What’s a vision statement?
Do you have a personal vision statement? Unfortunately, I never did, and because of that, I fumbled around, lacking a clear direction of my priorities to direct my actions to the highest value action first.
So, your vision statement will help guide your life. Your vision statement provides a filter for your decisions, and it gives clarity to the things you want out of life. A personal vision statement states how they want to feel and what they want for themselves at a point in the future. It’s their picture of success, whatever that means. You make a statement that reflects what you want to do, not what someone else wants you to do. A personal vision statement will express what you want to contribute to the world or what you hope for in the future. So, let’s begin.
Six steps to building your vision statement.
Step One.
Spend time reflecting on your life today and dumping out a list of ideas about what you want your future to be. Of course, at this point, we’re just dumping out thoughts, and some may contradict each other.
List ideas about your values, beliefs, who you are, and how you want to be. To find out what you value, ask yourself the following questions: What do I want? What’s important to me? How much time would I like to spend on various activities, and with certain people? What do I need? What experiences do I seek out?
List what you’re passionate about doing. What you’re happiest doing.
—What do I enjoy doing?
—What are my future goals?
—What am I good at?
—How do I want to be remembered as a person?
—Where do I want to go in life?
—What does success mean to me?
Also, consider why you want to write a personal vision statement at this time.
My Answers.
I need a personal vision, so I’m clear about what I spend my time doing. It will help me choose the most critical activities and say no to others.
I’m passionate about helping others and writing.
My values are speaking the truth treating all people as human beings with equal rights to live a fulfilling life. I want to finish identifying and sharing wisdom from the past, have others read it, and engage with me when they disagree.
Step Two.
Consider who you want to be. Do you want to be an author? An engineer? Good spouse? A teacher? Happy? Successful? Or are you going to be a combination?
My Answer
I want to be a good father, published freelance writer, wisdom teacher, helpful to others getting started, and open to new experiences and ideas.
Step Three.
Write what you would like to find in your ideal life. What are you doing daily? It’s what you’re doing consistent with your values, beliefs, and passions.
answer
My ideal life in five years would include seeing each of my children each year, having multiple freelance writing clients, and helping others use the available digital tools efficiently.
Step Four.
What’s holding you back. What do you need to do differently to achieve your vision?
answer
The biggest thing holding me back is that I’m interested and easily fragmented and diverted down rabbit holes of knowledge. As a result, I have a hard time staying focused.
Step Five.
Write three or more sentences that describe your values, passion, and what will make you happy. Then, create a brief articulate vision statement.
answer
I’m happiest when I’m helping others improve themselves and achieve their dreams. I’m passionate about my writing for others.
Step Six.
Define the work you need to do to get from what you’re doing today to what you want to do.
answer
I have to create my vision, and every time I’m distracted, I ask myself, “is doing this consistent with my vision of where I want to be” and learn to recognize when to say no.
My vision statement
Remember, a vision describes where we want to be in the future. For me, I’m looking five years from now. But, of course, your time depends on your age and situation.
In five years, I will be writing freelance articles regularly, continuing my blog and newsletter, and be visiting my children regularly. I will continue to help others improve their lives in every way I can.
