"Be able to Change your life and have a Best Vision Statement as the Light shines in the darkness and illuminates your life path!!!".

Goals are individual experiences and accomplishments you strive for. A vision is the bigger picture. Your life's vision defines who you want to be, what you want to be known for and the set of experiences and accomplishments you aim for.To create a vision, begin by identifying your core values, your passions, what you believe to be your purpose, and how you envision your life. ... The same process applies when you're creating a vision for any other aspect of your life, such as your career or business. There's nothing wrong with having goals.

How to Create a Vision for Your Life

I used to think it was a silly waste of time to think about a vision for my life. Who does that? It seems to touchy-feel, But then, as I started learning how to change my life and my habits, I realized something: people avoid creating a vision for their lives because they believe the exercise is futile.

Why make a vision when it’s impossible to accomplish those things anyway?

I’ve also noticed something over the past several years: the most interesting, accomplished people I know all have a vision for their lives. They seem to know what comes next, like they’ve seen the future.

On the other hand, people I meet or know who are stuck and have that hopeless look in their eyes, like they’re just passing time in life without joy or aspiration, those people don’t have a vision. In fact, many of them don’t even have long-term goals. This was painfully clear at my recent high school reunion.

Does having a vision make you better able to change your life, or does being able to change your life make having a vision possible?

Being able to change your life and having a vision for it are the yin and yang of living a great life. They’re interdependent and complimentary of one another. One will jump-start the other. Find the motivation to change your life, and you’ll be able to create a vision for it. Or, create a vision for your life and then learn how to change it.

What’s the difference between a life vision and long-term goals?

Goals are individual experiences and accomplishments you strive for. A vision is the bigger picture. Your life’s vision defines who you want to be, what you want to be known for and the set of experiences and accomplishments you aim for. Your vision helps define the goals by giving you a framework to evaluate those goals.

Your vision becomes your why.

Your vision should aim to answer questions like:

• What life do you want to have lived at age 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80?
• What kinds of people do you want to be surrounded by?
• What do you believe you’re capable of in life? What are the greatest things you could accomplish, given the right circumstances, resources and motivation?
• What do you wish you could change about the world? What could you contribute to the world that would make you feel proud and content?
• When you die, what would you want people to say and remember about you?

In fact, start by answering those questions and your vision should be easy to create.

How to Create Your Life’s Vision

First, you need to identify what matters in life. This is where that college philosophy class should come in handy. You need to go deep and existential here. What is the real meaning of life? How should you live your life?

Your answer to “what matters in life” won’t be perfect, and that’s OK. The point is to put a stake in the ground to work towards, and you can change your answer whenever you review your life’s vision.

Regardless of your answer, there will be things you want to do or be, and there are resources needed to support those experiences and accomplishments.

Next, make a list of the categories of things that matter to you.

Here are the categories currently on my list:

• Health — exercise, diet, mindfulness, perspective
• Ability — skills, knowledge, character
• Relationships — curate and cultivate them
• Time — using what time you have wisely
• Wealth — creating the value necessary to support goals
• Experiences
• Accomplishments
• Contentment — being happy with who you are, perhaps the ultimate goal

Your list can and should look different. It’s all about what matters to you, and what you want out of your brief time on this planet.

Now, for each of your categories, write down what you want or need from each. Think about the things you want to accomplish or experience, and work backwards to understand how the other categories should support your life’s vision.

Finally, craft a statement that describes what your ideal life looks like. I know, it might seem cheesy, but this entire exercise can be incredibly fun and rewarding. I just refreshed my life’s vision while on vacation in Hawaii for 10 days. It was the perfect setting to get all introspective.

Your vision statement will consist of an overall description of your ideal life, combined with a list of areas that matter most, and high-level goals for each area.

What’s next?

If all you do is this exercise, you will likely see some benefits, as your vision will stick in the back of your mind and you’ll unconsciously work towards it.

However, if you want the best chance of making your vision happen, you’ll need to go further.

You need to build a system for yourself, where you review your vision and goals regularly, and update your action plan for accomplishing those goals.

Your main priority should be making your system a habit, something that you do no matter what, that you don’t have to think about or remind yourself about. Start with calendar reminders and task list items and build life planning time into your daily and weekly routines until it becomes habit.

