A vision is a mental image of a desired future state

• It turns dreams into a vision for the future.
• It creates mental pictures of your ideal life and your ideal future self.
• It begins with the end in mind, describing your desired destination.
• It describes what matters most to you.
• Paths to clarity

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A vision can be a powerful, creative force …

• All great things are created twice: first in the vision of the mind, then in reality.
• If the vision is there, the means will follow.
• Creating and sharing a vision is the very essence of all great leadership and entrepreneurship.
• Vision is one of the highest intelligences of the mind.
• An inspiring life vision can help you transform your life.

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… by bringing direction and inspiration to life

• Creates desire and motivation
• Creates hope and optimism
• Provides the guidance necessary to navigate your days.
• Especially useful when you meet with conflict or major life choices.
• Enables you to make progress towards long-term goals.
• Ensures you do things that align with your priorities.
• Awakens dormant possibilities.
• Helps transcend limits and expand potential.
• Reduces fear.
• Can help enrich the world.

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A vision requires going deeply within

• Listen to your heart.  What do you truly want from life?
• Be aware of your deepest values. What matters most to you?
• Be inspired by your purpose.  How do you wish to contribute to the world.
• If you believe in God or a higher creative force, ask for guidance and be open to receiving it.

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To be powerful, a vision should be:

• Clear and specific
• Rich and detailed
• Focused on the destination for now, not the roadmap.
• Based on what you want, not what you don’t want or what others want for you.
• Unique, tapping into your specific gifts, circumstances and desires.
• In the form of words, pictures, metaphors, examples, stories and / or symbols.
• Future oriented (1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 years out)

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Do not limit yourself

• Imagine there are no constraints. Anything is possible!
• Give yourself permission to explore and dream.
• Be creative, playful and imaginative.
• Imagine a future self that has been sculpted by growth, learning and experience.
• Your vision should express the ideal; the best possible result. What would wild success look like? 
• Your vision should include everything you would like to be, do, and have.
• Your vision should be aspirational, inspiring and exciting.

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How to write an effective vision statement

• Write in the first person.
• Write the statements as if you are already making them happen in your life.
• Envision that everything is exactly the way you want it to be.

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Explore your motives

• Ask yourself why you want the vision as it is. Will truly satisfy? Is it what your heart truly wants? Does it tap into your deepest values and desires? Does it come from a sense of love and fullness or a sense of fear and lack?

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Believe in your vision and commit to it

• Cherish your vision
• Harness the power of your vision through visualisation and vision boarding. See visioning exercises.
• Regularly run your vision through your mind in vivid, image rich detail.
• Combine your vision with passion and determination.
• Commit to your vision and persevere in spite of obstacles.
• Have a complete belief in your vision and your ability to achieve it.
• Let the power of your vision overcome any fear.
• Review, update and refine your vision regularly. Your vision should be free to change over time.

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After visioning, leap into planning and taking action

• Purpose is your compass, pointing to where you’re headed.  Vision is your desired destination. Strategy and planning is your roadmap. Actions are the steps you take to make the journey.
• After visioning, create an action plan with a time-line.  A vision without a plan is only dream.
• What is the first action you can take to create momentum towards your vision?
• Testing and experimenting allow you to test each element of your vision to ensure it’s what you truly want.

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Harness your vision as a clear intention but let go of attachment to outcome

• Visioning and planning give us direction, clarity, and purpose, but ultimately, we are co-creating with Spirit.
• Remain open to the flow of the universe. Allow opportunities and invitations to arise that you hadn’t even conceived of.  Use unexpected challenges and obstacles as an opportunity to grow and learn.
• Be so aligned with Spirit, your inner Being, that your soul’s purpose flows through you. Purpose first, vision second.

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Embrace a vision for the future while also embracing what’s here now

• An effective vision engenders a change in your present behaviour. Compare your vision with where you are now to create tension and inform what you need to do.
• However, don’t let that stop you from being grateful for what you have in the present. Life is now. The future is never more than a thought arising now, no matter how real it may seem.  Now is the only place where true happiness can be experienced.
• Have a vision for your future self but also love and accept who you are now.  Know, in the deepest sense, you do not need to do more or be more in order to be complete.
• In moving towards your vision, let your love, growth, creativity and contribution come from a sense of love and fullness, not a sense of lack.
• If you are unable to enjoy the present, what makes you think you’ll be able to enjoy a future state?

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Vision in visuals