Writing a 5 Year Vision Statement for 2009

By dougnau on Jan 4, 2009 in Consciousness, Goal Setting, Success, Tools

Background on Vision Statements

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been crafting vision statements in one form or another. As a child, I’d write out lists of the things that I’d like to see happening in the future, as I matured I began building out timelines containing all the things I would accomplish – a process which I still enjoy today. When I became a certified life coach I used some of the best ‘formal’ education that I had received on the topic to craft a model for writing a vision statement that I find to be extremely empowering.

For a full description of How to Write a Vision Statement, I suggest starting with the linked article presented here. The following document is my personal 5 year vision statement as of January 1, 2009. While you can write a vision statement any time of the year, the key to long term success is to revisit and read it frequently, and to make adjustments regularly over time such that it suits your changing needs and desires. For me, that means adjusting the vision statement in writing annually. You can use this vision statement as an example of how one can be written, and potentially to get some ideas for yourself.

I’ve been formally writing vision statements now for 3 years in this format. While its important to have a vision for the short and long term (including moving later into our years and into retirement), I’ve found the vision writing process to be most powerful when written 1 year and 5 years out. After 5 years, I’ve found that the vision is too vague to provide guidance in today’s life. The one year vision brings home the feeling of accomplishment to the near future.

Doug’s 5 Year Vision Statement (January 1, 20014) – Written January 1, 2009

This has been an amazing holiday season. Right now we’re sitting at our beautiful tropical getaway complete with ocean view and beach access, and I am listening to the waves crash in the warm winter month of January – yes, I love it. My wife and the kids are enjoying a school break (amazing they are already in school now), and I am personally making this a vacation mixed in with a few hours of work – so great that I can work remotely when needed. Purchasing this 2 bedroom tropical getaway was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I love it! Fortunately we’ve had a good chance to spend a decent amount of time here as well!

Life is incredible. The kids are growing like weeds – they love the ocean, tennis, family, and are what you’d undoubtedly call ‘good kids’. We’ve a strong family connection and I just love spending time with them. We also spend a lot of time with my brother and his wife now. They have taken in the family like they were their own, and our son and daughter love going to ‘the farm’ to visit them. My brother’s even got them working on becoming fisherman :O).

The circle we live on is as vibrant and exciting as ever. A lot of the neighbors that were here 5 years ago are still here today. Its such a great place to raise kids that its hard to leave. My wife and I spend more time ‘away’ at our home away from home than we have in the past, but our lives are still based out here in Lincoln. And I’ve no regrets – in fact the whole neighborhood (not just our place) has really grown up. Its a beautiful, quiet and friendly place to raise a family – as it always was.

Now that we’ve got several rental properties (all profitable), my eyes are always open for our next home. Its not a necessity, but having a few extra square feet could be nice (ie: for a workout room/extra guest room), and perhaps we’ll do this if we found the perfect place. But for now, I really love it here and am not terribly anxious to move. We’ve continued to add to the home – and its got years of love and energy put into it.

The stock market’s picked back up – which has done wonders for our investments back in stocks, property, and retirement accounts. The 2-3 years of the downturned economy were a huge opportunity for us to buy up cheap stocks and cheap places, and we were able to get in at the ‘right time’. Our wealth accrual is not rocket science, just a clarity of focus which I’ve had on real estate, my work at Sutter Health, and The Personal Growth Network.

Sutter and The Personal Growth Network are very exciting. I’ve transitioned with Sutter to a position that was essentially crafted for me. I spent several years really honing my skills as a wellness coach and I love the coaching environment. My job with SHP now is coaching coaches (the programs really a different animal compared to what it looked like 5 years ago!), and directing special projects. That began with the PAMF project back in 2009, and has evolved to special programs which require my unique project management skill set. I still love the work, and it supports my passion with my personal business.

The Personal Growth Network has evolved into just that – a network of personal growth enthusiasts. The focus is broken into the six components of wellness (really six components of personal growth), and experts contribute to the site regularly. I’ve become the expert author, website manager, and authority on the model, and allowing others to build their own profiles and contribute has blossomed the site into something much bigger than I could have ever done on my own. Best of all – everything I’ve done has been 100% funded by the earnings the site has generated. Now the revenue is substantial, netting over 6 figures per year! I love the content and the message that it is spreading. As the face of The Personal Growth Network, I’ve been interviewed numerous times and have written many articles for resources well beyond my website – this is exciting, and using the power of the net has been a huge part of my success (remote work is awesome!)

My health is as good as ever and I still say a prayer every night thanking this world for the opportunity it has presented to me with the cure for CML. 39 years old and I’ve got so much to celebrate with my amazing family and every experience that I’ve had in life. I am still working out 4-5x/week, and I’ll continue this for as long as I live. Its fun now to involve the kids with some things like this – particularly on the courts!

Our son is 5 years old, and our daughter is 6.5 years old. This age is so fun – they love to go out and experience new things. The 3 of us frequently go to the Rivercats game, we go to movies, do lots of things outdoors and they even help with the yard work! What a very cool age for them to be. We continue to love every age that they are at, right now is the best ever (I am sure I’d of said the same a couple years ago)!

I continue to live the life that I preach – particularly that of personal growth and development. Sutter’s generously paid now for me to have certifications such as a PCC, Certified Wellness and Nutrition consultant, Stress Management Consultant, and many more (such as certificates in positive psychology, SBFT, which have been a mix of online courses as well as seminars attended). I’ve always got something going and its both fodder for ideas on the personal business, and its improving my ability to coach within the Sutter environment and makes me a more rounded employee. Not to mention they like that I’ve got an MBA for the work that I now do. I also enjoy going to meetings with other coaches and I am actively involved with Sac Coaches and other ICF groups. I continue to have a bigger and stronger presence in the wellness movement, and name recognition has become a valuable asset to Sutter, and my personal work. I am thrilled to say that I’ve been able to do all this, while maintaining a balance in life – something that has always been a priority for me.

My wife and I have such a wonderful relationship that has just strengthened with time. We both love the kids so much and love each other – its really a perfect little family unit we have. She’s still working 3 days a week, which is great for her, and its a pattern we see keeping up for a while. She has more flexibility with vacation and time off than even before, so she’s really pleased – and the office loves her because she produces well. We’re still very close with the office team who remain the same as when we first moved to this area.

Well, I could write for days, but the beach is calling – the kids want to hit the water, and I could use a few rays myself. Our family is blessed and I live life with gratitude for the blessings we receive each and every day.

Learnings

As you can see from the vision statement presented above, I do my best to craft a specific picture that is compelling and exciting. One of my biggest learnings however, is to embrace the moment. As important as thinking about the future is, we live in the now. Be clear of your vision and strive for it – all the while striving to love the journey. Please comment with the parts of your vision that you are excited to share!

Be Well