have a granular vision of your ideal future

“You can’t hit a target you can’t see. You can’t accomplish wonderful things with your life if you have no idea of what they are. You must first become absolutely clear about what you want if you are serious about unlocking the extraordinary power that lies within you.”

― Brian Tracy, Maximum Achievement

Imagine someone driving a car in the midst of a hurricane with no GPS, no maps, and no destination. You can be sure that the car isn’t reaching a safe and secure place, and unless there’s a miracle, things are not going to be great for the poor driver. You don’t want to be like that driver, trust me. You have to be proactive and lay out a plan of action and know where you want to end up. You must visualize your future in as much detail as possible and design a map from where you are to where you want to be. In other words, you need to know what your version of success looks and feels like to you.

In his book Maximum Achievement, author and speaker Brian Tracy reveals a useful framework that can help us tremendously in designing our ideal future. Essentially, he divides success into seven key ingredients: 

1. Peace of mind: This is the most important ingredient. Picture your ideal in this area. What things, activities, and people would you need to let go of in order to live in harmony with your Higher Self and your core values. What virtues and qualities does the best version of yourself possess? The closer you get to your highest self-concept, the better you feel about yourself and your life. 
2. Physical fitness: How exactly would you like to look and feel?
3. Relationships: What kind of friendships and relationships would you like to attract in your life? Remember, the people you choose you to surround yourself with have a significant impact on your success and long-term happiness?
4. Financial freedom: What kind of disciplines do you need to adopt in your life to start winning with money? How much do you want to be earning in one, five, or ten years from now? What kind of efforts do you need to put in to get to your desired destination?
5. Worthy ideals: What kind of projects and activities give you your greatest sense of purpose in life? What work brings you meaning and joy? Use your past as a reference: What were some achievements and feats that made you the happiest and that you’re truly proud of?
6. Self-knowledge: How well do you know yourself? What are your motivations? What inspires you and propels you to move forward day in and day out?
7. Personal fulfillment: Do you feel you are embodying your personal legend? Are you certain that you’re moving toward realizing your full potential?

All these seven ingredients play a significant role in achieving holistic success and lasting happiness. Once you finish going through this list, you should have a granular picture of your ideal future. You’ll know what you are exactly aiming for in each aspect of your life, and hence equip yourself to turn your future life into a masterpiece.