Welcome to the Aspiring stage of your Inner Growth Journey.
This is a fun one where you can dream big and think of all the great things you want to be doing with your life.
Remember, this stage builds on the self-awareness gained in the Assessment phase. If you haven’t completed that stage, now’s a great time to do so.
The Essence of Aspirational Thinking
Aspirational thinking is about envisioning the life you greatly desire and setting a course to achieve it. It’s a mindset of possibility, driven by your values and fueled by the power of visualization. Let’s explore a few key elements:
- Dream Big: Aspirational thinking encourages you to expand your sense of what’s possible. Don’t be limited by what seems practical right now. Imagine the kind of life you would love in each important area.
- Values Alignment: Let your core values be your compass. When your aspirations align with what matters most to you, they create deep satisfaction and a strong sense of purpose.
- Visualization: Create a vivid picture of your ideal future in each life area. This could be through vision boards, journaling, or simply closing your eyes and imagining. Visualization makes your goals feel tangible and fuels your belief in achieving them.
Starting Points for Aspiration
To spark your aspirational thinking, consider these starting points:
- Reflect on Your Results: Revisit your Assessment stage results – your prioritized life areas, scores, and initial reflections. What sparks excitement or a desire for positive change?
- Challenge Limiting Beliefs: Notice any thoughts like “I can’t…” or “That’s impossible…” Aspirational thinking means temporarily setting those aside to explore what you truly want.
- Embrace the ‘What If?’: Ask yourself “What if…?” questions. What if you could achieve your biggest goals? How would your life, relationships, and sense of self change?
Remember: Aspiration is a dynamic process. Your visions may evolve over time, and that’s perfectly natural!
Let’s move on to crafting your vision for each important life area!
Crafting Your Vision: Short-Term and Long-Term Dreams
Now, let’s turn your aspirations into a tangible roadmap for your growth journey!
We will begin by imagining your ideal future – where you want to be in the long term.
Based on this you will then picture where you will be, and what you will be doing in one year’s time.
Lastly we will think through your perfect single day.
Let’s begin.
Life in Five Years
It’s time to dream big! Envision your life five years from now. Focus on what you really want to be doing without worrying about the “how” just yet. Go through every important area of your life.
- Where do you live? What’s your lifestyle like?
- What have you achieved both professionally and personally?
- What kind of person have you become?
- What brings you the greatest joy and fulfillment?
Once you have some ideas written down, you can move onto the next activity.
Life in One Year
Now, imagine your life one year from now. What will you need to be doing to ensure you hit your life in five years time? What has changed?
- What accomplishments are you celebrating?
- What positive shifts have occurred within your important life areas?
- Have you developed new skills or habits?
- How do you feel overall compared to where you are now?
Again write this down, try and be very specific.
The Perfect Day
Finally, picture a single, ideal day in your future life. Don’t worry about how you’ll get there just yet. Consider these questions:
- How does your day begin? What is your morning routine?
- What kind of work or activities fill your day? How do they make you feel?
- Who do you spend time with? What are your interactions like?
- Where do you live? What does your environment look like?
- How do you end your day? What brings you a sense of peace and fulfillment?
Think through all the important areas in your life and start writing things down. Think through all your senses, what are you seeing, what are you eating, what are you feeling?
Embrace Change: Your Vision is a Living Guide
Your ideal future isn’t set in stone – it’s a dynamic guide to your growth journey!
It’s perfectly normal for your goals and aspirations to evolve as you gain new experiences. If you’re unsure about certain aspects, start with your best guess and dive in.
As you progress through the Doing & Reviewing phases of our Inner Growth Journey, you’ll have opportunities to reflect on your progress.
Notice what sparks excitement or aligns with your values.
Revisit your visions frequently, making adjustments as needed. This flexibility ensures your growth is constantly directed towards what truly matters.
Ready for the Next Step?
The Aspiring stage has fueled your motivation and painted a clear picture of your desired future.
Now, it’s time to turn those dreams into reality! In the Strategizing phase, we’ll transform your visions into achievable goals and create a concrete plan for making them happen.
Let’s move on to the Strategizing stage!
