Back in 2009, my best friend and I started watching this television show called FlashForward. The premise is that an unexplained event took place wherein every person on Earth blacks out, resulting in catastrophies. When people awake, they have a glimpse of their future. As you can imagine, some were good and some were bad.
We were immediately captivated by the story, and not long after, we decided to use the FlashForward concept in our own lives, albeit with a twist. Obviously, we didn’t experience a worldwide black out. What we did was to envision ourselves six months from the present. In essence, we set a specific goal of what we wanted, or where we wanted to be in our lives, six months into the future.
It’s simply setting a goal and taking steps within a set period of time to ensure that you meet it. You can do it any time you want, but since we’re starting a new year, I thought it would be a good time to share the FlashForward concept with you.
Tips to make FlashForward work
Just like with any other endeavor to set and meet goals – like New Year’s resolutions – taking on the FlashForward challenge is not all sugar and spice. I have to admit I have failed more than once. I’ve learned some things to take full advantage of the concept, however, and they might help you as well.
Set a very specific goal.
Goals can sometimes be an abstract concept, but in order to take full advantage of the FlashForward concept, you need to be as specific as possible. You’ll notice that I wrote “a very specific goal”. This is because I find it more effective to choose one to focus on instead of having a bevy of goals. Even if you choose a big goal, you can break it down into bite-sized pieces.
Some examples of specific goals:
- To wake up not feeling anxious about the day
- To quit smoking (for real)
- To have the job that I want
- To move to a new condo/apartment
These goals vary in difficulty, but you have a certain period wherein you can take measurable, incremental steps to achieve them.
For the first goal, for example, what steps can you take?
- See a psychologist regularly if you need help to figure out why you are anxious the moment you wake up. You then have professional help in weeding out the reasons for your anxiety.
- Keep a log of what you look forward to every day. Identify at least one thing that you know will make you feel better every day. Write it down before going to bed, and look at your log as you start your day.
Do it with a partner.
In my case, I started FlashForward with my bestfriend. Every six months, we would set our goal/s and follow up on each other. If you decide to try the FlashForward concept for yourself, find someone who will do it with you.
Why?
One, you’ll be more encouraged since you have someone to talk to about your goal and what you’re doing to achieve it.
Two, you are accountable to someone other than yourself. If you falter or stray, you will have someone to remind you.
Three, you’ll probably get inspiration as to what concrete steps to take to achieve your goal.
Four, and best of all, you’ll have someone to celebrate with when you reach the end of the FlashForward period.
Remind yourself of your goal and ‘due date’ as often as possible.
I mentioned keeping a log of what you do to reach your goals. This is one way of reminding yourself. It doesn’t even have to be every day. You can set the frequency as it suits you. The important thing is that you keep your eyes on the prize.
Wrap up
The FlashForward concept is based on principles that we already know. It’s all about making things more concrete and actually getting what you want within a realistic frame.
What do you think about the FlashForward concept? Want to give it a try?
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