Discover the Power of Thinking Big to Transform Your Life
A Step-by-Step Guide to Ignite Your Imagination
Part of my message is THINK BIG.
Many of us crave something that really brings us alive, something extraordinary to work toward. At least that’s my experience. Before my Nile expedition, I was searching. It had been a lifetime of trying to work it out. While I’d been fortunate to enjoy many once-in-a-lifetime adventures and all the sporting challenges I felt I hadn’t found that thing. The Nile changed all of that.
The problem is when we’re stuck in our routines and the hustle and bustle of daily life, it can be hard to fire up our imagination, ambition and creativity. There is little space for new ideas to emerge, let alone germinate and grow.
Our minds might be limited by perceived constraints – available time, energy and money on top of all our responsibilities. Our sensible and practical thinking can be quick to shut down big thinking.
Yet, there is immense value in breaking free from these constraints and allowing ourselves to dream big. Dreaming big is about expanding our horizons and envisioning possibilities beyond our current reality. And to then begin making it happen.
There are ways we can spark our imagination – you just need a few minutes a day for a week. If you’re keen to shake things up, think bigger and bring some excitement and new thinking into your life try this. If you’re craving a break from the routine, this might be for you.
Four Steps to Thinking bigger (and a bonus step to begin making it happen)
STEP 1 **Grab a Notebook**
While you can do this digitally, there's something different about putting pen to paper. The action of writing by hand has been shown to unleash creativity and expand thinking.
Plus, if you’re on your device you’re more likely to get distracted by apps, emails or open tabs.
STEP 2 **Daily Ideas**
For one full week, each night write down at least five things you'd love to do. Don't limit yourself—remove the constraints of time, money and energy. These don’t just have to be personal things, they can be professional and business-related as well.
Leave a big space between ideas in your notebook.
STEP 3 **Think Bigger**
Every morning before you get sucked into the rigours of the day, perhaps while you’re having a coffee, review your previous night’s ideas and challenge yourself to expand each idea and push the boundaries further. Ask, "How could this be bigger?" For instance, if your initial idea is a solo weekend away, it becomes a month-long solo adventure in Europe.
STEP 4 **Supersize It**
By the end of the week, you should have at least 35 ideas, each with a bigger version. Look through them and pick out the ones that excite you the most. Put an asterisk next to them and push the boundaries even further. How could these ideas be made even more ambitious? Give them a steroid injection.
STEP 5 **Take the First Step**
Hopefully, there’s at least one that grabs your attention.
Select the one that truly lights you up – that excites you (and scares you) - that makes your stomach flutter just thinking about it. How could you start working towards it? What’s one small step you could take right now? Break it down into manageable milestones – you’ve got two of these the initial version of the idea and the bigger version. For example, you might have started with a half-marathon, then gone to a marathon and then an ultramarathon. So initially you work toward a half-marathon…
Use the notebook to brainstorm how you could make this dream happen and what it would require. Start to plan it out.
If you haven’t found that one idea, keep going with the exercise - more ideas and more supersizing.
New Perspective
One advantage of this approach is our shift in perspective.
When you wrote down a solo weekend away, or 10km run or whatever that first one was, it might have felt like a bit of a stretch. But when you make it bigger and bigger again, that initial idea might not seem as daunting or such a stretch.
It’s like zooming out. If you were looking at, say a tree through a camera lens that zoomed in, the tree fills the frame. There’s no room for anything else. Then you zoom out, and the tree is small and shrinks in comparison to the world around.
It’s effectively a type of cognitive reframing. This psychological technique involves changing the way we think about a situation to alter our perception of it. By reframing an idea to be bigger and then bigger again, we adjust our cognitive perspective, making the original idea seem more manageable. Research shows that cognitive reframing can increase motivation.
The Value of Thinking Bigger
It's not just a fanciful exercise - it's a powerful way to inject excitement, purpose, and drive into our lives.
When we think big, we challenge ourselves to go beyond our comfort zones (where the magic happens). Aiming high can provide a new sense of direction and motivation, making life more vibrant and fulfilling. Dreaming big stimulates our creative thinking. When we allow ourselves to imagine without constraints, we open the door to innovative ideas.
These lofty goals reignite our passion and drive. The energy and enthusiasm generated by pursuing big dreams can spill over into other areas of our lives. Striving for these ambitious goals pushes us to develop new skills, and gain new experiences. Through it all we grow and evolve.
Get Prepared and Get Going
Break the next milestones into small bite-size actions with realistic timelines, get going and track your progress. Be prepared to adapt your plans as needed. Life is unpredictable, and flexibility will help you navigate the challenges that arise (which are pretty much guaranteed when chasing big goals). The excitement of pursuing something extraordinary can provide the motivation needed to overcome these obstacles and persist.
Celebrate each milestone to help maintain motivation and momentum.
Embracing big dreams and working toward them not only brings zest to your life but you start to believe in your ability to achieve great things, which can lead to a cycle of fulfillment and increasing ambition.
Hot Tip
If you’re thinking of holding off until next week or next month when things quieten down – don’t. Things won’t quieten down. Start now.
Don’t settle for the ordinary when you can aim for the extraordinary. Start today by dreaming big, thinking bigger, and taking action toward your most exciting goals.
Your life will be all the richer for it, and you'll inspire those around you to do the same. You will feel the ripple effects across your life and your energy will shift. Life starts to have a bit more sparkle and who doesn't want a bit more sparkle in their lives?
Sarah x