Creative Goals: Using “Life Maps” to Get Your Desires

We’re all familiar with goals. Their origins lie in our basic human needs. “I need shelter” becomes a goal for protection, habitat, and safety. “I need food” turns into a goal for finding sustenance. We get better at achieving these goals, and the goals evolve. We evolve with them, until eventually our wants and desires become the primary motivator for our goals, rather than our needs.

But is the context for our “want goals” as strong as our “need goals”? And is there anything we can do to harness the power of our innate ability to set (and achieve) such goals?

Last night, I read Kristen Lamb’s “Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer.” In it, she speaks often of the power of positive thought and goal setting, for it directs your thoughts and conscious energy into bringing something into fruition. I view it as literally programming your brain (or spirit/Universe/God) to make your desires happen.

Goals play an important role in my life and career, and I’ve been amazed at how strongly the act of setting goals can change my life and help manifest my desires.

Over a decade ago, I was introduced to the idea of “Life Mapping.” This technique involves identifying the desires in our life – present, short- and long-term future goals – and engaging in an act of “creative meditation” to formalize and direct our thoughts and energy toward achieving it.

In a nut shell, the technique involves four steps:

1. Identify What You Want. This can be personal, emotional, financial, or professional. Anything is fair game. Dream big, but be certain it’s something you really want. And here’s the kicker: you must be specific. The more specific the goal(s) – the more details and parameters you set – the better.
2. Get Creative. Sit down with a journal and write your goals down. Create a collage to help visualize the goal. Get as creative as you like: cut out pictures, doodle, use colors and fabrics. Go crazy. You are consciously putting effort and directed energy into your thoughts and literally manifesting them on paper.
3. Be Positive and Present. Refer to the goal in the present tense, as though you already have it. Express gratitude for having it in your life. For instance: “I have a very favorable book deal with Del Rey for my fantasy manuscript. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I am so grateful that my incredible agent negotiated it for me.” Don’t worry about how it sounds. Let it rip – but be specific.
4. Create the Life Map For You Alone. The journal is not to be shared. Once you’ve completed your creative meditation and your collage, you’re not supposed to look at it again. Store it away under lock and key. Why? It protects the goal from our destructive “Judge” that’ll look for ways to belittle and undermine it, seeding it with negativity. Create the Life Map and pack it away, literally out of sight and out of mind.

This is an active, creative way to formalize setting goals. It might appeal to some, but not to others – and that’s okay. But you might not enjoy writing your goals on post-it notes, or feel like the 2 seconds you spent jotting down 10 New Year’s Resolutions was somehow insincere, and this might be more up your ally.

By taking 20 minutes to consciously give attention to the manifestation of a goal, you might be surprized at what can happen. And if you wanted, you could consider it a writing prompt to challenge your craft – and simultaneously meet the “write 200 words a day” post-it goal you made last week.

Recently, when I was going through my boxes in my parent’s basement, I came across one of my old Life Maps. A decade ago, I used this technique to plan a couple of things I wanted in my life: to be a full member of the professional actor’s union, and to be recognized for my work with an award.

In 2011, nine years after I sat down to put my wants and desires onto paper through creative meditation, both dreams came to fruition. I became a full member of the union, and I received a Best Actor award for my work in the professional theatre.

And you know what’s interesting? My Life Maps had a specific time-frame… of 10 years.

What are your favorite ways to set goals? Do you have creative method that might interest us? Do you have a personal success story with setting – and meeting – your goals? Please share in the comments below – I’d love to hear them!