Louise Thompson: Dare to dream big

If you wrote a letter about your future, what would you want it to say? Photo / Thinkstock

This is a fun exercise. It's also super-powerful. I used to get surprised when clients did this and amazing stuff started to magically happen and appear in their lives.

Now, surprise? Not so much. The good stuff happens with such incredible regularity that I just expect it!

Right, so you are going to create a deeeeeeeeeeelicious vision of the future. You are going to tap into that which makes your heart sing and your soul soar. This is a vision without limits, where you firmly put that voice that says "yeah right. Like that'll happen" to one side. You can pick up all that doubting self talk afterwards, but for now you are going to give yourself full permission to dream. To think, what would be fabulous? What would be amazing? What would make me bounce out of bed on a Monday morning? Put the critical voice aside for half an hour as you do this and enjoy sinking into a delicious vision of the future. For this exercise the only limits are you and your imagination.

I want you to write me a letter. You don't have to send it, unless you want to, I just want you to write it. It's for you, not for me. This is one of the most transformative things you can do for yourself. The power is not in reading about this, it's in committing a little time and actually doing this. It's for you, from you.

The future you. So gift yourself half an hour and get it done.

Okay, so this is how you are going to start your letter:

Dear Louise, it's me, (your name).

It's now Monday, June 17, 2015 and I wanted to write
to you to tell you...

I want you to imagine you are your future self, writing to me from today, 2015. Tell me all about your life as it is two years hence. I want to know everything!

Tell me what has happened, and how life is now in both your work and personal life, for you to feel happy and pleased with your progress. Who are you as a person these days?

Cover these eight key areas:

1. Career
2. Health
3. Family and friends
4. Partner
5. Money
6. Personal
7. Living space
8. Hobbies, playtime and fun

Make sure you use all five of your senses and be as descriptive as possible (tell me about the smell of the new leather in the new BMW, the feel of the warm sand beneath your feet, the sound of your children laughing, the cool things your clients have told you, etc).

Please also tell me how you feel about your delicious life. Not just what you have and what you do. I don't want a list honeychild, I want a letter! How do you feel about the new/old/improved car/boyfriend/country/business? Calm? Excited? Passionate? Empowered? Relaxed? Tell me.

You can have anything you want in this exercise (no limits but your imagination, remember) so dream big and let rip!

Most people cover at least 2-3 sheets of A4 paper. Relax and don't try too hard, just write the first few sentences and you will get into it. Don't try too hard, just let the letter write itself. Tap into the you that you want to be in two years' time. Who is that guy/girl?

Action step

Start that letter. Don't put it off.

You need this delicious and compelling vision to pull you forward. Start it now.

"Dear Louise, it's me..."

Print it. Read it every night before you go to sleep. Let those delicious images sink into your subconscious and subtly draw you forwards.

Louise Thompson is a life coach, yoga teacher and corporate escapee. For more from Louise, visit positivebalance.co.nz