We can spend more time planning a one-week vacation or what we are going to wear a night out on the town then identifying what outcomes we want to see in the major areas of our lives. This kind of mindset can lead us to wander aimlessly from day to day, week to week, year to year with no clear direction in mind. For this reason, it is necessary that you and I take the time to create a written vision plan to give our life direction.
If you don’t have a written vision let 2020 be the year that you write your vision and create a plan to make it happen. Spend quality time crafting your vision for a better today and brighter future. You deserve to live your best life starting today and a written vision helps you get there.
What is vision
Vision is a clear mental picture of a preferable future that an individual see for his or her life. The individual becomes so committed to the vision that he or she will pursue it despite any obstacles or challenges. Vision is the ingredient that launches an individual out of his or her place of stagnation and into forward action. Vision demands change.
Regardless of where you are in life or how old or young you are, you have a unique vision that wants to live through you. When you decide to realize and live out your vision it will have a powerful impact in your home, community, city, state, nation and ultimately the world! The desire to impact lives with your unique vision empowers you to move past the failures of yesterday, the excuses of today and the fears of tomorrow.
What could possibly be more satisfying than knowing that you have a unique vision to guide your life? Your vision is not a one size fits all, but it is uniquely fashioned to fit you. No matter who you are, what country or continent you live on or what side of the tracks you are from, you were created with a specific vision that no one in this world can live but you.
I don’t care who tries to imitate your vision, they will never be able to live it effectively. Even if they follow it step by step and word by word, they will never be able to execute it the way you can. The tragedy would be if you live your entire life without ever realizing and living out your unique vision.
7 powerful reasons why you need a written vision in 2020
I have discovered in order to live your best your life you must create a written vision plan that gives your life direction. Below are seven powerful reasons why you need a written vision for your life.
1. It empowers you to clarify your life’s direction. The CEO has a business plan to guide the company. A football coach has a game plan to lead his team. A vision plan is your road map to get you from where you are to where you desire to be. It gives you the correct directions and coordinates to follow. A vision plan gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to move forward even in the face of fear. Do you have a written vision plan that directs your life? If not, start developing one.
2. It allows you to guard your life against imbalances. A written vision plan helps you to focus on the things that are important and helps you maintain a healthy balance between them. Some people sacrifice their marriage for their career. Others sacrifice their health for temporary pleasure or a nurturing relationship with their children for worldly success. If you want a healthy marriage, a successful career, productive children, stable finances or good health, it is possible, if you have a clear written vision plan that maintains a cohesive balance.
3. It helps you filter the distractions. Once you have your vision plan, it allows you to say “yes” to what matters most and “no” to those activities that detours you from living out your vision. A written vision plan gives you the clarity and confidence you need to make the most of your opportunities. What distractions do you need to say “no” in order to live out your vision?
4. It aids you in identifying where you are. If you want to get to a desired destination you must start with where you are. You can’t get to where you want to be unless you start from where you are. You must face the direction of your future against the backdrop of the realities of your now. Where are you currently in your life? What are your now realities?
5. It equips you to see a better future. You need to acknowledge where you are, but you also need to have an idea of where you are going. Your envisioned future should focus on where you are going and not where you have been and on the end results and not the process for getting there. What do you see your future in each area (spiritual, relational, physical, social, mental, financial and professional) of your life?
6. It serves as your road map to get you where you desire to be. Once you realize where you are and where you want to be, your written vision will position you to take action on your dreams. Know that your vision grows and changes over time. What is right for you now may develop into something different over time. Being clear on where you want to be is deeply important and pursuing it passionately helps you grow and develop into the person you desire to be.
7. It inspires you to focus forward without holding on to past regrets. The World is waiting for you to make an impact with your vision. Many people live with debilitating regrets because life is not turning out like they anticipated. They live daily with disappointment, discontentment and discouragement, but it doesn’t have to be that way. While you cannot control everything, you can implement a written vision plan and dramatically improve your chances of ending up at your desired destination. What regrets do you need to finally let go of and live life at your maximum capacity?
Now is the time for you to create a written vision plan that will help you to see where you are going, what changes you need to make and if you are progressing towards your destined future. You cannot afford to spend the next year, or the next five, ten or twenty years talking and thinking about what would’ve, could’ve or should’ve been. Get Ready. Get Set. Write Your Vision. Implement Your Plan. And Impact Your World.
“Without a written vision and a plan to achieve it, you will never live to your full potential.” Bernard Haynes
Question: What steps do you need to take to create and implement a written vision plan? Leave a comment below.