How to Craft a Compelling Vision that Motivates You to Take Action

A powerful, compelling vision for the future has near-mythical powers.

I’m not much into the whole law of attraction stuff. If you follow a trail through history you can see just where that line of thinking came from– and it’s not from wisdom of any kind.

However, having said that, it’s incredibly difficult to realize any great achievement if you haven’t first crafted a vision in your mind of exactly where you want to go and what that will look like.

The reasons for this aren’t hard to see.

First, vision gives clarity. When you have clarity, you know not only where you’re going, but you also have a better idea of how to get there. And the more time you spend on this vision, your subconscious works to figure things out.

Second, vision compels us emotionally. Feelings such as relief, freedom, joy, and love are the most powerful of motivators and necessary tools to realize any great achievement.

Most people will never take the time to craft a compelling vision. It’s just the truth of the matter.

However, you’re different. You’re reading this because you already understand the importance of vision and you have things you’d like to achieve.

So, let’s get started.

In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.

– The Dalai Lama

Look back on the end of your life

In order for your vision to work, it needs to be incredibly compelling.

And one of the best ways to do that is to be clear about what you want the end of your life to look like.

Think about what people will say at your funeral. What did you accomplish? What kind of a person were you? What did you leave behind? What will your loved ones be left with after you’re gone– memory of your courage, the example of your kindness, or the impression of your many great achievements?

In other words, write your own eulogy.

List out the most important things you want to accomplish

Once you’ve taken a bit of time to steep yourself in this exercise, list out the things that immediately came to mind.

What would you regret not doing? Which thoughts created a strong emotional response in you? These are signs that points towards what you care the most about, and your vision should be crafted around these things.

Include the kind of person you want to be and the types of relationships you want to develop, not just the hard professional goals. We have a tendency to prioritize those things when setting goals, and don’t put enough time into the intangibles that are just as, if not more, important.

Put it all together (+ fill in the blanks)

At this point, you have a collection of compelling goals. To turn them into a powerful vision, you need to connect the dots. By doing so, you’ll create a complete and realistic picture of what your life could be.

Imagine a complete vision for your life. If, so far, you’ve listed compelling ideas that include your craft and family, add in your physical health, personal development, and your ideal physical environment. This will help for the next step.

Make it visual

So, far, your vision is nothing more than a few thoughts and some words on a page. But a vision is supposed to be, well, visual, so you need to make it so.

Collect imagery to match the various pieces of your vision. This is critical because the purpose of your vision is to imagine it in your mind clearly. Often, this is difficult for us to do (unless you have quite the imagination). Pictures help clarify everything and give us something concrete to place in our mind and build on.

This is why a vision board is useful, it sort of “brings life” to our vision. It’s not necessary,  but is highly suggested. The only thing that’s necessary is finding imagery you can then lock in your mind and use to craft your mental vision.

Identify the emotional components

Lastly, once you’re all done with your vision, in order to make it as powerful as possible you need to take some time to identify the primary emotional components of that vision.

For example, my personal vision includes:

• Freedom
• Joy
• Relief
• Love
• Fulfillment
• Wonder

These are the primary feelings associated with my vision. Right after reading my vision I run through these feelings and connect them with certain aspects of my vision to create a direct connection between what I visualize and my actions in the present.

That’s why this is the final step. It’s about identifying and reflecting on these emotional components that make your vision really compelling and motivate you to action.

Most people– of the few that actually do take the time to write down their goals or create a vision– aren’t aware of the importance of this, so they never do it.

A vision without this is missing all the magic. But a well-crafted vision with emotional elements clearly outlined and connected with specific goals and aspirations? That is a powerful tool for creating an incredible life.