Vision. Its definition is the literal sense of seeing. Any living creature with eyes needs the vision to see where they are, and where they're going to next.
And as business owners, having Vision is the fuel needed for success.
When most people think of Vision, they think about the importance of having one. But how can we break it down to actually get there?
To do that, we need to get into the process of Visioning.
Your Vision is a definition of success at a specific point in the future. YOUR definition of success. Not anyone else’s!
But while most people think that crafting their Vision is as simple as just thinking about what they want for their future, we actually need to dive a bit deeper.
How The Visioning Process Works
During the Visioning, process, we go through three transformations where we:
Realize HOW you got to where you are presently in your journey
Grasp where you are now
Only then can you begin to explore what the future holds with true openness
Here's why this is SO important 👇🏼
Most of the time, many of the things we want to achieve are actually very surface-level.
We walk around every day with these surface-level goals, surface-level visions, or surface-level ideas.
Perhaps you’ve thought to yourself, “I want that thing one day” or “that’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind.”
You allow these surface-level thoughts to float around in your head, without peeling back the layers and examining them thoroughly.
In this state, when you attempt to answer the question of, "What's your vision? How do you see your success in the future?", one of two these happen…
Either A) you get totally overwhelmed.
Or B) you repeat these surface-level visions.
This can wind up leaving you stuck, as you recycle the same worries and thoughts about your goals.
You have to dig deep down, to that core fundamental root - the True Vision, which is the REAL building block for any success you want in your life.
And this process takes time, Visionary.
There's a different set of exercises to peel back those layers and tap into that deeper level to find out what your core Vision truly is.
1. Future Planning - The First Step is Looking Back
Understanding how we got to where we are today gives us a critical layer of context that is crucial to the Visioning process.
Ask yourself: what lead you to where you are today? Not just in your career, but in all facets of life - personal, financial, spiritual, and relational?
When you begin to go through this process, you begin to recognize some of your own patterns and the impact they’ve had on you.
You'll make the connections and see the common threads in your life.
And when you step back, you’re able to not only see things on a granular level but also understand how all the little details add up to something much bigger.
By being able to see the big picture, and get clear on the peaks and valleys of your life, you will gain a deeper understanding of your underlying patterns.
You’ll be able to notice the times you felt IN alignment with how you truly wanted to live your life, and perhaps what led to that feeling.
You’ll also be able to recognize the times when you felt OUT of alignment and notice the similarities between those times.
You'll then be able to assess the situations and ask yourself:
What were those root causes that led to that alignment or that misalignment?
Who were maybe the influences in your life that had an impact on you during those different areas of your life?
What were the milestones?
What were the obstacles?
Again, this first step of the process is key to getting that crucial layer of context, which allows you to connect the dots and see the whole picture clearly.
As you start connecting the dots on your journey from the very beginning, you discover the common threads that have led you to where you are today.
This enables you to identify the critical elements needed to focus on as you continue to grow your business.
But what if you're ready to leave that all behind?
You can then look at which common threads really served you well throughout that whole journey and choose which ones you want to take with you into the future.
2. Using Your Inner GPS
What's the first thing a GPS asks you when you want to go somewhere?
Oh, that's easy Lois, it just asks me to type in my destination...like Target.
But actually, that’s the SECOND thing your GPS asks you.
The first thing a GPS asks you is where you are right now.
And that is so crucial to realize because so often you jump into Visioning work without taking stock of where you are now in your path to success.
You need to use your inner GPS and realize where you are in the Visioning process in order to get to your desired destination.
One of the Visionaries I worked with described it as, The idea of getting a true lens on your current reality, which I think couldn’t be more fitting.
You can also relate this back to the GPS analogy.
When you put the address of the destination into your GPS, but it has no idea where you are now, the GPS can't help you.
There’s simply nothing you can do about it. If you don't have that starting point, how can it possibly help you navigate?
With the Visioning process, it's the exact same thing. If you think about where you want to go, but lack the context of where you are now, then you’re not able to navigate in the most effective way.
And when you DO gain that true lens on your current reality, and establish your starting point, you'll be able to clearly see where you want to go.
Again, this element is absolutely critical, in helping you to be able to look at where you want to go, and ultimately helps you work backward and figure out how to get there.
3. Alignments and Misalignments
Once you've taken stock of where you are, the next step is to again dig deeper beyond those layers to where you feel in alignment and out of alignment in your life.
When taking stock of where you are now, you must start to think about your core values.
Ask yourself: what is that driving purpose that makes you want to get out of bed and continue your journey?
When you're able to articulate and define what it is for you, ask if it aligns with you, or if it doesn't.
And it's okay if you aren't 100% in alignment with 100% of your values, 100% of the time.
Because hey - you're human! The goal is to get that baseline snapshot of where you are now. There is no shame if you realize you aren’t living out your values perfectly. After all, it’s an opportunity to GROW.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to articulate where you are misaligned. You may not realize where the disconnect is. This process will help you gain perspective and help you to adjust your vision and plans accordingly.
4. Non-Negotiables for the Future
You've gotten into how you got to where you are, where you are now, and now it's time to start thinking about where you're going in the future.
Keep in mind that you'll be peeling back the layers, going deeper to the core all throughout this process.
You're repeating these actions as you continue this process to really get a handle on your non-negotiables for the future.
Because living the future you want to live three years from today, or five years from today, or a decade from now is non-negotiable. It's the line in the sand that says you won't go back as this is the future you WANT.
5. The Ark of the Visioning Process
Hopefully, this has helped you get a little bit of a sense of the Ark of the Visioning process.
And not for you to suddenly feel pressured to come up with where you want to go long-term, but instead continually revisit your Vision as a guidepost, and ask yourself, "Is this what I truly want?".
This process of discovery helps you discover your core values, your unique purpose and aligns your work with your values.
It gives you the larger framework of the "big picture" of your life and work.
From there, you can more deeply consider what your unique contribution will be and how you will make that contribution.
If you're having difficulty going through the Visioning process, I want you to know that I'm here for you and would love to guide you.
Learn more about how you can reach your destination by booking a free discovery session with me HERE.
I can't wait to support you as you move toward your individual and collective Vision and goals.
Talk soon, Visionaries.
Lois