Why You Can’t Afford Not To Have A Life Vision?
I was sitting in another seminar again, and the topic of “You need to have a vision” was chasing me for a couple of years already.
I knew I did not have a clear vision of how I would like my life and business to be like.
I only had a desire that can be vaguely ascribed as “knowing what you want.” I wanted what I do to make an impact and help people. I knew I was meant for something more; I did not know what.
I had been working as a sales manager for two years, and sales managers were expected to be clear on their business and life vision. This was not just a regular 9–5 type of workplace. This was an opportunity to build your own sales organization with a lot of ownership following the company’s success principles.
And I felt like I was wasting this opportunity. I felt like I was hanging around, pretending to have a vision and goals.
In conversations, I automatically recounted other leader’s visions as my own. I had not taken the time to figure out what feels right and best for me.
Two years of recounting others’ visions had not led me to any significant results. It had led me to no results at all. I was stuck.
I took others’ visions as my own, thinking that I would succeed if I just did what they did. Although I did many actions right, I was missing the foundational piece — my life vision.
The time spent chasing other people’s visions and the frustrating inconsistency of my actions have made me very passionate about the necessity to have a life vision. So, I have been working on it deliberately for about a year now.
Framework For Decision-Making
Jon and Missy Butchers, owners of seven different businesses, in the masterclass “Designing Your Ultimate Life” explain the fundamental reason why we need to have a clear life vision — it provides us a framework for our decision making.
Without vision, we are floating somewhere in the great ocean of life. We will end up somewhere. However, this is not the adventurous type of travel journey with the excitement to explore new places. This is a time lost in inconsistent decision-making when you have neither direction nor compass.
“If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.”
You will end up wasting your precious time by inconsistent decisions and working on things you realize are not what you want your future to look like.
Ask yourself: “Is what I am doing today getting me to who I want to be in five years from now? If I continue the direction I am in, will I be happy and fulfilled five years from now?”
Consistency Of Effort
In a business or a pay-for-performance workplace, consistent effort is the key. But it is hard to make an aligned constant effort without a vision.
We get so many different influences from all different directions — thought leaders, media, colleagues, influencers, etc. Growth and success advice are billions and zillions.
Have you ever heard counterstriking advice from two successful people? Initially, it makes us confused, but then we realize there is no one way to become successful.
There is your unique and authentic life vision; some advice works for you better, some not as much.
You are not required to try every advice, read every book, or attend every seminar to succeed. You need to figure out a plan to fulfill your goals and put in consistent action long enough.
Alignment With Your Values
Without a vision, you will not only live out others’ expectations, but you will also live out others’ values. After a while, you will realize that what you were chasing after was not precisely what you wanted.
Of course, you don’t need to figure out from like a blank page your vision. It is ok and necessary to get inspiration, ideas, and direction from others. Just make sure they are people, you feel you have the same values and live a life how you want to live in a while.
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
When you have a life vision that reflects your values, it will be easier for you to navigate life and business storms without getting sidetracked. You will feel responsibility and commitment. And this time not for somebody else, but yourself and your future self.
Motivation And Clarity
Don’t get me wrong — you can’t write out a detailed vision for the next 70 years of your life. You will change during the process, and some nuances will not work for you anymore, and new aspirations will come.
But start where you are today.
When you ask yourself the questions, “What?” “Why?” and “How?” your mind will start searching for answers.
When you say “I should make a vision,” but don’t start asking yourself questions, you will remain stuck in the “I should” mode.
Now, when I consider my values and aspirations and explore possibilities that align with those, I feel all the puzzle pieces have come together. I always had wanted to teach people how to become a better version of themselves, to love themselves more, and have a healthier self-image. I find this all aligns perfectly with the vision of being a life coach. Previously, I didn’t dare to explore this opportunity closer about how I could do that.
When I have a detailed life vision, I also use my time more productively. I don’t want to waste time. I feel that my time is precious. Every day is either bringing me closer to my vision or delaying it.
“This is my day! I can’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow is not promised, but I have a chance today. To reclaim my dream, ignite my passion, and live out my purpose. Cause that’s a choice, it’s a choice that I get to make every single day.”
I don’t get sidetracked anymore by all other different shiny opportunities or influenced by influencers, gurus, or leaders whose lives don’t match my vision.
Don’t Know Where To Start? Start Where You Are Today
Start with writing down your values.
What are your core values?
What are your interests and passions?
What are you good at?
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
What did you want to be when you were growing up is a helpful question to consider.
Life & Business Coach Travis Barton approaches this question like this: usually, we had a couple of options for who we wanted to become. Each of those options contains a quality or value we desire. If we wanted to be an astronaut, we have the desire for adventures. If we wanted to be a doctor, we have the desire to help people. If we wanted to be a president, we desire to make an impact and leave a legacy.
Think about who you wanted to become when you were a child and why you desired that? The is a great chance you still have those desires in you.
You may find a couple of other helpful exercises for goal-setting and vision building that you can do:
3 Amazingly Helpful Goal-Setting And Vision-Building Exercises
Takeaway
Be Bold And Confident
As I look back now, I realize that the biggest obstacle to me figuring out my vision earlier was my lack of confidence and low self-esteem.
I did not believe in myself and trusted enough to figure out my path and walk it boldly.
It is easier to take others’ visions and follow them.
It is harder to try to walk your way, fail, and then try again until you figure out how it works.
However, we must take those steps.
Without working on our life vision, we will get thrown around by others’ influences. In an age when everything is screaming for your attention and everyone is giving you advice, you need to be bold enough to decide on values and vision that feels right for you.
Otherwise, we waste our precious time and priceless opportunity to live out a unique life only we can live.
Do you feel like you were meant for more in this world - to do what you love, create a successful business, live an authentic and exciting life, travel the world, make an impact, but you feel held back by fear, self-doubt, perfectionism, procrastination, and lack of a clear vision?
Let's jump on a free consultation call because my 1: 1 coaching program, "90 Days to Confident and Courageous: You Roadmap to the Life & Business You Love," is meant to help you get from fear and being stuck to confidence and taking bold action so that you can build your dream life and business!
