Every great idea or strategy begins in the mind — before it manifests in reality. 

Before the telephone was invented, there was a vision for it. Before the first computer was built, someone envisioned it. From the moon launch to the microchip, visioning is the key to reaching any goal.

My goal for you (and for all Americans) is: To replace retirement with a compelling vision of your bigger future.  

To help you do just that, I wrote the book, Replace Retirement: Living Your Legacy in the Exponential Age. One of the pillars of my writing, coaching, and public speaking is the concept of visioning.

Creating a Vision Board

Our minds have two powerful ways of remembering — one is through storytelling and the other is through pictures. That’s why creating both a visual and a written version of our future is motivating and catalytic. I encourage you to use both to create your own unique vision board. You can either utilize stock photos and motivational phrases, or your own personal photographs and download images that convey the future vision that most inspires you.

I have completed several vision boards during my life. To create my first vision board, I simply cut out pictures from magazines and glued them on a large whiteboard along with specific statements and words that motivated me. I found this exercise beneficial, and repeat it periodically.

The Power of Goal Setting

In my late 20s, I first discovered goal-setting and began utilizing it immediately. Over the past 30 years, I found that 80 percent of my goals came true merely by writing them down! These goals did not always come to reality exactly how I stated them, or in the exact time frame I planned, but they did come true.

This linkage of goal-setting and visioning is the mechanism that inspires me to see the second half of life being greater than the first. Later in life (in my 50s), I was introduced to the concept of writing out my future in a narrative fashion to add additional detail and emotions. I do this so my subconscious brain will envision the future as a reality and not just wishful thinking. 

If the concept sounds alien, consider this — you already practice visioning, either formally as I have, or informally without realizing it. We have all imagined how our future might unfold, and if you think back about your past you may come to the same realization I did many years ago. That is, for the most part, whatever I really set my mind to, I usually accomplished. And so did you.

The Power of Distraction

When I intend to achieve something (and put all my focus and energy toward that outcome), more often than not it happens. But not always. What is it that causes the occasional failure? Distractions. When my intended vision fails to materialize, it’s usually a byproduct of me being distracted. The busyness of life has more than once pulled my focus into other areas that are not aligned with my vision and goals. In our busy world, distractions are built into our lives and workplace. 

Defeating Interruptions

In Stephen Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, he introduced his time management matrix of four Quadrants. He described Quadrant 1 activities as “urgent and important.” He labelled Quadrant 2 activities as “important but not urgent.” I work with clients and executive teams who frequently use the excuse that they’re too busy in Quadrant 1 to make time for Quadrant 2 activities. Unfortunately, that omission includes both visioning and focusing themselves on long-term goals!

Getting Focused on the Important

Writing this Blog is a Quadrant 2 activity. Which is why I schedule time each morning for it. If I don’t set aside specific time to write (a form of visualizing), then I too will use the excuse that I’m so busy completing my “urgent and important” activities that there’s no time for “important but not urgent” things.

Visualizing is a Quadrant 2 activity which I schedule uninterrupted time for each morning because it requires focus and creative thinking. Join me in creating your own unique vision of your greater, happier, and more-purposeful future self.

It will serve you, your family, and your community in ways you can only imagine.