How to Write a Personal Vision (and achieve your new year’s resolutions)

My November 28th post was about the power of vision. It seems like a good time of year to continue developing this theme to focus on your personal vision ( resolutions), since so many people are writing new year’s resolutions.

However, are you aware that only about ten percent of new year’s resolutions are ever achieved? I believe this is because we go through a superficial process of identifying something we want (losing weight, saving more, getting a better job, etc.), but fail to think deeply about what these commitments really mean and what it will take to make them happen.

My purpose is to give you a powerful exercise for deepening your personal  vision (resolutions) to something that you are motivated to achieve. But in the process, you’ll have to do some serious self-reflection and be honest with yourself about what you’re really committed to achieving. Otherwise, all I’m having you do is make up a wish list. It will feel good to write down what you want but you’ll lack the sustaining power to achieve it.

Exercise: Creating Your Vision

1. Write down what you want to be, do, and have. What is most important to you? What would bring incredible joy and meaning into your life? Ponder different categories of your life (personal development, relationships, finances, career, community involvement, health and recreation, living environment, etc.). Once you start writing, don’t filter. Take what comes. A bulleted list is okay.
2. Go back through your list and prioritize it. First, rank each item as a “hi,” “medium,” or “low” priority. Now go back to the items you ranked as “hi.” If you were able to have just one item from this list, what would it be? Then choose a second and third and so on until you have a pretty good idea of the relative value and priorities of all your ideas. Do you see any patterns emerging? What do they tell you about yourself?
3. Consider the highest priority from this list.
   1. Describe what your life would be like if you achieved this want.
   2. What is it like now without it?
   3. What payoffs (rewards) would you have to give up to achieve it?
   4. What new choices would you need to be willing to make? What would you need to do that you’re not now doing?
4. Do you still want this want? If so, spend more time thinking about it and all it means to you. Continue to deepen its meaning for you. Meditate upon it. Visualize it. Affirm it until it draws you to its realization.
5. Now go through the same process with your second priority. Then go onto the third and so on. You don’t need to do this with your entire list, although I’ve found it helpful with your highest priorities. You’ll also notice that some wants you can be working on concurrently, but others need more time and concentrated effort.

Once you have taken some time with this assignment, you’re off to a good start. You’re thinking deeply about what you want and the price you’ll pay to get it. You’re sifting through your wish list and making it real. You’re beginning to create a plan and put in place the mechanisms to support you in accomplishing it.

In my next post, we’ll work on making your personal vision even more tangible and powerful by translating it into specific and concrete goals.

Would you like to read more? Have a look at our blog post The power of vision.