Future Pacing

Have you heard the term Future Pacing?

Well 'Future Pacing" is a type of mental visualisation.

The suggestion is that setting a future target or destination, and anchoring or connecting changes and associating resources to this future situation, brings us clarity by helping us focus on the target ahead and then to think backwards from our end goal.

It is used a great deal in coaching and NLP, in fact I've created an entire course based around this theme but I simply call it 'Think Backwards' (to fast forwards your life)!

So let’s future pace what you need to do to reach that illusive goal ...

Well to start with I recommend proceeding with caution and that's because, if we set ourselves hard and fast goals, rather than looking to simply keep ourselves focussed on our target, we can set ourselves up to fail. 

So why not ask yourself, 'what's the bigger picture?'

If you can't think of what it is that you do want, then begin by noting the things that you absolutely don't want and you are not going to tolerate. What do you need to let go of to achieve?

When you know what you want to keep in your life and include in your life, then connect with it and jot that down and say it out loud!

Dig Deep

Is there a belief you’re hanging onto that’s not serving you well?

Is it procrastination that is preventing you from taking action?

Where is that procrastination coming from?

These are just a few of the factors that can lead to procrastination..... 

1. you have a strong drive for success but an even stronger fear of failure, preventing you from getting started
2. you believe that who you are, says something about you as a person, so putting it off is a form of self-preservation 
3. you're avoiding the feelings that come along with that task 

So how can we move forward?

Remember that not doing anything is a decision in itself, so when you're not doing anything, think 'what's it costing me'....

~ financially?

~ health-wise?

How much is it costing you to stay where you are?

I can tell you that a moments discomfort can lead to more than you ever imagined, so think of your bigger vision and ask yourself, 'what is in my immediate vicinity that could help me make my desired change incrementally?'

Think of the ship that's steering itself from port to port. It doesn't go from A to B in a straight line, it has to steer its way and sometimes set a new course. 

Here's one of the biggest mistakes that people make when they're trying to make changes in life. In the words of Dr. Julie Smith, it is one of the biggest misconceptions that causes many people to give up on their goals and it is simply this:

'We expect every day to be a little bit better than the last. So when we hit a hurdle and have a bad day or a bad week, we tell ourselves that we are back at square one and feel like giving up. But when we can expect tough days along the way and appreciate that they are a normal part of the process, we can focus our efforts on getting back on track, rather than wasting time trying to decide whether to quit or keep going'.

Dr. Julie expands on this topic in her new book, 'Why has Nobody told me this Before?