Creating a Vision
“New year, new me”
“If you’re working on something you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.””
At this time of year, many of us make resolutions for the future. With a break to take stock, followed by a fresh new year of days stretching out ahead of us, it’s a great time to look at our habits and make changes.
However, often these resolutions don’t sustain us to the end of January - let alone the whole year. This is partly because it’s a misnomer. Often we’re not resolved about the things we are seeking to change, so how can we hold ourselves to a resolution?
When we seek to challenge and unlearn deep habits, we almost always fall back at some point. It’s completely natural, and yet in the framework of a resolution, this tends to feel catastrophic. One slip up can damage our morale so badly that we ultimately give up on our resolution and return to our habit.
So how do we affect change in a way that works for us? Well, one way of becoming intentional, while allowing ourselves flexibility, is to create a vision. Getting clear on how you’d like your life to look at some point in the future is a powerful frame for developing in a way that works for you.
Here is our framework for creating a vision:
Write it down. The act of putting things down in writing is so important, because the more energy and clarity you put into your vision, the more can come up in your exploration.
Use the first person, present tense. “I am”. Often we unconsciously say “you feel this” or “you do that” when referring to ourselves, and it creates a distance between us and our reality. Creating a vision that says “I am feeling fulfilled” or “I do new things every day” gives the brain a clear picture of what we’re working towards, and allows it to watch out for opportunities to make that picture a reality.
Set a clear timeframe. What timeframe you use is entirely up to you, whether it’s six weeks, six months, a year etc. But having a set idea of how long you have to bring your vision into reality provides an energy and a measurability that is incredibly powerful.
Find an image. It can be as literal or abstract as you like, but find something that represents your vision for you. As we grow, we learn words and how to communicate with them, but our brains have a natural connection to imagery. Building this element into your vision allows your brain another way in to connect to it.
Be aspirational. This is your vision of the life you aspire to be living. Nobody can put limits on it but you, so why would you? It can be specific and realistic, but also this is your dream. You have permission to put it out into the world and see what comes of it.
Your invitation is to try this out. Write down your vision for how you’d like your life to look in six months/a year’s time. If you were looking back at the end of that period, what story would you want that chapter of your life to tell. Use the first person, present tense - “I am working on a project that fulfills me” “I feel strong in my relationships” etc - find an image, and dare to dream.
Good luck with your exploration, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
