How to Create a Personal Vision Statement to Achieve Your Dreams  

What does your future look like? This is a big question that many of us are afraid to answer. We get bogged down in what we have to do today, tomorrow, or next week, and cannot see what we actually want most in life. One way to counter this fear is to write a personal vision statement. Visioning provides you the space to dream and the direction you need to create your own future.

In business, this is often referred to as a mission statement. But for you, as an individual, it is a glimpse of what’s possible, a big idea, or a dream. Your vision can, of course, include professional aspirations, but I encourage you to make it more personal. Visioning is a good practice to cultivate, as well as a first step in focusing your life, your legacy, and your happiness.

To get started, imagine yourself five, 10, 20 years in the future—whatever feels right. Catch a glimpse of where you are. There are no limitations, logistical considerations, or rules. What do you see? Where are you, who are you with, what do your surroundings look like? What are you doing on that very day? Use your intuition to sense every detail of what is out there and available for you before your rational brain catches up to demand how and why you got there. We often limit our ability to dream when we get caught up in the practical considerations.

As you begin to create your vision, ask yourself these questions:

• What is your why?
• What kinds of people and activities leave you feeling fulfilled?
• How do you envision your legacy?
• What kind of support do you need to get there?
• If you manifest your biggest dreams, what is possible for you?

Write your personal vision statement in the first person. Use powerful “I am” statements. Take as much space as you need to record as many details as you can see. You can write it as a narrative, or use bullet points.

If you’re more of a visual person, create a vision board:

• Pick up a piece of cardstock or artist canvas. You can use one as small as a 5×7 to keep on your bedside table, or as large as a full poster size to hang on your office wall.
• Look through magazines that you have around the house for content that articulates your vision—wellness, food, entrepreneurship, or travel, for example. If you don’t have magazines at home, purchase two or three, or ask a friend to donate her old magazines to your vision!
• Cut out images and text that you find meaningful or exciting.
• Arrange your chosen images on your board in any way that you like. They can be placed in random order or separated into themes, for example. Once you are happy with the way they look, paste them in place.
• If you like, you can decorate your vision board with glitter, your own writing, stickers, or anything else that appeals to you.

You can also design a digital vision board using an app like Pinterest. This is a nice alternative if you want to separate boards into different themes and continue adding images over time. Whichever method you choose, be sure to create a positive self-image, affirming what you desire and what you deserve.

Once you have completed your personal vision, refer to it often, especially when you feel challenged or lost. And share it with your support system! Know that it is not set in stone, and that you can always make changes, or even start over completely. There is space and possibility for you to constantly enhance your vision. Everything you want is there for you to have, even if you don’t know it yet!

One last thing to remember: Your vision is not a to-do list. Identify specific, actionable goals only after you have given yourself permission to dream without limitations.

This quote by writer Victoria Erickson speaks to the powerful process of creating and manifesting a vision by embodying the very life that you want. It may be helpful to you as you begin the process for yourself.

“If you inherently long for something, become it first. If you want gardens, become the gardener. If you want love, embody love. If you want mental stimulation, change the conversation. If you want peace, exude calmness. If you want to fill your world with artists, begin to paint. If you want to be valued, respect your own time. If you want to live ecstatically, find the ecstasy within yourself. This is how to draw it in, day by day, inch by inch.”