“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters,” Thoreau, a man who delighted in his imagination, once wrote. Your vision is your most important dream or mental picture. It can also be a set of dreams and long-term goals. A vision defines the optimal desired future state; it tells of what you would like to achieve over a longer time. Vision can be your personal “why” or the organization’s internal purpose of existence. You might often see vision and mission portrayed together. These are not the same, although we can sometimes confuse the two. However, there’s a crucial difference: contrary to vision, your mission describes the status quo, what you are doing right now. It is in line with your current capabilities. Your mission defines the present state and job of your organization.
Take SpaceX for example; their mission is: “SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.” Where a mission describes the now, a vision instead forecasts the desired future. SpaceX believe humankind needs to be a multi-planetary species to survive many more generations to come. In accordance, their vision is “enabling people to live on other planets.” So by driving down the cost of launching rockets while working daily on their mission of building reusable rockets, they eventually enable the transport and settlement of many people on Mars and beyond – which is their, so far, unique dream of the future.
What a Vision Can Do for You
Describing what you currently do seems inherently advantageous. People want to know what you do. But why should you have a vision? Every individual or organization should have a vision for two reasons:
- First, a vision inspires you and gives you energy. It guides and eventually gives all of your efforts a purpose. Coming to terms with your “why” connects you with your core values and roots you. Your vision unlocks your deepest motivations. Making the connection between your deepest heartfelt values and your everyday work will make you unstoppable.
- Second, it provides guidance in a world of choices. It enables you to focus on what to do (and not do) for those achievements five, ten years or further in the future. When you are clear about your vision and goals, it is easier to say yes wholeheartedly or say no with an acceptable reason and no fear of rejection.
How to Find and Develop Your Very Own Vision
When searching for your vision, it is best to do so offsite somewhere you are inspired and not distracted. Rather than your office, think of someplace more inspiring like a small secluded cabin in the mountains or by the sea. A central question when building your vision will be, “What is my Why?” When you are thinking of this, what are dreams that you have just started work towards or that you should finally start? Simon Sinek addressed in his book Start with Why that every individual or company needs to know their why to get the remainder (the what and how) right and sorted out. That means if you know the Why, you will easily figure out the What and the How later. Zoom out and concentrate on the biggest, long-term version of your picture.
When formulating your vision, respect the following criteria:
- Unique: Make sure it is unique to you and fits your passion and values. That also involves imagining yourself in the role. Three years from now, what do you look like in that role? How do you see yourself?
- Simple: Write it directly and succinctly so that it is quick to grasp and can be easily repeated by any employee at any given time.
- Focused: Narrow in so it is not too broad.
- Bold: Is it brave and big enough? Stretch yourself rather than staying inside the status quo.
- Beneficial: A good vision has a reason and strives to benefit not only you but also others at the same time. For example, an organization should first serve its customers, but also benefit you or your association at the same time. Profit is a result of excellent service, not a goal in itself.
- Aligned: Your vision and way towards it should be aligned, but most importantly should not contradict each other, for authenticity reasons. For instance, a company that tries to change the world positively also needs to have processes and rules that are positive on the inside.
- Inspiring: Write your vision in an inspirational manner. Think of a sci-fi movie trailer that pulls millions into the cinema; your vision should have a similar magnetic pull to it.
- Engaging: Creating your vision is like building a house: you might not know how to build the house yourself, but you have ideas and images in your mind that you pass onto an architect who helps you create sketches and plans from which to construct and achieve the final product, together.
Overall, a good vision is something you hear once and then never forget. Respecting these criteria will help you achieve that goal.
Applying Your Vision in Practice
Having a visual reminder of your vision is important which is why vividness is key. It is best to have that visualization somewhere near, like your personal vision could be kept close to your bed and your professional vision somewhere at the entrance of your office, or high above your desk. This way you can regularly look up and refer to it.
Keeping it visible can help you stay on track by providing guidance when opportunities or distractions present themselves. Moreover, when you can consistently see your vision, you can always question if your current actions are contributing to that ultimate goal.
With each new day, ask yourself: if this were my last day to work on my ultimate goal, my vision, would I spend it this way?
Personal Vision
Your personal vision guides you in your life when you set goals and need to make decisions every day. When creating your personal vision, reflect from different perspectives and think of what you desire to have, be, give and do. How could you contribute to this world, impact and help your inner circle, your community or even people on this planet? Thinking of this often reveals your real purpose in life.
Your personal vision for your life might be best visualized in a vision board.
Organizational Vision
An organizational vision is the centerpiece and foundation of all corporate strategy, primarily its goals. The vision functions as the “north star” – it points the everyday work of employees as a contribution toward the ultimate long-term accomplishment.
In companies or non-profit organizations, a vision usually expresses itself in a vision statement.
Do you have a set vision for your life? Do you know what you want to accomplish and what you are working towards? It is important to take some time to discover your vision for your life. Your vision is like traveling into time and seeing your future. It’s an image that makes you feel hopeful and excited when you look at it. It’s a future reality that you are willing to work and sacrifice for because the rewards will be greater than the sacrifice.
Your vision is the image of your ideal life. It represents all the things & people who mean the most to you. Your vision is your own. It is what you want to achieve, accomplish and enjoy during your lifetime. It will encompass the legacy you want to leave.
It’s not about being successful. It’s not about earning awards or recognition. It’s not about having a big house and a fancy car. It’s not about making a million dollars. It’s about creating a legacy for others to follow. It’s about making a difference in the world around you. It’s about living a life filled with passion, purpose and joy.
I personally believe we are all put here on this earth for a purpose. I believe it’s our responsibility to figure out that purpose and pursue it passionately. The first step to find out our purpose is to create a vision and connect with our dreams.
