If you could look into your future, who would you be and what would you see? There is power in looking at your life now through the lens of the future. What would your future self, the one that has achieved all that they set out to do, say to the you of today?
This thought resonated with me when I heard a story that was told by the facilitator of an incredible programme I was attending. He shared that early on in his career, he had come to a crossroads where he had a choice, to continue trying to be a life coach or to go back to his previous, very successful, job. After many months of trying to be a life coach without much success, his coach had given him an ultimatum to set a deadline after which if he still could not get clients, he would have to go back to his old profession. Thankfully, he had no desire to go back to his previous job and, on the last day of his deadline, managed to create a breakthrough that ensured that he continued his journey of changing people’s lives.
In the time since then, he has touched the lives of countless people. He has transformed people into leaders who have in turn gone on to make an impact on even more lives. Indeed, he has left an indelible mark on the world by continuing on the path that he set out on and generating breakthroughs that make the extraordinary possible.
As I sat there listening to his story and in the presence of how amazing it was that 17 years ago, the person who had created a programme that was showing me my potential and giving me the tools to support the growth of others, could have given up and none of this would have happened. It made me wonder about the dreams we have and the goals that we set for ourselves.
Often, when we follow our dreams and seek to live our purpose and our truth, the beginning can be difficult. We might be taking risks, going into the unknown, exploring the extent of our potential. We might face rejection or failure or life might pop up in unexpected ways to challenge us. During those times, it might be hard to believe that everything is going to be okay. How we hold true to our vision and commitment is what will define us.
The biggest thing that struck me about what he shared was this, we may not be able to predict the future but we can have visions of the future that we want to create. What would be different if my facilitator, with his current success, could talk to the self that was at the crossroads that would define the rest of his life. What if he had known that not only would things be more than alright but that he would achieve far more than he could have dreamed?
Have you experienced a situation where you had to make a choice to follow your dreams and felt like giving up? What would be impossible if you gave up and would be possible if you continued? What would be different if you knew that not only would everything be fine but that you would achieve more than you could imagine?
Nadine Valdes is a professional life coach who works with people to discover their true purpose, create loving relationships and lead fulfilled lives. She is happily married and loves all things related to music, movies, transformation and spiritual development. Nadine practises in HeartWorks