I've always questioned how effective visualizing actually is at helping anyone reach their goals. 

The practice, which is endorsed by hyper-successful celebrities like Oprah and Michael Phelps, calls for a person to simply imagine what they want to achieve in the future.

But how could picturing myself in, for example, a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, help me make enough money to afford one. That image doesn't increase my salary or affect the rental market. And by visualizing one, specific future aren't you cutting yourself off from all the other ways you could achieve happiness?

Recently, I talked to Rainer Strack, senior partner emeritus at Boston Consulting Group, to find out what I was missing.

Strack, Susanne Dyrchs, associate director at BCG, and Allison Bailey, senior partner and managing director at BCG, created a 7-step plan that will help you strategize your life. 

Each step is guided by a question: 

1. How do I define a great life?
2. What is my life purpose?
3. What is my life vision?
4. How do I assess my life portfolio?
5. What can I learn from benchmarks?
6. What portfolio choices can I make?
7. How can I ensure a successful, sustained life change?

Because I'm a visualization cynic, number three stood out to me. A vision, Strack says, is not meant to give you a destination but a direction. 

He references a quote from Stoic philosopher Seneca: "If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable." 

By visualizing a goal you are always keeping what's important to you in the back of your mind, which makes it more likely to influence your decisions.

"You don't have to figure it out completely," he says. "But you have to know, a little bit, the direction."

What does the 80-year-old me not want to miss out on in life?

When visualizing, he says, imagine a few priorities or goals with loose deadlines. 

"It could be three, four, or five bullet points and say, 'These might be some visionary elements that I would like to pursue over the next three years, five years, up to 10 years,'" Strack says. 

He offers up a few "trigger questions" that can help you "broaden your visionary horizon": 

• What would I do if money was not an issue? 
• What does the 80-year-old me not want to have missed in life? 

Picturing these answers can guide you to make decisions that move you toward your goals. 

Even if imagining myself in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn doesn't increase my salary, it could motivate me to push for a raise or keep my ear open for a good deal on a new place.

It's also important to note that your vision doesn't have to be static. Your life plan should be a "living document," Strack says, which adjusts based on whatever factors in your life change.

"You need to know your direction but you also have to be open to serendipity and opportunity on your way," he says. "Then you have to adjust your vision and lifestyle."

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