Self-motivation is something that many of us struggle with. We know what we want, but we can’t seem to motivate ourselves to do anything to get it. But, if you are going to get where you want to go, you must be a visionary thinker and not an idle dreamer.

Too many people dream of the life they want, but cannot have any plan of action to achieve that life. We all dream. Dreaming is the easy part. But, how to turn a dream into a vision, a vision that will propel us to that life?

Many successful people have the ability to represent the life they want. They may not be where they want to be, but that doesn’t stop them from acting the way they want; the life they know, one day they will have. The ability to do this is important. Many of us are rational thinkers and we know that we can make all aspects of our ‘dreams’ come true, but we take absolutely no action to make any of them likely to happen.

We can all learn a lesson from observing children. All children learn about themselves and the life they will live through play. They simply play at being the person they want to be; a doctor, a teacher, a scientist, a mother. They wear accessories around them to represent the life they are going to have. They will show everyone around them, the husband they are going to marry, the car they are going to have, the new worlds that they will be the first to discover. I am not suggesting that we all go back to playing as children, however role playing and vocalizing our future will help us. But why does representing our dreams have an impact on our motivation?

First, it helps us feel some of the pleasure and enjoyment that the realization of our dreams will bring. It has been shown, time and again, that we are much more likely to achieve goals that trigger strong emotions in us.

Second, role play implants vivid and unforgettable images in our subconscious. Even imaginary seeing is believing.

By expressing your vision, you turn your daydream from confusing, meandering, and disconnected images into realistic, linked, and solid visions. Your visions will be realistic, linked, and consistent; more like a credible documentary than a whimsical fairy tale. The more you believe in your goals, the more likely they are to be achieved. You can use the image power of your imagination to fix a vivid, detailed and inspiring image of your desired future in your subconscious mind.

We can also use our visionary thinking from the past to help motivate us for the future. We can use the wisdom we have acquired in our life and reapply and rekindle the dreams of our childhood and youth. Don’t be afraid to remember those great dreams. By honestly re-experiencing the dreams and aspirations of our previous life, we can confirm that those dreams of yesteryear are, deep down, the dreams we carry in our hearts today. But now we can use our experience to find an acceptable compromise.