Are you clear about your purpose in life? Do you have a vision?

Seeing the future we want is part of human genius.

All things are created twice. We create them first in our minds, and then we work to bring them into physical existence. By taking control of our own first creation, we can write or re-write our own life scripts, thus taking some control and responsibility for the outcome.

So, you need to ask yourself: what would the future look like if you attained what you set out to achieve in full? Here it is recommended that you let your imagination run riot; write it all down in gorgeous 3-D technicolor detail, as elaborate as you like.

We call this the “Future Perfect” (a grammar expression, meaning “will have happened”). But here it’s just a pun, meaning how to have the perfect or optimum future. You need to be able to conjure it up into words and images.

It should excite you, even thrill you, to contemplate it. In fact we can go further and say if your future perfect visualization doesn’t enervate you in this way, there is something wrong. Either your purposes and goals are confused, or your future perfect doesn’t really relate to them properly. In other words it isn’t “perfect” and you should get it corrected.

There is nothing worse in life than to waste time on something that doesn’t give you energy and commitment. Living your purpose should make you feel glad to be alive and full of vigor and determination, every day. This is practically religious in intensity, never mind mere fame and fortune!

On the other hand, you hear stories like the one told by Jack Zufelt in his book The DNA of Success. Jack used to teach karate and one day a university professor approached him and confided that it had been his goal for 15 years to become a black belt at karate. The man asked what it would take. Jack said he would have to dedicate at least 1 hour a day to it for 4 years or more. “I had no idea it would take that much effort”, the professor said.

He walked away and never pursued his so-called dream of becoming a black belt. Contrast that with a young 14-year old who asked the same question. Jack said it would take 2 hours a day for 5 years! The lad said, “Is that all? When can I start?”

That’s the commitment you need to fully attain your purpose.

Incidentally, that boy went on to become a fine karate expert and eventually a state champion.

Keep in mind the words of English Victorian writer Rudyard Kipling; he’s the man who gave us The Jungle Book and The Man Who Would Be King, both made into great movies. “If you want something and you didn’t get it, you either didn’t want it or you tried to bargain for the price.” In other words Kipling is saying if action doesn’t inspire you to succeed, the purpose is weak.

The Pygmalion Effect

There are several important reasons for writing down your future perfect in vivid detail. Have you heard of the Pygmalion Effect? Greek writer Ovid first told us the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor who falls in love with the statue he created and it finally comes to life. George Bernard Shaw re-did it as a modern play, which was eventually made into the movie My Fair Lady. Professor Higgins has a bet he can teach Eliza Doolittle to pass off as a lady. He wins because the pupil lives up to the teacher’s expectations.

But then he falls in love with his own creation. Eliza comes to life as his vision of what a woman should be!

You’ve heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Same thing! You’ve used this phrase thousands of times probably. Do you believe it can happen? Sure it can. Now you think we are getting back to “positive thinking”. In a sense.

But I hope you can see further than trite phrases like that. This is not a case where a living woman appears by magic in his studio one day. This is a story in which the man created the statue first, then got what he wanted. You can see the difference!

The point is I want you to dress up your future perfect so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Get the idea? A bit of living up to teacher’s expectations wouldn’t hurt either huh? You can do this. I know you can. I’ve coached enough people through to know that anybody can, with enough determination.

Seek the Pygmalion Effect. I want you to fall in love with your own creation. I’m telling you it will come true if you do it right, just as I’m explaining it to you. So between teacher expectations and pupil expectations, there’s a good chance it will come to life, just like the statue in Ovid’s story.

If you make it vivid enough, it will!