Everyday Better with Leah Smart

The Year for Irrational Hope: Debbie Millman on the 10-Year Plan

Jan 13, 2026
In a captivating discussion with Debbie Millman, a renowned designer and educator, the transformative power of the 10-year plan takes center stage. She recounts her journey with this visioning exercise, originally taught by Milton Glaser, emphasizing its role in defining her goals and manifesting her dreams. Debbie explores the importance of suspending reality, setting intentions, and embracing change at any age. With insights on authenticity, identity shifts, and the resilience of hope, this conversation inspires listeners to dream bigger and redefine their futures.
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ADVICE

Write The Day You Really Want

  • Suspend present limiting beliefs when you imagine your future day in detail from waking to sleeping.
  • Use vivid sensory details and allow 'irrational' possibilities into the vision.
ANECDOTE

A New York Vision Came True

  • Leah Smart wrote eight pages by hand imagining a true New York home and family dinner outside.
  • She later found an apartment that matched that vision and began seeing it manifest.
ANECDOTE

Vision Essay That Became Real

  • Debbie Millman wrote a detailed five-year essay from waking to sleep as part of Milton Glaser's class.
  • Within a year many ambitions began manifesting and all 20 items eventually came true over ~13–15 years.
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