Working Toward The Vision

By Renee

Churches have them, corporations have them. Even non-profits have them. What is it that ties together all of these organizations? It's vision. You can have some of the best goals established (see Rx for Success) but without a vision to guide you, you may find yourself veering off course. Consider developing a vision statement for your life. It should be simple and to the point. It could be a famous quote or a favorite scripture. Your vision statement should be such that all of your goals point back to it.

If you have already established some goals for your life, it is not too late to set your vision. You might discover that all of your goals support your overall vision for your life or you may find the need to alter your goals to suit your vision. Like goals, your vision can change and evolve as you live life. If you haven't set your goals, try starting with developing a vision statement. This may be the catalyst you need to jump-start your goal setting.

In any case, it is important to always evaluate. Consider this exercise when evaluating the effectiveness of your goals in meeting your vision.

1. Make a list of people who both negatively and positively affect your vision.

2. Make a list of behaviors (good and bad), habits and hang-ups that both negatively and positively affect your vision.

3. Draw a large arrow for each of your goals and label them accordingly (i.e. Finances, Education, Family, Work, Health, etc.)

4. Within each of these large arrows, place the names of the people who pertain to each goal and draw a forward or backward moving arrow around or beside their name showing whether their influence is moving you forward or backward. Do this for your list of habits and hang-ups. Include those in your arrows.

Example: Finances

5. Analyze each area. What are some of the changes you need to make? What are some of the obstacles that need to be removed? What are some traits or habits that need to be added?