Envision

Credit for the topic today goes to my son Alex.  We were just chatting at 5:00 in the morning — me just getting going with my day, him still up after pulling an all night study session for his Calculus exam.  I told him I was about to start today’s post and asked if he had any ideas.  He suggested “envision” and that’s how we got here….

Steven Covey captured the essence of envision with his quote “All things are created twice.  First mentally, then physically”.  This one’s been with me for over 15 years and has proven invaluable.  For me, when I start to think about goals and objectives, I always envision the end state.  In the process of envisioning I try and include as many details as possible.  Details that register with all of my senses:  how it looks, how it sounds, how it feels, how it smells, how it tastes. The more that I can appeal to all of my senses, the more the envisioned future becomes real.  Recently I picked up a technique where I also try and incorporate my motivation for why I want to get to the envisioned future.  What’s my internal drive / why is the envisioned end state so important to me?  Combining these two elements — a clear mental picture that appeals to all senses and a solid understanding of the “why” behind the envisioned end state — helps to cement the mental image.  That in turn makes the physical manifestation of the end state much more likely.