Envisioning Your Future, Pt. II – Inner Wisdom
As I mentioned in the last article, an important component of reinvention is clarity, that is, holding a clear vision of who you’re becoming and where you’d like to go. I’ve found that the most effective way to gain this clarity is by defining, exploring and working toward your future self, a powerful tool for envisioning the version of yourself you’re striving to become.
This is the second installment of a four-part series to help you envision your future. The last article included an overview of what the future self is and how to work with it to create an inner vision of your next life chapter.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of connecting with your inner wisdom, the place in your heart that holds your deepest desires. I’ll share an exercise to help you practice what a true “yes” feels like for you – a useful tool for your inner journey.
Why is it important to connect with your inner voice or what I like to call my still point?
Connecting with your still point is about quieting the noise so you can hear your own wisdom. As a mentor once shared with me, “Your life is always speaking to you.”
That’s why I love the image of Athena – the epitome of self-agency – a beautiful mix of strength and wisdom, shield and owl. That’s the power you can access when you go within and find your unique path. Your inner knowing may surprise you, but it will never fail you.
You’ll find the more you follow these internal nudges, the more synchronicities and serendipities seem to come your way. The key is to take some action toward your insights, even if they seem to make no logical sense. It’s been my experience that when I get a strong gut feel, I receive all I need to make it a reality.
You can turn this into a wellness practice by increasing your self-care to keep the channel to your soul open, set boundaries to protect this sacred space, and take good care not to override the insight you’re gleaning.
And there are many ways to connect with your inner wisdom, such as intentional methods of meditating or journaling. But you can also tune into your inner knowing when you’re walking, driving, or as you go about your daily routine.
The common denominator of the activities I listed is silence. Silence, and the absence of outside influence and expectation, is the quickest way to strengthen the connection with your inner wisdom and insight.
While spending time in solitude can seem like a selfish act on the surface, its effects radiate outward. When you take the time to listen for and connect with your internal whispers, you recenter your heart, which has a positive impact on your personal, professional and community relationships.
My recommendation is to keep it simple. I suggest trying different things to see what works best for you. Perhaps it’s first thing in the morning when the house is quiet. Maybe it’s moving your body in some way. Perhaps a more formal meditation practice suits you or a journaling practice. Maybe you like to get outdoors to hike, birdwatch or star gaze. Or you can do something you love, like take photos, make art or take a road trip.
Anything away from the daily grind that provides a break from the noise and busyness where there are no distractions will do. Get creative on where you can be alone with your thoughts without any devices to distract you.
And this practice is productive as well. As educator and author Stephen Covey once said, “Only as we keep an open communication with our deep inner life will we have the wisdom to make effective choices.”
Giving ourselves a break from our noisy world – the space and time to be quietly present – is a gift. It pays dividends on our health, mood and relationships with ourselves and others. And it will always guide us in the right direction.
But there’s another benefit. This state of mind connects us with our future self from the heart space – a place of love and creation. This is a different place to live from than our usual default, which is our head that can be inundated with fear and expectation of who we should be.
Here’s an exercise for you to try. It’s a visualization to help you connect with being in an open heart space and the sensation of what “yes” feels like in your body. It’s important to know this feeling, because it’s how your future self will let you know when you’re on the path toward it.
I suggest reading the following script into your phone and playing it back when you’re in a comfortable position that feels right for you in a place where you won’t be disturbed. Be sure to leave plenty of space between bullet points as you speak:
Gently close your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths.
Breath in and elongate the outbreath.
And just let go.
Just like you’re watching a movie, envision a scene where you’re experiencing the feeling of openness. Picture a beautiful place – and it can be anywhere, real or imagined. It can be a natural or urban setting. The details do not need to make sense in your life today.
It’s about how this place makes you feel – a feeling of aliveness.
A place where you can express your true self without the need for outside validation or adjusting to other’s expectations. It’s place where you can breathe and be yourself through and through.
Take a look around the scene you’re visualizing:
Using your senses, what are you seeing? Are you near the water? In the mountains? In your favorite city? In the house you live? Where is this place that makes you feel alive?
What about the day? Do you start your mornings slowly, waking up naturally, taking a few minutes to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee? Do you spend more time in nature and less time in traffic?
What sweet things do you do to nurture and care for yourself? Taking walks, reading books, listening to music, eating well, spending time with friends, exercising, making art?
Note how all of this goodness makes you feel. You may feel more space in your chest, allowing you to breathe easily, like a sense of vastness and expansiveness.
See yourself moving through your week with this greater awareness, with this openness. Can you feel what it’s like to have a healthy body, calm mind, compassionate spirit, a supportive and connective family and community, while being an integral part of the global community?
Imagine yourself doing what you want with a big smile on your face.
Feel the celebratory feelings as you imagine your new reality coming true.
Does it feel like optimism? Enthusiasm? Happiness? Passion? Freedom? Love? Peace? Ease? Empowerment? Gratitude? Joy?
Where are you feeling this in your body?
Drop deeper into a feeling of wholeheartedness, which is a feeling of worthiness, of knowing you are enough. It’s the practice of living honestly and setting healthy boundaries, including time for self-care. It’s when your words and actions are congruent with your beliefs and values. It’s a remembering of who you are, a stripping away, getting to your core, your essence – and then living from there.
Take a few deep breaths and savor this feeling.
Know that you can carry this open-hearted feeling and access it any time. Just put your hand over your heart and name the feeling a few times, feel its energy in your body.
Set an intention to feel it when you wake. To call it to you before you go to sleep. It’s always there for you.
And whenever you’re ready, open your eyes and gently come back to the present moment.
If there’s a learning from this exercise it’s this: The journey from head to heart is through the body. The more you can identify and do things that give you that sense of freedom, the closer you are to your new life track. The wisdom of the body (your heart) will give you clarity on yes and no life choices.
Learn to trust when your body feels good, even if you diverge off your usual path. In fact, especially when you diverge off your well-established path! Pay attention to the difference between feeling constricted and trapped versus the feeling of freedom and expansiveness.
Practice connecting to the open feeling of “yes” and in the next article, you’ll be guided in an exercise to meet your future self.
Journal Reflections: How did it feel to experience open-heartedness? Where do you feel it in your body? How might you utilize this feeling when making life choices?
Note: If you prefer, you can listen to this article here: Episode 225