Creating a Life Vision

In an article for Inc., Solomon Thimothy, founder of OneIMS, a growth agency as well as Clickx, a digital marketing analytics platform for agencies and businesses, wrote:

“A company's vision is one of the most important foundational pieces of an organization. It gives the company a direction to move and a larger purpose for employees to rally behind. Without a clear vision, the company gets stuck…But what about a vision for your life? We often don't think about our life's vision the same way we do a company vision but they really are the same. Just like a company's vision, establishing a vision for your life gives you a direction to move. The long-term goal that comes from creating a life vision can give you clarity and allow you to see where you're headed -- meaning you can more easily control your life's outcome.”

As an Easter people, the ultimate life vision we share is to live the resurrection faith the best way we know how through everything we say and do and think. Hard? Yes. Possible? With the help of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. That vision gives us direction and purpose. It holds us in line and becomes something to which we are held accountable.

Thimothy lists three reasons a vision for our life is important. (1) It puts substance behind our goals. (2) It makes it easier to get through roadblocks when they reveal themselves. (3) It sets our expectations.

1. Our goals are what we want to accomplish and identify where we want to end up in the long run. For us, I believe our goal is to bring heaven to earth. As United Methodists, we have a practical theology. Meaning, we live our faith rather than just talk about it.

2. Sure, sometimes things get in our way. Death, illness, hardships, and evil forces are at work in the world. Our own sinfulness, especially, has means to distract us from what we are called to do. Keeping that life vision ever before us gives us strength to persevere, to feel the Holy Spirit cheering us on.

3. Success may be hard to define, but there are metrics we can use to measure the expectations we set for ourselves. In Matthew, Jesus shares words about clothing the naked, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger. How are we doing in these?

What better vision than to be the best Easter people we can be living the resurrection in ways that not only strengthen and encourage us, but also draw others into the community.

“Why You Need a Vision for Your Life: Invest time into and effort identifying your life vision, just as you do your company vision.” Inc. March 19, 2020. https://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/why-you-need-a-vision-for-your-life.html