Create A Vision That Is Uniquely You

Where do you see yourself or your business a year from now? 3 years? 5 years? When you die, what would you like people to say about you at the service? The answers to those questions, and a few more, can assist you as you prepare your vision statement.

A vision statement helps to pull you forward, towards something you’ve deemed “special”. Without a clear vision, you may find yourself confused, stuck, stressed, overwhelmed, and drained. How can you get back on your track? The answers are as individual as you are. Use some of the ideas below as starting points.

Write down every reason (or excuse) why you don’t have a personal or professional vision. Don’t stop till you have run out of reasons. Then follow the suggestion that fits you best:

• Celebrate by burning or shredding what you’ve written! Isn’t it time to let the excuses go?
• Celebrate by creating at least five solutions to each of your excuses. If you can’t come up with five, ask your coach or a friend for assistance.

Then get started. Make it an adventure!  When my clients have a difficult time writing their vision, I ask what they’ve done that hasn’t worked and then we discuss other options. Try these ideas:

• Be creative and have fun. Design the most creative vision you’ve ever dreamed about! Design your first dream board. www.coachmaria.com/articles/dreamboards.html
• Start a planning box. For “x” months, every time you have an idea for your plan, write the thought on a piece of paper and put it in your box. Pick a day that you’ll pull all your ideas into a plan.

Take a good look at your current beliefs about the life you’re creating. Pick up a copy of
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. It’s a small book jam-packed with wonderful information on beliefs. Make sure what you believe is really “you”. Don’t get stuck in someone else’s vision.

If you find that creating a vision is more than you can do on your own, you’re not alone. Find an uplifting peer coaching or mastermind group to support your personal and/or business foundation. Online or off, you’ll benefit by creating a vision and then a life or business plan around that vision. There is a group, via phone or in person, out there to assist you. To find groups you can attend:

• Check the business section of your local newspaper or your local business journal.
• Join a seminar or tele-class group. (See the end of this article for my free Business Vision Statement programs.)
• Locate a coach, using the resources I’ve listed at  to find unadvertised, in-person groups in your area.

Once you put your vision to paper, try it on for size. It may feel too safe — use it to stretch, act “as if”, or make some big changes to your vision. If it feels good, keep it. If it doesn’t, adjust it further. The main thing is to be comfortable with it. Remember Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. “Try on” new concepts, new ways of doing things, and recommendations from others. Coaches are especially good at assisting you as you s t r e t c h, s t r e t c h, and then s t r e t c h some more! So stretch right into your vision!

I bet that once your vision has been formalized, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner! And you’ll be amazed at the time it takes to do versus the time (and energy) you invested just thinking about doing it.

ACTION
Today, create your business vision statement (BVS). Don’t know where to start? Let us show you during a

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