To have a richer life, we need to focus on what it’s important to us. Every decision we make needs to be aligned with what we want for our future, or else we can end up in a different life. Most of people go to through life improvising and going with the flow. Although there is nothing wrong with that, we can thrive to optimize this process by having a North Star to guide ourselves. A vision can be the compass to guide us through life.

There is no favorable wind for the sailor who doesn’t know where to go - Seneca

A personal vision document is a place where you write down the vision you want for your life in the future. By doing a personal vision document, we can have a more detailed visualization of what it’s essential to us. Being intentional and mindful about what we want to be, to have and to experience. We will start by using those 3 verbs to brainstorm our vision.

How having a vision can benefit your life:

1. It gives you focus areas of improving yourself
2. It shows you what really makes you happy
3. It inspires you for your next objectives in life like financial goals or experiences you want to live
4. It gives the superpower of being focused in a world with an overload of information and distractions.

🕶 How to create a vision document by using the 3 verbs: to be, to have and to experience

To start off with our vision, we need to have a brainstorm to extract from our mind and our past what it’s influential to us and also what we intend to achieve in the future. I like to use the three verbs: to be, to have and to experience. This way I have a framework in which I can brainstorm. I use a notebook to write down (writing down in paper help me focus and be mindful). I write the verb in the middle of the page and write the words that come to my mind around it. Each word has additional things we can use as references. Let’s start by the first verb: to be.

🙋‍♀️ To be: how you see yourself in the future

In this page, I write down all the characteristics that I see myself having in the future. These traits have to be intrinsic of me and not related to anything outside. For example:

calm, focused, patient, slim, strong, courageous, charming, healthy, brave, responsible, smart, cult

Other thing you can do in this section is to provide a list of people that you admire and want to be more like. Example:

Tim Ferris, Annie Duke, Isaac Asimov, Nietzsche

This section gives you an outline of what to focus on yourself. Changing oneself can be a tricky thing because it involves thinking and acting differently. It also implies that you have to invest your time in yourself with activities solely purposed to change your mind. Those activities can be: reading, thinking, writing, talking, giving and receiving feedback, reflecting on the past, observing others acting. Those activities mean to change your mind.

🚗 To have: what do you want to own in the future

In this page, you have to focus on things that really make a difference in your life. Try to remember what things you bought that you loved and were a great purchase. Would you buy that thing again? If the answered is a solid yes, then add here. Try to project in the future thinking about the patterns of previous purchases. Also list words that relate to how you think about having stuff. Example of words:

less is more, minimalism, comfort, freedom, enough to help people around me, style, hobbies

Reference of things I bought:

kindle, smartphone, MacBook, soccer ball, comfortable chair, Nintendo Switch, desk, clothes that I love to wear

This section can give your next financial goals and also change how you deal with your material possessions. If you want to be a more minimalist, try starting to eliminate from your life what’s not really necessary. If you wish to have enough to help others, try to think how much that is and how can you achieve it in a timely fashion.

🏄‍♂️ To experience: what do you want to have done in the future

In this section, we think about experiences: events that are ephemeral and just live beyond as memories. You can also think about routines and daily/weekly/annual experiences. Examples:

travel, party, have deep conversations, love someone, feel adrenaline, write, think, exercise, learn, taste, smell, explain, study

You can add concrete references:

write a song, give a party, travel to Japan, have a deep conversation with friends, taste new food, write an article, watch a great movie

Having this list, we can plan out how and when are going to those things. Bigger things like travels and expensive experiences can become financial goals. Routine items can become part of a lifestyle planning where you incorporate into your life.

🧭 Conclusion: the full picture of your life

This activity has given me a full picture of what I love and appreciate in life. This vision can now guide me in my future decisions. For example: what should I do next weekend? Thinking that one of my words in the to experience category is party, I should then throw a party for my friends where we may have deep conversations. Another example of decision that may branch out of the vision: in any of my areas, I gave any word related to using social medias. I can avoid thinking about using them because they are not aligned with my personal vision for my life.

In an era of information load, being focused on what it is essential can be a superpower. While people go through life confused and overwhelm, you can go through the optimal path to achieve your ideal life. You can eliminate what’s not part of that and have more time and freedom for the beautiful and amazing.