Considered a masterpiece and the tallest church in all of Europe, construction began on Sagrada Familia cathedral in 1909. Thanks to computers, it finally has a completion date in 2026, over one hundred years later. Renaissance architect Antoni Gaudí envisioned this work of art before the capability to complete it was even invented.¹
That’s uncommon.
Leonardo da Vinci conceived a flying machine based on birds in flight 400 years before the Wright Brothers successfully built one along the same lines but with the addition of a gasoline powered internal combustion engine. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk imagines a colony on Mars living inside glass domes, with a long-term plan for generating propellant for the rocket flights using sustainable energy.² But Musk admits he won’t likely be alive to become a resident of the community. Still, that probability hasn’t stopped this uncommon visionary.
If you have dreams of something that has yet to exist in this world, don’t let that stop you from working hard to become the next architect or artist or scientist to make your imaginings a reality. Don’t limit the vision you have for your future. Gaudí, da Vinci, and Musk envisioned their dreams down to the most minute details, as has been evidenced by architectural drawings, brush and ink illustrations, and spacecraft designs. With visions that clear, no wonder they’ve transformed the world and made the history books. We’re going to learn how to do this, too, to open the door to your dreams.
If you’ve read this far, you believe that your thoughts influence your mood and physical well-being, and you’d like to have more control over them. Further, you believe meditation techniques will help you achieve this goal. But, did you know that this ability to direct your thoughts to manifest a future event is the single most powerful tool that you possess?
It is.
Visualization and other imagery exercises were not spoken of much when I first envisioned being a SEAL in the mid-eighties. My experiences, and the experiences of great sports legends who have utilized imagery for great success, are changing that. I learned that for imagery to be the potent force that I claim it to be, it must become an emotionally evocative, whole, body-mind practice. What this means is when you see an event clearly in your mind, you feel it intensely throughout your physical body. Then you can begin to “know” it intimately as an aspect of your being, a future self/experience being experienced in the ‘now’ moment in your mind’s eye. It is also important to note that what we practice in our mind at this level of intensity must be in alignment with your heart. Otherwise, your ego will get involved and you may get something you don’t need, or worse, regret. So let’s be careful about what we put these skills to work on. Imagery has been used to manipulate humanity for countless years, and you don’t want to play that game. In fact, we are seeking total freedom from any manipulation or being under the control of any person or entity. We use these skills to find and fulfill our purpose, and for good. Period.
¹ Renaissance architect Antoni Gaudí envisioned this work of art before the capability to complete it was even invented.
² https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a36230702/elon-musk-mars-settlers-will-probably-die/