Write Your Before and After Story

Who do you want to be? Whatever dreams you have for your future, you will have to become a different person to get there. Who is she? Who is this new you who can do these things? Here’s an exercise for you: Write your before and after story. Write out who you are now and who you need to become to achieve your dreams. You need to understand where you are in life now, then decide what you want to achieve, and who you need to become to get there.

What is one thing that you want?

Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to find a life partner?
Do you want to grow your business?
Do you want to move to a different city or even a new country?
Do you want to work less?
Do you want to be more stylish?
Do you want to build an online community?
Do you want to get fit and healthy?
Do you want a million dollars?

You get to want whatever you want without apology. You don’t have to explain why you want it, as long as you like your reason for wanting it.

Why don’t you have it yet?

It’s because you don’t yet believe it. You haven’t found any evidence of success up to this point. Maybe you’ve tried a dozen diets and they haven’t worked long term for you. Maybe you’ve never made more than $50,000 dollars in a year, so you can’t imagine a million. Maybe you’ve never left your small town, so you can’t see yourself in a big city. Maybe no one in your family has ever tried to start a business, so you don’t believe it can happen.

You haven’t been able to envision the version of you who already has it. This is what we’re going to work on today.

Find a quiet place where you can think without distractions. Take a few deep breaths to prepare yourself for the journey. We’re going to take a trip to your future.

But first, write down who you are today. Where do you live, how do you spend your time, what clothes do you wear, what work do you do, how much time do you spend watching TV or scrolling through social media, what do you eat, who do you socialize with, what do you do for fun.

Take a trip to your future

Now, imagine the thing that you want and the version of you who has it. Who do you see? How is she different from who you are today?

Where is she? Is she in the same house, in the same town, hanging out with the same people? Or has she moved to a new city, or a new state, or a new country? Envision it. Where does she need to be to make it happen?

How does she spend her time? Does she go to an office, work from home, do volunteer work, go out to lunch?

What does she eat? How does she take care of herself? Does she go to a gym, does she like to take walks, does she have a skin care routine?

Who does she hang out with? Is she with a partner? Who are her friends? Do they share her vision of the future?

What is she wearing? Your style impacts how you feel about yourself. Is your future self wearing what you’re wearing right now? Maybe you see yourself in a business suit. Maybe you see yourself in scrubs? Maybe you see yourself in a leather jacket or a flowing dress.

Most importantly, how does she feel? How does she think?

Write all of this down in a journal so you can see it on paper. Write your before and after story. Go into as much detail as you can. Really see her. Imagine what it feels like to be her.

And the next step is key.

Start practicing being her now. Practice it every day.

I said earlier that you haven’t reached your goal because you haven’t found any evidence for it yet. Start creating that evidence. Create it little by little every day until it feels natural. It may take a month, it may take a year. But you will eventually get there by embodying her today.

You may not wake up tomorrow thin, stylish, and with a million dollars. But you can start behaving like a woman who is thin. You do this by what you choose to eat. You can feel stylish by putting together elegant outfits even if you’re just going to the supermarket. Who says you can’t wear a dress and heels to buy groceries. You can start behaving like a woman who has a million dollars by thinking about what types of books she reads, how many ideas does she have in one day, who does she hang out with. Start acting like a million dollar woman by reading her books. Practice her daily habits. Think positive like her.

It will feel strange at first. Of course it will, because that is not who you are today. But over time you will become her by creating new daily habits. You’re going to have to shed your old skin to become your future self.

There is a quote by Vincent Van Gogh that helps me visualize it. You can substitute the word “love” for whatever your big dream is:
“There is the same difference in a person before and after he is in love, as there is in an unlighted lamp and one that is burning.”

Through this process you will become the new you. Light your flame.

Now sit down, and write your before and after story. And start practicing your “after” today.