What do you want for your future? Who do you want to become? With whom do you want to spend your time?
It’s easy to go through life on autopilot, moving from meeting to meeting, or day to day, stuck in the monotony of life.
But there is a way out of this rut. To truly change our lives in 2021, and move from just being resilient to being transformative, we need to discover what we want and move toward that vision with intention.
We must see ourselves as the architect of our own lives.
Choices Define You
There’s a quote by Matthew Kelly in his book The Rhythm of Life that has had a profound impact on how I see the world.
“Everything is a choice. This is life’s greatest truth and its hardest lesson. It is a great truth because it reminds us of our power. Not power over others, but the often-untapped power to be ourselves and to live the life we have imagined.”
Michael goes on to say that it’s a hard lesson because it causes us to realize that we chose the life we are living right now.
For some, this is extremely frightening – because you might not like what you see in the mirror.
For others, the opposite holds true. It’s extremely empowering to know that you are only a choice or a decision away from changing your path and moving in a new direction.
What will your life look like six months from now? One year from now? Or even 10 years from now?
What choices will you make? How will you evolve your career? Who will you spend time with? How will you feel? Who will you love? What will you eat?
It’s your choice.
Three Steps to Crafting a Vision
Here are three simple steps to help you craft a vision for both your personal and professional life. At the end of this post, you’ll find a free Vision Toolkit that you can download that will guide you through these steps in more detail.
STEP 1: Your Current State
The first step is to know your starting point. I love climbing and mountaineering because in it I find true freedom. When I am in the backcountry, I know that it’s impossible to summit a mountain, or get to where I want to go, if I don’t know where I am at the moment. The same holds true in life.
What choices are you making in your life today? And what results are you getting in return?
STEP 2: Your Future State
In mountaineering, if you want to summit safely and successfully, you need to know where you are going. The same applies to life. If you want to create the amazing life that you deserve and desire, the choices that you make must be focused on the vision you have for your life. These choices must be made based on what is important to you and where you want to go.
What do you want professionally? Personally? What could be possible if you made new or different choices?
STEP 3: Close the Gap
To close the gap, you need the right mindset and roadmap to get there. You must change your belief system, as well as your actions. If you focus only on the actions you take, you’ll likely make incremental changes, but not wholesale transformational change. You must also change the way you think and what you believe about yourself.
What would you have to believe about yourself to close the gap from where you are now to where you want to be?
What are three actions you can take immediately to start building momentum?
What would have to happen within 12 months for you to feel good about your progress toward your longer-term vision?
Complete the Vision Exercise
To move your vision forward, download the Vision Toolkit below. The Vision Toolkit is free and will walk you through the three steps to craft a vision and help you become the architect of your life.