4 Steps to Focus Your Vision in 2015
Posted on January 16, 2015 by Colette Ellis, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Only 8% of people who make resolutions actually achieve them. Learn 4 steps to increase your odds of getting what you want by defining a 2015 vision
Why Define A Vision?
According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, of the 45% of people who typically make New Year’s Resolutions, only 8% are successful in achieving those resolutions. Given that low success rate, I’m sure you’ve wondered if there’s a way to increase your odds of achieving what you want this year. I’d like to suggest elevating your perspective to define an overall vision for 2015 (and beyond). It’s important to have a compelling vision, for your life as well as for your business or organization. That way, when life and work demands pull you (and your team) in multiple directions, you can keep perspective and focus on what matters most.
Do you know what it means to have 20/10 Vision? It means being able to see things clearly at 20-feet, that other people can only see while standing 10-feet away. It’s literally like having a bird’s eye view of the world. What would it mean for you to have 20/10 Vision in your life? How much you could accomplish with this level of attention? What would that feel like?
Defining your vision is the first step; and, this is the first of our What’s on Your Dashboard? article series to help leaders like you to plan your 2015 strategy. Here are four steps to focus your vision on what matters most:
1. Clear Your Lens
Get Prepared for a Fresh Start in 2015
Consider any setbacks or disappointments from last year that you need to let go of in order to begin anew. Can you forgive yourself, and forgive any other people who may have been involved? Bringing old resentments into the new year can stop you from spotting new opportunities because your lens is being clouded by your previous experiences. You can learn from the past without letting it hold you back from trying again or keeping you mired in fear or doubt. Also consider what lessons will be helpful for you to keep in perspective so that you can build on your momentum and either continue moving forward or course correct.
2. Reveal Your Intentions
Get (Re)connected to Your WHY
What core mission or purpose inspires you? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning and keep striving for another day? Revealing your true intentions can make it easier to choose between competing ideas, requests or tasks. Typically, when you choose to act according to your intentions, you feel more at ease and less conflicted. It’s because you are being authentic by honoring your deepest desires and priorities. The opposite is also true – when you choose actions that contradict your intentions, you may feel ill at ease or even guilty. It’s because there is a part of you that realizes you’re not honoring what you truly want to achieve or have happen.
3. Identify Your Blind Spots
Get Honest About Your Patterns
Sometimes we can hold ourselves back from realizing our vision; sometimes this happens when we encounter new situations that take us out of our comfort zone. We end up doing the exact opposite of what we intend to do. These behaviors, and/or habits are “blind spots” because you’re not always aware of them and/or fully aware of the impact they can have on fulfilling your intentions. What attitudes, behaviors, and/or habits could get in your way of fulfilling your intentions? Have you experienced challenging situations where inertia or indecisiveness led to a missed opportunity? Or maybe you did not ask for help, even though you felt completely overwhelmed? It’s important to reflect on your “blind spots” honestly and objectively, without judgment or blaming. Again, you can learn from your past without letting it hold you back.
4. Envision Your Future
Get Clear on What You Want
As you look back at the close of 2015, what will be your most memorable achievements? What will you have felt and experienced, and with whom? What key milestones will have helped you achieve your vision? You might consider doing some creative visualization to imagine your life as it will be when you have fulfilled your intentions. Then, from this future-oriented mindset, create a vision statement or guiding mantra that can inspire you throughout the year. Write your vision statement or guiding mantra in positive language, using the present tense. Consider placing it in a visible place that you can see and recite everyday.
What I’ve Learned
I now view myself as being on the path to fulfilling the vision for my life. It took me a while to reach this perspective (after having failed to achieve some of my goals in previous years). Yet, it allows me to give myself the space and permission to continue pursuing my intentions and dreams even when they extend beyond a traditional calendar year. It also enables me to recognize the small manifestations along the way — that give me clarification that I’m moving in the right direction. What’s important is to define and articulate your vision so that you are declaring what you want to achieve. Then, perhaps you can relax a bit, and as Deepak Chopra says: “Let the Universe handle all the details.”
