to create positive change in your life and you’ve come up with a compelling, inspiring vision, powerful enough to motivate you to take action past your comfort zone. Not only that, you’ve also explored your limiting beliefs and dissolved the ones that were holding you back – bravo! Now you have to ground that vision and turn it into a concrete goal. Unless you give it a name and an address, it will stay a dream. It needs to be localized and concretized so you can know what action steps to take to get there.

Here are three simple tools to help you give your vision form.

Brainstorming
If you just know the essence of what you want to create but not the particulars, or if several options are pulling you in different directions, it’s time to call in your friends and helpers for a good brainstorming session. Brainstorming has an actual structure to it, I learned recently. You should ideally have at least three participants, and all ideas get spoken and written down without comment or discussion. No censoring of ideas is allowed, regardless of what anyone thinks is “unrealistic.” One idea will lead to another and creativity will abound. You will find yourself uncovering possibilities you never dreamt of before.

The networking principle and “six degrees of separation” apply here too. It is amazing, when you get a few people in on solving a puzzle, how many connections come forth to help you on your way. Your friends will see things that are hidden from you, and may even know just the person you should call. It may be that what you want is closer at hand than you realize. It may only require a small shift – sometimes even a shift of perception.

If you don’t have buddies to brainstorm with (and you can make it a party), or if you’d like to work with a professional, you can contact a career consultant or coach who is trained in the art of generating ideas. As a career coach, I love to help people explore ways to create their own business based on what they love. I strongly believe that whatever you are called to do in life answers a true need of the world, and that if you follow your inner guidance you will find both fulfillment and success.

Research
Another step you may want to take at this phase is research in the real world. If you are closing in on a big goal – a career change, a move, or returning to school – or even a new exercise regime – you will want to find out all that you can about it. Part of your research can be done on the Internet. But you may also want to talk to actual people who have trodden the path you are contemplating, to learn what they have experienced, what preparation or training you may need, and other details. You are preparing to step out of your familiar zone of life into something new. It is a stretch – that is why you haven’t done it until now. So take your time and go as deeply as you need to into this learning and research stage. This can be the step that takes more time, for you will be hunting and gathering valuable knowledge, insights, and even inspiration that will fuel your journey forward.

Write Your Goals
Finally, when you have defined your goals It is very important to write them down, preferably on paper. I’m a great believer in writing. Whether it’s making lists, journaling, or thinking things through on paper, writing helps clarify my thoughts. It takes the pressure off my brain cells from having to remember everything– kind of like having an external hard drive to back up your files. My mind is then free to relax and receive fresh inspiration.
Especially when it comes to goals and statements of purpose, writing impresses them on your subconscious. You’re making a commitment to yourself, while you give your goals form. And if you write them in a special journal or on cards you keep in view, it helps you remember what you want. Without this even the most fervent intentions have a habit of evaporating into thin air. Trust me, I know.

So write down your goals, your plans, and also your accomplishments, no matter how small. Record them on a daily or weekly basis, in a special notebook that you keep and refer to often. This practice will build your confidence and your momentum as well as keep you steadily focused on your purpose.