how to be your next level self NOW

yah, but what do we do when that idea of next level self just doesn’t feel real?

this episode is for you if you like the idea of expanding and strengthening your sense of self so that you can do more and BE more of whatever it is you want for your self… but your brain keeps reminding you: but, i am not that person! i know that version of me does not exist… that’s not real. perhaps it feels more like a wish or a fantasy than a genuine possibility, perhaps it feels way to distant from reality.

we cannot snap our fingers and make some future version of ourselves magically happen… but every single one of us has access to a very powerful tool that can help us make our next level self – our future self or favourite self – feel real.

today we are talking about the power of our imagination.

click here for the worksheet

transcript: how to BE your next level self NOW

hey y’all. i am karen brandy. i am an author, teacher, healer and self coach… i help people with the self expansion and identity shift required to show up for our selves and for what we want for our selves in this next chapter of our life or our business.

but what do we do when that idea of next level self just doesn’t feel real.

today we are talking about the power of our imagination.

about the brain:

the subconscious brain is responsible for 95% of our behaviour. so how we show up in the world is literally driven by the subconscious – and the program that runs our subsconscious? it’s our identity – our self concept. this is why i am so passionate to teach people about the power of identity work and self expansion – it really is the key!

our brains do not like change, anything unfamiliar, or new. our brains are lazy word machines – they will just repeat old stories over and over. our brains are always scanning for danger and scanning for evidence that we are who we believe we are, and our brains will put the breaks on anything that is not a match to the identity concept that we hold subconsciously.

the great news is that our brains can be rewired with a new story of who we get to be in this world! we undergo identity shifts naturally in our lives, for all kinds of reasons. my work is all about doing this intentionally, purposefully, and consciously – so that we can show up for what we say matters to us!

here’s another very cool thing about our subconscious brain: it doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality! this means we can use our imagination to begin embedding that new self concept – that new story of our identity – with purpose. our imagination is already always working – remember that lazy word machine? brain spits out dumb story about who you get to be and imagination fills in all the blanks, usually focusing on danger, uncertainty, problems, failures, etc etc. brain believes it’s true, brain takes that as evidence about who we get to be (and not be)… we stay stuck!

orrrrrr – and hear me out – we harness the immense power of our imagination and use it for good!

what is imagination (& how to do it):

often when we consider ‘imagination’ we think that means visualisation – images in our mind’s eye. and this is certainly one type of imagination that works for many people, but not all! not me… my brain doesn’t see pictures.

imagination means a mental picture or idea – it is a creation of the mind… something that is not present or has not been experienced in reality. so these creations of the mind can happen in many different ways!

visualisation - day dreaming, guided visualisation
stories – story telling/reading/writing – as a reader i don’t see the picture in my mind but the world is still built in my imagination – it can be very vivid even without visualisation
words or concepts – connecting dots or puzzle pieces – list making, mind mapping, brainstorming
movement, acting, actions
conversation – narrative production, invisible friends
role playing, dress up, fantasy, world building
problem solving, invention
creativity & creation – art, drawing, paint, colour, cooking, sewing – artistic expression
spiritual, energetic – meditation, channelling, co-creation; working with your energy frequency, working with your guides

this is the list i came up with of how we may use our imagination but you may come up with even more ideas! you may need to expand your idea of what imagination is – if you “just came up with” an idea – that’s your imagination!

consider: what did you do easily as a child? or if you can’t remember – what do you notice children doing with their imaginations? this can spark some ideas of how YOUR imagination works.

when i was little i used to do so much role play, dress up, and world building – we’d turn a whole room into a school or a city or an office, we’d ride around on our bikes playing the characters from our favourite tv shows – i’d spend whole days playing teacher in an empty basement. so now i am thinking how dress up and role play and acting might be ways to help me imagine my next level self.

also consider: what you begin to notice that you do with your imagination now.

for instance, i’ve noticed that i tend to have imaginary conversations… usually when i am annoyed or activated. i get lost in these full imaginary conversations where i will prove that i am right or tell them what’s what. so now i am thinking: how can i instead turn that imaginative power into something that helps me know and be my next level self.

