15. New Year's Resolution, Reimagined

The start of a new calendar year is a nice time to set new intentions. Sometimes though, just setting an intention may not be enough to carry it into reality.

Imagination is a powerful thing. Let’s contemplate imagination in relation to our personal stories. In the way we currently perceive this physical universe, the past exists as narratives in our minds, it contains lessons learned and not yet learned, stories about ourselves and others, emotions, that contribute to the building of a narrative of the self. The future is an array of possibilities that has not yet come to pass. What we experience is an eternal moment of now. In this “now” contains the storylines of the past, and seeds of the future. Every moment we have the choice to make decisions that can create a different future.

Right in this moment, there could be stories from our past that are influencing the way we’re currently living, while creating future outcomes. I’d like to come back to the point that no matter how painful, tough, or even glorious the past may have been, it is now being experienced as a story in the mind. And with this understanding that the past is a story we tell ourselves, is how imagination can come in to help shape our future. Because if experienced in a genuinely emotional way, the brain can’t tell the difference between a story that really happened, and an imagined reality.

The act of imagining a different a way of being, which informs our actions, could help reframe our reality and change our trajectory in the world.

However, just imagining may not be enough to change an outcome. Imagination is even more powerful when coupled with real life actions. Imagine the future in detail, and act everyday in a way that assumes as if that future outcome is already reality.

Finally, it’s important to anchor the future we’re imagining in integrity. Meaning, our imagined future is intentionally being put into motion in a way that is not harming to ourselves and others.

If you’d like to do this future visualization meditation, please be discerning, and do so at an appropriate time, when you have sufficient time, space, and mental energy to go into the explorations genuinely. If now is not the right time for this exercise, please feel free to pause and come back when the conditions are right for you.

Settling into a comfortable position that is available to you right now. May it be sitting, standing, lying down, or in any other position that allows you to be both relaxed and alert. If it’s available to you, keeping the spine upright, yet not uptight. Gently closing the eyes or keeping them downcast, whichever feels most comfortable, to guide your attention inwards.

Taking a few deep and cleansing breaths. Breathe in, and allow the belly and lungs to fully expand. Breathe out, letting the belly and lungs contract, letting go of all the air. Breathe in, and fully expand, breathe out, and fully let go. Breathe in, fully expand, breathe out, fully let go.

Whenever you’re ready, gently allow the breath to flow back to its natural rhythm.

Bringing your attention to the body, notice whether there are any obvious areas of tension. If so, feel free to gently release them.

Noticing the places where your body meets the surface you’re resting on. Notice the support these surfaces are providing you, holding you up.

Feel free to choose a way of anchoring your attention, whether it’s noticing your breath, noticing sensations in the body, noticing where your body meets the resting surface, or anything else you find easy to anchor your attention into. You can always come back to this anchor whenever you need to find your centre.

From this relaxed and aware place, imagine a future scenario you’d like to happen for you this year. Imagine this future scenario in a way that is not bringing harm to yourself and others. It could be something specific, like a change of living situation, a job situation, relationship. Or it could be a way of being, like living with a feeling of peace or ease. What does this scenario look like? What do you see, hear, feel?

Now imagine the future version of yourself who is living inside of this future scenario. What is this future version of you like? This person who has made all of this a reality? How do this future you think, speak, act, to yourself and others? What quality are they embodying? Some qualities may be, peaceful, loving, kind, aware, generous, curious, open, caring. Feel into these qualities, and notice what sensations might be arising in your body.

Imagine this future version of yourself, who is an embodiment of these qualities waking up in the morning. What do they do?

Imagine this future you moving throughout the day, how do they respond when faced with a challenge?

Imagine them at work, or in some kind of regular interaction with others. How do they think, talk, act, and interact?

Imagine them meeting a stranger on the street, how do they think, and interact with this stranger?

Imagine any other situation you might find this future version of you in, how would they think, talk, act, and interact in this situation?

Coming face to face with this future version of you, is there anything they’d like to share with you? It could be words, gestures, images, anything that may be coming to mind.

Notice, there’s actually no difference between the current you, and this future version of you. It’s all just you.

Bringing your attention back into your body, what sensations, emotions, and thoughts are you noticing now?

Resting in open awareness, integrating everything you’ve just visualized about this future scenario, and collapsing the distance between the future and present you.

Slowly bring some movement back into the body. Whenever you’re ready, gently open your eyes and bring your awareness back into the space surrounding you.

Visualizing and feeling into the exact qualities that created your future scenario is a great first step. What becomes more important is integrating these qualities into your everyday life. Feel free to spend a short period of time each day embodying the qualities that created your future scenario everyday. Live as if you’re already that version of yourself, embody that version of yourself fully. It can be as short as 5 minutes each day at the beginning, and gradually, extending the time to 10 minutes, 15 minutes, until these qualities become more habitual.

Feel free to come back to this meditation in the future if you want a refresher.

Thank you for practicing with me today, I look forward to practicing with you next time. Take care, and may you be well.