Where do you want to be one year from now? Five years from now? In a decade? Do you even have personal goals for yourself? As a Coach, I’ve found that the more my clients have a sense for where they are headed — and know how it is connected with what they are doing now — the more likely their future will be rewarding and meaningful to them.

Many people do some kind of strategic planning at work but rarely translate that practice into personal vision planning or goal-setting. But as the saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Personal visioning can lead to proactive results and can be creative and inspiring in the process. Most importantly, it can lead to greater life satisfaction overall including:

• creating work that has deeper meaning;

• achieving better work/life balance;

• developing skills that lead to professional advancement;

• having better clarity and motivation;

• breaking free of reactivity and crisis management; and

• becoming the driver of your own life rather than the passenger.

I see in my coaching practice that my clients attract the object of their focus, so if they are mindful of what they are intending, they become in alignment with their vision. But if they focus on what’s wrong or what’s missing in their lives, they inadvertently create more of what they don’t want.

A clear vision should be built upon personal strengths and interests and not on what someone else envisions for you. To begin developing this clear vision, think of the times in your life when you were utilizing your unique passions and values. Most likely you were in a flow-like state and were oblivious to time passing or to your particular worries of the day. These occasions, which require little effort and yet provide tremendous satisfaction, are usually clues for where and how to build your future plans. That’s because it is at these times that you’re using the essence of who you truly are.

Also, look for themes in your life such as how you spend your time and with whom. Ask your friends, your colleagues and your family “when you think of me, what do you think of?” We are often too close to ourselves to see our unique set of gifts and talents, but when we start to look around, there is lots of evidence to direct us towards how we can construct a plan for a more fulfilling life.
Next, put your goals to paper and create some kind of an accountability system with a coach, a mentor, a buddy or a spouse. Commit to small steps and celebrate when you’ve achieved them. Personal vision planning takes focus and action, but it is a process that builds momentum and can make your dreams come true.