Envisioning How Life Should Feel, Not Just How It Should Look

We’ve all been asked about our “five-year plan” or prompted to picture our “ideal life.” Often, these visions are about how things look: the job title, the home, the picture-perfect moments we think signify success. But what if we shifted the focus from a mental snapshot of our future to an intention of how we want it all to feel?

Envisioning how we want life to feel is about going deeper, past surface goals. This approach honors the underlying emotions we crave: peace, fulfillment, joy, freedom. Maybe instead of a promotion, what we really want is to feel appreciated. Instead of the house on the hill, maybe it’s the feeling of warmth, safety, or adventure we’re after. By naming these emotions, we create goals that align with our core desires.

This shift also helps us regulate expectations. When we’re stuck in a blueprint of “shoulds” and idealized images, we risk comparing our lives to others or our own rigid standards. But when we ground our goals in feelings, we become more adaptable. Life can take on different forms, yet still hold the feeling we’re aiming for.

Ask yourself, “How do I want to feel each day?” Let this guide your path. It’s a way of aligning not with a “perfect” life, but with a genuinely fulfilling one, open to growth and resilience.

Stay sunny,

Sherri Lee Sunshine ☀️