When you get in your car, do you have an intent of where you want to go? Or do you just start the engine, step on the gas and start making random turns – and eventually see where you end up? Of course 99.9% of the time, you have a destination in mind. But when it comes to something as important as your life’s journey, which approach do you take? I suspect far fewer people have a plan for their lives than have a plan for where they’re driving. I’m talking about having a 5- 10- 20-year vision.
I’ve found it to be exciting, inspiring, discipline-building, and extremely fulfilling. As I’ve mentioned many times before, when you know where you want to go, you can align your actions and behaviors with those goals. That’s exactly what a 5- 10-20-year vision will do for you. It’s Simple. Here’s How to Create Yours… Sit down, put pen to paper, and write out your future based on this ideal:
If I could really go for it and things go well, what would my life look like? Then, get specific. Talk about where you’ll be, what you’ll be doing, the feelings you’ll have, what others who are close to you will be doing. What you want to do is create a target for where you want to end up. Don’t feel like you’re setting the next 20 years in stone. Your vision can always change. The important part is to have something to aspire to.
Are You Driving with No Destination in Mind? Here’s the alternative… If you never create aspirations or that “target” I spoke of, life moves quickly and has a way of passing you by without ever having “gone for it” – with “it” being whatever it is you want out of life. You also miss out on the daily motivation of having something that you’re working toward. Mornings feel a lot different when you know exactly where you’re headed vs. waking up to just slog through another day.
Give Yourself a Rich Life. Seeing you’re “making this up” as my son Michael said to me when I showed him my 20-year vision, make sure to make yourself well-rounded. Too many people end up focusing on just one area of their life, and then they lack balance and overall fulfillment. In my 5-10-20-year vision, I include all of the 8 Equities of Life that you’ve probably heard before:
Physical
Family/Relationships
Income/Wealth
Career
Mindset/Attitude
Social/Fun
Spiritual
Contribution
Some might be more meaningful to you than others, and that’s okay. Just don’t ignore them completely. This might help… go ahead and download this wheel chart to determine where you stand today. In Closing, I Just Want to Say… Thank you. Thank you for watching, reading the blog, for listening to the podcast, for following on social… It means a lot to me to be a part of your life, and I hope you know that. I take my role very seriously and want nothing but the best for you. So thank you for being part of my life as well.
Strength and courage,
Wade
