Dr. Earl R. Smith II
Managing Partner, The Federal Circle
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
Dr-Smith.com
Have you ever had this experience? You meet with someone for the first time. First thing you know you’re listening to their elevator speech. They go on about the business that they’re in and the latest deal there working on. They go on and on with this rehearsed performance. With the worst of them you start to wonder if you really need to be there at all.
Soon you find yourself wondering “Who is this person?” So maybe you get adventurous and interrupt them. You try to turn the conversation towards finding the answer to that far more important question. Most often after a short diversion the enemy submarine returns to its original course and speed. No wait! That’s from an old WW II movie. Well anyway, you get the point.
The sense settles in that you’re along for the ride and don’t have any lines in this mini theatrical production. You have two options. First, you can stay through the whole performance and hope your eyes don’t glaze over two badly. Second, you can notice that your glass is empty and excuse yourself. If you decide to stay the experience may lead you to really need that refill.
Or, how about this one? You get the feeling that the individual has been working the room and that you have finally been granted your ninety seconds of audience. Maybe they are not sure about you and, being better than half way down their list, you get assaulted late in the session. Somewhere around half way through you begin to realize that this is a dance in which you have no steps. The eyes say “I’m a warm and friendly individual that you should get to know”. But the voice keeps saying “I’m in control here and you are one of many audiences that I will perform before this evening. So do us both a favor, just listen until I’m through and then I’ll leave you alone. Let’s make this as painless (and unproductive) as possible!”
As your newest best friend drones on, you realize that they have an elevator speech that seems to lack any sort of personal vision or self awareness. Some even seem to follow outlines that we have all read – “How to craft the perfect elevator speech.” Lacking any humanity that you can see, the person before you has reduced themselves to anti-humanist inanity.
But if you’re really courageous (and this is where the experience can have some serious therapeutic value), it may also occur to you that you could be looking in a mirror. What if what you see is what you do?
Don’t Confuse a Person Vision with an Elevator Speech!
Maybe the events described above don’t make any sense to you at all. Maybe you don’t see a difference between a personal vision and an elevator speech. If that’s the case, maybe the rest of this won’t make much sense to you either.
I’d like to suggest that the difference is quite important. It is the difference between an anti-humanist, Hegelian approach to people (people are what they do and their value is defined in ‘draft horse’ terms) and a humanist approach (people are who they are and what they have the potential to become and amaze) – and that is the difference between an instrumental approach towards the people you meet (their only worth what they can do for me) and an approach which relishes the incredible variety of a human experience and sees each meeting as yet another chance to experience that diversity (wow, another human being – and they’re different and potentially very interesting!).
So to be clear and at least for me, an elevator speech is about what a person does while a personal vision is about who they are. And that is true whether I am talking about mine, yours or anybodies.
One of the reasons that many individuals reflexively resort to an elevator speech as a substitute for a personal vision is that developing a personal vision takes reflection on who you have been and what you most dream of becoming. And that is heavy lifting.
Importance of Having a Personal Vision that You Can Communicate
At the beginning of any relationship, I am always more interested in a person’s personal vision. I suppose that tendency comes from an insatiable curiosity about people and who they are. I am simply fascinated by the incredible diversity of the ways humans find to make their way through life.
Like most, I am attracted to people who seem to have a clear idea of who they are and where they are going. Clarity doesn’t always turn out to be either accurate or appropriate but it is an indicator of possibilities.
The truth is that it’s a very good idea to have a well-based and detailed personal vision because it makes you both an easier person to meet and a more interesting one to engage with. A clear and compelling vision can help you successfully enter into productive relationships more easily and quickly. The ability to say “this is who I am and where I am going” provides a clarity that circumvents tendencies towards wandering or non-productive time wasting.