How to Aim High: Steps to Create Your Personal Vision

In the moments when you’re in touch with your inner strength and wisdom, the part of you that can accomplish whatever you put your mind to, it seems that anything is possible — and I believe it is. We are truly limitless. But if you’re like me, life and its endless busy-ness get in the way of our aiming as high as we’d like. I’ve always appreciated what Sogyal Rinpoche said on the subject:

If we look into our lives, we will see clearly how many unimportant tasks, so called “responsibilities,” accumulate to fill them up. One master compares them to housekeeping in a dream. We tell ourselves that we want to spend time on the important things of life, but there never is any time.

Life slips by and our most meaningful dreams slide silently to the side while we’re getting everything else done. Whether you’re 20 or 90, this issue can keep us from doing what matters most. Worse yet, we don’t have all the time in the world to get back on track. Life goes quickly — and more so with every passing year.

I can clearly remember telling my grandma that I couldn’t wait for Christmas, and she replied, “Just you wait. One day when you’re older, time will go by so quickly you’ll want it to slow down.” said that Noel Coward once told her that “the awful thing about getting old is that you have breakfast every half-hour.”

The purpose of my life is to contribute to the happiness and well-being of as many people as possible. For example, I believe that these blog posts are on that path — at least that’s my intention. But lately I’ve become a master procrastinator when it comes to getting them written. I watched myself this morning, rushing from one little task to another, telling myself that they’d only take a moment — and then I’d sit down and get started. Three hours later I finally took control, sat myself down, and started writing.

What’s the answer? Well for one thing, stop focusing on your age and write a vision for your life — because if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there. And besides, the best way to develop your gifts and talents is to really use them.

To make it easier, I’ve refined a three-step process to guide you to your personal vision. In this blog post, the focus is on the first step. For years I’ve used this same process with others — and they’ve passed it on — and the results have been extraordinary.

What is the purpose of my life?

Big question, I know. People tend to think of this as one of life’s greatest mysteries. But the good news is that you already know the answer. It’s not as if you have to come up with something new or feel guilty because you’ve been purposeless up till now. Just give yourself a bit of time to think and it will reveal itself.

Remember, this is not a test of whether you’ve been a good person in your life. Nor is finding your purpose meant to make you decide what to do with your life. When you discover it, you’ll see that there are limitless opportunities to fulfill your purpose every day. For example, if yours were “to make others happy,” then your job, your home life, your money, your time — every moment would be an opportunity to fulfill it.

Your life purpose, as distinct from your goals, is ongoing and never-ending. It’s the context for all that you do and for the goals that you set for yourself.

So give yourself some quiet time to probe your inner wisdom with questions such as these — remembering to write down your answers.

• When have I felt good about what I’ve done and felt satisfied afterward?
• What was I doing at those times? What was I up to?
• What was my basic underlying purpose for these activities?
• What difference do I want to make?
• What is the purpose of my life?

Write down whatever occurs to you, no editing — including the last question. Trust the process, have faith, and listen to your inner wisdom.

What’s great about knowing your purpose is that you can consciously act in accordance with it. And one thing I know for sure — the more I’m wasting time doing things that don’t really matter, the more I suffer; and the more I live in alignment with my purpose, the greater my happiness and satisfaction.

One of the most important points to remember is that your purpose is not something your going toward or want to achieve nor a destination. Rather, it has the potential to shape whatever you do in every moment.

It’s the journey, not the destination, that brings the joy!

What is an example of a vision statement?

A mission statement is intended to clarify the 'what' and 'who' of a company, while a vision statement adds the 'why' and 'how' as well. As a company grows, its objectives and goals may change. Therefore, vision statements should be revised as needed to reflect the changing business culture as goals are met.

Why Having a Vision for Your Life Matters More than Individual Goals

Goals are an important part of getting what you want out of life. They can also be specific enough that we miss the forest for the to-do lists we made out of the trees. Money blog Finance Girl explains why it's important to draw a distinction between your goals and your vision.

