Time is precious . . .
Are you doing what you want to do with your life 
You can choose your path in life or you can let a path choose you. If you never think about where you want to go in life and what you want to do, then random events and other people will choose your path for you. If you want to take control of your life, a great place to start is to create a life vision.
A Vision is a mental picture of what your life will look like in the future. The more specific the picture, the more powerful the effect it will have on you.
Having a Life Vision fosters focus, drive, commitment, willpower, confidence, and success.
Viktor Frankl wrote, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning that “Life holds the potential for meaning under any circumstances.” He was talking about a very extreme circumstance in his book: internment in the Nazi Concentration Camps.
Viktor Frankl was a Jewish Psychiatrist when he entered the concentration camp.
He had the vision to share what he learned in the concentration camp with others. He had a very specific visual picture of that vision to stand in front of a classroom and present his findings from his study of the people around him in the camp. This vision helped him survive.
What Viktor Frankl found when he studied his fellow inmates was that those who held onto a future vision were more likely to survive. Everyone’s vision was different, it was just important that they have one. One person held onto the possibility of seeing a loved one again, another a vision of practicing their religion openly again. Some dreamed of spending time in nature, being able to use a talent, or passing on memories to future generations.
Studies show that those that have a vision of their future are healthier and happier. It may be because they make healthier choices because they have hope.
To help you create your life vision, answer the following are some questions. You might try closing your eyes and picturing yourself as happy, healthy, and successful. When you have a clear picture of your future, open your eyes and answer the questions below.
What will your life be like five years from now, 15 years (or any number of years in the future) from now?
- Who is there?
- How do you spend your days?
- How do you feel?
- Where do you live?
- What work do you do?
- How do you define success?
- What are your hopes?
- What are your dreams?
- What do you look like?
What’s Your Vision 5, 10, or 15 Years From Now?
Other Questions to Consider in Creating Your Vision
- What motivates you?
- If there were no resource issues in your life (money, time, etc.), what would you do with your time?
- What would you do if there were no possibility of failure?
- If you only had five years to live, how would you spend that time?
- Would your answer be different if you had 30 years left?
Other Visioning Activities:
Draw a picture of:
- Your dream life – 5 years, 20 years from now
- Your dream career
- Your dream partner
- Your dream persona
- Your dream home environment
- Tell the story of your future.
- Create a Dream Board of pictures, phrases, and symbols that represent the future you would like to create.
95 Year Old Exercise
If you were 95 years old, were drawing your last breath and you were given a beautiful gift, to go back in time and help this person have a better life.What advice would you give this person (you) to be more successful personally and professionally?
Then write a list of what counts and what doesn’t count.
| What Counts | What Doesn’t Count |
The elderly people who were interviewed said:
- Be happy now. Don’t put it off until later.
- Don’t get wrapped up in what you don’t have. Focus on what you do have.
- What is important is family and friends.
- Have a dream and go for it.