“I was sitting there and I thought to myself, ‘What would the person I am trying to become do in this situation?’ Then it hit me. The person I am trying to become does yoga. When I visualize them, they do yoga to get themselves recentered. So, you know what I did? I went to the gym and did a yoga class.”

One of my friends shared this with me the other day and it hit me like a ton of bricks. We all have a person we’re trying to become. We have things in our lives that we’re working on and areas where we are trying to grow. We have goals, ambitions, and dreams. 

As we’re trying to create that life, there is power in developing our own image of the person we want to become. If we can visualize that person, we can create that person. This requires us to paint a vivid picture of who that person is. What do they look like? What do they eat? How do they spend their time? How do they show up to life? If we can create that image in our mind, it becomes a guide we can lean into as we go through life and the highs and lows that come with each day.

With this in mind, I worked on creating my own picture of the person I am trying to become. It’s a work in progress, and probably will continue to be until I take my last breath. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far…

Habits/Self Care

  • Out of bed by 6:00
  • Feels healthy and strong on the inside
  • Works out 5 days a week – bikes, runs, lifts 
  • Moves every day
  • Eats well and takes care of their nutrition
  • Sleeps well
  • Keeps a daily journal
  • Is open to counseling and coaching

Faith

  • Spends daily time in the Word, prayer, and quiet meditation
  • Leans on God for what they need, including their peace and contentment
  • Leads their family spiritually 
  • Leads other men spiritually
  • Shares my faith, sometimes using words, mostly through action

Relationships

  • Loves and leads their wife unconditionally
  • Loves and leads their kids unconditionally 
  • Checks in on their mom daily
  • Connected to their extended family
  • Has a tight circle of solid friends

Financial

  • Has enough to share
  • Invests in things that create long-term impact
  • Has money in the bank 
  • Is not worried about or consumed by financial things

Lifestyle

  • Travels with their wife and kids 
  • Drinks black coffee and matcha tea
  • Has an occasional beer or old-fashioned, 2-drink max
  • Listens to an eclectic collection of music
  • Feels at home in a pair of Wranglers

Work

  • Is loved by their clients
  • Delegates well
  • Is creative by nature
  • Responds quickly to emails and text messages
  • Does what they say and keeps their promises
  • Has a broad, strong network
  • Makes bold moves
  • Is fearless

Mindset

  • Doesn’t care what other people think
  • Lives in abundance, not lack
  • Is calm and controlled, with energy – not reactive or angry
  • Is positive and upbeat, always looking for the meaning in what happens
  • Takes ownership of their results
  • Visualizes achieving their goals
  • Is real and authentic

I am still exploring how to best create this picture for myself, so this is a very transparent snapshot of where I’m at right now and the areas I’m focusing on. To be clear, this is not who I am today… It’s who I am trying to become. Just like you, I am a work in progress and will be until the very end.

The thing I am most excited about, now that I am creating this list, is the power it wields when I am making decisions, especially the challenging ones. I no longer ask myself what I want to do in a situation, but instead I challenge myself by asking what the person I am trying to become would do. It’s too cold to go to the gym. What would the person I am trying to become say about that? I just blew up in a conversation with Cristina. How would the person I am trying to become have reacted? It took me too long to respond to that email. How does the person I am trying to become manage their emails?

The Takeaway

Explore this for yourself. Keep a notebook around, or a digital notepad open, where you can capture your own thoughts. Begin painting your own picture of the person you want to become, and then use that picture to do the things they would do. Enjoy the process!

Ready for more?

Follow me here for more insights like this one! And if you liked this, you’ll also get massive value out of the Grit Meets Growth podcast that I share with Chris Cathers. Find it here or on your favorite podcast platform. Here’s to becoming the person you want to be! – John