A Vision for Your life

Each of us needs to have a mission statement and vision statement for our lives. Major corporations and even small ones craft a vision to inspire them to success. Likewise we need a vision to inspire us to achieve beyond our own expectations. To point us in new directions and give us the determination to get there by visualizing what it would be like when we have arrived. To quote Aristotle, "the soul never thinks without a picture." So, What is the vision for your life? Where do you see your most successful self? A few years ago I was trained by the Institute of Cultural Affairs in Community Facilitation. This course gave me the skills necessary to aid community groups with whom I was working to determine and achieve their common goals as a neighborhood. One of the exercises taught to me, I want to now share with you to aid you in determining and creating a map to achieving your life's goals. Its what I use to help me to stay focused on my goals and keep them tangible.

The key is begin at the end. Imagine yourself at your most successful. The ask the following questions and write the answers down:

1. What am I doing?
2. Where am I doing it?
3. How do I look?
4. How do I feel? This is an important one, holding on that feeling will make the goal seem that much more real.
5. Who surrounds you?
6. What feels good?
7. Who are you talking to for support?
8. Who is paying you?
9. How much are you getting paid?
10. Why are they paying you and not someone else?

When answering these questions, remember that its your ultimate success story. So there are no limitations, so dream big. Think about what your perfect world would look like. Just by answering these ten questions you can see clearly where you would like to be. Next you must note where you are now and then how you will get from point A to point B becomes your goals. You goals should be distant enough so that you can work for it, but clear enough to measure progress. This can be done quarterly, yearly, every five years, whenever, as your vision for yourself becomes refined, refine your goals. Next you should create a visual representation of this exercise. This is known as a Vision Board. I have been working on creating my vision board and will share it with you later. Now start work and begin to envision the most successful YOU.