How I Learned to Turn my Visions into a Reality

Many years ago before becoming the person I am today, I really believed that certain things simply weren't meant for me.

Academic success, health, discipline, and growth all felt like qualities that some people naturally possessed and others didn’t. I felt as though I was one of the unlucky ones, and assumed that those who naturally excelled were just born with it.

Looking back, I was completely capable, I just didn’t know it yet. I was so blinded by my doubts that I couldn’t see there was a door to go through them. 

Although I wanted to improve my life, I just didn’t know how to change. I was disorganized, inconsistent, and intimidated by challenges that required me to step outside my comfort zone. I had troubles with focus and memory and assumed that having those things was the only way someone could earn intelligence. I knew there were areas of my life I wanted to improve, but I couldn't see a path between where I was and where I wanted to be.

Eventually I got curious and started to question if I could actually improve my life. I began researching health, habits, learning, performance, and personal growth. I filled notebooks with thoughts, ideas, and questions. As I externalized what was happening in my mind, I began to see a different future for myself.

For the first time, I could clearly picture a version of myself that was healthier, more capable, more disciplined, and more confident. I started to feel hope.

Once I could see who I wanted to become, I became obsessed with understanding how to get there. I began making small changes. I went to the gym.  Improved my nutrition. Organized my environment to support my goals. And I looked for ways to make positive actions easier, and negative actions harder. 

I eventually learned that the key to growth was taking action repeatedly over time. It wasn’t about talent or luck, as I once thought it was. Because before my eyes, my small daily habits were turning into big results.

Every time I acted despite the presence of fear or discomfort, I would learn, fall, get back up, succeed, repeat. I began to crave discomfort. Acting with courage gave me a sense of power over my life. While I used to view fear as a barrier, I now saw it as a path to improvement. 

What began as a personal pursuit eventually evolved into a repeatable process. I started noticing patterns. The same approach that helped me improve my health and habits also helped me improve my performance, develop new skills, and pursue ambitious goals.

Years later, that process became what I now call the Vision Development Method. A method used to turn a vision into reality through a systematic approach.

The method goes like this. Every achievement begins with a vision. Sometimes that vision is born from tension, which is the recognition that something in life needs to change. Other times it emerges through inspiration, the feeling of awe and the realization that something great is possible. 

The vision is what unlocks the method. The first phase of vision development is externalization. Take everything in your mind and get it out. Whether it be through writing, research, sketching, or other forms of expression. Externalize your fears, goals, plans, thoughts, everything associated with that tension or inspiration. This helps you see your vision clearly, which is Phase 2, defining where you want to go. (Point B)

Phase 3 involves taking a look at where you’re starting (Point A) and identifying what you’re working with. As you can see, you’re technically working backwards and starting from Point B first. During Phase 4, you compile everything from phases 1-3 and organize them into systems and strategies to achieve your vision. Phase 5. Taking action until your vision becomes reality.

This process has shaped nearly every accomplishment in my life. From small things like research projects and simple goals, to larger achievements such as getting degrees, starting a business, and building a purposeful career for myself. More importantly, it taught me that  people are far more capable of change than they think. You just have to set up your life in a way that supports that change.

Every project, achievement, habit, and transformation begins the same way. 

With a vision of what could be.