“If you don’t know where you are going to, you will probably end up somewhere else. How can you know where you are heading or how to get there, if there is no clear destination in your mind?” Ioki Berra
Creating a personal vision is one of the most important items in order to get the momentum you need to take off in life. If gives you a clear idea of what you should expect at the end of the road and what exactly you’re aiming for.
Viktor Frankl, psychologist and a survivor of the Nazis concentration camps discovered by observing his fellow mates behavior that the ones that survived were those who had a personal vision, or better yet, an idea that there was a better future ahead and there was something reserved for them in the future, a sense of mission.
It was not an abstract idea, a vague hope, but an ideal, a desire to accomplish something specific. The vision helped Viktor Frankl overcome all difficulties as a prisoner and begin to plan how his life would be after getting out of that hell.
Frankl became a teacher and writer and dedicated his life to teach people how to find a sense for their own lives, even in conditions where there seems to be no meaning. The personal vision is the capacity to determine points of reference in the future and search for it with all one’s strength.
When you have a vision, you can see the meaning of small things in your daily life that seem worthless, you can find self motivation, overcome difficulties, face challenges, because you know that you are fighting for something that you really desire. Without a vision, you’ll keep on surviving without aiming for anything. If you don’t have visions for your life, you’re taking the risk of getting overwhelmed by the daily happenings. You may act automatically to keep on surviving and will not fight for anything. The lack of motivation sets in and then you will be weak to face obstacles and challenges, for the simple reason that you don’t have a meaning for your own life.
That may be simple and obvious, the kind of self-help stuff everyone knows. Except that most people don’t have a vision and that affects greatly the success (or lack thereof) they end up achieving in life. Just saying that this is hard actually and that’s why most people don’t “have a vision” is just rubbish, a blatant excuse. What is your end game? What do you live for? What do you want out of live? People can’t answer these questions (or just say some bullshit) because they have never forced themselves to think about their lives before. And that IS hard, however, refusing to reflect upon your own expectations and dreams won’t do you any good. If you’re reading this, I suppose you’re not one of “those people” that can’t look at themselves and think about their lives. You can and wish to learn more about how to do it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. So, if that’s the case, finding your vision is a matter (however difficult it may be) of getting deeper inside your own nature and taking an honest look at yourself, taking that blue pill (no, not that one!) and realizing that your dreams will come true in the reality of the world you live in – so, no “red” pill, no crazy “visions” about being a rock star or richer than Bill Gates. Your honest, authentic vision won’t be anything Hollywood would be interested in, but it will be achievable, down to earth and something you can concretely plan and aim for. If you see it that way, I bet finding your vision, or purpose for that matter, will be much easier!
Your personal vision is one or two paragraphs that sum up your end game or the reason you live for. You should try to avoid overgeneralizations like “I live for my children” or “my life is God’s will”. Some things may be important (even very important) for you, but your vision must be something you envision for YOUR FUTURE, otherwise, it’s not actually a VISION, right? Your vision will not exclude all those other things that are very dear to you, however, it should express something real and tangible that you aim to ACHIEVE. So avoid clichés, but also avoid “the cloud”! The cloud is that place you go when you dream about having 100 million dollar in the bank (when you’re currently making 40k/year). You vision should not be something unreal or almost too good to be true, but something you can clearly see how you’re going to achieve, something that fits your life, your reality and especially, is within reach for your personality type and moment in life. If you’re really stubborn and have some “cloud wishes”, I recommend you set those visions apart. Yes, you can have more than one vision, as long as they don’t conflict with each other. Some successful people have a vision for each area of their lives. It’s up to you, there’re no right or wrong, as long as you actually sit and write down what you really want out of life.
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