On the personal side, a well-based personal vision can help you move forward with confidence and inspire those around you to help you reach your dreams. It will also help you be more satisfied with your life and get the most out of mentoring relationships. You will be seen as a person that has taken their own destiny and future in hand. And here is the danger – if you don’t have a strong personal vision, you are going to find that others have taken to planning and directing your life for you. You may find, some years down the road, that you have been a passenger in your own life’s journey? Unless you are determined to accumulate regrets … but then it is your decision.
At it’s core …
A personal vision statement is a description of, and plan for achieving, what you want to create of yourself and the world around you.
So what does this vision include? It is a combination of a fearless assessment of what is; an equally fearless assessment of what is possible and finally a determination and plan to make the journey.
I am often amazed at how many people fail miserably at the first of these. My experience has been that most people are much more substantial than they give themselves credit for. Many of my coaching engagements start with, and dwell extendedly on, a personal inventory that more accurately reflects reality. Sometimes the conversation goes like this:
Me: ‘You have much more to offer than you are giving yourself credit for!’
Client: ‘No – you are wrong – I am less than you see!’
Me: ‘You deserve much more than you are settling for!’
Client: ‘You are wrong. I don’t deserve even what I receive.”
Me: ‘Look around you. Your friends agree with me.’
Client: ‘What do they know? They are wrong. They don’t know me like I do.’
What is true in delusion seems truth in fact to the deluded
I remember being at a dinner in Scotland at which the after-dinner conversation had gravitated to the British kitchen. For those of you who have never been there, British kitchens and bathrooms are not only retro to an extreme but inadequate to civilized living. And the British tend to celebrate this inadequacy! The conversation had settled on the British vision of what was an adequate refrigerator. Again, for those of you who don’t know, in Britain it is what we would refer to as a dormitory unit – about a quarter the size of the average one in an American kitchen and quite primitive and inefficient.
As things heated up – I was arguing that the user of the kitchen deserved an adequate refrigerator. The natives (mostly the women) were arguing for the status quo. Then one woman suddenly interrupted. “Wait just a bloody minute,” she said, “this bloke is arguing that we deserve better and we are responding with a loud ‘no we don’t deserve better.’ Come to think of it, I like his side better.”
Most often the evolution of a new personal vision begins with an acceptance that you deserve better than what you’ve been settling for
Creating a Personal Vision – First Steps
The first step in creating a new personal vision is conducting an accurate and thoroughgoing assessment. In another article I will deal with implementation. Right now making the assessment is the focus. Here are just some questions that you might develop answers to (there are lots more and you should develop and continually revise your own customized list):
Sources of Personal Fulfillment
- What is important to me in my life?
- What do I really enjoy doing?
- What brings me happiness?
- What brings me a sense of accomplishment or mastery?
- What are the things that I most proud of having achieved?
- What are the issues or causes that I care deeply about?
- What could I see myself doing for the rest of my life?
Sources of Irritation and Blocking
- What am I tolerating?
- What am I constantly procrastinating about?
- What really drives me nuts?
- How is my life out of balance?
- What keeps happening to me that I would rather avoid?
- What are the recurring patterns in my life that I need to change?
- What bothers me most about other people and why?
Personal Strengths and Potentials
- What are the things I can do at the good-to-excellent level?
- What are the things that I am willing to learn to do at a good-to-excellent level?
- Where is my depth of experience?
- What are my strongest interests and passions?
- What value do I bring to a relationship that tends to be unique?
- Who do I know that I can team with to provide excellence in service to others?
- What can I commit to and reliably maintain that commitment?
Personal Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities
- What would I like to stop doing or do as little as possible?
- What are my blind spots – what mistakes do I seem to keep making over and over?
- How do I sabotage my future possibilities?
- How is the way I treat others keeping me from developing enduring and mutually productive relationships?
- What don’t I seem to be able to understand about my life and its present course?
Personal Goals and Dreams
- What kind of a person would I like to become in three or four years?
- How about in ten or fifteen years?
- When I dream about who I might become, who is that?
- What would I like to be known for?
- What would I like to be remembered for?
- What do I dream about contributing to the lives of others?
- What successes are important to me?
