Life Vision

*This is a highly recommended read for setting goals and living according to your values.

 

The Planning Process: Creating Your Life Vision

One thing to remember is that life vision encompasses more than just creating a plan for your future. A high-level strategy is required for that plan to be more than something that stays in your head.

When you’re creating your life vision, you need to:

• Reflect on your values 
• Define your lifetime goals
• Visualize your success
• Think of how your values shape your decisions
• Identify gaps
• Incorporate loved ones
• Outline an action plan

Step 1: Reflect on your values

To plan your future, you need to look at the past. What did your life look like a year ago? What about the last five years? Using this information can help you identify the values that are most important to you. 

Ask yourself the following questions: 

• What do I want to achieve in life? 
• What skills and knowledge do I possess? 
• What principles guide my life?  
• What activities bring me joy and fulfillment?
• How do I want to make a difference?

Thinking about and writing down your core values can be a practical starting point for creating your life vision. 

Step 2: Define your life goals

Now that you’ve identified your values, it’s time to consider the bigger picture. Using your values as a guide, what do you want to achieve in life? Where do you see yourself in Five years? Ten years?

Take some time and write down specific goals for your life, such as career, relationships, health, finances, and spiritual development. Once you have these goals written down, it’s time to narrow them down to the ones that excite you. Prioritize your top two or three life goals and use these as a foundation for creating your life vision. 

Note: Setting clear goals will help you stay focused and motivated.

Step 3: Visualize your success

Now that you’ve identified your core values and life goals, it’s time to visualize how you will reach them. Imagine yourself in your ideal future and write down the steps needed to get there and what success will look like. 

Think about all the resources you’ll need to achieve these goals – people, money, skills, knowledge – and create an action plan for getting them. Create a timeline for your purposes, and set specific milestones that you can work towards regularly. 

Step 4: Think of how your values shape your decisions

Your values make you unique – they define how you want to live and the decisions you make. It’s important to remember that your values shape every decision, from minor choices like which shirt to wear to momentous ones like where to move. 

Your values also determine the priorities of your life vision. If creativity is a priority for you, you might focus on finding a job that allows you to express your creativity. Or, if security is important to you, you may focus on building financial stability or setting up a retirement plan. 

Step 5: Identify gaps in your life

If you have identified what’s important to you, look at your current situation and decide if anything needs to be added. Do you need to make changes to achieve the life you envisioned? You may need to develop new skills or start networking with new people. Please identify which steps are necessary and make a plan to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Step 6: Incorporate loved ones

Family, friends, and other relationships are integral to our lives. Make sure to include them in your vision. Identifying how you want to invest in these relationships is just as important as reaching a goal or finding success. 

Whether spending more quality time with your partner or creating deeper connections with family members, make sure your life vision includes a plan for maintaining and strengthening your relationships.

Now that you have identified your hopes and dreams, it’s time to create an action plan. How will you turn your life vision into reality? Break down the steps needed to get there and decide what resources or skills may be necessary. 

With a plan in place, you’ll be able to stay focused on the steps needed to reach your vision.

Step 7: Outline action items

Once you have executed this process to create your life vision, the final step is outlining the action items to bring it to life. 

This requires breaking down your goals into manageable tasks, creating a timeline for completing them, and committing to any changes necessary to reach your vision. 

Writing it all down can help you flesh out the details, identify areas of focus, and create a plan for success.

It’s important to remember that progress is rarely linear; as you make changes, more opportunities may arise that require adjustment. 

You’ll want to maintain an open mind, and a willingness to adapt will help keep you on track toward achieving your goals.  

Now that you have committed to the planning process, let’s start crafting the written draft of your life vision.

 

 

What is included in a Life Vision?

Most people typically focus on bettering their careers, wealth, health, and relationships – yet in reality, several more aspects of life contribute to success, joy, and genuine satisfaction.

Here’s what an extraordinary life vision should include: 

• Legacy: Impact on the world
• Health: Physical, mental, and emotional well-being
• Spiritual: Spirituality / inner faith
• Identity: Authentic self
• Relationships: Connections with family, friends, and loved ones
• Service: Contributions to others in need
• Love: Level of passion 
• Financials: Accumulation of wealth
• Purpose: Role in life
• Career: Professional success 
• Quality of Life:  Daily activities
• Adventure/Travel: Exploration of different cultures and countries
• Intellectual: Acquisition of knowledge or skills 
• Hobbies/Interests: Participation in leisure activities

Legacy

Your legacy is the positive impact you make on the world. It’s how you want to be remembered and reflects your values. 

Health 

Your health is your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. How you nourish your body and mind. 

Spiritual

Spirituality is your deepest beliefs about life, finding a sense of purpose and belonging in the world.

Identity

Your identity is the person you need to become to achieve your desired life. 

Relationships

Your relationships are the people you surround yourself with and those closest to your heart. It’s essential to have a network of individuals that empower, encourage and motivate each other.

Service

Service is your contribution to the highest good and benefit of those in need.

Love

Love is the values and expectations for your love life, nurturing an extraordinarily loving romantic relationship. 

Financial 

Your financial life is the way you manage your money and possessions. It includes having a budget, managing debt, retirement savings, and overall maintaining your wealth.  

Purpose

Your purpose is your mission in life that gives meaning and fulfillment to every decision you make. It is your unique way of expressing who you are and how you want to live. 

Career

Your career is what you do to make money, but also where you find purpose and fulfillment. It’s about meaningful work for you, not just a paycheck.

Quality of Life

Your quality of life is the daily activities and environment that bring you joy. It includes the people, places, and things that make you feel secure and fulfilled emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. 

