Developing a Personal Vision Statement for Success

Creating a personal vision statement provides the appropriate direction to guide your life’s choices. It answers the question – where do I picture myself? Though it can sometimes be a challenge to sum up a personal vision into words, here are some tips to create an effective guide for your life.

HOW DO I START?

To start formulating the ideas that eventually come together to create your vision statement, you will need some deep introspection. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What ten activities do I enjoy most?
2. What three tasks must I complete every day to feel fulfilled at work?
3. What are my five most important values in life?
4. What goals would I like to set in the following areas?:
   1. Personal
   2. Family
   3. Business
   4. Physical
   5. Mental Improvement
   6. Spiritual
   7. Financial Security
5. If I were retired, how would I spend my time?
6. If it were the last day of my life, what would I regret not doing, seeing or achieving?
7. If I were to talk to my close friends, family and colleagues, what would they say were my most significant strengths, accomplishments and weaknesses?
8. What do I think are my biggest strengths and weaknesses?

CRAFTING MY VISION STATEMENT

Forget the typical short and concise vision statement that you would see on a company’s ‘about me’ page. Write down as many achievements as you would like! According to motivational speaker and writer, Brian Tracy, people are more likely to accomplish a written goal, dream, plan or vision – and we agree.

Post your vision statement in a place where you can refer to it daily. It will help remind you of what’s important when times are challenging. Visual people find it helpful to create a colourfully designed vision board to guide their future. It’s all up to you. For some, their vision statement can last for decades but as our priorities change and develop, it is important to revisit your vision statement from time to time and revise if required.

Creating your vision statement can also help define what is important for your future succession planning process. If you have any questions, feel free to comment in the field below, e-mail us at greg@ascendbusinesspartners.com.au or tweet us at @greg_johnson123.