How brands, entrepreneurs, and dreamers alike can manifest more in the future with a powerful tool – dreaming.
Growing up, I watched Black Cinderella religiously. (Rest In Peace & Power, fellow Leo Queen, Whitney Houston! And rest in peace to my favorite songwriter ever, Richard Rodgers!)
Seeing Moesha rock waist length braids and sing about her addiction to daydreaming in “In My Own Little Corner” felt like I was staring in the mirror. Cinderella (short of me having access to an imaginary prince) was me…
Daydreaming was my escape. Daydreaming was a necessary disassociation from parts of my reality that were too hard for me appreciate. Daydreaming was how I improved the present, even if for a moment. In the magic of my mind, I created beaches and lovers and movie sets and recording studios and yesterday-but-better and next-time-ima and impossible experiences and everything else I thought would make reality actually worth it. In my own little corner, where no one can stand in way.
And though I do believe, in the past, I “wasted” a lot of energy wishing instead of doing, dreamers get a bad rep. Get your mind out of the clouds! Sure, we are on earth and not in the heavenly clouds… sure. But, we are also wired to dream. There is a god-like power in dreaming, in being able to create whatever you want, whenever you want, by just drifting…away….
Now, at 28, I know the true power of a dream. Dreaming is a key ingredient in manifesting. Finally, I think I found a formula for manifestation.
But, before I give you the formula, I want to share a wonderful hack that helps rewire your brain to find high vibrational solutions rather than sulk in low vibrational “problems”. A secret in how you can rewire your brain to dream of a better now rather than be too scared to experience anything.
Acronyms.
Brain hacking with Acronyms
Acronyms allow you to take a debilitating, “negative” word that may have power over you, into a phrase that you control. A new meaning that serves you better.
Language does not belong to just one authority figure. Language belongs to ALL of us. Some believe that the powers-that-be have used language to control the world. Well, lets take back our control. We can “twist” words just like the powers-that-be. We can create our own definitions just like the powers-that-be. We can make the spell of language our sickle and sword, too.
The hack is simple. Take a word and make it an acronym for a new phrase that you prefer. 🤷🏾♀️ Dassit.
F.E.A.R. broken down to FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL is probably the most well known application of this acronym hack. A debilitating word and feeling that you can break down into….nothingness. You just rewired your brain to believe fear doesn’t exist anymore. Fear is now a mirage. Or, N.E.R.D., often used as an insult, was now reclaimed into a response to the eternal flame of the soul: NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES. It’s not about the new definition being accurate or not. It’s about changing the way that word makes you feel by shifting the power of the word.
A DREAM is, simply, a Different Reality Energizing, Activating, & Manifesting. It’s not the act of being a futile, sleeping, or lost head in cloud. It’s the act of creation.
Try it with a word that “scares” you, or a word that has been use to quiet you, belittle you, or cause you to lose faith in yourself. Reprogram the word into an acronym that empowers you.
For the world is full of “zanies” and “fools.”
Who don’t believe in sensible rules. – Impossible, R&H’s Cinderella
Check out this example from Futur!
The formula for manifestation
Manifestation in its simplest form can be broken down in 3 simple steps.
DREAM + DECLARE + DO
Dreaming is more than just thinking. You physically become fully immersed in your dreams. You can taste them, hear them, and most importantly – you feel every part of your dreams. Emotions that warm up the core of your being during a good daydream help put new realities in motion. Dream it.
Next, the words you speak hold a massive amount of power. Whether through prayer or a personal declaration, speak your truth out loud. Write your truth down. Run your left finger across the written words a few times to activate the creative, right brain. Write it in the air with your fingers. Declare it.
Finally, keeping your end of the bargain. Put action behind your prayer. Put action behind your dream. Even a little bit of action rewires your brain to make “doing it” easier and easier. Break down your overwhelming goal of losing 50 lbs in 12 months to a pound a week, and make steps everyday to make sure you lose a pound a every week. Soon, you’ll find that it’s easier for you to make better habits with exercise and diet, and the 50 pounds you wanted to lose is gone in 6 months instead of 12. (Warning: chill, I’m obviously not a trainer or nutritionist). Do it.
That’s the simple enough formula for manifesting the things you want. Dream it. Declare it. Do it.
And because these “daft” and dewy-eyed dopes
Keep building up impossible hopes,
Impossible things are happening every day. – Impossible, R&H’s Cinderella
A manifesto for Ayo Naima: Dreaming in future
As I start slowly gaining clients, I notice I need to fine tune who I want to design for. I design big bold brands. Cool. But what does that really mean?
Stylewise, Ayo Naima designs brands, strategies, and content that are meaningful, maximize the minimal, and muse-worthy. And with these beautiful designs, I attract clients with taste. *cues Tyga*
But deeper than that, I choose to work with clients with the ability to build a strong narrative that can survive the future. I choose to work with clients who want to meet the rest of us in the future by shifting the present. I choose to work with clients that are willing to travel down the unknown to uncover hidden trends and treasures of the future.
I choose clients that dream in future.
A brand that has room to DREAM is a big bold brand. Brands that dream will always shift the culture more than a Unilever or a P&G ever could. I work with a guy who is from P&G, and I can tell that they don’t dream in future. They empower themselves with the past and what’s always worked. No dreaming. There is nothing wrong with that, but that doesn’t make a big, bold brand.
Whether you’re a musician or selling hair care products, what is the story you are telling today that can withstand time? Or better yet, what questions are you asking that allow you to dream in future. When I say I design big bold brands – this is what I mean. Brands that dream in future.
To develop this type of narrative, my clients must have the ability to dream. My brain is wired for seeing the world as what it will be, so when I build out strategies – I focus on satisfying present AND future goals. I choose to work with clients that dream in future.
As I begin exploring the mindset of being a strategic futurist, I want to approach my clients with a simple question:
Where will your dreams take you?
Because your dreams are just the beginning. What can actualize can often be larger, stronger, and wider than you ever imagined. But it always starts with a dream.
Impossible things are happening everyday. It’s possible.