Why Your Vision Is Your Most Important Tool

There, we said it – your vision is the key to personal growth, success and happiness. To be honest, it’s almost ridiculous how much of a difference it makes to your life. Here’s just some things a vision helps you with:

• Making better decisions
• Saying no
• Dealing with criticism
• Applying for jobs
• Launching your own business
• Time management
• Finding a partner that’s right for you

A vision is why some people are confident, and others work their asses off trying to keep everyone happy (and failing, by the way).

Success coaches and thought leaders like Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Jen Sincero, and even Marie Kondo tell you to start with your vision.

But WHY?

Your Vision Is Your Personal Guide

Imagine you’re going on a trip. You start by packing. So what do you pack?

Of course that depends. It depends on what your ideal holiday looks like. Are you going on a city trip? No need to bring your tent. Beach holiday? You’ll need swimming gear. Pretty obvious.

Who you’re going with, what transportation you’re taking, and even the travel insurance you’ll get all depend on what you want to do.

Your life is just another trip. Knowing what you want your ideal life to look like, will help you make the right decisions. You wouldn’t pack your snow boots for a tropical island, and you won’t apply for jobs in Madrid if you really want to live in Berlin.

Basically, your vision is like one of those magic balls that would answer any of your questions. But like… one that actually works. Because all the answers are based on what you care about.

How a Vision Helps You Out in an Ethical Dilemma

Here’s a story from Odder Being founder Marianna Zelichenko:

 “A few months after I launched my business, I was looking for a freelancing gig. I found a recruiter who introduced me to a business. After the initial interview, the recruiter slacked off. He didn’t get me any updates. After weeks, I contacted the business myself. The owner told me he’d like to work with me, but without involving the recruiter who would normally get quite a fee for bringing me in. I was tempted: the assignment sounded fun and I needed the money. Besides, I was so annoyed with the recruiter’s lack of communication that I didn’t want to work with him either. On the other hand… going behind his back, after he had put in some work to land me this gig seemed wrong. What to do? The question I asked myself is: what kind of business owner do I want to be, what are the values I care about? One of the top ones was transparency. I had my answer. I politely declined the offer, resolving to be more critical about the recruiters I would work with in the future. There is no magical twist: I didn’t get some other amazing gig, and the business didn’t agree to bring the recruiter on board, but I kept my integrity and learned an important lesson. Do I think it would have been wrong to accept the assignment? No. But it would have been wrong for me.