Envision the Changes You Want in Life 

Reprinted from
The Indianapolis Star 
1/19/03

Can you picture yourself entering a nicely organized garage where you can find any of your tools right where they belong? Or imagine actually going into your clothes closet without stepping over a pile of things on the floor inside.

Everything has a place, and everything is in its place. That would be a perfect house, wouldn't it?

Whether you want a perfect day, a perfect house, a perfect anything, you should first envision it.

Some people put their pictures on paper, drawing out diagrams and room mockups, or listing the things that would help produce what they want. Others might cut out pictures of all the things they want and make a collage of them -- whatever makes the picture "real" and brings the vision to a reality level.

An architect doesn't embark on designing a room without a drawing. An author doesn't start writing a book without notes. And a painter doesn't touch the canvas without a subject.

Since a dream is a picture, or a vision of how we want something to be, it is quite doable to turn "dreams" into something real. We must know, however, that "I want" and "I do" are quite different: One is a thought, and the other is an action.

This year, I listed all the things I wanted. I then decided to go beyond that and make a picture collage of everything I wanted. I really wanted to make my pictures "real." You know, give them life, so to speak.

I'm already at work on making those things on my list happen. My mounted collage just keeps me focused on the big picture, and substantiates my desire to attain my dream.

A friend of mine constantly cuts out pictures of things she likes from magazines. A new sofa, a fancy car, a beautiful house -- you name it.

She keeps them in a folder, only referring to it on occasion. Time goes by, and she still has her old sofa, her high-maintenance used car and her small apartment.

I asked her once, "What are you doing toward getting that nice house you want?" Well, it turns out she hadn't done a thing beyond imagining it.

Another friend, on the other hand, had a picture of her "dream home." She didn't have a lot of money, never owned a home before, and wasn't sure if her credit was good enough to get a loan for it.

That didn't stop her. She began looking at real estate, talking to real-estate agents, and taking a class on buying property with no money down. Within a year, she was a homeowner, nestled in her ideal home.

Back to Column index...

See Articles

Copyright © 2003Cyndi Seidler.  All Rights Reserved.