On Monday I suggested that a Personal Vision Statement might be a better jumping-off point than setting a New Year’s Resolution. I also went on to explain what one was. My guess is that you might be wondering whether it’s worth the bother? What’s in it for you? Will the benefits outweigh the time and effort? What are some benefits of creating a personal vision statement?
Everyone is an individual and so the benefits can vary greatly from one person to another. It would be difficult to cover all the benefits when talking so generally. Here though, are three that can apply to most of us.
It gives you a sense of direction
A personal vision statement will provide you with a feeling of direction, of knowing where you are right now and where you are trying to go. This motivates you and can help make your work feel meaningful. This is something most humans crave, especially in a world as chaotic as the modern one.
If you start to feel lost or rudderless, all you have to do is look at your vision statement to help you realise the truth. This is an important psychological benefit – don’t underestimate it!
It helps motivate you
Motivation isn’t something you feel all the time. It comes and it goes. Sometimes you’ll be more motivated than others. Sometimes you won’t want to work on your goals at all, either because you’re too busy or you’re frustrated at a lack of progress.
Lack of motivation is where discipline becomes important but getting your motivation back can make it easier to stay on track.
Personal vision statements have been shown to provide additional motivation when it’s lagging. It can provide you with that extra “oomph” you need to keep pushing and get yourself over the finish line when times are tough.
It provides a framework for decision making
Making decisions is part of being an adult and sometimes it becomes hard to make decisions that keep us moving forward towards where we want to be in life and that are aligned with our values.
A personal vision statement helps with decision-making by providing a framework you can use to evaluate options, especially for complex decisions. Are there options that will move you towards accomplishing your next goal? Which options will move you further away from it? Are there ones that will let you uphold your values? Would any require you to break your values?
You can use this yes/no framework to decide which options to evaluate further and which to eliminate. This takes the stress out of decision-making and lets you make decisions that will help you succeed.
I hope that these benefits have given you the incentive to consider creating a personal vision statement. I’ll be back soon with the specific steps.