Everyone, it’s July, the year is half over. You created a vision for your life some time ago. You checked in on it in January and now it’s time for your mid-year checkup. Living your vision or reaching goals you have created should not be a chore that you dread taking care of, it should come very naturally to you. You know what feels right in your life. In fact, you probably know whether your goals are tracking true and aligned with your vision.
If we have reached July and your vision has become a little cloudy and out of focus, it’s time to revisit that vision. What is your calling, your purpose? Your vision should have incorporated that important element for yourself. You should not put your life vision on hold, so you should not get half way through the year only to find you have done nothing to advance towards your goals.
To be clear, your vision is forever a work in progress, but it will always have a core that rings true and authentic. This is your calling. It should be no surprise that wrapped up in your vision is the direction of your life; it is your destiny and your destination.
As you look at where you are in reaching your vision examine why you reached the goals you have accomplished so far and why you have failed to reach the place you thought you would at this time.
Let’s assume you realize that you must have one, so you created that vision for yourself. At your midyear checkup, be sure the vision still fits. You are always learning new things – growing and gaining new perspectives. For that reason, your vision may change. Just realize that this is your vision of your life, not your father’s, not your mother’s, teacher’s or even your neighbor’s down the street.
When creating your vision, you should be selfish. You are depending on your core values, talents and skills to guide you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the advice of others. You should always have someone (or many) to brainstorm with, to provide objective perspectives.
So let’s examine where you are this July 2017. Ask yourself these questions:
1. How many of my intended goals have I reached?
2. What have been my challenges so far? (If there are very few to no challenges, you may be setting the bar for yourself a little too low.)
3. What has helped me reach my goals?
4. Am I on track or do I need to adjust my goals to fit my vision?
5. What can help me reach higher to attain my goals and advance to realizing my vision?
6. Have I used my talents to the fullest to reach my goals? Remember the story in the Bible about the servants who are given the talents? Don’t bury your talents, hoping to reach your goals.
If you were to place your vision for your life on your 2017 timeline, where would it fit? Are you falling into place at April or are you ahead and already falling at September? When your midyear checkup does not fall where you are expecting and is behind, it can be frustrating and difficult to readjust. We resist readjusting. I get that. It can feel like failure and can impact your self-esteem. You think you should have reached higher goals or achieved a different plateau. This is why having the assistance of a coach can be crucial to helping you get back on the timeline and advancing to reaching your goals.
Know this: if you entered 2017 without writing (or even creating) a vision for yourself, reaching your vision will continue to be like grasping for fog: you can see it but you can’t hold it.
Write that vision statement! If you are having difficulty, here are a few personal vision statements from CEOs of companies you know about:
“To be happy.” Walt Disney
“To have fun (my) journey through life and learn from my mistakes.” Richard Branson, CEO, Millionaire, Virgin Group
And from Jesus –
“But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose’” (Luke 4:43)
A coach can help you with your check up. Don’t hesitate to contact one to help get your vision on track. I am here to help you find your purpose and reach your vision.
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Photo: Getty Images