• To put the concept very simply, goals are the "how" you achieve something. Exercise every day, develop a business plan, spend less time at work. Vision, on the other hand, is the "why." What do you want to get out of life? When you look back in a couple decades, what do you want to see? As Finance Girl puts it:

To create a vision, begin by identifying your core values, your passions, what you believe to be your purpose, and how you envision your life. From there, be more specific and remember to be clear. Your vision should embody your values and your view of the future without being too generic. Your vision can also change over time. The point is to have one so you know why you're doing what you do, and you're happier doing it. The same process applies when you're creating a vision for any other aspect of your life, such as your career or business.

There's nothing wrong with having goals. In fact, a well-defined personal vision should naturally lead to a more focused goal set. However, setting arbitrary minor goals without a mind for where the stepping stones lead can sometimes make us feel more confident in where we're headed than we might feel once we get there.

What does it mean to have a personal vision?

Your personal vision statement guides your life and provides the direction necessary to chart the course of your days and the choices you make about your career. Think of your personal vision statement as the light shining in the darkness that illuminates your life path.

Write a vision statement as the first step in focusing your life. It can help put things into perspective—your joy, your accomplishments, your contribution to the world, your glory, and your legacy.

Prepare to Draft Your Vision Statement

The preparation for drafting your own vision statement involves lots of thought, introspection, and reflection. It can take time to formulate all your thoughts cohesively. To get started, ask yourself some guiding questions. Be honest. Your answers can help you clearly illustrate your vision.

Questions to Ask YourselfWhat are 10 things that you most enjoy doing? These are the 10 things without which your weeks, months, and years would feel incomplete.What three things must you do every single day to feel fulfilled in your work?What are your five to six most important values?Write one important goal for each of the following facets of your life: physical, spiritual, work or career, family, social relationships, financial security, mental improvement and attention, and fun.If you never had to work another day in your life, how would you spend your time instead of working?When your life is ending, what will you regret not doing, seeing, or achieving?What strengths have other people commented on about you and your accomplishments? What strengths do you see in yourself?What weaknesses have other people commented on about you and what do you believe are your weaknesses?

You can explore additional thoughtful questions that may also provide the opportunity for introspection.

Develop Your Vision Statement

Once you have thoughtfully prepared answers to these questions and others that you have identified as significant, you are ready to craft a personal vision statement. Write in the first person and make statements about the future you hope to achieve.

Write the statements as if you are already making them happen in your life. Some experts recommend 50 words or less, but forget word counts and fully articulate the vision that you want for your life and your future. The more detailed you make your image, the better you can see it in your mind's eye.

According to motivational speaker and writer Brian Tracy, you generally accomplish your written goals, dreams, plans, and visions. Writing down written goals lends power and commitment to their accomplishment. 

Keep in mind that your personal vision statement can also change over time, depending on what is happening in your life. You might be amazed at how many components remain consistent over time. 

When people live and experience the components of their personal vision frequently, they can feel inner peace and joy that knows no bounds. Your personal vision statement can have the same impact for you.

Envision Your Ideal Life

Theresa Quadrozzi, a certified life coach, suggests that you should think about how you would want your life to be—no holds barred. 

"One of the first exercises I do with clients is to have them envision their ideal life, as if money was no option, as if a fairy godmother granted their every wish and they woke up in the morning to find that they've all come true. This helps shift them out of a fear-based, conditioned world, out of pessimism and into possibilities, into what could be."

Quadrozzi claims that people fail to live fulfilling lives because they are pulled down by the negative factors they see around them, like economic downturns and uncertainty in their work life. Meanwhile, in reality, there are endless possibilities up for grabs with the world constantly innovating and creating new opportunities.

As Quadrozzi suggests, "What would you like to do? What does the world need? What difference are you going to make?" Use your talents. Make your own reality.

You can live all your days as if they are the fulfillment of your hopes and dreams—because you use every day to accomplish some of them. Recognize the significance of this commitment to you and your life.

Why is it important to have a vision for the future?

A vision is a picture or idea you have in your mind of yourself, your business, or anything this is going to happen. A clear vision helps you pursue dreams and achieve goals; an idea of the future, a strong wish. ... Having a vision is most important in the path of your success in life.

How do Leaders develop and communicate a vision?

The first step is to understand what vision is, and the second step is to create a process for identifying and articulating a vision.

