The key to success in the coming (and any other) year is managing how you spend your time well. If you don’t manage time effectively, the last month of the following year is almost guaranteed to come with frustration and disappointment at having failed at most if not all the goals you set for 2023.
But here’s a question: beyond creating isolated resolutions for yourself, do you have a Vision for the year? A vision is essentially the big picture of what you want to achieve, some things may happen within a year, and some within a shorter or longer period.
The essence of having a vision is to create a context for your life. This vision can then be broken down into specific goals to fit into defined chunks of time – daily/weekly/monthly/annually. If you’re wondering just why having a vision is important, here are 3 things to note:
- A vision increases your chances of achieving your dreams.
- A vision helps you to stay focused on what you desire for YOU.
- There’s a quote I read that says “ If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Not having a vision means you don’t know where you’re going and leaves you susceptible to the whims of others. You may end up being tossed and turned by the opinions and circumstances around you, leaving you without direction and purpose
So HOW do you create your vision for the new year? One thing you will notice is that every vision contains certain elements, and when creating your own vision for 2023, these elements must include at the minimum:
- Who do you want to BE in 2023?
- What do you want to DO in 2023?
- What do you want to HAVE in 2023?
Here are 4 other things to consider:
Make it BIG
With these three elements in mind, let your imagination run wild. Dream big. Think of everything and anything you can about how you see yourself halfway through the year, at the end of the year, or beyond and write everything down. Your vision should be big and don’t worry about how impossible your dreams look.
Be Specific
Someone said a vision needs to be written down and made plain so it can be successfully executed. After dreaming, write everything down in specifics. If your vision is to be an author this year, so you write, “I want to be a published author by September 2023.” Having a specific vision helps you to create your action plan and strategy for bringing that vision to life.
Think long term
Don’t be afraid of not achieving your vision in a calendar year. Try to see yourself two years or three years from now. Don’t limit yourself to this year alone, limiting yourself might limit your vision. So you can have a vision for 3 years, broken into annual goals.
Be Flexible
Things will happen that you couldn’t have planned for, but that’s okay because it’s part of the journey of life. Stick with your vision anyway.
Time will always pass whether we do anything tangible with it or not. So start taking charge of different areas of your life going forward. It’s great to have a vision and write it down, but what’s most important is to start putting action to your dreams and making 2023 your best year yet!
