The following is an excerpt of a chapter in Susan’s book of essays called “Life is Huge!” In this brand new year, it says a lot about envisioning the future we want and having the courage to commit to it.
The best party I ever attended was in the year 1986…and it was called the “1991 Party.” Let me explain.
This wonderful evening was created by members of a very forward-looking and loving group that my husband, Mark, and I belonged to called The Inside Edge. The premise of the party was to envision what we would like to have happen in our lives five years into the future. After we created our vision, we were to “stretch” it even further, setting goals that were more than we thought we could accomplish. At the party, all attendees had to “act-as-if” it was 1991 and our vision had come true. That meant we were to dress the part, talk the part and come with “props” demonstrating our amazing journey in the achievement of our vision over the following five years. Lastly, we were all to applaud the successes of everyone else.
It was a perfect scenario for an evening of congratulations, excitement, laughter, fun, and creativity!
What did I envision? In 1986, I was embarking on a career as a writer. As yet, I had not succeeded in getting my first book published. My stretch for the party was that three book contracts would be signed by the year 1991. (Mind you, I would have been happy if one book contract had been signed!). In the spirit of the party, I showed up with three mock books. Throughout the evening, I “fabricated” a story about the incredible success of my books.
It was an evening of people supporting each other in their dream. As Mark and I went around the room congratulating everyone on their successes, we, too, were bombarded with congratulations. What was most significant to me was that by the end of the evening, I actually believed that creating three books by 1991 was a definite possibility! Why not? It was no longer a stretch. And what did happen by 1991? You guessed it. I actually did create three successful books—with a fourth one on the way!
Not everyone’s vision was realized, they were obviously meant to travel another path. But for me, that special evening gave me the strength and confidence to strongly commit to a career in writing. I do believe it was this strong commitment that made my vision of the future actually happen.