keys to powerful imagination:

once you begin to explore how your imagination works in particular, you can next add in some of the elements that make our imagination more powerful.

rest – consolidates change. our brain rewires during recovery. without rest, our brain stays in protection mode -in search for danger mode -and it’s harder for our creative, imagination centres to come online. a relaxed, open state – eg meditation, the dreamy state before sleep and after waking up, even being in nature or sunlight – activates the default mode network of our brain – the part responsible for memory, identity formation, and imagination!
details – be as vivid as possible, details make it real
emotions – strong emotions tell our brain – pay attention, this matters, this is important
try starting with joy – feel genuine feelings of joy in your body, think of something that makes you smile. your brain wires joy to this version of who you are here to be! gratitude and appreciation are also powerful feelings to link to your imagination.
belief – our brain won’t wire what it doesn’t believe, so start with what you genuinely believe – what you know for sure - and build from there
focus – what you focus on fires and wires in your brain – use your attention intentionally! when you notice that your imagination has gone into all the worst what ifs, perfect! notice, shift your focus, and keep practicing. focus on what you WANT to create or become, what else is possible, what excites you!
repetition, consistency, rhythm – this is not a one and done thing. repetition is a signal for permanence and strengthens the story you are writing. consistency is the proof your brain needs to wire the new story.
play – let it be fun. be curious. try new things. move your body. connect with people who remind you of who you are being! novelty, play, movement, connection all prime our brain for change.
safety & regulation – nervous system safety, grounded – body calm, breath steady, sensory input aligned. if body is anchored in fear, survival, uncertainty, unworthiness… it’s a mismatch to what we are imagining! feels fake, forced, anxious.

imagination prompts to try:

future self imagination

meet your future self, visualise or have a conversation, role play! ask future you questions, write as your future self, let your future self write to you. note: future self is not some ideal perfect “best’ version of you… this isn’t about perfection, it’s about engaging in a way of being (for instance if you were being a version of you that was compassionate instead of judgmental, can you imagine that? ) self is not static, self is always becoming… future you is simply the YOU that you continue to become!

odyssey imagination – (based on the odyssey plan, a Stanford exercise where you imagine 3 different versions of your next 5 years.)

the expected path. this is your current identity story continuing to run the show. same job/work/biz, same routines & habits, same direction. ie nothing changes to cause an identity shift, everything carries on as is.
the alternative path. life has caused an identity shift. maybe career has switched, you’ve moved to a new location, you’re relationship has changed, something has changed in your health or purpose or direction… life is totally different.
the wild card path. what if you could create the life you long for? this is your dream scenario – nothing blocking your path, other people’s opinions don’t matter, you break free from constraint and you go for it! this scenario is the intentional identity shift – you get intentional about your dream life and then become the type of person to do it.

most people live on auto pilot – we know this, the subconscious mind is responsible for 95% of behaviour! this bus called life is going, no matter what, so what if instead we could become more intentional? this imagination prompt helps you to get out of autopilot and get your next level self into the driver seat… what do you actually want in the next 5 years, and who do you need to be?

one possibility –

as we mentioned already, our imagination is already working overtime, usually to show us the worst case scenario. so intentionally practice opening up your imagination to other possibilities – try to come up with as many as you can… be wildly audacious, get silly, find some absolutely boring possibilities. i like to try to come up with 100 (which is really hard) and just do this as a mind map imagination. once you have as many ideas as possible – pick your ONE favourite possibility. when your mind goes into imagining the worst, you can notice, pause, and make a switch. turn your attention to your one possibility instead. let your brain start collecting evidence for THAT, instead.

obstacles to imagination:

as you practice your imagination of next level self, you may notice some common obstacles popping up.

ego resistance

you imagine yourself BEING who you want to be and HAVING all that you desire, but your logical mind protests. that’s not real, i don’t have that! so it feels forced or fake.

