The Greater Good Science Center – https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ – is one of the most impactful sites available for finding research based information on how to increase the greater good in our world. This article is from them. I have referenced that site multiple times in my posts and guarantee you that there will be more from them moving ahead. Have a healthy, happy, positive impact 2023.
Jill Suttie has found that reflecting on your ideal future helps you feel more optimistic and be intentional about what you want.
When I was in my late 20s, I was living in Santa Barbara and wondering about the course of my life. I had a job that was interesting enough, but it came with a terrible boss who actively sabotaged my work. I’d been in a few serious relationships, but none of them panned out. I’d enjoyed working at a university, but hoped to use my science background more and, perhaps, tap into my creativity. I wanted something different, possibly even a new town. But I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted or how to get there.
That’s when I came across a book called Creative Visualization, and, for some reason, it spoke to me. Though I thought the main premise of the book was bogus—that all you need to do is figure out what you want, and the universe will provide—I nonetheless found its goal-setting exercise extremely helpful. In it, the author tells readers to imagine their best possible lives, considering many different aspects of life, including relationships, work, leisure time, personal development, the condition of society, and more. Then, they should write about this perfect life, as if everything were just as they wanted it to be.
Doing this exercise at that time helped me a lot, by encouraging me to reflect on my values, deepest desires, and goals. And I believe that taking the time to imagine a better, more fulfilled future started me on the path to where I am now. For example, back then I envisioned myself being married to a loving man (check), having a job where I could help foster more compassion in others (check), speaking new languages (check), and playing more music (check).
Did these things magically appear in my life? No, they didn’t. But knowing what I wanted helped me set an intention to work toward them. No doubt, my subconscious kicked in, too, and I began to notice opportunities that presented themselves to me or to actively seek out information I needed. Plus, having a direction to take based on my truest desires gave me impetus to make hard choices that ultimately changed my life—like moving from Santa Barbara and forgiving my alcoholic father’s past abuse.
Since that time, I’ve done this exercise many times over the years, often with good results. Even so, it wasn’t until recently that I noticed there is research to support the practice. When you imagine your best possible self, suggests the research, you feel more optimistic and positive about life, which motivates you to apply yourself toward fulfilling goals. And being happier can increase your willingness to tackle social problems, too, meaning it can make a difference in the world, not just for you as an individual. It’s not just for one type of person, either; it has been tried with different populations to overall good effect.
I can’t promise it will work for you, too. But it might make a difference in how you feel about the future—and that could be a good thing to do going into the year 2022.
Here is what the “best possible self” practice involves, according to Greater Good in Action:
1. Take a moment to imagine your life in the future. Ask yourself, what is the best possible life you can imagine? Consider all of the relevant areas of your life, such as your career, academic work, relationships, hobbies, and health. Then, write continuously for about 15 minutes about what you imagine this best possible future to be.
2. If you’re tempted to think about the ways your life isn’t working well right now or about financial, time, or social barriers to being able to make your best life happen, let that all go for the purpose of the exercise. Instead, focus on imagining a brighter future in which you are your best self and circumstances change enough to make this happen.
3. Be specific and creative, letting yourself imagine as much detail as you can and being as imaginative as you want when it comes to your best life. The more creative and specific you are, the more engaged you will be in the exercise and the more you’ll get out of it.
