1. Perfect Day.
Write down what your perfect day would look like. Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? How do you feel? Now take a minute and ask yourself to believe that you will have that perfect day. In other words, imagine what your perfect day will look like. Do you believe it? What is one thing you can do today to get closer to that perfect day?
2. Count to a billion.
Well, not exactly. Actually, simply do the exercise that I outlined above. Think of an idea that could be worth $100. What could you do or make that is worth $100? What business could you create that could make you $ 100. It doesn’t matter what it is. For example, you could sell something on Craigslist. Now expand it to $1000. Then try $100,000. Now push yourself to $ 1,000,000 with a new idea. Can you think of business, product, and/or service that could be worth $1,000,000,000? If you really want to push yourself, come up with 10 ideas at each level. If money makes you feel uncomfortable, let me offer you this alternative. Substitute money for number of people helped. What could you imagine doing that could help 1,000,000,000 people?
3. Connect with your inner 8 year old.
I am borrowing this idea from another friend of mine, Rich Sheridan, also of Menlo Innovations. He suggests remembering your “inner 8 year old.” What did you dream about when you were 8? What did you want to be when you grew up? What did you think was possible? Rich regularly shares this message when he speaks and he talks about it in his great book Joy, Inc. When I was 8, I wanted to be an astronaut. When I recall that dream, it immediately puts me in the mindset of possibility, even though I don’t want to be an astronaut any more (but I do want to go to space).
4. Talk to a child.
Take a few minutes to have a conversation with a child. Ask them what they want to be. Ask them what the coolest invention ever would be. Ask them what is something they would like to see. I did this with my 3 year old. His answer? Someday he’s going to get a flying monster truck, a flying motorcycle, and a blue Transformer suit that…you guessed it–can fly. He even offered to get me one of these flying trucks, motorcycles, and Transformer suits, except that mine has to be red. Of course, I took him up on the offer and started imagining what else we could make fly. Do you still dream about flying?
5. Have lunch with a hero.
Find someone you admire. This could be anyone–a friend, someone you saw speak, a person you read about, a famous person. Have lunch with them. If you absolutely can’t have lunch (which you probably can), then talk to them. If you can’t talk to them, read about them (but try to have lunch and talk with them first). Spending time with them can help inspire you. Ask them about their journey and their dreams.
6. Overcome obstacles with your mind’s eye.
What is an obstacle that you face? What is a fear that you have? I have a family, so sometimes I get scared of not being able to provide a good life for them. Now, imagine that obstacle–in my case, fear–going away. Use whatever imagery you want. Watch it explode in your mind’s eye. Imagine placing it in a box and locking it up. Pick up the obstacle and throw it over a mountain. Or perhaps visualize yourself overcoming it step-by-step. Stay in that mindset and reflect for a minute. How does it feel with that obstacle gone? What can you do now?
7. Do something ridiculously hard.
Think of something really hard for you to do. For example, it may be hard to run a mile or do 100 pushups or give up television for a day. Now, multiply it by 10 and actually do it. In other words, run 10 miles, do 1000 pushups, or give up television for 10 days. (Disclaimer: check with your healthcare professional). Sound crazy? You can do it. Ask yourself how. You may not think you can do those things. Set aside that disbelief and believe that you can. Then do it little by little. Could you run for a minute then walk for a minute until you got to 10 miles? Could you do 3 pushups, take a few breaths, and do 3 more until you got to 1000? Ramit Sethi recently challenged people to do 1000 pushups and people all over the world were able to do it once they committed. I was one of them. The sense of exhilaration and accomplishment afterwards is amazing. After accomplishing something 10 times harder than you thought you could do, your mind will start to question all the other boundaries you have set. That is powerful.
8. Visualize being someone else.
I suggest doing this at least three times with three types of people. First, imagine yourself as someone who is in a hard situation. Maybe they don’t have money or a home. What do they see, think, feel, and hear? What do they dream of? What would you do if you were them? Next, imagine you are one of your peers–someone a lot like you, but not actually you. What do they see, think, feel, and hear? What do they dream of? What would you do if you were them? Imagine you are a powerful or exceptionally wealthy and successful person, like Bill Gates or Jacqueline Novogratz or Richard Branson. What do they see, think, feel, and hear? What do they dream of? What would you do if you were them?
9. The world without its biggest problem.
What is the biggest problem in the world that you see? Poverty? War? Disease? What would the world look like without that problem? What is one thing you could do today to make the world more like that for at least one person?
10. Future journal.
Write down a journal entry dated 10 years in the future. What does your world look like? What have you accomplished? What will you do that day? Who will you be with? What will you see, think, feel, and hear? I love dreaming big. It’s not easy. Lately, I’ve been pushing myself to do it more, and the influence that practice has had on my life is immense. Give it a try.
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