Why bother creating a vision for your life?

Let’s be honest: how many of us go day to day, dealing with one task after another? We feel busy, stressed, and overwhelmed. Friday comes around, and we don’t even know what we’ve achieved.

We enjoy the brief respite of the weekend before Monday comes back around, and the cycle starts again.

Yes, we are busy – but are we busy doing the right things? Unless we know where we are trying to go in life, we risk our time, energy, and focus (our most important assets) being hijacked by other people’s priorities.

That’s where a 5-Year Vision comes in. Now, don’t get me wrong – we can work on longer-term visions, but from my experience coaching clients, 5 years seems to hit the sweet spot. It’s far enough ahead to make major life changes, but close enough that you can stay connected to it.

So, what is a vision? Put simply, it’s about looking at each area of your life and asking: What is the most compelling future I can create for myself? This applies to both your personal and professional life. This isn’t about a half-baked plan – it’s about crafting a vision that excites you, one that gives you that thrill in your stomach when you think about it.

If you struggle with the question What do I want?, you can approach it differently by asking: Where do I not want to be in 5 years? However, be careful here – this perspective uses negative energy. It’s important to flip whatever you don’t want into the positive outcome you do want.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you currently work with a boss you really dislike. The thought of still working for them in 5 years makes you feel sick. You’ve identified what you don’t want – so what does that motivate you to do? Find a new job, start a new career, or finally go all-in on yourself and start that side business you’ve always dreamed about?

As you do vision work, the inner voice in your head may try to put you off. You might tell yourself: I’m not good enough. Things like this happen to other people, not me. Now’s not the right time. This is because achieving your vision requires you to leave your comfort zone. Your subconscious perceives this as a risk – even as danger – and wants to pull you back to safety. But you cannot change your life by staying in your comfort zone.

To work around your subconscious resistance, ask yourself: What does my life look like in each area if I knew I couldn’t fail? This perspective often reveals the truth of what you want. If you still struggle, it could be due to limiting beliefs holding you back. Remember, you are an intelligent, creative human being. You have as much chance as anyone else on this planet – you just need to believe in your own abilities. A Life Coach can help you identify and overcome these beliefs, unblocking your future.

Once you have your vision, you can reverse-engineer it into goals, plans, and daily actions. Ask yourself: Who is the person I need to become to achieve my vision?

• Want to start a business? That person probably spends an hour a day working on their business.

• Want to be healthy? That person likely takes time to exercise and prepare nutritious meals.

  
  

By working backwards from your vision, you can identify your most important tasks.

When you know what’s important, you can start planning those tasks into your week. Once you’re clear about what matters to you, it becomes easier to say no to things that don’t serve your vision. Of course, there’s context – we all have bosses and obligations. But if your vision is to build your side hustle outside of work hours, and your boss asks you to take on a “special project” beyond your normal duties, it becomes easier to decline. (Notice I said easier – learning to say no is about setting boundaries, which is a topic for another time.)

If you’ve read this far, thank you for your time. But don’t just read this – take action. Over the next few days, create your vision.

If you need help creating that vision, please get in touch.

Cheers,Karl