We're in the process of selling our house right now and as anyone who has moved knows, it's that time when you have to take the story out of your home so that those shopping can envision what their lives might be like under that roof.
Because it's often a challenge to see yourself living in a space that's not your own.
In the same way, it can be hard for us to see ourselves living a life other than the one we're living now. There are so many things we might love about it, but there could also be things we wish to change. And it's hard to see how things might be different if we are immersed in our own story.
For this we need a vision of what the future might hold for us. Jonathan Swift said, "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." Do you see yourself earning money another way in the future? Living somewhere else? Taking part in a hobby or athletic endeavor that you're not doing now?
Picturing what it might look like can really fuel the fire of action. And action is key. Because as Vance Havner once said, "The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs."
We think we have so much time. But the years fly by. Robin Sharma reminds us, "Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life." If there is something you want to do, start today. Start small. But don't put off starting.
Woodrow Wilson said, "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
If you are having trouble seeing your life differently, and wondering how you can enrich the world, remember what Neil Gaiman once said, "The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can."