Dream Big, Plan Bigger: 8 Ways to Design Your Next Chapter
Are you envisioning a future that differs from your current path? As a successful professional, you've achieved many career and personal milestones. However, there comes a time when you may find your current path no longer aligns with your evolving values and aspirations.
Whether spurred by changing personal values, a shifting professional landscape, or a thirst for new challenges, envisioning a different future is both beneficial and necessary. It's an opportunity to redefine success, discover new passions, and realign your career with your evolving identity.
But, we know it isn’t always easy to start with a blank page and design a new future.
Try out one of these 8 simple exercises to clarify and map out your desired future (or sample them all to find what works for you)!
Reflect on the Specifics: Introspect on various aspects of your desired future. Ask yourself: Where will I live? Who will be in my inner circle? What daily activities will bring me joy? Make it tangible.
Design Your Time: Visualize your ideal day, week, month, and year. Think about what activities and achievements will define success and fulfillment for you.
The Contrarian Approach: Sometimes, understanding what you don’t want is as important as knowing what you do. Identify what you're ready to leave behind - including environments, relationships, work, or habits.
The 10 Things Lists: Challenge yourself with this exercise by applying a whole-life timeframe. Take your time to articulate 10 things you want to do, have, and be during your life. This exercise isn't just about goals; it’s about understanding your deeper desires and ambitions.
Letter from the Future: Write a detailed letter from your future self. Describe what you are doing, what you are focusing on, and how you have grown. This is a powerful tool for visualizing your potential and understanding your long-term aspirations.
Creative Vision Boarding: Bring out the magazines, scissors, and glue. Build a picture of the future you want by noticing which images and words resonate with you. A vision board isn’t just a collage; it’s a tangible representation of your dreams and goals.
Mind Mapping Your Aspirations: Let your thoughts flow freely in a mind-mapping session. Give yourself a prompt like “who am I helping in the future” or “how am I interacting with the world” and let your ideas fill the page. Later, analyze to find recurring themes and insights.
Post-it Brainstorming: Engage in a design-thinking exercise with post-its. On each one, write a brief idea about your future (think 1-2 words) then organize and re-organize these thoughts on a wall to uncover your patterns and priorities.
Remember, after each exercise, note down action steps to maintain momentum towards your envisioned future.
