How Do I Cast a Vision?
I’m sitting here at the front desk of my new adventure – ownership of a co-working space in downtown Conway, The Studio Downtown! And, let me tell you, this has been quite an adventure!! I imagine that the adventure will continue with all the ups and downs that come with life as a business owner.
What caused me to start my own coaching business 9 years ago? What caused me to say “yes” to this latest business adventure? I caught a vision – a vision of what could be, of the new ways my skills and strengths could be used, of the lives that could be impacted by my efforts and contributions, and of the new creation that could flow through me and bless others in ways that I can’t possibly conceive of myself.
Why do you want to start a business? Or, what caused you to be invested in the business you’re in now?
VISION.
You have also caught a vision for the future. Maybe it was an improved or exciting future for yourself and your family. Did you have a vision for the difference you could make in your community? Maybe you had a vision for how your product or service could affect the marketplace.
A vision is exciting!! It gets us up off the couch and energizes us through the rough patches. When communicated well, a vision can inspire others around us to join in the hard work of bringing it to fruition. Additionally, a vision can keep us on-track and limit distractions. It reminds us of the big picture of where we want to go.
This is an important time of year for vision and imagination. The start of a new year encourages us to dream of what “could be” with the *magical* fresh slate. But, how does one come up with a vision? How do we take the steps of an exciting vision and transform it into a reality?
How do I Create a Vision?
Some of us are lucky enough to have a vivid imagination and creative brain!! At The Studio Downtown, I’m surrounded by creatives who seem to have fresh ideas pouring out of their minds faster than they can control!!
Others of us (read: ME) don’t feel as comfortable with vision creation and feel a little out of our depth. Don’t worry, creating a vision is something that every person has access to!! And, I believe, it’s something our creator has invited us to fully participate in during our time on Earth.
How do we know when a vision comes to mind that it truly is aligned with your values and not just a “selfish ambition” that is going to get you off God’s plan for your life?
I suggest that you start here. It’s where I start when it’s time to do vision-casting in my personal and professional life. And it’s where I always start with my clients, too!
1. Identify your values.
What are the most important characteristics and attributes that you want to be present in your life? Consider this on a personal/family level and also with your business/career.
Questions to consider when identifying your values:
When have you felt most alive, fulfilled, or in flow? What was happening?
What activities make you feel most like yourself?
What makes you angry, frustrated, or upset? What value isn’t being met?
What qualities do you most admire in others? What qualities do you want to be known for?
What are your absolute non-negotiables?
2. Identify your priorities.
As a career-focused professional with a family to care for at home, you’re likely dividing your time amongst so many buckets and daily demands. How do you decide what’s most important?
Selecting your top 3 priorities in the categories of family, career, and personal life can be quite helpful and revealing for creating a vision. The key here is to remember that in this stage of life, your priorities shift on a regular basis – life is moving quickly! And you need to be prepared to respond. So, consider what your priorities are IN THIS SEASON of life.
Questions to consider when identifying your priorities:
What does success look like for you in this area?
What’s most important to you about achieving this?
What’s currently helping you or holding you back?
What would you have to give up to achieve this?
3. Draft your Ideal Vision for the future-2 to 3 years.
Using the values and priorities you’ve identified above, fast forward 2-3 years. How would you like those values to be showing up in your life? What will it look like for those priorities to be honored and realized? Start with a brainstorm or brain dump. Just get all your ideas out of your head and onto the paper. You can go back and judge them later!
Now, coming up with the vision takes one mindset. The freedom to dream and create. To imagine your future as different from your current day-to-day life. That’s exciting! That’s invigorating!
But how do we get from the vision to making a plan that will truly come to fruition? That takes a different mindset and collection of tools. Again, it will come more naturally for some and be more of a stretch for others. Here’s how I approach this personally and with my clients.
How do I get from vision to reality?
Write it down.
This does NOT have to be grammatically correct, perfect word usage, poster worthy!! It’s just for you to get the vision down on paper and gain clarity for yourself. Some key tips:
Write it as if it’s already happened. “I have… We are…”
What problem are you solving?
What difference are you making?
Keep it short and clear, eliminate extra words and/or details.
Do NOT include your plan…that’s coming next!!
This written articulation of your vision can be a vision board, a journal entry, written on your bathroom mirror, or scratched on a napkin…You Do You!!
2. Make a plan!
Turn your vision into a goal or set of goals. (I’m including my Goals Planner as a FREE RESOURCE for you!!)
Identify the baby steps necessary to reach your goal.
Consider the resources that you already have or that you will need in order to reach your goal.
Ask yourself, “What obstacles might come up as I’m working toward my goal?” We all know that there will be bumps along the way – several of which we can predict! Go ahead and consider AHEAD OF TIME how you might overcome them when the opportunity arises. (This will probably prompt you to add to your resources needed list!)
3. Have a regular review of your goals (quarterly, weekly, daily).
You’re going to want to keep your vision and goals in front of you on a regular basis so they stay top of mind, and you can monitor your progress.
4. Get support!
Join a Mastermind, get a coach, and/or find an accountability buddy.
5. Be willing to adapt to the circumstances of reality.
As you work toward making your ideal vision a reality, you’re going to see where some of the pieces don’t quite work out. It might make you feel like scrapping the whole thing – DON’T DO IT!! This is your opportunity to adapt. It is very rare that we can see the whole picture when we’re creating a vision and putting the plan together. As we take each step, we will need to adapt to the circumstances of reality. It’s not because you’re not qualified or that you’re a “failure,” it’s just because life often looks different than we expect. Make adjustments and keep stepping forward in faith!
So many people consider writing a vision statement and say, “Why do I want to spend time working on something that I’m going to put on a shelf and never look at again??!!” YOU DON’T! That’s a terrible idea.
You DO want to spend time working on something that’s relevant, real, foundational, and
impactful to your future success. That’s the power and potential of a vision statement that can really move your life and business forward.
And, I’d like to help.
The IMPACT Mastermind is a wonderful opportunity to get around like-minded people, looking to make their vision a reality.
If you’re excited about a vision that has been placed on your heart and you’re looking for support to get clarity or problem-solve around the execution, I’d love to have you in one of our Mastermind groups! Schedule a coaching chat with me today so that we can find the Mastermind group that meets your needs!