#GODO: 1 THING YOU SHOULD DO DAILY TO LIVE ON PURPOSE

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

-- Abraham Lincoln

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT YOUR FUTURE

I love this quote by Abraham Lincoln, although many people have been referenced as its original author. The first time I saw this quote, it was displayed on the wall at a business where I used to work several years ago. The irony of this quote at this business what that this company was a company I loathed working at due to what I felt was its sheer lack of creativity. I could not think of a less creative atmosphere to work in than this place. It had a boilerplate style of doing things, where everything that could have spawned creativity was masked by something that had been tested, tried, and true. It was the quintessential “this is how we've always done it” organization. Yes, it was a smart way of doing business if you wanted to grow exponentially, but for a born creator like myself, it was a job equivalent to sleepwalking. Sure, some people do it, but it doesn’t mean it’s good for their health.

I remember passing by that picture and laughing at it every time I walked upstairs to talk to someone in sales or accounting. Creativity? Are you kidding me? This place had about as much room for creativity as the Marines. Regardless of what I felt was the company's lack of innovation, that picture on the wall and the sentiment behind the quote has remained with me ever since. You see, everything has a purpose.

CREATION: A HOW-TO

How does one create their own future? What does that really mean to create it? It seems too optimistic and makes me believe in a world where I can just wake up, close my eyes, and my dream world appears. Voila! Well, no. That’s not quite how it works, but it is easier than most people think.

I have looked into the science of creativity to see how it works and how it can be attached to one's purpose. Luckily, we are living in times where an abundance of research has been conducted about the brain that shows the links between science and creativity. The book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill reminds us that, in fact, all things start in the grey matter of our minds. Anything you and I experience as real life started with a simple idea.

Creativity represents a world where anything is possible, and when creativity is fueled by a purpose—a burning desire to create something from nothing—it becomes unstoppable. As I wrote my book, and after following a hunch to practice what it would be like to predict my fate before it happens on a daily basis, I knew I had to spend time on the subject. Back when I was designing my own daily practice, I spent time exploring the question of what would happen if I spent time each day writing down what I thought would happen that day, before that day actually happened. I became so fascinated by this possibility that I began to test what would happen if I tried to get ahead of the day before it happened. Could I predict my own future?

Let me remind you that the absolute best trick to #goDo and live a life on purpose is to believe you can, first, actually predict what you want to #goDo each and every day. Spending time each day thinking about what I would like to see, feel, hear, and know was going to happen each day actually had an influence on what actually did happen each day. I liken this entire process to writing your own horoscope each day.

That's right. Have you ever put an ounce of faith in a horoscope you've read? I know I have. I used to walk into my favorite coffee shop and there taped to to the counter near the cash register was my daily horoscope - "Today, you will enjoy the attention of a person you've been long awaiting to hear from."

And just like that, I believed it would happen. Sometimes it actually did happen, but regardless, I loved how just reading the horoscope could shift my belief and faith.The same can be said for our own ability to shift our faith in the things we want and need on a daily basis.

HOW IT WORKS

Take time each day to write down a sentence or two about what you predict will happen in your day. Don't overthink it, but consider all of the areas of your life where you are hoping for change to occur.

What will happen? Who will call? What email will you receive? What check will be "in the mail?"

Imagine you are the author of your daily horoscope, because you can be, and you are. Take back the control of your life and write it down, make it happen. The best way for you to predict your future is to create it, one day at a time. It really is that simple. Ask me how I know.

NEXT STEPS

Are you looking to learn more about what it means to #goDo and live on purpose? Click here to pre-order your copy of my new book. In this book, I'll share my six principles to #goDo which you can turn into a daily writing practice to inch you closer, each day, to living a life of and on purpose.