Personal Vision

By Mark Samuel

While organizations and teams have been creating Vision statements to more or less clarify direction and purpose to their members, we have found creating a personal Vision is critical for individual fulfillment in our personal lives. Vision statements assist us in making important decisions, prioritizing our activities, and assisting us in corrective action when we do things that sabotage our long-term personal fulfillment.

A personal Vision is an intention rather than an expectation, and is therefore a process of unfolding that gets updated as we clarify our true desires and goals in life. There are three primary steps to creating your personal Vision:

1. Purpose Based on Fulfillment Like an organizational Vision, the personal Vision is customer-driven and your customers can be your family, the community, your friends and/or your spiritual path. Who do you want to be serving, and what service can you provide that will be the most fulfilling to your “customers” on an ongoing and consistent basis?

2. The Environment Necessary to Achieve Your Purpose No matter how much control and independence we want to have in our lives, our success depends upon the cooperation and assistance of others. It is important that we are clear on the quality and type of relationships that we want to create in our lives to support us on our path to fulfill our life’s purpose.

3. Benefits and Gratitude for Ourselves When all is said and done, how has your life served you? It is important that your Vision doesn’t reflect what others think you should do, but what is in your heart to accomplish in your lifetime. The other issue is how you will acknowledge and appreciate yourself with gratitude for your efforts and commitment to your Vision. After material possessions are behind you, what value have you received from your dedication to yourself and your Vision?

You may find that while your Vision doesn’t change much in terms of its general direction, you will have experienced a great deal of change in clarifying your purpose and in manifesting your commitment towards its achievement. It will also help you to communicate your Vision with trusted friends who support you in your quest and challenge you to attain the next level of excellence in pursuit of your personal Vision.