Imagine future-you

What do you see when you picture yourself five years from now? You’re probably not picturing what hairstyle you might have or how many stamps you’ve added to your collection. When you think about future-you five years from now, you might be picturing something more along the lines of finishing school, starting a new career, getting a promotion, or earning a raise (or several!).

But how do you get there?

Positively visualizing your future—and the steps along the way—is an exercise that can help you maintain focus and motivation in your journey back to school and all the way through to graduation.

Set the plan in motion

Start by visualizing your future in stages. Grab a piece of paper or open up an app on your phone where you can write down your thoughts to the following prompts. Set a 15 minute timer to go through the following prompts. There is no right or wrong answer here; your responses will help you visualize the future you want.

3 months

Start with three months from now: What’s a short-term goal you can focus on immediately? Maybe it’s to get registered or re-enrolled back in school. Or maybe it’s something more personal, like starting a gym routine.

1 year

Building on three months, how does that inform what you picture for yourself in a year? Will you be done with your first semester of classes? Your second?

3-5 years

This is the big one. Where do you see yourself or what do you see yourself doing in a few years? Maybe you’ve finished what you started and you have your degree. Maybe you’ve started working in your dream career.

Getting into the details

To take it a step further, let’s get even more specific. Refer back to your responses to the prompts above as you ask yourself the following questions:

How will I have achieved my accomplishments?

This is the main one. When you think of the accomplishments you envision yourself achieving, how did you get there? What led to your success?

What change will I have created?

Think about the changes you’ll have gone through or will have created. What will those be, both for yourself but also in the space around you?

What kind of relationships will I have cultivated?

This is key. Relationships are a major part of our lives. What new relationships will you have? Which ones will have run their course? In many ways, the kind of relationships you keep will help determine how far you can go.

How will I have felt?

Think about how you will feel when you’ve accomplished what you visualized in three months, one year, three to five years. What emotions come to mind? Reference this feelings wheel resource to identify a few feelings and emotions that you imagine you will have felt.

Your brain can change as you learn. Here are two things to keep in mind to maximize that potential:

• Focus on the process and refine it.
• Seek other viewpoints. Read books. Talk to other people and learn from their processes.
• Don’t shy away from adversity—step outside your comfort zone. Growth requires effort.

Try this exercise or something similar for each stage:

In (three months), I will have accomplished (enrolling myself in school) by (no longer putting it off). I will feel (ready to take on the world).

Write it out and put it on the wall, the fridge, the bathroom mirror—anywhere you’ll see it and can remind yourself of your goals daily.

Enhance your vision. Know your mission.

Think of it like this: Your vision is the end. It’s your success.

Your mission? How you get there.

You will be striving daily to realize your vision. State your purpose every day. When it gets tough, consciously commit to your priorities and values. Again and again. These reminders will enhance your vision and keep you hungry for success.