Aileron was thrilled to host a Personal Vision Workshop in January to celebrate Founder’s Day and give our community guided time and space to explore their dreams. Nearly 200 community members participated in this workshop, and we heard an outpouring of positive feedback about it — so much so that we’re making the workshop materials available to the public.
For our community members who were unable to make it to our Personal Vision Workshop (or for those who attended and want to revisit the workshop’s content), we’ve included the materials and step-by-step instructions for developing your personal vision below
Personal visions vs. resolutions
Before we dive into the Personal Vision Workbook, consider for a moment the role a vision plays in relation to other personal growth tools like goals or resolutions.
While goal-setting and New Year’s resolutions can be powerful change agents for some people, often those goals are not connected to a larger vision. For example, you may set a goal to start a workout practice or give up a vice, but the vision that sits above that goal often holds more meaning.
The vision a level up from “workout more” might be “to be an energetic and agile parent who plays with my children daily.” The vision a level up from “quit caffeine” might be “to live a balanced life and cultivate a sense of inner peace.” In both cases, it is the vision that holds the significance and meaning; the goal, on the other hand, simply works in service of the vision.
Goals and resolutions can also cause too much focus on the day-to-day; a vision holds a longer-term view and uncovers the big-picture dreams for your life. The two work well together and expose opportunities to align your actions to a larger purpose and find deeper satisfaction in your life
How to use the Personal Vision Workbook
The goal of the Personal Vision Workbook is to give you a few tools to help you unpack a dream or vision you have in a specific area of your life. The workbook is an editable PDF, so you can complete this activity digitally or print out the pages and write on them.
Download the Personal Vision Workbook
Step 1: Assess important aspects of your life using the Wheel of Satisfaction
The Wheel of Satisfaction is a powerful tool for taking a step back from your life to assess how it’s going. Use the chart on page 4 to explore various facets of each aspect of your life.
When you’re ready, rate your current level of satisfaction in each of those aspects on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is complete dissatisfaction and 10 is complete satisfaction. Your ratings can help you decide which aspect of your life you want to focus on in your vision later.
Tip: If you want to dig deeper, turn to the back of the workbook. Included on pages 11-19 are additional wheels that dive deeper into the 8 core aspects. You can use these to further uncover which facets of your life are asking for your attention.
Step 2: Envision what could be different
On page 6, using all your senses, make some notes about what would be true in your life if you were fully satisfied in one or more areas of this wheel. You can explore all the areas in the wheel or pick a few that feel especially important.
Step 3: Draft a vision statement
Use the space on page 7 to craft a different vision statement for as many of these eight areas as you feel called to. Most vision statements begin with an infinitive verb (to live, to create, to be, to do, etc.), so if you get stuck, finding the right verb can be a good place to start.
To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few examples Aileron community members wrote during the Personal Vision Workshop:
- To lead a life built on quality relationships.
- To live life in the present, toward the future, looking back to understand.
- To live in spiritual alignment and embrace every day with an abundant mindset, a joyful perspective, a desire to intimately connect with others, and a visibly radiant zest for life.
- To be a positive influence to those I love, to my friends, and to those that I meet.
- To create fun through experiences as a husband, friend, and leader.
- To be more proactive in planning in my health and personal finance.
Tip: This is a great place to pull in a trusted friend, colleague, or loved one for an outside perspective. If you get stuck, consider sharing your dream with someone and asking them to reflect back to you what they heard.
Step 4: Move your vision forward
Page 9 provides space for you to document a plan for your vision as you identify a timeline, potential obstacles, and actions you can take to create momentum.
There are many other ways you can move your vision forward, too. Here are a few ideas:
- Display your vision: Document your vision somewhere in your home or office where you’ll see it regularly.
- Create a vision board: Design a collage of images that shows what your vision might look like when you fulfill it. You can do this digitally (consider making it your desktop background) or physically using printed photos or media clippings.
- Share your vision on social media: Invite your friends and peers to support your dream by sharing it on social media.
- Create a learning plan: Your vision might call you to learn something new or develop a skill. Consider what learning assets (books, online courses, peer communities, blogs, podcasts, etc.) you could learn from.
- Create a Board of Advisors: Aileron’s Founder Clay strongly believed every business — even a hotdog stand — needed a Board of Advisors to provide wisdom, feedback, and accountability. Create a Board for your dream. Who in your life do you trust to share your dream with? Who will share an honest perspective? How can you invite others into your dream?
- Work toward your vision with Leadership Coaching: Leadership Coaching is protected time and space for you to work toward your vision. Use this one-on-one structured environment to continue to articulate your vision, process how you can move toward it, overcome challenges standing in your way, and feel supported by Aileron Leadership Coach.
