The Power of a Personal Vision Statement

1. Set aside time

1. Pick a specific weekend and give yourself a few days to lock in and self-reflect. Protect this time! Commit to making it a priority.

2. Invite a close friend, family member, spouse, or significant other to join you in this process. It helps to have someone you are close with to act as a sounding board for one another.

3. Choose an environment that inspires you, calms you, and provides minimal distractions.

4. Commit to finishing. If you’re someone who struggles with follow through, ask a close friend to keep you accountable to completing.

5. Don’t rush through it. Challenge yourself to think deeply and answer honestly. You’d only be cheating yourself.

2. Connect to your higher beliefs

1. Your vision statement should be more than just words. It’s an honest declaration of the person you will be and what you believe. So take some time for deep connection to whatever higher belief, if any, you have. If this involves the act of praying, then pray. Meditating, then meditate. Seek truth and clarity to guide you through this process.  

3. Begin with a list

1. Grab your computer or notebook. Actually transcribing the thoughts floating around in your head is an important part of the process. It brings about a whole new level of reflection, accountability, and insight.

2. List #1: What do you value?  What is most important and worthy to you in life? List everything that comes to mind.

3. Ex: Spending time with people you love, living a healthy lifestyle, being intellectually challenged

4. List #2: What are your morals?  If you had to establish your family’s standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do, what would it be?

5. Ex: Always tell the truth, treat others with respect, have integrity

6. List #3: What would you like to accomplish in life?  What are your goals, dreams, and aspirations?

7. Ex: Publish a book, get your MBA, travel

8. List #4: What do you feel your individual purpose is? What makes you feel most alive/gives you the most energy? What do you believe you were created to do?

9. Ex: Revolutionizing health care, mentoring troubled teens, raising children

10. If you’re in a relationship and are doing this exercise together, create a joint list, after your individual lists, and discuss and agree on the values, morals, accomplishments, and purpose you want to establish as a unit.

4. Write out your statement

1. Take the themes from your previous lists and wrap them together into a few sentences that proclaim who you are (what you believe and value) and what you are purposed to do.

2. When thinking about who you are, think of it in light of the person you want to be in all aspects of life. Don’t get caught up in who you are now or the ways you may feel you fall short. This is your aspirational statement so focus on who you want to be.  

3. Don’t make it overly specific. It is not intended to be prescriptive or tied to a particular company or exact job title.

4. Aim for succinct/short wording. Keep it to one paragraph.

5. Continue to refine over time. Don’t worry about making it perfect the first time.

5. Share it and incorporate feedback

1. Talk to a mentor, a family member, or close friend who knows you well and who you have a high level of trust with.

2. Ask for their feedback and then revise it as necessary.

3. Repeat this cycle as many times as needed.

6. Maintain and reference it

1. Store it and/or display it somewhere you will see often. Keep it on your phone, print it and frame it, tape it to your mirror, or attach it to your desk.

2. Read it often. This is a powerful tool and reference point that reminds you of who you are and aids you in making those big life decisions.

3. Speak it out loud to yourself. There is power in hearing the truth of who you are, from your own mouth. Be proud of it; take ownership of it.

4. Revise as necessary over time. Update and/or adapt as needed or so inspired.To read my personal vision statement, visit my website at madetolive.org.