Facing Your Self and Asking Others for Help
It is important to keep in mind that developing answers to the questions above is the first step in making things better. You must avoid having this ‘conversation with the mirror’ descent into an orgy of self-criticism. That complete waste of time is simply an avoidance based most often on the highly erroneous assumption that you are not worth the effort. Unless you are willing to start with the fact that you are and that the more honest and supportive you are of your interests the better the results will be, why bother?
Also, your first responses are likely to be either fairly facile and self-serving in a maudlin way or corrosive and self-depreciating. It is going to go better if you break the process into shorter working sessions with a bit of time for reflection in between.
Copy the questions from this column and paste them onto a new page. Make sure that you add ones that you think are important and re-word all of them in ways that seem to make more sense to you. Develop first cuts at answers to each and then put them away. Leave them alone for a couple of days and go back and revisit each.
Once you have done this choose a couple of friends and share the answers with them. Ask them if your responses accurately reflect who you are and listen to their responses carefully. There is an old saying, ‘you never know how you look until you get your picture took.’ Your friends should provide you with that reality check and help you produce a well based assessment.
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If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? Yogi Berra
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Make the effort – your life depends on it!
© Dr. Earl R. Smith II
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Related Articles:
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Finding Meaning Without Manufacturing Meaning
-
Making the Possible Probable
-
Finding a Mirror – Realizing
-
Change Aversion – Coming to Terms
-
Balancing Work and Life
-
Decisions, Decisions
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29 Responses to “Creating a Personal Vision – First Steps”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Kay Sever wrote:
A personal vision describes a future state that will probably be achieved by changing “something”. Going through the motions of creating a personal vision implies that we have accepted the possibility of change as one of the non-negotiable ingredients to achieve the vision. Digging deeper, I believe that 1) our desire for change is triggered by a change in beliefs or paradigms that “rearranges” our priorities, and 2) a change in priorities may occur in an instant when something unknown becomes known. Using strategies to reveal unknown possibilities and barriers to success may be the single greatest catalyst for intentional change and accomplishing our goals; it is the cornerstone of my work when partnering with clients, speaking to audiences, or looking for new insights and answers to problems that never seem to go away.
Jose L Perez wrote:
A different twist: focus on your personal interests, goals, and strengths. Fill any gaps to your goals with other people who share your interests and goals and whose strengths complement your weaknesses. In other words, expand your vision beyond yourself. I realize it doesn’t sound as personal, but it can accelerate our progress and make it more fun!
Thanks to all for a series of great comments.
Paul, I think the central point needs to be that change is an unavoidable factor of living. It’s not that people need to embrace change – change occurs whether they embrace it or not. It is a question of whether or not they have anything to say about the direction and pace of that change. No one can control all of the change in their life – we do, after all, grow older without our permission. But the self-understanding that identifies ‘true north’ and a vision based on the self-understanding can nudge the process in a more efficacious direction.
Sandeep, I agree as long as the dream is well based in self-knowledge. I encounter people all the time who think they are Gandhi or Christ. A vision is a four dimensional map of sorts. The question is not whether you have one – it is whether the one you have is the right one for you.
Mark, You make a good point that is particularly relevant in these current times. To trade a vision for a tactical plan focused on survival is a tragedy – one that is occurring all to frequently today. i suspect that it is signaling the death of a much larger dream for some.
Dr. Smith
Mark Sohl wrote:
I like the article and I agree that people are too critical in their personal assessment. The discussion about dreams is interesting and challenging depending on the individual’s current state of mind. Many who are currently unemployed have traded dreaming for a very tactical hunt for food, water and shelter. Unfortunately, it hurts their potential and creates self imposed obstacles. The realty is that dreams can only begin again when they have re-established a position that fills the basic survival needs.
