Developing Your Life Vision

Part of living a big life is knowing that you’re fulfilling your vision, that you’re here for a purpose and that you’re walking in it. But what if you don’t have a vision that excites you and fuels your goals? It may take time, but developing a life vision is within your grasp.

I won’t say it’s as easy as following three simple steps, because it’s not. A vision is bigger and less concrete than goals. It’s a little harder to grasp and a lot harder to attain when you’re just trying to earn that paycheck and make sure you don’t leave the house with your kids’ boogers on your clothes.

But it’s doable, and necessary.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Prov. 29:18

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Some people seem to spring from the womb, knowing why they’re here and what they plan to do about it. For others, a life vision develops over time as the person learns and grows. And still for others, it’s a struggle and they wonder what exactly their life is supposed to be about. Even if you already know (or think you know) what your mission on Earth is, considering the following can only help you further expand and develop your life vision.

Vision lies at the intersection of 3 things:

• Core values
• Passion
• Natural Bent

CORE VALUES

There are values rooted inside you that can’t be shaken or changed. What are they? Dig deep and think hard. Your life vision will not be in conflict with your core values. Instead, your core values will align with and  bolster your purpose. For example, if one of your core values is helping people, it’s not likely that your vision will be all about you (I want to be a star!)

PASSION

As you try to grasp what your vision is, think of what excites you or fills you with joy when it pops into your head. Your passion might be an activity or an issue. It’s the One Thing that will propel you forward when the odds are stacked against you and you feel like target practice for unseen forces of evil. It’s also the One Thing you can’t imagine life without. It’s the One Thing that if you got to the end of your life and didn’t accomplish it, you’d be deeply disappointed.

If you’re anything like me, you have way more than one passion, but remember we’re aligning passion with core values and natural bent, so that will narrow your list considerably.

NATURAL BENT

This one is a little harder to throw our arms around and say, “This is your natural bent.” In order to put your finger on it, really dive into the following questions.

• What have you always gravitated towards?
• What do you have an aptitude for that can be developed into something bigger?
• What fascinated you as a child?

The last question is particularly relevant. Chances are the seeds of your vision were planted long ago, and if you cultivated them, they grew. If you didn’t have the means to cultivate them, they’re dormant. Aptitude is also important because while I might really enjoying singing and want to share my music with the world, if I’m tone deaf I’ll have many more hurdles to overcome. Of course hard work overcomes what natural ability lacks, but your Passion factor had better be high!

Remember, don’t confuse your life vision with your career—they aren’t always one and the same. (I fell into that pit and it’s not a pretty place, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.) It might takes days, weeks or months to mull this over and pinpoint your life vision. Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who’s known all along!

I can’t tell you how many pages of journaling I did before I came back around to where I started, finally discovering that the seeds planted in my heart as a child were real—and they weren’t going away. It’s a relief when you finally accept your purpose and realize that it might not look exactly like you thought it would, but it satisfies you to the core when you know you’re walking in it.

How about you? Are you muddling through to find your vision, or are you one of the lucky ones who’s known all along?

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