As we are in the homestretch of 2023, it’s time to start casting a vision for the upcoming year. With only two months left, and the holidays quickly approaching, we need to be intentional about carving out time to think about what we really want, and what our next level looks like.
Too often I see people waste away the opportunity to get crystal clear on what they truly desire, what they want to call in, and how they need to show up in order to align with that.
When we just let life go by, and let our life unfold by default, we end up shortchanging ourselves of our best and most fulfilling lives.
Most people, if they even take time, set goals for the sake of setting goals.
Or, they cast New Year’s resolutions when January rolls around, merely completing a checklist. The problem with this is that there is no intrinsic reason to motivate them for real, meaningful, and sustainable change.
It’s one of the reasons I think New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time (I’ll write more about that later), and that when we simply create goals for the sake of goals, we are missing the opportunity entirely.
Goals need substance. And, they need context.
It’s one of the reason I have my clients take a step back before even identifying what their goals or objectives for the upcoming year are. I ask them to tell me the “who” they desire to be first.
Very similar to the Future Self process that Dr. Benjamin Hardy discusses in his book, 10X Is Easier Than 2X, where he highlights the proven strategic work of Dan Sullivan, I work with my clients to get clear on the WHO they need and want to be first.
WHO is the future version of them? Who do you visualize yourself becoming? What do you need to embody in order to bring that to life?
This is essential, and I love the way Dr. Benjamin Hardy talks about this.
He reminds us that the past, present, and future are all happening right now, simultaneously. Meaning the only thing real is the “now.”
We, however, are so accustomed, and conditioned, to bring the patterns of the past forward to create our reality and define our present. We tend to live in the past, or in the worry from future-projecting the worst-case “what ifs” and all that could go wrong. We play a tape of the past on repeat.
Thus, creating the same reality over-and-over again, on repeat. We spend our precious energy on what is done, or what hasn’t even happened.
It sounds a bit like the very definition of insanity.
When, in fact, we need to flip that script. It’s only when we use the present to give meaning to our past that we can then cast a vision for our future.
When we cast that vision, we then can bring our Future Self into the present to make better decisions. This is the WHO that starts the process of strategic thinking. As Wayne Dyer so profoundly said:
“There is no could of, would of, should of. There is only what was and what is.”
When we realize that, we stop living in the past trying to rewrite history. And, we start living in the present, making choices from the vision of our higher future self, and thus, this is how you create meaningful change.
So, WHO do you want and need to be in the now?
When you can identify the WHO of you, you then are able to assess what the embodiment of that feels like and looks like. From there, you can then get clear on your goals, objectives, and priorities.
Once that foundation is in place, there are three core questions you need to answer for yourself to in order to get crystal clear on your vision.
These questions are what I refer to as your: WHAT, WHY and WHO.
So, let’s break these down … because when you can truly answer these for yourself, you can then be honest about what you need to bring your vision to life. It becomes a waterfall effect, where your vision gets more and more refined, and your clarity gets more and more granular.
Your What
The first question I have my clients answer once they know WHO they are and need to be, the WHO they get to embody for their Future Self, is:
What do you want to create, change, affect, influence, expand, and impact in your lifetime?
Or, better yet: What is your living legacy?
Living Legacy being more than what you leave behind when you exit this world (when you die). I’m actually talking about the way you leave people in every moment, every interaction, every engagement … in every breath you take (anyone else got the Police song now playing in your head? LOL).
For it’s the way we show up. It’s our presence. It’s our attention.
It’s the leadership, the compassion, the empathy, the kindness, the love, the forgiveness, and the grace we extend to ourselves and others.
It’s what Maya Angelou said:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
How are you leaving people, and making them feel?
What is you Living Legacy? How are you leading that forward?
Because, the catch is: you are either intentionally doing your Living Legacy, or your Living Legacy is doing you.
Your Why
The next question after establishing your WHAT, is your WHY.
WHY does the WHAT matter to you? (Notice I didn’t ask why does this matter to your spouse, kids, boss, community, parents, or anyone else. I asked YOU.)
This is your WHY.
This is where often times you need to go several layers deep in order to connect with your actual WHY, the one that is compelling and deeply inspires you. The WHY that will keep you in the game.
Because this is the WHY that keeps you motivated when you want to quit, when the going gets tough. This stops you from bailing on your dream.
I love to use the power of ikigai (a fantastic tool to help you get clear on your purpose) for this, along with another exercise that allows me to go at least seven layers deep to get into the nitty gritty core.
This is the WHY that, no matter what shows up or life throws at you, you still are going to do the thing.
You Who
And, lastly, we look at your WHO.
Who do you serve? Who is your message and work for?
Think about it: Who lights you up? Who energizes you? What are the characteristics and personality traits of the people you love to work with, love to surround yourself with, and feel most connected to?
Because the truth is you are not for everyone.
I like to think about this as if it were a dartboard. How do you get so laser focused on your WHO, that when you throw the dart it hits right smack in the middle of the board.
Or, think of it like a rock you toss into the river, that once it lands in the right spot, it creates concentric circles that ripple out, perfectly.
Start with the demographics of your WHO, then work you way down into a more granular assessment of the qualifiers, as well. Get super specific here. Or, at least as specific as you can. Exhaust a list of core values that are meaningful to you and feel like they are in alignment and integrity.
The more you know your WHO, the better equipped you are to execute on your vision and goals.
By taking time to assess these questions, you set yourself up with the foundational framework to help you identify your big rocks (or goals), then understand the strategies you need to employ to activate those goals.
From there, you can get into the tactical execution, accountability, and metrics to set yourself up for sustainable success.
Three simple questions: your WHAT, WHY, and WHO, will open up access for so much and get you 80% of the way there. The remaining 20% is all in how you consistently execute and hold yourself accountable.