Envisioning A Desired Life; Designing An Ideal Day

For many of us, September is like a second New Year of the year. A traditional time of “new starts” as we headed back to school. I’ve been contemplating and revising my goals to achieve by the time 2024 rings in. One of the big ones is getting clarity on my ideal day.

For background, much of this stems from Danielle LaPorte’s work and the question of “how do you want your life to feel?” Not just look like but in the daily moments, the bigger visions… how does it feel to be her, future you? I had a list of 5 “feelings” I programmed in a decade ago, but it felt time for a change… for deeper clarification on what I want to feel daily, weekly, monthly for my life.

As if the goddesses stamped their approval, my selected feelings actually worked out into a perfect anagram for me… one phrase to recall that grounds me, inspires me. SPA BABE.

S – sensual

P – prosperous

A – aligned

BA – bad ass

B – brilliant

E – energized

Now, please know I am not a “spa lady.” I do not want to lay in a robe in a five-star hotel and get masks and peels all day. I’m not knocking it for others, it is not just me.

But indulging myself a little more? Yes. Feeling like I matter and deserve some attention daily? Yes! At the very least, I can plan and enhance my daily life with more sensuality – perfume, soft fabrics, happy walls that make me feel all these things.

Cannot my life feel more like a spa, a place that matches my vibe and caters to me? Shouldn’t all our lives feel like this daily?

That’s what these words and “spa babe” evoke for me.

Back to my task today – the ideal day. To allow and support these feelings in my life more consistently, I’ve been pondering how to set my days up. To do this, I began by imagining the perfect day – from the moment I wake up to the time my head hits the pillow at night. Visualizing the details: the surroundings, the people, the activities, the emotions. Let your imagination roam freely, unburdened by limitations.

I love to schedule and plan but the reality is, all my days will not look the same and I’ve been a bit hung up because of this issue. With an active teen, full-time career, etc. every day ends up being different.

I don’t want to create an ideal day for myself that I know I won’t be able to come close for another five years. I think the ideal day should be something I can almost touch now… that if I stretched a little farther and moved these fit out of my comfort zone, we may see life look like this sooner rather than later. And in five more years, we can reassess.

So, this past week I’ve been thinking on more of what can I plug into each day.

For instance, I know I want a less-than-30-minutes session of Tai chi or Yoga. Preferably in the morning to help energize. Because I have lymphedema, I also want to really make a commitment to doing the 10-minute lymph drainage exercise session daily and have a 30-minute time out during the day to fully elevate my legs.

Also, I am blessed to live with a mini-forest and creek out my back door. But do you now how rare I get out there daily?! Just ten minutes to be still… a little forest bath moment would really make a difference I believe for my focus and calm.

So maybe my ideal day does not work as a schedule but a checklist?

To keep the daily stepping stones front and center, I’m planning to create a vision board. Maybe mine will just not have time connected to them. I think that is really okay. It’s what I need right now and this isn’t for anyone else, right?

Affirmations are another tool to help integrate our ideal day into our daily routine. Crafting positive, present-tense statements that mirror the life we’re aiming for. For instance, if your ideal day includes pursuing a creative career, your affirmation could be: “I am thriving in a fulfilling and creative career that brings me joy and abundance.” Repeat these affirmations aloud each morning, reinforcing your vision and programming your mind to align with your goals.

Journaling is yet another effective technique to anchor your ideal day. Write about your envisioned perfect day in vivid detail. Describe the sights, sounds, and emotions you experience. By regularly journaling about your ideal day, you reinforce the intention behind your vision and deepen your connection with the life you’re working to manifest.

We are the architect of our own happiness, designing a daily blueprint that encompasses aspects of our desires, anchoring them in the realm of possibility. As we note and affirm and visualize each element, we breathe life into our aspirations, allowing them to take root in our consciousness.