Personal Vision

What would success look like to you?

It’s significantly easier to achieve your goals when you actually have goals. And it usually feels great when we reach them. However, once we’ve achieved our goal, we sometimes find ourselves… drifting. We don’t have anything driving us toward a specific outcome. We might feel a sense of let-down. Anticlimax.

This is why having a goal is good, but having a personal vision is better long-term.

A goal is something you can put on a “To Do” list.

• Graduate high school.

• Get into a good college.

• Graduate college.

• Get a good job.

• Get a promotion.

• Get a license or other official credential.

• Get another promotion.

• Get to the next rung.

• Lather.

• Rinse.

• Repeat.

Goals can get you to a level of success, but they might take you up a ladder that’s not leaning against the right building.

A personal vision is not part of a “To Do” list. It’s a “To Be” list. Rather than focusing on the things you want to accomplish, think about your WHY.

Why do I want to accomplish these things? What kind of person am I trying to BE?

Sometimes, we need to flip it. Rather than trying to be the person who “accomplishes the things,” we need to think about what kind of person we WANT TO BE. What is our BEST SELF in this area of life? And then we can think about what that BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES would want to set as goals.

Is it just all about the money? Titles? Authority or power? Really?

Or, when we picture the BEST version of ourselves in that part of life, do we picture building a community where people want to work? Creating buildings or structures that will still be here a century from now? Creating a professional reputation for your firm that makes people proud to work there, and makes clients turn to you first? Mentoring future generations to help them become some of the best versions of themselves?

The exciting thing about figuring out a personal vision—figuring out what that best version of yourself is—is that it is INSPIRING. Not only do goals naturally flow out of this vision (strive toward living as the best version of yourself and you’ll never suffer from a lack of goals), but those goals lead to a tremendous sense of fulfillment when you achieve them. They become goals you can fulfill with a passion and genuine enthusiasm. And your people will be inspired, too, since it’s much more motivating to follow someone who knows where they want to go and has a genuine excitement for getting there.

(Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash)