A personal vision statement gives you a map that can move you toward where you want to be — and away from where you don’t want to be. What is blocking your life right now? What things do you keep doing that aren’t really what you want to be doing? What kind of vision could take you in another direction, away from those things that are blocking you?
A personal vision statement gives you a map that can move you toward where you want to be — and away from where you don’t want to be. What is blocking your life right now? What things do you keep doing that aren’t really what you want to be doing? What kind of vision could take you in another direction, away from those things that are blocking you?
Your personal vision can be anything from being the best truck driver, to the best father or mother, to the best student or employee. The important thing is that it makes your life more meaningful because it’s based on the things you truly care about the most—your deepest passions.
Now when you follow your passions and put your vision first, you don’t always know how things are going to work out! You may be doing something unconventional that hasn’t been done before or trying something new that you’ve always loved, but never had the nerve to put your faith in before. It’s exciting, but it can also be a little scary.
Being true to yourself seems like it should be the most natural thing in the world. But if it were, everyone would be doing it and, instead, most people are afraid to try. Do you know why? Because when you put your heart into something and invest in it with all your passion, you are taking a risk. You worry that you could be disappointed or make a fool out of yourself.
It’s possible. But what’s worse? Being disappointed — or never even trying to live your dream?
Give me disappointment any day! If I’m disappointed, I can get up, brush myself off and try again. If I make a fool out of myself, I can do things better the next time. If I live a life with no passion and no vision … if I never take a risk on my deepest dream … if I never put my vision first … then life won’t hold much meaning for me.
To live a meaningful life, you have to identify your passion and create your own personal vision — and then go after it with all you’ve got. Even if it seems impossible!
One of the best examples I know about creating a new, personal vision and putting that vision first comes from my friend, George. George and I worked together at the Pacific Institute. We called him “Mr. Results” because when George focused on something, boy did he get results! Customers loved that. George was constantly getting job offers from outside the Institute. One of them came from MCI — and George took the job.
As expected, George was on the fast track at MCI. But he had a wife and three children at home and he wasn’t getting to spend time with them due to the travel demands of his new job. So, George soon realized he’d have to make a change. He wanted to spend time with his wife and be the loving husband he felt called to be. George had a vision of being the best husband and father he could possibly be.
Now, George lived in Lodi, California, a small town of 52,000 people. There’s not a lot going on for MCI in Lodi. George knew that. But he told MCI that he’d be happy to keep working for them, but he was going to be staying in Lodi. MCI said they needed him to travel, so they parted ways.
This meant George was going to have to start from scratch. Since he knew the performance coaching business, he thought, “Why don’t I become a performance coach from Lodi? I can put a certain amount of time every day into work and the rest of my time will be focused on fulfilling my vision to be the best husband and father I can be.”
The thing is, there’s really no reason to think you can be a successful performance coach in a small town like Lodi. Being a performance coach myself, I can tell you that, when I heard about George’s plan, I was skeptical. It’s always been my belief that you have to travel to be a performance coach. You have to go wherever the business is.
George proved me wrong. He changed the paradigm, because his vision was strong. He put all his passion behind his personal vision statement. To be the best husband and father he could be, he needed a job that would make enough money to maintain his family’s lifestyle, but also give him more time to spend with them!
And do you know what? George has exceeded his personal vision. He continues to spend quality time with his family, year in and year out. And he has more business than he knows what to do with!
George is very successful to this day. He turns business away and keeps raising his prices. Why? Because as much as he is committed to his clients, he is more committed to his vision—to be with his family. He’s living with integrity, putting first what matters most. What About You?
Learn about author and professional motivational speaker Jim Jackson.
