Visioning is familiar to many of us, but how many actually take the time to do it? Do you have a 10-year plan? A 5-year plan? How about a one-year plan?
If you have one personally, do you have one for your business? If for your business, how about personally? Do they align? Do your values translate across both plans?
You are in the top 1% (not THAT top 1%) if you have one or both. For the other 99% of us, it’s never too late to start and not nearly as intimidating as it seems.
When I started my business I had no professional or personal plan in writing. After learning how to vision and plan for my business on a regular 90-day rhythm, I was inspired to do a personal plan. It was important that my business goals and my personal goals were aligned. I found a helpful tool from Lululemon, a retailer that sells active and yoga wear. I began by creating my personal vision based on my values and started to map out the plan. It was so effective, that I immediately decided to roll it out to our team. Convinced? It’s this simple:
Step 1: Find a Comfortable Place to Write Your Vision
- Go to your favorite coffee shop for 30 minutes or find a comfortable, quiet spot. Think about your life and what it looks like in the next 10 years and write one to two paragraphs describing what that vision looks like. Think about how your personal values translate into and define that vision.
Step 2: Use your Imagination
- Now close your eyes and picture that vision in your head.
- Keeping that 10-year picture in your head, write down what you would like to happen in your personal life, with your career, and with your health.
Step 3: Ask Yourself Personal Questions
- Now, in the next five years, what will you accomplish in your personal life, with your career, and with your health that will move you toward your 10 year plan? Write those items down.
- You guessed what’s next – in the next year, what will you accomplish in your personal life, with your career, and with your health that will move you toward your 5 year plan?
What's Next?
How to Write a Company Vision Statement
You have your personal vision, what about your company vision? It all starts with learning the basics of formulating your organization's vision and implementing it as a business strategy. What does success look like for your company? When you have a company vision, you’ll always have a vivid, compelling answer to that question. Read more.