Understanding this process will help you articulate your own vision and values, and will help you assist the leaders of your organization to do the same.

Developing and Communicating a Vision

• There is actually nothing mystical about vision. A vision is a picture of what an organization could and should be.

A hallmark of great leaders is that their vision includes big ideas. Big ideas get people excited.

Nobody wants to do something small. Leaders want to feel motivated about coming to work, because what they do matters.

Some examples of big ideas that most of us are familiar with are Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and President John F. Kennedy’s vision for the space program, “We choose to go to the moon . . . not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”

Great business leaders also know how to paint a vivid picture of the future. They make it look easy. However, most of them have worked hard to develop and articulate their powerful thoughts.

The creative process of developing a visionary statement consists of four steps: Observe, Reflect, Write, and Speak. Here’s what I tell my executive clients about these processes:

Step One: Observe

In order to determine a vision, you must become an astute observer of your world. You have to immerse yourself in watching, listening, and wondering. Pay attention, ask questions, probe, discuss, and gather information.

Step Two: Reflect

Now you turn inward. For example, you look at important events in the company, or important events in your life and career, and ask yourself: What did I learn? What is this telling me?

During reflection, you come up with stories and examples that form your vision and clarify your values. These stories enable you to speak authentically from your own wisdom and experience.

In this reflecting stage of the process, it’s better to have someone listening and asking questions. A coach or trusted advisor can help you talk through a story or idea and find the significance of it.

Personal stories are a rich source of material that can crystallize a vision. When searching for personal stories with a client, we look at broad categories, both positive and negative, that usually yield some interesting images and help to communicate the vision and values that are important to the client. These include, among others: personal challenges, major changes, new experiences, lost opportunities, awkward situations, failed attempts, turnarounds, last-minute saves, inspiring people, remarkable achievements, and memorable events that may have occurred in a client’s life.

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of talking about themselves in business speeches.

However, by weaving personal stories into their speeches, leaders connect with people. Their experiences are interesting to an audience, because they say so much about the leader.

Step Three: Write

Because we live in a fast-paced world, with little time for reflecting and writing, many people want to skip this step. That is a mistake. When you write, you discover how to say precisely what you mean. Many executives ask why they can’t just speak off the cuff. That is an important skill. But when you are articulating a vision, writing it down is a critical step in the process.

One of my clients, the president of a college, was preparing to give his inaugural address. It had been “word-smithed” by an outstanding, talented speechwriter. But as he read the speech, we realized something was missing—himself! He had graduated from this school, worked on Wall Street, retired, and served on the college’s board of directors, who then drafted him for the job.

But nowhere in the speech was there any information about why he accepted the position, what made him want to do this at this stage in his career, what his education at the college meant to him, and what his vision was for the college.

As I interviewed him, we were able to identify two or three great stories that would tell people who he was and what he stood for. As he practiced the new speech, what came through was a leader and a person committed to the college’s success.

Step Four: Speak

If you have followed the process, speaking and communicating your vision is a natural outcome.

A leader is far more powerful and effective when he or she gets up to speak because of this process. Then, the speaking must be scheduled. It does no good to create a vision without a plan to speak about it in many venues over a period of time. It takes several repetitions for most people to truly hear and remember the message.

Speaking well requires practice. All the preparation in the world will not wow an audience if the leader cannot speak fluently and confidently. There is no magic wand that will make a speech great if the speaker has not rehearsed so that he or she looks and sounds like a leader on the platform.

The activities of observing, reflecting, writing, and practicing a speech are not usually on an executive’s calendar, but they should be. A powerful vision, well-articulated, attracts people to an organization, motivates them to take action toward progress, and drives business results.

A Vision for Your Future

• As the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Truly, life is a creation — a gift we can build and shape and alter as we please. But as we busily create, do we have a clear vision of the masterpiece we’re molding? Can we see the finished product in our mind’s eye? Or are we halfheartedly adding pieces to the puzzle day by day, hoping some might be the right fit?

