Written by: Elena Manole, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, a team player, or a stay-at-home parent, it’s important to have a vision you work towards on a daily basis in order to live a fulfilling life. If living with intention is something you are passionate about then, look no further. So, let’s dive deep into the five steps you need to take to shape your life vision. And remember, as always, being open to the unexpected is essential in living a satisfying life.
1. Create a value system that will guide you through the process.
We all have ideas of what we like and what we don’t in life, what we stand for. We all believe in or have a certain idea of what life should look like (or even better, how people should behave). A great way of starting to define what you want to create in your life and work on is to start on drafting a value system.
A value system is a system of established values, norms, or goals existing in your life.
Your value system will help you when you’ll be in two minds about a decision to make, a “No” to say. It will help you define your priorities and guide you every time you embark on a project or enter a new relationship/friendship, etc.
And here are some questions you can ask yourself:
What do I deeply believe to be true?
Which type of lifestyle brings the best out of me?
What does it mean to live with intention?
What makes my days joyful?
When do I feel the most alive?
How do I want to show up to my relationships, to myself, to the environment I live in, my country?
What style of team dynamic do I work best in?
2. Tap into your intuition and ask yourself what will bring you the most joy?
After having your core value system, you’ll have a compass upon which to draft your ideas of what a life lived with intention looks like.
In order to be guided by the most powerful and pure thoughts, you’ll want to clear your mind of everyday problems and worries and enter a space of serenity and joy. For this, find a quiet space, turn all your notifications off (or even better, switch off your phone), do some deep breathing and relax.
After you reach a certain level of relaxation, think of your values and what type of life you’d live if you’d let them guide your decision process. How would you spend your time? Who would be the people you’d like to interact with? What hobbies would you pursue? Where would you live?
This process will get you in the mood of creating a vision for your life if only you trust your uniqueness and your inner voice.
3. Start concretising the vision with goals and end dates.
Following step 2 will allow you to tap into a world of a stream of possibilities that will inform your vision.
Once you feel satisfied and you have a clear picture of what your life would look like if you were to follow your value system, start putting thoughts into action.
For this you’ll need pen and paper and a lot of trust :).
Write down what you saw in your visualisation in terms of
Hobbies/ Fun and recreation
People to connect with (Friends and Family)
Work/Career
Romance
Home/ Physical Environment
Finances
Health
Personal Growth
This is often known as the wheel of life. Use the graph below to assess where you are and where you would like to be.
Write down goals connected with each area of your life. What does a 10 look like in your FInances area? What about hobbies? Friends and families?
When doing this process it is a good practice to start putting down some specific goals you would like to achieve in order for that vision to materialise.
It's a very typical reaction to say that one's only vision within life is to maintain enough work/life balance so as to not be totally miserable. Ask yourself this. What sense of broader scope can be achieved even in the smallest sense? What goals can be set in order to give certain people the feeling that they are doing something within their lives even with certain limitations in mind? Does one have a realistic target that is broadly achievable and realistic within a certain time frame? Then go for it. There is nothing stopping individuals from thinking this away beyond their preconceived mindset.
4. Put dates in your calendar, ask someone to keep you accountable and show up for yourself.
At this point, the only thing that will hold you back is the resistance to change and to live a better life. For this we’ll have to use some tricks (trust me, they are all worth it).
First of all, open your calendar and write down all the dates for events, things you want to do and things you want to achieve. Set soft deadlines for yourself and share them with a trusted friend. Don’t involve anyone who might crush your inspiration. Creating a strong network support is essential in realising your vision. And in this, keeping false cheerleaders aways is essential!
Learn how to set priorities and respect them. Be ok with setbacks and find solace in sharing with friends and people who are on the same path. Having a coach is highly recommended, but I’m not the best one to suggest that (being a coach myself!).
5. Learn to say no
Why should this be a step in shaping your vision? Because saying no to some opportunities from others means that you will say yes more often than not to your own life and vision.
There is definite value in having a circle of friends and colleagues who know your skill sets well enough to have input on what might benefit individuals in their work life and career. That said individuals are ultimately the people that will have to live with the decisions within their lives. The power to say no and distance oneself from the power to make bad decisions one can't come back to or learn from is a hugely important life skill.
Bonus step: Learn to stay in the present moment.
Remember I mentioned the unexpected in the introduction? Well, living one’s life vision means that we will be focused most of the time. Being in the present moment will help us distinguish between distractions and great opportunities. There is nothing more frustrating than letting go of a great opportunity just because we were too busy executing our plan. And there is nothing worse than constantly being distracted by various opportunities. Learning how to stay in the present moment and distinguish between these two will be essential in living a life based on intention. I trust you can make the right call :)
For additional support and guidance on living a life with intention, visit my website elenamanole.com or get in touch at hello@elenamanole.com
Elena Manole, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Elena is a time management and productivity coach. She teaches female entrepreneurs how to bring more balance to their life and structure their days so that their priorities are on top of their list. Her clients thrive on accountability and clarity as well as compassion and gentleness. Elena is a hands-on productivity teacher passionate about all things done in a mindful way. She helps her clients fulfil their deepest visions and desires without sacrificing anything in their life. Today she lives her vision and makes a point to remind herself, and her clients, that living a life based on values means that we don't have to wait for the next goal to be reached in order to be happy and fulfilled.