Sandeep Trehan wrote:
Dr Smith …It is a very good article..I am sharing this with my freinds.Thoughts expressed by Paul are real and are part of the Creating a dream.I consider that one should always feel confident whatever he decides to do …there are enough opportunities
Isabelle Billet wrote:
Dr. Smith. Your article is excellent – just provide someone a first practical step to get to know oneself and establish a vission. It all start there
Regards
Isabelle
Ziaur Rahman wrote:
Personal visions are very hard to develop, especially in the turbulent economic climate. Somehow the visions that we intend to create for us can only be created given the country context that you are in….A very interesting example is the one cite for my 4 year 10 month son. His vision is to become an Astronaut, but we do not have space program in Bangladesh and I doubt if we are going to have one in the next 10-15 years. So, the issue of personal vision is context dependent and country dependent.
Ravindra Sharma wrote:
Thanks once again for sharing excellent thoughts.
Clarity to what one is seeking is absolutely crucial to reach anywhere.
Personally, I strongly believe “One can learn from almost everyone provided clarity of what to look for is in place.”
Don Ouchy wrote:
I enjoyed your article.
When I read your article I see the word “goal” as a more appropriate term.
“the best approach for creating personal vision” is not something I can relate to. You can develop a vision but IMO you can’t create one (you can only focus it).
True vision is a moment of clarity, a glimpse into the future of yourself. A truly great vision has the flash of genius that propels it into a kinetic vehicle within yourself. Thus I would agree with your article that understanding yourself is the first element in developing a personal vision for success – but only with whatever the vision has shown you. You have to have the vision first – you cannot just invent a good vision. Having a vision goes beyond having a “good idea”.
I would add that a person needs to realize that if the vision is professional they need to understand why it is worth pursuing and how it fits into the business they envision it for. From there one should know why there vision will succeed….not can succeed – will succeed. “Can succeed” is just a goal. “Will succeed” means believing with all your fiber that you have a vision and its different and better than the competition/market/or whatever the vision is for.
Know why you believe in your vision. Be honest in your evaluation that you DO believe in your vision! You must believe in your vision – be harsh in evaluating this step. Next, what gives your vision strength and makes you continue to pursue it? How “right” do you believe your vision is and why do you think so? How will you prove that?
Next step is understanding what the “visionary” can personally contribute to the vision. What is their role within their vision. How do they as an individual make the vision become a reality. This step requires exploring the vision to all potential ends.
If you have a truly great vision you need to see all of it. The beginning, the middle (success) and even the ending. If you want to be honest with your personal vision, know where it ends. Not just your limitations, but the limitations of the vision itself. Nothing lasts forever – what are the potential ends your vision might encounter – both before and after success is attained. Knowing this will help you live more comfortably within your vision.
Finally, what do you hope to gain personally from making your vision a reality. Why do you even care. You need to understand your own engine and motivation. Is there a financial marker you hope to achieve or a max level of satisfaction that will make the vision become tangible or dormant? Be harsh in determining “if you believe” in your vision and just as harsh determining “why you are pursuing it”.
Well thats my take. Again great article.
Melinda Sorensson wrote:
Hi, Dr. Smith,
Thanks. I got distracted by a couple of things that needed my attention right after I posted on this thread. I have not yet written it but I will let you know. It will be an honor for me if you would.
Warmest regards,
Melinda
Melinda, I hope my article will not dissuade you from writing yours. I look forward to reading it. Dr. Smith
DAN FOREMAN wrote:
Earl, I enjoy your work – you are the man.
Melinda Sorensson wrote:
I was just thinking of writing an article on increasing the synchronicities in life and voila here is your article.
I continue to enjoy your insights and the clear way you communicate your ideas.
Thank you for such clarity.
Melinda M. Sorensson
http://hubpages.com/profile/msorensson
Daniel Eng wrote:
Wise and experienced Thanks for your work. Be thankful everyday is a good start with the people around us and God
DAN FOREMAN wrote:
Earl, I enjoy your work – you are the man.
Melinda Sorensson wrote:
I was just thinking of writing an article on increasing the synchronicities in life and voila here is your article.
I continue to enjoy your insights and the clear way you communicate your ideas.
Thank you for such clarity.
