You’ve probably read about how top athletes use visualization — that you need to believe it first before you see it and that your brain creates new neural pathways in your subconscious in order for change to happen. But, to get tangible results and success in your day-to-day life, it’s not enough to just imagine it — you have to step into that identity.

We are all naturally evolving and striving — striving to get to the next level, to the next goal, to make more meaning in our lives. Sadly, a lot of people don’t know what they want out of life. I believe people dream smaller because they don’t have a system and process in place to understand how to tap into the next level of themselves. Once you do, life is so much more fun, as you get to be the creator in — and of — your own life.

Going from a broke student to running a seven-figure business, I have used many mindset techniques to get to where I am today. However, there is a simple process that I use over and over without fail, and I want to walk you through this:

First, you need to have an awareness of where you’re at now in your life — from a nonjudgmental place. You can’t shift something if you don’t know where your starting point is. Too many people live in denial. They are embarrassed — it’s too painful to look at their situations. They may think, “Am I still here?” and they feel guilty.

So, I suggest sitting down and tuning in, talking over it, journaling on it or doing whatever you need to do across all areas in your life — the more specific, the better. What do you believe about your situation? What are your feelings on it? They key is to do this from a place of acceptance.

The second part of the process is to get clear on where you want to be. It sounds simple, but so many people don’t do this. If you want the next level of financial freedom, for example, what does that actually look like to you? Get clear on all the niche areas in your life down to the finer details.

The third part of the process is to shift your identity: It’s not enough to call in a version of yourself through imagining. You need to be an energetic match, to truly embody it, to be that next level of you — and then the physical results will show up. Often people have it all backward. They think that, once physical results show up, then they’ll be that person. “Once the millions have shown up, then I’ll become the millionaire,” or “Once I lose the weight, then I’ll be fit and healthy.” No. You have to be the millionaire first — you must be fit and healthy first. Be that version of you, and you’ll get what you want.