Mmm. How will you be describing yourself say five years from now? Or at least one
part of you. From the Greek word “opiso” meaning “hereafter” April Groves crafted the word “opi”: Picture the future you, “written in the present tense.”
This seems to me to be a powerful way to visualize an end goal for my life by writing it as if it is true now. That description can be my daily touchstone.
April’s Opi: “After many wildly successful years in real estate, I have left my brokerage to my partner… It was the only way to accommodate the bookings for the next book tour and speaking schedule. Not to mention the trip my husband and I have planned with the children to Europe.”
April tapped Robyn McMaster for her Opi: “Today, I’m checking in to discuss new ideas with scholars currently retreating at the MITA International Brain Based Center, now headquartered in a three story building adjacent to the Lodge at Woodcliffe. Dr. Ellen Weber and I are working with 35 international brain based scholars, currently completing Executive MITA Brain Based Certification.”
Robyn tapped me to offer my Opi.
Spontaneously written, here’s “Future Me“:
I am facilitating collaboration–centered (rather than design) charrettes around the world to hone “Me2We” methods with other’s insights (perhaps you) – ways two or more people can accomplish more together than they can on their own. Our Moving From Me To We blog + podcast is now a crowdsourced global community that, among other tools, creates tagged video vignettes of success stories. With the input of Paul 
Hawken’s Wiser Earth team we’ve created the third evolution of the online social network where people are sharing and collaborating and voting on favorite on Me2We methods. Out annual and local gatherings are a great way for people to finally meet face-to-face.
One of my favorite outcomes are the growth of partnerships between extremely unlikely allies. Our alliances with other communities such as Renaissance Weekend, The Ted Conference seems to have speed such diverse alliances. We’ve interviewed many of you and many of you have interviewed each other and wound up collaborating. What a joy it’s been to watch. Robyn’s been a real inspiration along the way.
Perhaps our sharing our Opis and encouraging others to write them will evoke entrainment to bolster our way to making the next chapters of our lives the memorable adventure stories we seek.
In the spirit of Me2We, I’m tagging
• • Diane Danielson, Downtown Womens Club
• 
• Ori Brafman, The Starfish and the Spider and Sway
• 
“Visualization and belief in a pattern of reality activates the creative power of realization.” – A. L. Lindall
“We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere.” – Orison Swett Marden
Thank you so much for the beautiful mention. I am glad you enjoyed the opi experience. I know I have learned so much from my own and others.
Thanks for participating and passing it on!
Visualization is a powerful technique that can be used to create change. I haven’t read the book pictured in this post, although I have read “Directing the Movies of Your Mind” by Adelaide Bry. In many ways, this book is a classic. Adelaide covers several different kinds of visualization, and she includes stories that bring the principles to life. There’s even one kind of visualization that helps you shift from me to we.
Just as writing that embraces all five senses helps you paint pictures for your reader, visualizing in technicolor helps you change your life and bring about your desires. If you were to close your eyes and visualize yourself as a great speaker, you might hear your audience’s wild applause, see the audience give you a standing ovation, and taste the champagne when you celebrate with your friends.
Indeed, vision is the only sense that allows us to see and imagine the future.
Steve
Hi Kare – thanks for including me in this. Sorry it took so long, but that was a bit of a tough one. My post is: http://womensdish.typepad.com/the_womens_dish/2008/02/the-latest-meme.html. Thanks too for running the podcast and your plug of the Downtown Women’s Club.
Stay in touch,
Diane
Steve,
Thanks for the book rec.- will look it up!
Yes and visualization cuts both ways. Picturing the worst, replaying the past or envisioning the future, can cut a deep rut in the road of mind habits. Mastery by George Leonard and The Life You Are Given by GeorgeLeonard and Michael Murphy started me on using this method.
– Kare