Trust me when I tell you that a few years ago, you would have had to pay me to read this kind of books. Honestly, I started reading historical fiction novels, occasionally some funny romantic ones, and it took me years to get into business and development reads. I often find them boring, looooong, unhelpful, difficult to read and just heavy. I have to thank my old boss for this. I owe him so much when it comes to moving me into the right direction of learning more about leadership, business, and self-discovery.

This book was probably the first one I have really enjoyed and couldn’t put down. Why? Because it makes so much sense when you read it. Don’t believe me – BUY it.

I can also assure you that I was one of those people who would read books like these, and skip ALL of the questions / to do / exercises, that would force me to do some kind of forced homework that would ultimately mean that I had to stop and think about myself. What I think, what I want, what I feel…and actually put it on paper…AND…do something about it after. Not happening!

I guess lockdown changed all that. 3 months and a half gave me plenty of time to overcome procrastination and do the work.

I will refer often to this book in my posts in regards to different topics, but today I would like to share with you THE VISION EXERCISE. This is one of the first steps to understand what you really want in all aspects of life, so that you can actually do something about it. Just like in any business, you need a vision and/or mission, so you can set goals, act on them, and reach your preferred destination.

As it’s stated in the book, “To get from where you are, to where you want to be, you have to know 2 things: where you are and where you want to get to”. “Your vision is a detailed description of where you want to get to. It describes in details what your destination looks like and feels like”. “To create a balanced and successful life, your vision needs to include”:

• work/career
• finances
• recreation and free time
• health and fitness
• relationships
• personal goals
• contribution to community

The book prompts you with questions for each category to help you out clarifying your vision for each, making it easier to complete the task.

I am all in for “let’s live life and see what happens”, but if there is one thing that this year has taught me is that more often than not, it is better to have a clear vision and plans in place to ensure you are happy, accomplished, satisfied, living the life you want and desire. Because at the end of the day, life can throw you a lot of curveballs, but if you are prepared, you can avoid them or patch yourself up after being hit.

Summarized in a post I saw a couple of days ago on instragram from James Clear: “If you work, inspiration will come. If you wait, inspiration will too”.

So don’t wait and start painting your vision canvas for your life.