founder of naked leader
Leadership from a different perspective – Dave Hill
Naked Leader Week – 166 (w/c Monday 24 July 2006)
Leadership from a different perspective – Dave Hill
A journey to meet your Future Self
Find somewhere to sit where you are comfortable and will not be disturbed. Perhaps you can put on some relaxing music or sounds of nature.
Sit up straight; put your hands in your lap or on your knees. Relax your shoulders. Let your whole body relax. Feel you are just using your bones to keep you upright and soften your muscles. Take six full, deep breaths making the exhalation of each slightly longer each time. With each breath out feel any tension in your body releasing.
You are going on a journey to meet your future self. The self you will be in five years time. You are going to meet the one person who knows the right decisions for you to take, to grow more relaxed and more fulfilled and to bring more energy and enthusiasm into your life.
Imagine you are standing at the beginning of a path that leads to a beach. Perhaps the path is one you are familiar with or maybe it is a new path just for this journey. It’s just a path.
Pretend you are looking around you as you start walking towards the sea. What kind of path are you walking on? Is it rough and gravely? Is it smooth tarmac? Is it soft and sandy? What are your feet feeling as they move along the path towards the beach.
It’s a beautiful day! Feel the gentle heat of the sun on your face as you walk towards the sea. There is a light wind. It is bringing the smell of the sea to you and the mixture of the heat of the sun and the gentle breeze helps you feel peaceful and relaxed, and a little excited, because today you have an appointment to meet your future self on the beach.
Look around you. Are you passing through fields? Is there a wall beside the path, or a fence, or is it just open ground? You are moving down the path towards the beach and now you feel shingle beneath your feet. You have reached the beach. Stand on the shingle for a moment and breathe in the smell of the sea. Feel the heat of the sun and the kiss of the wind on your face.
Now you are moving down the shingle beach towards the sea. Imagine the stones moving and sliding beneath your feet as you walk down the slope towards the dry sand, which leads you to the wet sand and to the sea. Feel the surface under your feet change as you step from the shingle to the dry sand. Smell the salt of the sea. Perhaps you can feel the moisture in the wind.
You are now stepping on to the wet sand. Feel the change in texture and now, just out of the reach of the breaking surf, turn right and walk beside the sea in the wet sand. Up ahead you can see a fire burning on the shingle. It is the place where you have arranged to meet your future self.
As you walk on the wet sand towards the fire, the wind carries the smell of the fire to you, the smell of wood smoke mixing with the smell of the sea. Now turn away from the sea, towards the fire, and sit down beside it, close enough to feel its gentle heat. You may be feeling excited. After all you are about to meet the one person who can tell you the right decisions to make to reach your highest potential.
As you sit there beside the fire, you become aware of someone in the distance walking towards you on the wet sand by the sea, coming from the opposite direction that you came from. As the person gets closer you start to recognise the face and the features. It is you in five years time. You look much more relaxed than now, much healthier and there is a confidence in your movement. Your future self grins as it approaches the fire, so pleased to see you.
Greet your future self, maybe with a hug, maybe with a kiss. Whatever feels right. Now, sit down together.
As you sit there ask your future self the questions that you would like answered.
What did you do to become so healthy?
Why do you feel much more relaxed?
What was it that made you so confident and fulfilled.
What happened in the last five years that changed so much?
Ask any of the questions in your heart and listen carefully as your future self gives you the answers. Take as long as you like…….
……Soon it will be time for your future self to leave but before it goes it wants to give you a gift to remind you of your meeting. Hold out your hand and receive the gift given to you by your future self……
….Now it is time for your future self to leave. Stand up and say goodbye. Maybe you give a last hug. Then you watch as your future self turns away and follows the wet footsteps in the sand, back to where it came from. Watch until it disappears from your view.
Now it is your time to leave. Imagine yourself walking back towards the sea and turning left to follow your old footsteps in the wet sand. Smell the sea. Feel the heat of the sun and the gentle wind on your face as you walk back down the beach. You have now reached the point where you came down to the sea so turn left and walk across the dry sand to the shingle on your way back to the path that brought you to the beach. Feel the surface beneath your feet change as you move from the shingle to the path and walk along the path until you reach the place where you began your walk.
Now it is time to return to this time and this place. Feel your body where it touches the chair. Gently stretch your body and when you are ready open your eyes.
Know that, whenever you want to, you can make another appointment and go to meet your future self. Have a delicious day.
David Hill