Let’s Work On Our Anti-Vision List
Writing to you from Colorado this week.
Hey my people!
Today we are going to work on our Anti-Vision list.
Hear me out as this is a powerful exercise.
I was sitting down to write another newsletter, and video I came across last year on our winter vacation popped into my head.
The idea behind the video was unique enough that I took some notes and wrote my thoughts about it down for future use.
Organization comes handy yet again.
The video is called How To Get Ahead Of 99% Of People (In 6-12 Months) by Dan Koe.
Opposite of what we normally do at years end or when we are dreaming of change and our future, this video ask you to dive in first into what you don’t want. It is such a powerful idea that I had never considered before.
The Anti-Vision List
The idea behind an Anti-Vision list is pretty powerful. It is actually opposite of what we think about when we want make changes and set goals. Thinking of what you don’t want in life is a great way to help you decide what is important.
For example
Working out to lose weight is not as powerful of a reason to get in shape as is avoiding an increase in mortality rate due to otherwise preventable diseases.
Staying focused as a goal may not move you as much as saying, “I do not want to be a person with so many ideas, yet never gets anything accomplished.”
Saying you want to eat healthy may not be as strong of a statement as saying, “I do not want create a multitude of health problems for myself as I get older.”
The Problem With Not Having An Anti-Vision List
The problem is we dream of what can be, and when we don’t achieve it, we are just right back where we started.
Are we really though?
It doesn’t feel like backwards progress when it actually is because of time lost. You moved towards your expiration date but made no meaningful progress in that which you deemed, well, meaningful.
We also tend to forget how important things are after the pain point has dissipated. A lost loved one, an near death experience, a scary health event, etc.
My Personal Experience
Here are just two of my own personal scenarios that have played out differently.
Scenario One: I decided 8 years ago on a beach in California that I wanted to take most of my business online with a blog, book, classes, consulting, etc. Checked in once in a while throughout the years, but got caught up in day to day work and not much forward movement. Now that I moved away from Miami and left that in person business behind, I think daily about why I didn’t take it a bit more seriously.
Scenario Two: 3 years ago, I woke up one morning at 5 like usual, used the restroom and within 5 minutes was on the floor sweating, in excruciating pain, and having difficulty getting up.
I dragged myself over to my wife and told her we need to go to the hospital right now. I did not know what the heck was happening, but the hospital knew as I walked in.
Kidney Stones!
The nurse asked me, after pumping two rounds of pain killers in me, if I was a black tea or Coke Zero drinker. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but for that summer, I spent most of my time dehydrated and drinking water and Coke Zero. I was also experimenting with different Black Teas.
Guess what? I didn’t drink much soda for 10 years before that summer, and I have never had even a sip since then. I never will. Soda and black tea are off the radar for life.
Anti-Vision is I don’t want to experience kidney stones again, so goal is to do what I can control and avoid those things.
So How Do I Do This?
Here is what I suggest. Sit down first thing in the morning or when everyone has gone to sleep. Get a piece of paper and write down your Anti-Vision list. Don’t hold back, jot down as many as you can think of. Give yourself 10 minutes and add to this later if need be. This is an incredible practice that can really shed light on what the outcome is if the process doesn’t change.
Here are a few of my own as examples:
I do not want to be shackled to a corporate/desk job
I do not want to get older and have stood for nothing
I do not want to be overweight and in poor health so that I can’t enjoy my grandkids/future with my wife
I do not want to wake up each day with no direction, passion, or purpose
etc
The Most Important Part of Any Exercise
Most things are easy to do once. In this example, you take the 10 minutes and write out your list. Great job. The question is, now what? Any exercise doesn’t really work if you don’t check back in with yourself and figure out how to make use of it.
Here is how I do it
Set a time that I will be most consistent in taking a few minutes to review
Put that on a calendar with a reminder on repeat
Once a week could suffice. With my monkey mind, I do it every night before I go to sleep
The question I will ask myself is either, what did I do today/this week that is moving me closer to my goals.
Inversely, you could ask, am I still doing those things I have deemed I do not want, and what steps can I take to change them.
Remember, any book, article, or course that you take to better yourself is useless without implementing what you learn and then checking in to make sure the path you have chosen is working for you.
That’s all for now.
Any feedback or questions you may have, please feel free to email me.
Chat with you soon,
Coach Jorge
