“It’s the job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.”

 J. R. R. Tolkien

As a coach, it seems easier to pull teeth than it is to get a client to write out their personal vision.  They often complain it takes too long.  That’s more than likely an excuse, it’s not the time that is the obstacle, it’s the mental and emotional effort to write down what it is one really wants out of life, afraid to allow themselves to think what may never come true.

Get started today, right now.  It’s not something you are chiseling into stone.  Your vision is a living document and should be periodically adjusted and rewritten.  In our corporate program, Mental Toughness University, we have the students write their personal vision in the form of a letter to a friend, dated 5-10 years from today.

Ask yourself, “What do I want my life to look like and be like in five years? Or ten?”

Students are encouraged to write a page for each of 8 areas of life:

1) Business/Career

2) Family/Friends

3) Money/Finances

4) Recreation/Fun

5) Health/Diet/Exercise

6) Faith/Spiritual

7) Social/Cultural

8) Personal Development

Pick the area that most stands out to you right now and begin writing that letter.  Don’t think about how to accomplish what you are writing, just go with it.  Allow yourself to free-flow this emotional “business plan” and paint the picture of how you really want your life to be in five or ten years.  Without a written vision, you doom yourself to the status quo or worse.  No one takes a vacation without a destination in mind, why would you take the trip called “your life” without one?

The research shows that less than 5% of folks will actually take the time to write out a vision for their lives, and in my experience, it doesn’t happen without the pressure of your job being on the line.  Here’s your chance to instantly vault into the top 5% in all the world, go write the letter.

Boo yah!