Losing sight of any long-term vision is easy as we mature and take on more responsibility. Many of us live paycheck-to-paycheck, and trying to get through each day is hard enough without having to think about tomorrow, much less 20 or 30 years down the road.

Developing a long-term vision and understanding how you will reach it (as described in a mission statement) can help you in your everyday life as you develop strategies, goals, and action plans.

When you develop your vision and mission statement, your day-to-day life will present itself as part of a longer path of weeks, months, and years, not just disjointed segments of days.

Focus Areas to Create A Vision

I can only speak for myself, but when it comes to creating a vision, I think there are four areas that each deserve a long-term vision. I structured my plan this way, and I have the level of success I do today because of it.

1. Personal Health

What condition would you like to be in when you’re 50 years old; 75 years old? The reason many old people are not in good health has little to do with their behavior during their senior citizen years. Mostly, the damage done happened from the choices they made in their younger years. Do not make mistakes with your health today with the mindset you’ll fix it later. For many who make that error, later never arrives.

2. Education

While everybody receives a certain amount of education when they're young, I think a life of education is important, be it in a formal classroom setting or learning things through reading. Educated people often make fewer mistakes than those who are not, and they can understand complex issues better. Also, science has shown that an active mind stays healthier as we age.

3. Career

You’re going to spend nearly a third of your adult life working. Do you want to be working for somebody else, earning them profits and following their rules your entire working life? Some people prefer that; some want to rise within an organization through promotions. Others with a more entrepreneurial spirit want to operate their own company. Have you thought about how you want to spend your working life or the situation you want to be in when you retire?

4. Family

For some, family is the most important thing in the world while others can take it or leave it. Trouble arises when those who take it or leave it end up having a family that they never really wanted. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have five kids or not wanting to have any, but do you have a spouse whose plans are the same or different from yours? It’s important to be on the same page with your significant other and share a vision.

Four Questions to Help Develop Your Vision

The questions suggested below have deeper nuances that I won’t get into in this blog; however, if you’re wondering how to start developing the vision you need in life, try answering some of them.

1. Where are you?

How close or far away are you from your vision? It’s impossible to know how to achieve your vision (or strategies and goals) if you don’t know where you stand today.

2. What’s the Cost?

Want to be a doctor? Want to live on a Caribbean island? Achieving your vision will cost money along the way. What’s the bottom line of your vision?

3. Is It a Priority?

Becoming a great musician is a fine vision, but if you’re not going to put in the time to take lessons and practice, or choose your instrument over other opportunities, you’re not going to become a great musician. Is your vision just a dream, or is it something you're willing to work at to make come true?

4. What’s Next?

Are you able to see a long-term vision for your life and break it down into years of goals? Do you know what the next step is to reach that vision? If not, have you considered talking with a life coach?

Click below and let's schedule your 30-minute FREE consultation to discuss how I can help you develop your long-term vision and have the kind of life you desire.