this can be a common block to 1st person visualisation, so instead of imaging your self succeeding, try imagining some one else reacting to your success. pick one specific person who would genuinely be thrilled for you – someone you know exactly how they would react. imagine them finding out you have achieved your heart’s desire – what exactly would they say or do? imagine the hug or the facial expression or body language or energy or anything you can about their congratulations. get specific with vivid details: words, actions, and genuine emotion.

a congratulations imagination implies fulfilment of your desire – helping your brain to wire into that state of being – without activating your inner resistance.

no difference

your imagined future self is not really that different to who you are right now. maybe i will have a bit more confidence or be a bit more visible but i’m not going to change that much.

this happens because our perception of our selves can be limited… we underestimate our own potential and our capacity for change and growth. so imagine a past version of you coming forward to meet who you are right now and being absolutely thrilled for all that you have become! imagine that past version of you and all that has changed, all the ways you have grown and expanded and failed and learned and tried again… all of the old stories that you realise no longer run the show… all of the obstacles you have overcome.

a past & present you imagination can help you remember all of the change that is still possible, inevitable really! now that you have this feeling of being blown away by how much you’ve expanded and strengthened your sense of self, look to your future self with that same energy.

feels hypothetical

when looking ahead feels hypothetical, distant, unlikely, intangible… rather than a real possibility.

this happens because our imagination can lack the temporal markers or contextual details of true memories. try to create a genuine memory style imagination by looking backwards (instead of imagining forwards.) jump ahead to one year from now, and then imagine looking back: i remember back to the moment, i remember how it felt to, i remember when i used to ___ and the moment it all changed. try to include as many contextual details and sensory markers as you can. i remember the feeling of ____ when i ___, i remember the moment ____ happened and i called my best friend to say ____. you don’t have to remember HOW things happened, just that they did happen… try to create the emotional and sensory memory of success (rather than figuring out the logical sequence of how it happened.)

a backward imagination can help our brain process a desired reality as a memory instead of as wishful thinking, so your next level self feels more like a recalled experience rather than a projected hope.

this works because memory, imagination, and identity formation happen in the same part of the brain – called the default mode network. thanks to our remarkable brains we can use imagination as a powerful tool to rewire our intentional self concept – to BECOME the one who will do the things we long to do. imagination is neurological rehearsal – it’s your brain and your body practicing being who you want to be, practicing the new story you are writing for how you get to show up for your self. imagination is a way to practice the unfamiliar, to practice repetition, to practice gathering evidence, to practice possibility, and to practice the qualities that make up your sense of self.

you might like to try adding an imagine practice into your daily routine – for instance visualising or journalling your next level self right before you sleep or when you first wake up. you might like to have some fun with an imagination project like visiting an op shop to role play as your future self (do the whole music montage thing!) or go for a long car ride and have a conversation out loud with your future self, or start a writing project collecting notes from your future self. you might also practice simply noticing what your imagination is already doing – notice those what if scenarios, imaginary conversations, or the story telling your lazy brain does on autopilot – notice, interrupt, and make the switch to something that better serves who you want to be.

i have created a worksheet with all the imagination prompt shared here so that you can give them a try.

you can grab that from the show notes at karenbrandy.com/explore as well as further resources to help you embody your next level self.

i would also love to hear from you: how does your imagination work best? how did it work when you were little?

in closing…

i wish to acknowledge the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of the land on which i live, write, create, and teach… i also acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which you join me from.

i also wish to acknowledge that while i love to share from a variety of perspectives and therapies (including positive psychology, ACT, IFS, neuroscience, mindful self-compassion) i am not a therapist, nor an expert… i simply wish to share information and ideas that may offer insight and inspiration that YOU can use to lead your self out of stuckness and into the life you want for your self.

i also acknowledge my own privilege. whilst i am learning to lead myself through struggle i also have time, money, and support to do this work and that affords me the capacity that others may not have. some struggles will not be alleviated by self-help alone. my aim is to simply offer some new perspectives that might help shift things for you internally, no matter what further steps you decide to take.

thank you for joining me in this exploration of imagination.

until next time, keep shining.

karen brandy2 April 2026Comment