If you were given a chance to...

If you were given a chance to know what happens in your future, would you take it?

Would you want to know?

Would you want anybody else to know?

Perhaps a better question is, “if you were given the chance to create your future, would you take it?”

None of us has a crystal ball. We don’t know what life will bring next. Surely, that’s all part of the fun and joy of this incredible journey that we call “life” – finding out what happens next.

I guess that all we can do is follow our hearts and put our intention in to our dreams. Then maybe we can create those dreams in reality. Of course, being flexible about the outcome and how we might get there are all part of the fun of being alive too.

All good stargazing. Nice daydreaming. All good head-in-the-clouds thinking.

Meanwhile, at a practical level, here on planet Earth, can we influence outcomes? Can we create the life of our dreams?

Well, surely we are all creative geniuses, magicians able to create our desired futures.

Let’s try an example: you are sat in your office and you decide to buy a sandwich at lunchtime…

You’ve just created an image of part of your future. You’ve tapped into your creative imagination. What will you have on that sandwich? What type of bread? Butter, margarine or mayonnaise? How will it taste? What will it look like? Where will you buy it from? Will you walk or drive there?

Next you take the action – you walk (or drive) to the shop and buy the sandwich.

You describe what you saw in your imagination and it materialises in front of your eyes.

Finally, you enjoy the sandwich in reality. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Hey presto – you’ve manifested your thought process into reality. You’ve turned a thought into a thing. Congratulations! You’re a creative magician. Wand and pointy hat optional.

Now, instead of thinking about one thing – the sandwich – and a short timescale – lunchtime – imagine widening the picture to take in other aspects of your life. How will that look for you? One year, five years, ten years from now.

Interesting that some people put more creative energy into what they’re creating and manifesting for lunch than they do in other areas of their lives.

That’s why Lifestyle Financial Planning can be so much fun. It’s about looking ahead at what you could create – or maintain – or grow – in your life. Then it’s about creating a plan of action and breathing life into that plan with your creative intention. If it works in the sandwich example then why wouldn’t it work with everything else?

Asking “what if?” is much more fun than saying “if only.”

There’s a reason that your eyes are on the front of your head rather than the back of it…