The majority of us take life as it comes. More focused on approaching events and current situations, we often don’t think in the long term. And that’s understandable, because the present affects us now. But broadening our vision leads to totality of being. Think of cooking a meal. Before you even begin, you have an understanding of your final result. You know what you’re making, what ingredients to add, in what order, and the cooking time. If you were to cook without knowing these steps, you would end up with anything but a good meal. Similarly, if you try to create the life you want without knowing what steps to take, you’ll live constantly short of your dreams.

The word vision comes from the Latin visionem, meaning wisdom. Having a vision is having the wisdom to see past certain events in expectation of a greater outcome. Growing up in Communist Romania, I dreamed of coming to America with a tenacity and fervor which might scare most people. My personal ambition had been conceived from a very young age. And I remained loyal to my aim through the years, allowing it to guide me through the necessary steps to help it come true. I sewed my vision to the very fibers of my being, so that it became inseparable from who I was. On my own journey, I realized that all visions become reality as a result of three factors: creativity, perseverance, and actions.

Our personal vision begins to manifest once we learn how to use our three eyes: the two eyes with which we see the physical world, and our mind’s eye which allows us to project far beyond now. Our mind’s eye is an omnipotent and omniscient tool. Our two eyes may see the new house we’re thinking of buying, for example, but our mind’s eye sees a home for many years, a growing family, and the chance for a great investment. We must fashion our visions from the threadwork of our own needs, abilities, and expanding opportunities — from the reality we see blended with the reality we wish to see.

Creating a broader vision is the first step to manifesting your ideal life. Put into action these steps to help pave the road for tomorrow and further beyond:

Create a bigger version of yourself. We have the tendency to place ourselves within boundaries that define who we can and cannot be. This mindset causes us to settle for the lowest level of our potential. Form a clear, detailed picture of what the bigger version of your life looks like, one in which you’ve already attained your greatest goals and fulfilled your deepest desires. Painting a mental image helps you understand what it is you really want.

Write down your objectives. We all have ambitions, and some are more significant than others. Make a list of your ten most important aspirations, and circle at least one you plan to achieve within the next year.

Plan a strategy and timeline. A strategy specifies the actions you will take in order to advance towards a goal. If your vision is to own your own home, your strategy should include how to earn or save the money to buy one. Be realistic about timing and consider all factors that could work for or against you. Keeping a timeline also keeps you on track with your intentions.

Check your emotions. Our vision fogs up when emotions are involved. We simply can’t visualize the outcome of something to which we’ve become attached. When you hit a wall of traffic, you become stuck and can’t see up the road to detect what’s causing the jam. Your vision is blocked. This is what happens when your own emotions create a wall before your mind’s eye, keeping you from anticipating what’s to come in any given situation. By learning to control your emotions you can detach long enough to see the truth of what awaits.

Take the first step. Putting your intentions to use initiates action. Your first step may be a leap of faith, but it is with this first step that you prove to yourself your own abilities.

Envision your outcome along the way. Keep your eye on the prize. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted or deterred from your goals. Continue to practice the same vision you’ve always dreamed to be your reality, the one you know you deserve.

See the bigger reason behind setbacks. As we said, wisdom means having an higher understanding of why certain things are happening. Always remind yourself that there is a greater purpose to all events.

Ask for help. The universe wants you to succeed and will guide you if you just ask. Help may not come immediately but when it does, you will receive more than you imagined.

Pay attention to the people you meet along the way. Everyone who comes into your life serves a role and a purpose. Encountering negativity should only reassure you of your own strengths.

Never, ever give up Simply having a vision does not fulfill it; you must work to materialize your dream. You will experience bumps along the road and people who will try to keep you from succeeding, but mustn’t allow yourself to be intimidated. Remember that you are on a mission to achieve something incredible, and it’ll take a lot to stop you.

Celebrate your achievements. Your journey must include time of reflection. Compare where you were five years ago with where you are now and congratulate yourself for your achievements both big and small. Don’t forget to reward yourself for your hard work, careful planning, and strong character.

Never repeat old mistakes. Learning entails personal evolution — evolving to take new actions and to stay away from past actions. Learn from your mistakes and don’t put yourself through situations which you know will attract a similar outcome.

Like laying out an open map of your life, expanding your vision means seeing the full spectrum beyond the present in anticipation of greater prospects. Take into account my 12 steps to envision the limitless possibilities before you and step into your future.