How HR Executives Can Help Employees Create a Vision Statement To Achieve Their Best Possible Quality of Life

Simon Sinek pointed to his eyes and said emphatically "it's a VISION statement, you're supposed to be able to see it" in your minds eye. We use words to describe what our vision of the future might look like but what does "best" even mean? Best compared to what? How long will it take you to get there? For most of us the future seems so far away but the future is literally the next step and breath you take.

Ask any typical 40 something what their "best possible quality of life" looks like to them at 50, 60, 70, 80 and even 90 and it will prompt blank stares and uneasy glances. After the initial silence, a typical response would sound something like "to have enough money to live life to its fullest" or "to have enough money to travel the world" or "Freedom 55".

Funny how we can envision specific dollar amounts for our best possible retirement, but we can't seem to put into words how we see our best possible physical self as we grow older. Maybe like our finances, sometimes we don't want to face the honest truth about our investments because at the day-to-day investment level, we really don't know what's going on.

There are many similarities between financial investing and physical investing. It's actually the same formula. Invest a little bit each day and let compound interest do the rest. This recipe works for your finances as well as your personal health. If you only invest when you think you can afford it, sure you have a nest egg, but it could have been so much more if you were consistent and paid closer attention.

With your personal health, if you mess up and miss a day, it's OK. But if you stop investing most days, sure you might still be breathing and somewhat mobile 30 years down the road but your life could have been so much richer if you had continued to invest daily. Maybe it's that thought of the unknown that stops us from visualizing our own future. Maybe we are simply following the path of those who have gone before us and we just don't understand what our "best" could and should be.

My VISION statement for quality of life as I grow older is simple, "to enjoy youthful activities well into my 80's and 90's" and my MISSION statement serves as proof of what I believe in every day "to invest in my vision, not because I have to but because I want to". I can see in my minds eye enjoying swimming/biking/walking/hiking/running or whatever else makes my heart sing because I invest in my physical future every day. I don't have to invest every day, I want to. And believe me, this is a fresh new perspective and vision for myself that I didn't have when I was 40.

At 40, I was living a life no better or worse than anyone else and that perspective almost killed me. Like most parents that age, I was so busy providing for everyone else that there was no time left to invest in me. When I did finally find the time to make some changes with diet and exercise, nothing ever seemed to stick because I had no idea what a sustainable plan looked like or how to manage my expectations. Losing weight was just a result, not a sustainable vision of who I was and why that really mattered to me.

What I'm about to share with you are 3 lessons learned from crossing 3 Ironman finish lines at 45, 47 and 50. These are the lessons that I needed to learn before I could change my perspective and in turn, change my vision of who I believed I could be.

Lesson 1: Believe in yourself because anything is possible.

Lesson 2: Be prepared and ask better questions. Know the facts, everything else is guessing.

Lesson 3: Manage you expectations. Learn the difference between want and need.

Of all three finish line lessons, learning to manage my expectations has been the most valuable and difficult lesson to learn. I've come to realize that I don't have to be perfect, I just have to be honest with myself and manage my expectations. If I don't know how many calories I'm burning or eating every day, then honestly, I'm just guessing. I can't expect to have the life I've envisioned when I'm not following the process laid out in my mission. That's when belief turns to wishing followed by quitting.

On the other hand, if you have a clear vision of what quality of life looks like in your minds eye, you are going to need self-motivation to support your mission. That means going the extra mile for your own health and happiness, not because someone else tells you that you have to, you do it because you want to. Because you believe in your vision. The process of becoming self-motivated comes from the ability to answer yes to the following 3 questions:

Can I do it? (Do you believe in your vision?)

Will it work? (Do you have the information you need to make informed decisions?)

Is it worth it? (How badly do you want to realize your vision?)

What I can assure you is that until I learned these 3 lessons, and could answer yes to these 3 questions, my future health and happiness were left to circumstance and chance, rather than vision. I was following in the footsteps of my parents and their parents before them who also lacked any kind of personal wellness vision. My grandfather who I remember as a jolly and generally happy man actually pulled me aside one day in my early 20's. He looked me in the eyes and said "growing old is no fun, it's actually really awful" and that specific memory was the foundation of who I thought I was going to be. I had no other mentor in my life that would suggest otherwise.

What are some of the more common environmental factors that could be clouding the vision of who you believe you could be? Thinking that exercise alone is an effective solution for weight loss. Not understanding the full impact of processed foods. Not tracking your caloric intake and expenditure on a daily basis (if you are trying to manage your weight). Not understanding the impact of sugar on your body both short and long term. Not understanding how sugar affects our brains. Not understanding the mathematics of weight loss. Not knowing how to read a food label. Mistakenly believing that you're eating enough vegetables.

So, how can HR executives help their employees create a vision statement to help them achieve their best possible quality of life? The simple answer is to be the person you want your employees to be. Share your vision with others and invest in the journey that is your mission every day. Leadership comes from the top down and all great leaders have only one thing in common, followers. These are the people who believe what you believe.

If you are struggling with your vision, it's important to realize that you are not alone. All you simply need is a mentor who has walked a mile in your shoes and who understands how helpful a positive community can be. My new triathlon friends have become my mentors, extended family and community. We need each other to redefine what our vision should and could be.

If you don't have mentors like these in your life today, then follow my lead. Reading, sharing and commenting on books and articles like this is the best way for us to come together as a community. Last time I checked, we all wanted to have our best possible quality of life as we grow older, so let me help you redefine what "best" should and could be.

You can learn more about my journey at www.heartfit365.com/blog.