Having a plan is good. Having a vision is inspiring. Both can shape your future.
When I was young, I loved to draw house plans. These were elaborate, architect-like plans, which included not only the floor plan, but also the placement of furniture and accessories . I had a favorite house plan. It was a large two-story, with a grand winding staircase up to the second floor. I remember telling my father that one day I would have him to Thanksgiving dinner in just such a house.
Fast forward 30 plus years and one day, shortly after we moved to Texas, I was standing in our entry way and it dawned on me. “This is the house!” I shouted, as I looked up the grand staircase to the second floor. I had gotten my dream house without even realizing it.
When I begin a coaching engagement, my first meeting with a client is largely spent helping them to create a vision for their life. This vision becomes the framework into which their coaching goals fit. I might start with a question like “If life were absolutely the best that it could be, what would it be like?” Surprisingly, people often start small here and my point is to challenge them to dream big. This is their opportunity to conceive what could be possible if they were living their biggest, best, most satisfying life. I follow this question with something about what they would become in this big dream of a world. Who would they be? What would they contribute? Finally, I close with a question about what they could create in this future world. What impact would they have? What would their legacy be?
While it may take some coaxing, the answers that people come up with are formed deep in their personal values, passions and strengths. They find that envisioning the possibilities in a world that is both personally fulfilling and impactful to others is energizing and motivating. It is a place where they are their best self.
The work of coaching – all of our work – is to explore, define and pursue what brings us satisfaction, fulfillment, motivation and that which makes a difference in our world. In creating a vision for our lives, we inspire ourselves to keep moving forward toward it, sometimes in spite of ourselves. This energizing vision can drive our short term plans. This passion-driven vision can lead us where we are meant to be, without us even knowing we are on our way, much like my dream house.
I challenge you to spend time with these vision questions – If life were absolutely as great as it could be, what would it look like? Who would you be in that amazing place? What would you create there or what would your legacy be?
Is what you are doing today shaping your future? If not, what will you do to get back on the path toward your best self?
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