Vision | Michael Daly

Having to deal with the pandemic gave so many people the time and space to reflect on the life they were living and the work they were doing. Often coming to the realisation that they didn’t want to go back to the way things were before the pandemic. This meant for so many that they now wanted to have a unique vision for their life and work. This too can be the case for you if you are now prepared to have a vision for your life and work for when you do. You are setting out what you intend to achieve in life. Most people have one but, mostly, they have never articulated it or put it down on paper.

Let me give the following example: Say you want to get from one part of the country to another part 100 miles away on any given day. Well, simply put, that is your vision – to be at a certain destination known to you which is 100 miles away at some point later that day. It is a desired future place that you want to get to.
People are living out a vision for their life every day. If this is not done consciously, then it will be done unconsciously.

What for you would be the benefits of having a vision for your life?

The following are some of the benefits enjoyed by self- leaders:

A vision gives them something positive to aim for.
A vision brings focus to their efforts.
A vision engenders within them a greater sense of self-worth and confidence.
A vision gives meaning and purpose to their life.
A vision gives them something to hope for.
A vision means bringing about positive change within their life and work.
A vision acts as a guide to their decision making.

Trait 4 is all about self-leaders having a description of what their life will look like once they have reached their vision and achieved their full potential. The key for them is about making the vision something that touches the heart and soul, something that truly motivates them. They are prepared to give their all-in pursuit of this vision. Something that both challenges and stretches them as a person, yet has a real and true chance of being achieved, even if it may take a lifetime, all of their lifetime. You can find your vision by focusing on what is, what you have and what you could be.
Being a self-leader with a vision does not mean you have to set out to save the world. It simply means that you have identified where it is you want to bring your life. Having done this, you then have to go and make it a reality. You need to take ownership and responsibility to see everything you want to achieve in life happen. Self-leaders believe in a better future for themselves and those around them.

If you want to follow up on what I have written here and live a life of true and real success for you, please check out my books—available on Amazon.

Cover image by Sgt

As Oscar Wilde said, most people exist, that is all. Therefore, it surely is all about having a vision for your life and work.

A visitor to the area came across a man fishing on the east coast of Ireland and this is how the conversation went:

Visitor: How’s the fishing going today?
The man fishing: The fishing is good here every day.
Visitor: You fish every day?
The man fishing: Oh yes, I fish every day and then sell what I’ve caught to the local restaurants. I make some nice money so I get to eat in a nice restaurant. Having eaten, I then enjoy the rest of the evening before getting up the next day after a nice long sleep to go fishing again.
Visitor: It seems like you have the makings of a very successful business. If you bought a boat, you could catch a lot more fish. Do this for a while and then you could buy another boat to catch even more fish. Keep doing this and next thing you know, you have a fleet of boats and you’re catching lots of fish and making lots of money.
The man fishing: What would I do when I have this fleet of boats and am making all this money?
Visitor: Sell it, of course, and then you can retire.
The man fishing: Having retired, what would I do then?
Visitor: Having retired, you could go fishing every day.
The man fishing: Why would I put myself through all that hassle when I can go fishing every day anyway?

Both had a vision: they just had different ways of getting there.

Self-leaders see things differently. They work at becoming aware of all the possibilities the future holds, regardless of the circumstances they may find themselves in or the crippling fear they may be feeling about bringing their life forward. They define the future they want for their life and work. This definition or image of the future is the vision they want, giving a very vivid picture of where they want their life to be at some point in the future.

When you write it down, this clear picture of the future you want becomes your vision statement – a written statement setting out a description of where you want your life to be in the future. Having this vision statement will allow you to see and be reminded on a constant basis of where it is you want your life and work to be. Having this clear picture of the life you want to live, like the fisherman above, will allow you to see what it is you need to both add and subtract from your life to achieve your vision.

When it comes to success and happiness, people often talk and think in terms of ‘having or getting’, wanting this or that in their life. At times, it might be about getting things out of their lives or moving away from certain situations. Having a life of success and happiness is not always caused by what you add to your life and work but more often by what you have the discipline to remove from your life and work as you set out your vision.

If you want to follow up on what I have written here and live a life of true and real success for you, please check out my books—available from Amazon.

Author, Speaker, Mentor

Tag: Vision

Setting out what you intend to achieve in life

Having a vision for your life and work