Melinda M. Sorensson
Don Ouchy wrote:
I enjoyed your article.
When I read your article I see the word “goal” as a more appropriate term.
“the best approach for creating personal vision” is not something I can relate to. You can develop a vision but IMO you can’t create one (you can only focus it).
True vision is a moment of clarity, a glimpse into the future of yourself. A truly great vision has the flash of genius that propels it into a kinetic vehicle within yourself. Thus I would agree with your article that understanding yourself is the first element in developing a personal vision for success – but only with whatever the vision has shown you. You have to have the vision first – you cannot just invent a good vision. Having a vision goes beyond having a “good idea”.
I would add that a person needs to realize that if the vision is professional they need to understand why it is worth pursuing and how it fits into the business they envision it for. From there one should know why there vision will succeed….not can succeed – will succeed. “Can succeed” is just a goal. “Will succeed” means believing with all your fiber that you have a vision and its different and better than the competition/market/or whatever the vision is for.
Know why you believe in your vision. Be honest in your evaluation that you DO believe in your vision! You must believe in your vision – be harsh in evaluating this step. Next, what gives your vision strength and makes you continue to pursue it? How “right” do you believe your vision is and why do you think so? How will you prove that?
Next step is understanding what the “visionary” can personally contribute to the vision. What is their role within their vision. How do they as an individual make the vision become a reality. This step requires exploring the vision to all potential ends.
If you have a truly great vision you need to see all of it. The beginning, the middle (success) and even the ending. If you want to be honest with your personal vision, know where it ends. Not just your limitations, but the limitations of the vision itself. Nothing lasts forever – what are the potential ends your vision might encounter – both before and after success is attained. Knowing this will help you live more comfortably within your vision.
Finally, what do you hope to gain personally from making your vision a reality. Why do you even care. You need to understand your own engine and motivation. Is there a financial marker you hope to achieve or a max level of satisfaction that will make the vision become tangible or dormant? Be harsh in determining “if you believe” in your vision and just as harsh determining “why you are pursuing it”.
Well thats my take. Again great article.
Sheeba Vyas wrote:
Hi Dr. Earl ,
Its a wonderful piece of information. Vision pays an important role in a persons life.
Successful people don’t believe in luck,they create their own success by having a vision and setting out to achieve it.A vision need neither be worthy in the eyes of other people nor huge and unwieldy. But at the same time our goals should be stretching while at the same time being achievable.
You can get more insights on similar topics here: http://toostep.com/startup-world . You can also ask me for an invite for any particular community on TooStep.
Regards,
Sheeba Vyas
Brandon Roger wrote:
All interesting comments regarding this article. I have been teaching a course in Strategic Planning in Healthcare at Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs for many years. The first assignment in the class is to write a personal mission, vision, and values statement; assuming if one can draft these three documents for themselves they can then transfer the competency to drafting similar statements for business units. The results have been fascinating – this appears to be the first time students have been asked to develop their personal professional mission, vision and values (and this is a 400 level undergrad course).
My primary comment in deference to all those who have made comments is that a personal or professional vision statement should retain the basic prerequisites for a vision statement – the big, hairy, audacious goal that serves as (1) a stretch for the individual to accomplish, (2) where that individual hopes to be positioned in three to five years, and (3) functions as a focal point for personal or professional endeavors during that time period. Most importantly, the personal vision statement should reflect where the writer believes s/he will be at the end of the three to five years. In many ways, I believe the discourse presented by other responders is closer to a personal mission statement than vision statement.
This may appear to be semantics, but in the course of active learning it is much deeper. Personal mission is why one exists while vision is a journey in the short term. Both are necessary for real introspection and before one can share their talents, time, and energies with others.
brandonaroger.com
Kay Sever wrote:
A personal vision describes a future state that will probably be achieved by changing “something”. Going through the motions of creating a personal vision implies that we have accepted the possibility of change as one of the non-negotiable ingredients to achieve the vision. Digging deeper, I believe that 1) our desire for change is triggered by a change in beliefs or paradigms that “rearranges” our priorities, and 2) a change in priorities may occur in an instant when something unknown becomes known. Using strategies to reveal unknown possibilities and barriers to success may be the single greatest catalyst for intentional change and accomplishing our goals; it is the cornerstone of my work when partnering with clients, speaking to audiences, or looking for new insights and answers to problems that never seem to go away.
