Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a three-part series examining the importance of having a vision and how to create one for your life and career. 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF YOUR LIFE

I'm obsessed with having a life vision, and I use it in two ways. It serves as my North Star, identifying where my life is headed and how I will live it. It's also a tool, like a compass, that I frequently revisit and reference along the way, helping to ensure I stay my course. 

It is a philosophy of life, and as such, it is iterative, compounding, and encompasses various life categories like profession, romance, and health. It also includes my core values and life purpose. It's girded by a deep sense of faith and tethers me to the future.

The concept of uncovering and articulating one’s vision is near and dear to me as it took time for me to establish and articulate my own.  As an executive coach, I see its impact on my clients when they begin to craft and express their own. It is a fundamental pillar within my practice.

INCREASE YOUR FULFILLMENT

As I began crafting and articulating my vision, my coach at the time noted that I was on a direct path to fulfillment. She illustrated it through my love of travel, saying, "It's as if you want to go to Paris. Now, you’ll take a direct flight. Before, there were layovers and many stops along the way."

Over time and many iterations, I developed my vision. Recently, it helped me weather the ups and downs of 2020, including the pandemic, the racial reckoning, and the political landscape. There was a moment where some coaches in my network were asking questions that sounded like, “Should I go back to being an employee?” I appreciated the question and decided to ask it of myself. The resounding answer, “Absolutely not.” That clear, ‘No,’ to being an employee highlighted my clear, ‘Yes’ to being an entrepreneur. With that, I began referencing my vision to shift my focus, effort, and energy to the activities of utmost value, which would help me achieve my aim.  

What kept me grounded, fulfilled, and inspired throughout 2020 and beyond was my vision and the various ways I was living it every day. It supported me in processing in the moment while taking actions toward my goals. I was and am profoundly tethered to it. It has also allowed me to have moments of calm, where I smile deeply and say a short prayer of gratitude for the feelings of contentment that I have.

When I partner with my clients, as they consider how to articulate their vision, I like to guide them in taking a cosmic-level view of their lives first before digging deeper into the various areas that make up their whole lives. In this way, one area of life doesn't overtake and lead the overall direction of life. 

DEFINE YOUR VISION 

Determining your vision requires you to have and maintain a long and broad view and then work backward to make that view a reality. Throughout the numerous conversations I've had around vision, I find that people think of their present circumstance, the near future, or their next known immediate step. By and large, people mostly think about their profession, romantic and financial standing, and their health & wellness. Your philosophy of life encompasses so much more than those categories.  

Here are the seven major areas of life:

1. Your relationships: The relationships with your family and friends

2. Your purpose, calling, or profession

3. Your financial well being

4. Your physical and mental health & wellness, & spirituality

5. Your development and growth

6. Your physical environment

7. How you play and fill your leisure time

Taking a high-level view counterintuitively allows you to take a direct route to your North Star. Used as a tool, when there are decisions that need to be made, you can reference your vision to understand how those choices will or will not support it. Where you live, who you choose to date, your next role, and so on, are all decisions you can reference against your vision. 

Define your vision by reflecting on the various areas of life. Think about the behaviors you want to embody and exhibit; consider what drives you and the impact you want to impart. Then experiment by taking small actions in each area to gauge how it works for you. Make the necessary edits, and then commit to your vision.

Establishing and articulating your vision is essential. Since it covers various areas of your life, it makes a difference in leading a fulfilled and purposeful life versus feeling like an invisible, external force is leading you. Instead of only focusing on the typical areas of your life, you can shift some of your attention to areas like your development, your physical environment, and how you purposefully have fun and fill your leisure time.  We place a lot of the burden of being fulfilled on a few areas of life. It’s not fair to us, nor does it help us reach a sense of balance. 

If you're ready to begin the process of articulating your vision, read the next installment in this series, where I’ll share how to integrate your vision into your life and career. 

In the meantime, carve out some space and time to reflect on the philosophy of your life. What is your life vision?

With gratitude.

Marsha