If you are like me, you wake up each morning and you do your morning routine. Part of that is reading your vision statement. After all, that’s what all of the great leaders tell us to do, right? Reading the vision statement is a way to quiet the inner villain and keep us focused. It works. It’s what I call keeping my eyes on the prize. It’s me focusing on the Legendary Life I am creating, dreaming of, and working towards.
But since mid-March, each morning when I look at my vision statement, I feel frustrated. When we started the year, the vision statement looked beyond attainable. There were stretch goals in it no doubt, but it was reasonable. At this point, the world is so different. Even little things like vacations and travel have changed, much less my financial goals. So lately when I read my 1-year vision statement, I don’t feel empowered. I don’t feel like I’m on the path to my Legendary Life. I feel like the villain is winning because the vision has changed.
So how do I keep my eyes on the prize? I had to adjust my vision statement. I added a 5-year vision and a 10-year vision. Not only that, I wrote them in such a way that I start reading the 10-year vision first. It’s so far into the future that I know I have time to deliver to it. Instead of reading it and feeling frustrated or maybe even a little panicked, it still feels attainable. This silences the inner villain.
Then I read the 5-year plan. It’s obviously a little closer to today than 10 years, but it’s still so far into the future that again, there is no panicking. It’s the “in-between” timeframe that bridges the gap between what I am working on now and how I will deliver on the 10-year timeframe.
Last, I read the 1-year plan or vision. I have adjusted it to be more inclusive of what is happening in the world. Adjusting the vacations, for example, adjusting the milestones and some of the ways I define success. But it’s still a stretch. However, now when I read it, I don’t get frustrated. Because I have started with the 10-year, then the 5-year, when I read the 1-year it simply feels like I’m telling myself “this is what I have to do now to get to those other two phases in my life.” I realize this is just a stepping stone, it’s not the only stone. That feels much better to me. Reading these 3 pieces of my overall vision helps me stay grounded in how I deliver on my goals this year. I know that my life is more than just a 1-year plan. I will still deliver on my Legendary Life even with the changes in the world this year.
That’s what I need to feel each morning. That’s what I need to silence my villain and keep me on track. This is how I create my Legendary Life.
If you are struggling with your 1-year vision statement, try this practice. It doesn’t have to be 10 years and 5 years if those are too hard to think through, it could be 8 years and 3 years. The point is that you need to create a vision for multiple years into the future so you anchor this year’s vision into the future.
Try it! Then read these 3 statements each morning to keep you focused on what your Legendary Life looks like. When you write down your goals, consistently review them, and tie emotions to them, you’re more likely to achieve them. So keep your eyes on the prize and let’s get after that Legendary Life!
Be Legendary!