What Would Make a Perfect Day?

What Would Make a Perfect Day?

By Nathan Cody Young

One of the most important aspects of creating changes in our life and living into our ambitions is to have a clear vision of where we want to go.

This vision serves as a “north star” for the life we want to create. Without it we might catch ourselves going along with whatever external pull might show up in our lives, whether it takes us where we want to go or not.

Below is an exercise I like to offer to all my clients to help them manifest a vision for the life they want to create for themselves. It involves thinking about two perfect days for a future version of themselves, a work/“routine” day, and a vacation/“exceptional” day.

By developing a vision for what each of these days might look like, you can start to create more clarity around the type of life you eventually want for yourself.

And once you have this end result on what you’re working towards, you can start to work backwards to fill in the steps from there.

Exercise: Two Perfect Days

Start by finding a nice quiet place to think and write. I recommend writing by hand, but you can use your computer if that genuinely works better for you.

You’re going to imagine two ideal days in your life, one day will be a work or “routine” day and the other will be an “exceptional” day.

The “routine” day will represent a more common day-in-the-life of a future version of yourself.

The focus of this day is on making your contribution to the world. You’re utilizing your skills and talents towards something bigger than you. What that contribution looks like, how you give it, and who you give it to is completely up to you.

For this day, you also need to tend to the day-to-day aspects of life maintenance and self care. Think of it like an idealized weekday for you.

The other key aspect of this is that the day isn’t necessarily completely under your control. You have obligations and responsibilities. What those obligations and responsibilities are is completely up to you. They don't necessarily need to match with a known profession, tangible income source, or any other standard work practices, such as schedule or length of work day. You might not even be clear on what it is you’re doing for “work.” That’s okay. Just go with whatever felt senses come up. We’re looking for insight into what feels important to you.

For the non-workday or “exceptional” day, you’re going to think more about yourself. What would you want an ideal day to look like for your own pleasure, relaxation, and wholeness? You have complete freedom to determine the course of the day and you only need to contribute to others to the degree that you enjoy their company or that it brings you personal pleasure.

You can envision this day as being an exceptionally special one, or perhaps the equivalent of a better-than-average Saturday. Go with whatever seems most right when you close your eyes.

For each day, start by reading the text below then writing out what you would imagine the perfect day to be for each context. Before you start writing, take a minute to close your eyes and create the day in your mind. Follow it through every step of the way. If you get lost or forget, just stop and imagine again.

Don’t censor yourself or try to create something that you feel is “realistic.” Just go for it and write out whatever your heart and mind desires. Also, don’t feel like your days need to be amazing by any conventional standard. If a perfect day for you is sitting at home and watching TV, that’s fine. Still go through the steps to paint that picture and then we’ll figure out how to create that life for you.

Here we go!

Envision Your Perfect Work/”Routine” Day

Today is a “workday.” You went to bed last night knowing and looking forward to this.

Start by imagining yourself waking up in the morning.

Take a look around. What does the room look like? Who are you with? What time of day is it? When you go to look out the window, what do you see?

Imagine your routine as you get up in the morning. How do you prepare yourself for the day? What steps do you take? Are there other people and responsibilities to attend to, such as kids, family members or even pets? Or are you independent and only need to attend to yourself?

What do you do with your day? Do you go to work? If so, where? How do you get there? What do you wear?

Is the work environment an office, studio, classroom, or something else? Do you work out in the community? Or do you just set up a laptop at home?

Once “at” work, imagine what your day is like. Envision the setting, who you’ll be working with, what your relationships will be like with the people you encounter, and the primary acts of “work” you’ll be doing.

Are you talking to people and collaborating, or quietly working alone? Are you the boss , an employee, or working for yourself? Is your work creative? Analytical? Relational?

How do you break up your day? Do you work a traditional 8 hours or something different? What time do you wrap up?

When the “work” portion of your day is done, what do you do? Do you stay out or go home? Do you have other responsibilities or activities you do for yourself?

How do you wind down? What is your routine as you get ready for bed? Who is with you? How do you think about the next day?

Imagine yourself going to sleep happy and relaxed. How does your day reflect this feeling to you? What about your day makes you the happiest?

Envision Your Perfect Vacation/”Exceptional” Day

Today is a special day. Maybe you’re on vacation or simply about to enjoy a more interesting Saturday than usual. It might even be your birthday.

Wake up and look around. What do you see? Who is there with you? What do you see when you look out the window?

As you begin to stir or get out of bed, what are some of the first things you do? What are you looking forward to today?

Who else is there with you? Are you with a large group of people, someone special, or by yourself?

What is the plan for the day? Is it going to be a relaxing day or an adventurous one? What will you do? Will you be spending time in a city or out in nature?

Think through your entire day. It can be whatever you want. You can fit as much or as little into your day as you’d like. What feelings do you have? What images get conjured up?

What does your afternoon and evening look like? Is there a dinner party or night out on the town? Perhaps a family laughing around the table? Or a quiet night at home reading a book, engaging in a hobby, or spending time with someone(s) special?

Imagine going to bed feeling happy and fulfilled. The day was everything you had hoped it would be. What has you feeling the best and appreciating your life the most?

Use These Exercises To Envision Your Ideal Future Life

In both these exercises, give yourself permission to envision a life for yourself that might seem insanely unattainable from where you are now. This is more of a roadmap than a promise.

The larger point is for you to think about the possibilities and show yourself that you do indeed have dreams and goals. It’s to create something akin to this life you just imagined for yourself.

It’s only the first step, but creating a vision like this can be incredibly helpful towards solidifying the life you want for yourself. This is the light you’re going to start walking towards.