Your vision may change some as you grow older and as you mature. You may find things that were important to you 10 years ago are not really that important now. You may find that you have realized some of your dreams already and need to create some new dreams and goals to work towards. It is always important to re-evaluate our vision, goals and dreams at least once a year or every few years. Most of all, it’s important to make sure your vision is so powerful that it inspires you, re-energizes you and keeps you motivated to continue striving for those goals.
How to Create a Vision for Your Life
I used to think it was a silly waste of time to think about a vision for my life. Who does that?
But then, as I started learning how to change my life and my habits, I realized something: people avoid creating a vision for their lives because they believe the exercise is futile. Why make a vision when it’s impossible to accomplish those things anyway?
I’ve also noticed something over the past several years: the most interesting, accomplished people I know all have a vision for their lives. They seem to know what comes next, like they’ve seen the future.
On the other hand, people I meet or know who are stuck and have that hopeless look in their eyes, like they’re just passing time in life without joy or aspiration, those people don’t have a vision. In fact, many of them don’t even have long-term goals. This was painfully clear at my recent high school reunion.
Does having a vision make you better able to change your life, or does being able to change your life make having a vision possible?
Being able to change your life and having a vision for it are the yin and yang of living a great life. They’re interdependent and complimentary of one another. One will jump-start the other. Find the motivation to change your life, and you’ll be able to create a vision for it. Or, create a vision for your life and then learn how to change it.
What’s the difference between a life vision and long-term goals?
Goals are individual experiences and accomplishments you strive for. A vision is the bigger picture. Your life’s vision defines who you want to be, what you want to be known for and the set of experiences and accomplishments you aim for. Your vision helps define the goals by giving you a framework to evaluate those goals.
Your vision becomes your why.
Your vision should aim to answer questions like:
What life do you want to have lived at age 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80?
What kinds of people do you want to be surrounded by?
What do you believe you’re capable of in life? What are the greatest things you could accomplish, given the right circumstances, resources and motivation?
What do you wish you could change about the world? What could you contribute to the world that would make you feel proud and content?
When you die, what would you want people to say and remember about you?
In fact, start by answering those questions and your vision should be easy to create.
How to Create Your Life’s Vision
First, you need to identify what matters in life. This is where that college philosophy class should come in handy. You need to go deep and existential here. What is the real meaning of life? How should you live your life?
Your answer to “what matters in life” won’t be perfect, and that’s OK. The point is to put a stake in the ground to work towards, and you can change your answer whenever you review your life’s vision.
Regardless of your answer, there will be things you want to do or be, and there are resources needed to support those experiences and accomplishments.
Next, make a list of the categories of things that matter to you.
Here are the categories currently on my list:
Health — exercise, diet, mindfulness, perspective
Ability — skills, knowledge, character
Relationships — curate and cultivate them
Time — using what time you have wisely
Wealth — creating the value necessary to support goals
Experiences
Accomplishments
Contentment — being happy with who you are, perhaps the ultimate goal
Your list can and should look different. It’s all about what matters to you, and what you want out of your brief time on this planet.
Now, for each of your categories, write down what you want or need from each. Think about the things you want to accomplish or experience, and work backwards to understand how the other categories should support your life’s vision.
Finally, craft a statement that describes what your ideal life looks like. I know, it might seem cheesy, but this entire exercise can be incredibly fun and rewarding. I just refreshed my life’s vision while on vacation in Hawaii for 10 days. It was the perfect setting to get all introspective.
Your vision statement will consist of an overall description of your ideal life, combined with a list of areas that matter most, and high-level goals for each area.
What’s next?
If all you do is this exercise, you will likely see some benefits, as your vision will stick in the back of your mind and you’ll unconsciously work towards it.
However, if you want the best chance of making your vision happen, you’ll need to go further.
You need to build a system for yourself, where you review your vision and goals regularly, and update your action plan for accomplishing those goals.
Your main priority should be making your system a habit, something that you do no matter what, that you don’t have to think about or remind yourself about. Start with calendar reminders and task list items and build life planning time into your daily and weekly routines until it becomes habit.
Questions to ask yourself to create your vision:
Writing down your vision (as well as your goals) is essential to your understanding, connecting and achieving your vision. It’s like having a GPS or road map to your intended destination. Below are 10 questions to help you figure out your vision.
- If I could invent the future, what would I create for myself?
- At the end of my life, what will be my greatest accomplishment?
- What mission in life absolutely inspires me?
- What is my burning passion, what am I truly passionate about?
- What work do I find absorbing, engaging and truly enjoy?
- How will my work, career or business enable me to live those dreams?
- What would my ideal or perfect day look like?
- If someone were to describe me, what words would I want them to use?
- If I had a magic wand and could change any one thing about my life, what would I change?
- If I knew failure wasn’t an option, what would I attempt to achieve or do with my life?
(Source for some of these guided questions: Build it Big by the DSWA)
Take the time today to honestly answer these questions. Think back to the dreams you had when you were younger. Rekindle the fire for the mission you are truly passionate about. As you answer these questions you will be begin to discover what your vision is for your life. Then you can begin to create goals and action plans to reach your dreams.
Once you have done this, the next step will be to create a vision, dream or focus board.
Did this post help you begin to form your vision? I would love if you would leave a comment with your thoughts & also share this post on your social media channels! Thank you!
Do you want to discover yourself? Contact us at Positive Psychology and Educational Consult. At Positive Psychology and Educational Consult, we are ready to help you to navigate your life. Contact us today. Phone: +2348034105253. Email: positivepsychologyorgng@gmail.com twitter: @positiv92592869. facebook: positive.psych.12