Adventure / Travel

Your adventure/travel life explores different cultures and countries aligned with your values.  

Intellectual

Your intellectual life is the pursuit of learning and knowledge. It involves books, podcasts, TED talks, seminars, classes, and other platforms stimulating your mind. 

Hobbies/Interests

Your hobbies/interests are things that you participate in or are passionate about. They can range from sports to painting, music to gardening, and beyond. 

Now it’s time to write your life vision statement. 

 

 

Writing The First Draft

Compose your life vision statement as if it were a movie manuscript about the life you imagine for yourself. Narrate the story as if you were living it in the future (Three to Five years from now). Pretend you have currently attained your goals. 

Tip: Crafting the end of the story first will permit you to compose the beginning chapters needed to get you there.

How do you envision your future? Who would you like to be surrounded by, and what activities would you like to be engaged in?

Plan your life as conscientious as you would plan a dream getaway. Don’t simply awaken every day and wing it. Those who take the haphazard technique of an unplanned life will have a hard time.

Drop into the mind of your favorite movie.

Envision the setting with crystal clarity. Now envision that setting as your life. The places you visit, the people you interact with, the things you do and learn, and the fun excursions and experiences. Design it all!

Note what makes your heart beat faster and floods your body with joy. Make a list of activities, people, places, and things to make your imagination come alive. 

That’s what you need to achieve your vision. You require it to be clear, concise, and so particular that you can feel, hear, and see your dreams coming true.

Set aside a few hours free from distractions to begin writing your life vision. Begin making a list of all the ideas that enter your mind, and then start piecing them together into a powerful, inspiring statement. 

Here are a few essential questions for you to answer and include in your life vision:

• What does your family life entail?
• What activities does your family engage in, and which do they avoid?
• Who else is especially important in your life to you?
• What are the most significant accomplishments and relationships in your life? (Be Imaginative, Dream Big)
• What accomplishments have you made in your career, and what principles guide your decisions?
• How does your job affect your choices about what to do and not do?
• How do you contribute to your community?
• How do you prioritize your family and career goals?
• What is your role in your family?
• What is your role in your career?
• Who are you helping in your life?
• What kind of talent will you need to hire or connect with in business?
• What reputation are you building at work?
• What is your life mission?
• What is your life legacy?

And further, to help you overcome the mistake of underestimating what you can do and achieve, ask yourself:

What do you believe your purpose in life to be?

Now is the time to unlock your true potential. You’re a blessing with a unique power that enables you to make an extraordinary impact on this world – so don’t let it go unutilized! 

Dig deep into your soul and create a vision for yourself: 

A life plan where every step taken will lead you closer toward success. 

Know when “No” needs to be said, stand firm against those who try to divert your attention away from what’s essential; use these tools as opportunities to propel towards achieving all the goals set out in front of them. 

It’s your time to break through any obstacles standing between you and create something beautiful – know that anything is possible with enough dedication!

When you complete the first draft, read it aloud and pat yourself on the back! Doing so will help your subconscious understand what you want to achieve and increase your determination to stay on track. 

Feel free to revise the draft and refine it before writing the first version you will be implementing. Also, please have a friend, or family member read it to provide feedback.

Now that we have established our vision for the future, it’s time to make an actionable plan to achieve our goals – setting achievable milestones and finding ways to stay motivated and help us reach our desired future. 

How To Make An Actionable Plan To Achieve Your Goals

Once you’ve finished writing your life vision statement, you must figure out how you’ll get there. This section summarizes your plan of action for achieving your goals. 

Start by breaking down big goals into smaller, achievable steps that are within reach. Doing this allows you to track progress toward reaching your life vision and staying motivated.  

I’d like you to please document your goals and action items, like the tasks you need to accomplish or resources you should read to make progress. It helps to set a timeline or milestone dates to track your progress and measure success. 

Remember to ask for help when needed. Find mentors or support groups who have experience in achieving similar goals. 

Measuring Success and Staying Motivated

Keep your plan flexible and review it regularly to ensure you’re still on the right path. Also, feel free to adjust the goal or timeline if you need to. This adjustment will help you stay focused while allowing room for changes in your life vision. 

Ultimately, it’s important to celebrate success, no matter how small. Recognize and reward yourself for taking steps toward achieving your goals. This reward will help keep you motivated to stay on track and reach the finish line.

Visualizing Your Life Vision

Visualizing what we want for our lives is the first step in creating something great. How can visualization help bring your life vision to fruition?

Visualization helps you stay focused on the end goal; visualizing yourself achieving it can boost motivation and help you reach your goals faster. 

Moreover, visualizing success can help build confidence in yourself and the steps needed to get there. Additionally, visualization helps reduce stress levels as you progress toward reaching your life vision since it allows you to control any potential obstacles. 

Taking action and understanding that progress comes in many shapes and forms. It is essential for achieving our goals. As long as we can stay focused on our vision and remain diligent, there’s no telling how far we can go! 

Next, consider how to implement the visualization method in your life vision. 

The Visualization Method Step by step: 

Step 1: Start by visualizing your goal. Picture what it looks like and, most importantly, how you’ll feel seeing yourself at the end goal. Hold this vision for about 7min maximum, then release it from your mind.

Step 2: Talk to your vision. Affirm your belief in yourself and in the goal you want to reach. Write your affirmations down and read them out loud.

Step 3: Maintain a positive attitude, and start acting like your vision. Take action and the steps needed to realize your dream. 

These steps will help you focus on your vision and achieve the desired results. Good luck, and remember: you can create changes in your life. Take charge of your life and create a beautiful future for yourself!