Week 6 — Conditioned-Based vs Vision-Based Thinking: Which Is Running Your Life?

Have you ever noticed how effortlessly you fall into familiar patterns, even when you know they don’t lead to the life you truly desire? This is the silent, powerful pull of conditioned-based thinking—the mental autopilot programmed by past experiences, beliefs, and environments.

Last week, we asked, “What is Destiny?” This week, we examine the two thinking systems that determine its path.

The Conditioned Path: Living on Autopilot

In my book, Your Thoughts Matter, I explain that conditioned-based thinking keeps us in a loop. It generates the same results because it springs from the same thoughts that shaped our past.

It sounds like this:

• “I’ve never done this before.”
• “It’s too late for me.”
• “This is just how things are.”

These thoughts feel comfortable and familiar, but they are architects of limitation. They lead to a life lived by default. As the renowned motivator Jim Rohn warned, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

The Vision Path: Being Pulled by Your Future

Vision-based thinking asks you to look forward—not backward. It begins with possibility, imagination, and the core belief that you can move toward a life you choose, not one you merely inherit.

It sounds like this:

• “What if this could work?”
• “I am capable of learning something new.”
• “This step brings me closer to what I desire.”

This thinking doesn’t require constant pushing. It creates a pull. Steve Jobs captured this perfectly: “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

The Shift: From Reaction to Creation

Moving from conditioned to vision-based thinking is the most important internal shift you can make. It transforms your decisions from being reactions to your past into creations for your future. You begin acting in alignment with who you want to become, not who your history told you to be.

Your Practice: The Thought Origin Check

This week, integrate this awareness with a simple, powerful practice:

1. Notice: Catch one familiar thought that feels limiting (e.g., “I’m not good at this.”).
2. Ask: “Is this thought coming from my conditioning (past patterns) or from my vision (future desires)?”
3. Choose: Select one small, tangible action that reflects your vision. It doesn’t need to be grand—just aligned (e.g., research a class, have a new conversation, draft one idea).

Why Small, Aligned Actions Matter

Every action taken from a place of vision, no matter how small, does two powerful things:

1. It expands your sense of what is possible.
2. It reinforces your new identity as someone who builds a future by choice.

These actions build a new neural and experiential pathway, making the Vision Path your new, more natural direction.

🙂Prefer to watch?

You can view the companion video on YouTube here.

With warm encouragement,

George Goh
Dream Builder Coach & Author of Your Thoughts Matter

P.S. Ready to make the conscious shift from conditioned reactions to visionary creation? In a Dreamtirement Session, we’ll identify your dominant thinking patterns and design a practical strategy to ensure your daily choices are powerfully aligned with your vision.

[Book Your Complimentary Dreamtirement Session Here]