Jose, Thanks for the comment. Your point is well taken. I have found that people pushing innovation are almost always having fun. Dr. Smith
Jose L Perez wrote:
A different twist: focus on your personal interests, goals, and strengths. Fill any gaps to your goals with other people who share your interests and goals and whose strengths complement your weaknesses. In other words, expand your vision beyond yourself. I realize it doesn’t sound as personal, but it can accelerate our progress and make it more fun!
Paul Jones wrote:
Dr. Smith, you made my point with your reply. Change is an unavoidable fact of life. It is how one copes with the changes that allows them to live their dreams. Today the dreams may be just of surviving, paying the bills, keeping their home and job. Tommorrow the dreams will be larger based upon their successes today. The real question is, If this is where I am today, what is my plan for getting from point A to point B.? In order to build a plan you have to have a committment and passion for wanting to change. Only then wiil one be able to appropriately complete a self-understanding and develop a vision for their future. Without a passion for accepting change one only stays in the Land of the Satus Quo (LOSQ) while hoping for the world to change for their betterment.
Regards, Paulj.
Thanks to all for a series of great comments.
Paul, I think the central point needs to be that change is an unavoidable factor of living. It’s not that people need to embrace change – change occurs whether they embrace it or not. It is a question of whether or not they have anything to say about the direction and pace of that change. No one can control all of the change in their life – we do, after all, grow older without our permission. But the self-understanding that identifies ‘true north’ and a vision based on the self-understanding can nudge the process in a more efficacious direction.
Sandeep, I agree as long as the dream is well based in self-knowledge. I encounter people all the time who think they are Gandhi or Christ. A vision is a four dimensional map of sorts. The question is not whether you have one – it is whether the one you have is the right one for you.
Mark, You make a good point that is particularly relevant in these current times. To trade a vision for a tactical plan focused on survival is a tragedy – one that is occurring all to frequently today. i suspect that it is signaling the death of a much larger dream for some.
Dr. Smith
Mark Sohl wrote:
I like the article and I agree that people are too critical in their personal assessment. The discussion about dreams is interesting and challenging depending on the individual’s current state of mind. Many who are currently unemployed have traded dreaming for a very tactical hunt for food, water and shelter. Unfortunately, it hurts their potential and creates self imposed obstacles. The realty is that dreams can only begin again when they have re-established a position that fills the basic survival needs.
Paul Jones wrote:
Isabelle, as mentioned in an earlier comment. The first step is a passionate committment to embracing a change in who we are. Please see my earlier comments.
Paulj.
Sandeep Trehan wrote:
Dr Smith …It is a very good article..I am sharing this with my freinds.Thoughts expressed by Paul are real and are part of the Creating a dream.I consider that one should always feel confident whatever he decides to do …there are enough opportunities
Isabelle Billet wrote:
Dr. Smith. Your article is excellent – just provide someone a first practical step to get to know oneself and establish a vission. It all start there
Regards
Isabelle
Paul Jones wrote:
Dr. Smith, interesting article. In general I agree with you and your thoughts. However, for anyone of us to really CHANGE, we do infact have to have a passion for really wanting to be something different than we are today. I agree that we first must take stock/inventory of ourselves to find our point A, but then inorder to create a personal vision (getting to point B) we need to DREAM. If we create a dream inventory of everything we want to do, accomplish, and be and then prioritize the list we can then begin to CREATE OUR VISION and a means to live our DREAMS. We need three things inorder to overcome our basic FEAR of embracing change. One is a PASSION, two is the PERSON and the third is a PLAN.
Regards, Paulj