Visioning Is an Important (Second) Step (Productive Flourishing Pulse #462)
Visioning Is an Important (Second) Step (Productive Flourishing Pulse #462)
Give yourself time to envision the future you want before you start planning how to get there
If you read the post on the Annual Reflection Mini-Guide, you saw that I highlighted visioning (or visualizing) as the second step and first skill to apply to do your best work, with the first step being a reflection to figure out where you are.1
Sometimes we get caught up in answering the “How” question before we’ve given enough TEA to the “What”, “Why,” and sometimes “Who” questions that the visioning process centers.
As I said in the “5 Must-Practice Skills” post,
Visualization is the skill of imagining the future state of the world you’ll bring about.
Imagining that future state requires us to answer those questions:
What: What’s the future state you imagine? What are you creating, organizing, and/or improving, and what change will it create in your life and the lives of those it touches?
The more explicit and detailed you can be here and the more tangible and evocative you can make your descriptions of what you’re creating, the easier job you’ll have turning that vision into component parts you’ll plan for and build. It’s hard to build what you can’t see and feel.
Why: This one can sometimes be hard to answer but it’s important. The stronger your “Why” the more internal fuel you’ll have to apply to your project, especially when you encounter the inevitable roadblocks and challenges on your way to finishing it.
You may have heard of an exercise called “The Five Whys.” It’s used in the business world to define root causes. But it can also help you dig down to the root or core reason — the core Why — you are pursuing this particular project in the first place.
Who: This is when you think about who benefits from that future state and are the beneficiaries in your success pack. Usually it’s you; often it’s others as well.
Make a list of those people (ideally individuals, but categories of people can work, too). Like the Why, these Whos fuel and support you as you’re deep in the throes of project world.
So before you dive into the nitty-gritty of planning your project, take some time to do some visioning and answer those questions for yourself on the project or projects you’re considering for the new year.
If you need additional support, upgrade to a paid subscription to:
Get immediate access to the Annual Reflection Mini-Guide.
When you’re ready to turn those visions and ideas into actionable plans, download the 2024 Momentum Planners.
When you’re ready to turn those visions and ideas into actionable plans, download the 2024 Momentum Planners.
Other News & Features
If the holidays and winter have left you needing a retreat from the day-to-day… and the thought of visioning 2024 have you needing a retreat to chart the next phase of your life, career, or business… Then join us in February on the beach in the Dominican Republic for our next Level Up Retreat.
It’s not too late to give a friend or family member the opportunity and support to envision, plan, and finish more of their best work — with a gift subscription to Productive Flourishing. Or gift yourself a paid subscription, if you haven’t yet.
Start your year off strong by locking in your quarterly objectives and creating a plan to achieve them. And if support and accountability would help with that, we’ve scheduled our first of four Quarterly Planning sessions for 2024. Upgrade your subscription to Pro and join us January 24, 2024, 11am PST.
Because of the Quarterly Planning session, there will be no Monthly Community Coaching Call in January. We’ll reconvene the MC3 on Wednesday, February 21, 11am PST.
Reads and Seeds
I'm pausing Reads and Seeds for a couple weeks, since I’m taking some time off for the holidays (eating my own cooking). I’ll be back with new recommendations in the new year.
If you were reading earlier this year, you may remember me talking about the wayfinding process. The first step is figuring out where you are and the second step is figuring out where you’re trying to go. I’ll replay that wayfinding series next year.