Welcome to Day 23 of Insight Timers Reset and Refresh Challenge.
Your call to break free from the ordinary,
Let go of what's been holding you back,
And step into your life with a fresh perspective.
Let's jump in to today's session.
Hey,
It's Justin Michael Williams and welcome to Day 2 of Designing Your Life.
On Day 1,
We explored the big vision for our work and career.
And you may have noticed that in this process,
We are guiding ourselves through an imaginative practice.
But here's something that you need to know about this as we go through this journey.
You are not supposed to focus on being realistic as you imagine your future self.
In fact,
What the studies show around this is that you want to let yourself imagine a life that feels like a miracle when you do this.
Why?
Because science shows that if we give ourselves permission to dream for a life that's bigger than our circumstances,
We feel more confident,
More motivated,
And we're more likely to go after our goals.
A large body of research over the last decade has found that imagining an ideal future increases motivation,
Gives us goal clarity,
And improves our focus and creativity because we know we are moving toward something that excites us.
And what I love about today's Life Zone,
Which is all about hobbies,
Interests,
And play,
Is that it helps us notice the things and make time for the things in our lives that bring us the most joy.
One of the biggest mistakes that we make,
Especially as we get older and become quote-unquote adults,
Is that we stop making space in our lives for the things that just bring us joy because we get so busy with what everyone else needs for us to do.
We sometimes stop having fun.
We stop doing things unless they're productive or unless they have a purpose.
But we must stop this.
Science proves that living a happy and fulfilling life requires us to plan and make space and time in our lives for play.
Now,
This doesn't happen by accident.
We're not talking about making space for whenever you have extra time you'll play a little bit.
In fact,
The busier you get,
The more you need and are supposed to make planned time and space in your life for play.
So this Life Zone,
When we talk about play,
I want you to understand that talking about hobbies,
Interests,
And play in this particular Life Zone is about something really important.
It's about doing something where there is no consequence regardless of how you perform or how well you do.
It's all for fun.
There's no money that needs to come out of it.
There's nothing productive that needs to come out of it.
It's all just doing it for the sake of joy.
We have to plan this into our lives.
So let's begin today's practice.
As we start each practice,
Let's begin by getting super comfortable and then place your hands over the center of your chest,
Just one over the other,
And take a deep breath in and a deep breath out and close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
And now we're going to align our breath with one of my favorite breathing practices,
The manifesting breath.
It's three counts in,
Three counts hold,
And three counts out.
Go ahead and start by just taking a deep cleansing breath in with me,
All the way in,
And all the way out.
Exhale everything out.
And now inhale with me for one,
Two,
Three.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three.
Again,
Inhale one,
Two,
Three.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three.
Exhale one,
Two.
Last time,
Inhale one,
Two,
Three.
Hold for one,
Two,
Three.
Exhale one,
Two.
And now just breathe normally.
And let's dive a little deeper into our practice now.
So I'd like you to imagine a future version of yourself who is engaged fully in play,
In a hobby or an interest that you love or that you've been interested in but haven't given yourself enough time to explore fully.
What would it look like if this were fully creatively expressed?
Trusting that you're seeing all that you're meant to see as it comes up for you.
See a future version of yourself engaging in hobbies,
Interests,
In a way that is playful and fun and joyful to you.
And now as you imagine this future self,
Scan around you and notice,
Are you indoor or are you outdoor as you engage in this play?
Notice who's there with you or if there's anyone there with you or if you're alone.
Notice the energy that you have and what you're bringing to this space.
And whatever is happening in the vision for you now,
I want you to push it even bigger.
One step bigger.
What would make this vision feel like a miracle if it were to come true?
Let yourself go there.
Imagine a life full of play.
And now as you keep this vision in mind,
I'm going to ask you a question.
And I want you to answer this question with the first thing that comes to your mind.
Here's your question.
What is one tiny step that you can take today to move you in the direction of this vision?
What is one tiny step you can take today to move you in the direction of this vision?
And go ahead and take a deep breath in and a deep breath out,
Saying goodbye to this future self for now,
Knowing you can come back here anytime you need.
And then with your hands over your heart,
Just blink your eyes open and take a second to remember anything that came to you and most specifically the action that you can take today that will move you powerfully in the direction of play.
Make sure you jot down whatever came to you and enjoy a life of play.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I will see you in day three.
