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"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough..."
-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
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Your vision could well be entitled "MY BIG DREAM"
Your mission is entitled "WHAT I'M GOING TO DO ABOUT IT".
Vision and mission are very closely related. But it's a good idea to develop your vision first.
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Imagine setting out on a trip from Toronto to New York - but on this trip you are referring to a map of England as
you make decisions about where to make your next turn! Not only would you become very confused, but you would
certainly have lost all possibility of reaching your desired destination! That's because your vision about where
you want to go does not match the map you have chosen to get you there.
Yet how many people live their lives like that? They're trying to get somewhere that they find uniquely fulfilling,
but they are following a map created by their parents, or the Wall Street Journal, or the latest talk show - or
worse yet, "the job market". Who knows where "the job market" is going to be six months from now, never mind
three to five years from now?!
Your vision is your own unique inner map. Figure out your own vision, and hang on to your vision - then you will
have the map which will tell you where to go.
I've worked with so many clients who have "gone into computers" because that's where the jobs were supposed to be.
Never mind that they weren't suited for the field and didn't even like it! These people were following a map
that couldn't take them to their end point, because, like Alice in Wonderland, they hadn't taken the time to
figure out their desired destination.
Too many of us live our lives in a state of unconsciousness and reactivity. That is, we are doing things without
consciously reflecting upon what we actually want, and we are reacting to what life throws at us rather than
proactively making choices. Unconscious people allow other people and events to decide the outcome of their lives.
It is far better to become conscious of one's life purpose through self-reflection and dialogue with others, and to
live proactively, taking responsibility for one's own decisions.
My hope is that as you assess yourself using some of the tools on this website, you will get to know yourself
better, and will be able to create the vision that will guide you toward your desired future.
The process of creating your vision helps you to understand the meaning of your life and your role in the world.
Envisioning where you want to go with your life helps you to create the map which will guide you to your own unique
future.
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Your vision is something you create with your imagination. You need to use your imagination to create it because
your vision guides you into the future-a place that does not actually exist according to present reality.
But you can't just pull a vision out of a hat; your vision must represent you in your uniqueness-that is, it must
express your wishes, dreams, values, personality, and goals. Your vision expresses what you want to create of
yourself and the world around you. Your vision, your internal map or compass is a guiding image of fulfillment
and success, not just for you, but including others as well.
When I was in my mid-twenties, I was working in a job which wasn't terrible - but after awhile I had this nagging
feeling that there was something better out there for me. I was working in an environment with people that didn't
have much sense of their own future, and I just knew I needed to get out of there.
One day I sat down with a friend of mine, and I asked her to help me get a clearer picture in my mind about where
I wanted to go next. I closed my eyes with this question about the future in my mind, and I paid close attention
to what I saw. It was really a very simple vision, and it came to me in no time.
I saw myself working in a pleasant office environment with professional colleagues. People of all kinds were seeking
my help.
To make a long story short, within about a year of allowing myself to see what I needed to see, I was helping
people in a pleasant environment - and I continue to work in that kind of role and environment to this day.
I gave myself permission many years ago to intuitively get in touch with my inner vision, and this investment
in myself literally carried me forward into my present reality.
Vision is Influenced by Many Factors
Intuition is one way to get in touch with one's vision. But our intuitions and our visions about the future are
influenced by many sources. These can include our present and past experiences, information we read or see on T.V.,
people who cross our path, our feelings about our situation. This is why it can take some time to clarify our vision:
there are many factors we need to take into account, and sometimes we simply need to wait until the right combination
of factors comes together.
I'm reminded of the story of Eliza Doolittle in the popular play, My Fair Lady. Flower girl Eliza was raised in
poverty, and saw only poverty as her future. It took just the right combination of events to spark her life vision.
It wasn't until Eliza accidentally overheard Professor Higgins talking to Colonel Pickering that she began to formulate
her vision of "being a lady". She went on to persuade Professor Higgins to teach her how to speak, dress, and walk like
a "lady" - and, surpassing everyone's expectations but her own, she actually became a "lady"!
(hint: if you want to become someone different, start by imagining you already are that someone!)
Left Brain, or Right Brain?
We can sometimes create our vision through a left-brain, logical process. For example, suppose you are the CEO of
a small manufacturing company with sales of $1 million. You know that if you open facilities in five new locations,
you will be able to multiply your sales, bringing in $5 million worth of new business. It makes logical sense to
proceed in this direction.
Other times, vision creation involves our creative, non-linear right brain. We usually cannot pursue this sort of
vision; it must "come to us", as in, "A great idea just occurred to me!". But that doesn't mean we have to sit
around passively waiting for these visions to occur. What we need to do is make sure we create fertile conditions
so that it's easy for new ideas to "sprout".
How do we create these conditions? There are many steps we can take, but everybody's path is different. Some people
are too uptight, and need to get more relaxed in order to create the space for a new vision to appear. These people
might find it helpful to take some time off, go on a vacation, or spend more time at the gym, so that their vision has
the "space" to appear. I recently worked with a successful executive who was so driven to keep going, that it took
a physical illness to slow him down enough to take a summer vacation. And it wasn't until he started to allow
himself to relax that he could even begin the process of deciding his future direction.
Other people are almost too relaxed, and need some pressure to light the fire that will move them forward. These people
might want to set some tasks for themselves, like finding out more information about various possibilities, or going to
talk to people about their situation.
Often, such people have taken a passive approach to life, and yet they wonder why their lives are no different now
than they were a year ago.
Usually, though, some combination of the two approaches is needed. We need to proactively do all we can to create the
ideal conditions for our vision to emerge, and we also need to quietly wait while our vision comes into view. Remember,
as Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration...and 99% perspiration"!
You can carry out life-transforming reflections for yourself. Below are a couple of exercises that can get you started,
and there will be many more helpful exercises in my upcoming Life Transitions e-booklet.
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Sometimes it helps if you start with the easy part-what you don't like about your life right now. So take a piece
of paper and divide it in half. On the left side, make a list of all the things that you're unhappy with at
work or at home or in your relationships. Now, on the right side, flip these around, and record how these
circumstances would look if they were working for you.
Example:
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Can't Stand
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Want Instead
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working with my current supervisor
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to work with a supportive boss or mentor
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living in an apartment
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save up a down payment and buy a house
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relationships seem so negative
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helpful and supportive people in my life
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If you would like to be more successful in the future than you are today, take a piece of paper, or print these
pages and write your answers to this question:
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Take a few minutes with your own imagination and record what would signal success for you in each area.
Write your answer in the present tense, as though it is already happening, e.g. "I am in a stable, long-lasting
relationship"; "I am feeling fully alive and healthy"; "I am working in a job that..."; "my creativity is being
expressed through..."; and so on.
Also, be as specific and concrete as possible in your writing, and describe your own role in the process.
Rather than "I want my relationships to get better", write "I am becoming a more helpful friend by..."
So go ahead and imagine what fulfillment and success "look like" in terms of your:
primary relationships
emotional health
work and career
home environment
creativity
finances
leisure
community involvement and contribution
education and mental stimulation
appearance
spiritual life
© 2004 Lois Raats, M.Ed.
Send your question about creating your life vision to me,
and it might be included in a future Q&A section of this page... info@coachlois.com |
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