10 Ways to Set a Vision for Your Life

Do you feel lost? There’s a slice of Hebrew wisdom that declares, “Without a vision, the people perish.” It’s the same concept that is sometimes parsed, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll likely end up somewhere else.”

 It’s all too easy to flounder; as we all know.  We hesitate most especially when we’re not sure about the fundamentals. When you’re an All Pro Dad, life can be challenging at the best of times. Simply put, we need a vision. We can’t afford to wander around in circles.  We need to make positive progress.

 All Pro Dad suggests the following 10 ways to help set a vision for your life.

1. Understand that it’s not all about you

   Author Rick Warren starts out The Purpose Driven Life with that simple declaration. It’s a truth that needs to stick. We’re dads, we’re husbands, and we’re people in relationship. It’s not exclusively about us.

2. Understand this truth

   Most people utilize less than 10% of their brain’s potential capacity. The number one inhibitor of greatness is not a lack of intelligence. Neither is it the absence of opportunity. It turns out that the biggest stumbling block to our greatness is unwillingness or an inability to concentrate which leads to a separation from the creativity we were all born with.

3. Expose yourself to positive truth

   The saying goes, “Listen to a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”. Stop listening to the negative messages that work against your vision. Listen to the truth. It so happens that we were all created with a purpose and that we were designed to engage life with enthusiasm and vision. It’s a truth we can build on

4. Secure a true reference point

   A compass won’t work if there’s no true north to point toward. It’s the same with us. Personal faith is a great place to start.

5. Reach for the stars

   Vision should stretch us more than a little. If John Kennedy had said, “My fellow Americans, we will shoot a guinea pig a few hundred feet into the sky and hope he makes it back with his little parachute, and we’ll accomplish this by the year 1999…” then Neil Armstrong would have probably capped his career flying shotgun in a DC10 for UPS.

6. If you don’t know where you’re going…

   Articulate your dreams, share them with people you love. We know a man who takes the time to dream out loud with his wife every year on his birthday. Know where you’re headed, then beat out a trail.

7. Put yourself in the company of mentors

   Surround yourself with encouragement and belief. Build relationships with people who have gone where you plan to go. Be open to learn.

8. You can’t find your way with your eyes closed

   Jesus said, “He who has eyes to see, let him see.” We all have eyes, but we must be willing to use them. Clear vision is only possible if we’re willing to move forward with open minds and hearts.

9. Walk by faith, not by sight

   It’s critical that we allow ourselves to believe. But sometimes that clear vision is only actualized by belief. Think Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He stepped out where he could not see clearly, opening the eyes of belief. Only then was he able to see the way with his “natural” senses.

10. Don’t forget to allow for the curvature of the Earth

    Here’s a riddle for you: When is a flat surface round?
    Answer: When it’s the surface of the Earth.

    Sometimes we confuse intangibles with things that are impossible. To set a vision for our life we must be willing to move out of our comfort zone. That’s why mentoring, faith, belief, and a reference point are so important.

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