Why Should You Have a Vision for Your Life?

Is having a vision necessary or is it just a cliché?

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision.” — Helen Keller

First, let’s define what a vision is.

John Graham defines it very clearly in #5 of his “Coach’s Corner” series.

“A vision is a mental picture of the result you want to achieve. It’s a picture so clear and strong it will help make that result real. A vision is not a vague wish or dream or hope. It’s a picture of the real results of real efforts. It comes from the future and informs and energizes the present. Visioning is the most powerful tool I’ve witnessed in over twenty years of helping organizations and individuals get the results they want.”

Notice how John concludes that visioning is the most powerful tool he has witnessed in his career. He goes on to state why visioning is so powerful. According to John…

A vision inspires action. A powerful vision pulls in ideas, people, and other resources. It creates the energy and will to make change happen. It inspires individuals and organizations to commit, to persist, and to give their best.

A vision is a practical guide for creating plans, setting goals and objectives, making decisions, and coordinating and evaluating the work on any project, large or small.

A vision helps keep organizations and groups focused and together, especially with complex projects and in stressful times.

If you’ve worked in corporate America or Corporate Canada, you will agree that most organizations have vision statements. It is a practice that is mainstream in the corporate world.

Yet, when you look at the plans, goals, and decisions of some of these corporations, there is a disconnect with their visions. And so, we sometimes wonder…

Is having a vision necessary or is it a cliché?

Based on experience and research, I agree with John that visioning is powerful. It is the most powerful tool for businesses and individuals.

We know that professional sports teams use visioning exercises to improve performance.

There are studies showing that basketball players who practice free throws only by “envisioning” the ball going through the hoop improve their shooting percentage almost as much as those who actually throw the ball.

So, you should have a vision for your life because visioning is powerful.

How do you create a vision for your life?

Casting a clear vision begins with your dreams for the future.

Dreams have power. They help increase your imagination by allowing you to see the possibility in your life beyond your current circumstances. Albert Einstein once said:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

When you dream, you think creatively about the life you would love to live. To start dreaming, grab a pen and start writing down your dreams. Don’t filter. Don’t hold back. Just write. As you dream, it may be helpful to ask yourself these questions:

• What future do you see for yourself?
• Where would you live?
• Where would you work?
• What type of work will you be doing?
• What would you be doing?
• If you run a business, what kind of clients would you work with?
• What brings you joy and fulfillment?
• What contributions would you make to society?
• What legacy would you leave?

“Not all dreamers are winners, but all winners are dreamers. Your dream is the key to your future. The Bible says that, “without a vision (dream), a people perish.” You need a dream, if you’re going to succeed in anything you do.” — Mark Gorman

Next, you turn your dreams into a vivid vision by putting this on a vision board. By doing this, you turn the thoughts and dreams in your head into something real and tangible that you can see.

It is best to represent your dreams with pictures. If you have a vision of living on a beach house, get a picture of the beach house you want and put it on the vision board.

If you can, go and experience some of your dreams. For example, if you want to live in a beach house, take a tour of a beach house and experience for yourself what it feels like to live in a beach house.

If your vision is to drive a Ferrari, go to a Ferrari dealership and take a test drive.

Experiencing your dreams like this brings your vision alive and drives a stronger motivation to accomplish your dreams.

Once you have our vision, you will develop your goals to help you accomplish your dreams.

In developing your goals, it is best to make your goals SMARTER and to support them with key motivations. The key motivations keep you emotionally connected to your goals. They provide the answer to why the goal is important, to what is at stake, and why you’re passionate about accomplishing your goals.

What is a SMARTER goal?

Below are attributes of a SMARTER goal:

1. S — Specific: Smarter goals are specific. They are not vague or general. They are very, very specific. For example, if I have a goal to write a book, I can make this more specific by saying my goal is to write a book titled “My Life in the tax lane.” This is very specific as it is focused on a specific book.
2. M — Measurable: Smarter goals must be quantified. A goal to lose weight is not measurable. However, a goal to lose 35 pounds is measurable because you can measure this.
3. A — Actionable: Smarter goals are actionable. This means you want to start them with a good action verb like, write, finish, eliminate. For example, a goal to write two blog posts a week is a lot more actionable than a goal to be more consistent in blogging.
4. R — Realistic: Smarter goals are realistic. In other words, they are not unrealistic. While the goals should be outside of your comfort zone, they should not be so far outside of your comfort zone that it’s unrealistic. These goals should challenge you and make you feel a little bit of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
5. T — Time-bound: Smarter goals must have a deadline. This creates a sense of urgency, gives you focus, and ensures you’re going to achieve your goal. For example, a goal to lose 20 pounds by April 1 2021 is much stronger than a goal to lose 20 pounds.
6. E — Exciting: Smarter goals have to be personally compelling. You have to get excited about your goals. If your goals are not compelling, you will likely quit when you hit roadblocks along the way.
7. R — Relevant: Smarter goals must be relevant. This means they must be appropriate for the season you’re in. For example, if you’re in a new career, a goal to take 30 days off may not be appropriate for you.

You should write your goals — short term and long term goals.

By taking a few minutes each morning to look at your vision and read your long-term goals, you will put your day into perspective.

You will think about them every day. If you think about them every day and spend your days working toward them, they’ll manifest.

I have found this step of writing down my goals super useful. I break down my long-term goals into annual goals. And then break these down into quarterly goals. As I write my goals down daily, I keep them in focus, and doing this helps me align my daily tasks to my 30-day and 90-day goals.

Conclusion

“Little girls with dreams become women with vision.” — Unknown

Having a vision for your life is powerful. It is critical.

Start by dreaming. Turn your dreams into a vivid vision.

Turn your vision into long-term goals.

Break down your long-term goals into annual goals, quarterly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily tasks.

Write your goals down daily and put them in perspective as you plan your days.

Remember this, achieving goals is science. There’s no confusion or ambiguity to it. If you follow a simple pattern, you can accomplish all of your life goals, no matter how big they are.

It starts with having a vivid picture of your long-term goals, writing them down, and reviewing them every single day.

“We need men who can dream of things that never were.” — John F. Kennedy

One last thing before you go…

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