A coaching client connected with me because their business hit a plateau. They were one of the top businesses in their market, earning a great income, things started to feel a bit stale.

For a few years, they set goals for the business. Those goals aimed to grow the business and each year the business stayed the same.

The client was frustrated with the lack of growth. They had not been able to “goal” their way to break the ceiling of achievement.

While they had goals – good, sound goals – what they lacked was a vision for the future that was real and compelling that pulled them forward.

A vision combines the ideal qualities of the person who you want to be in the future, the activities and focus you would engage in with qualities and the things that you want to have or accomplish as a result of those qualities and actions. As important, a vision is a future that you can see, hear and feel as if it were true today.

Future Qualities and Characteristics

As the common cliche goes, Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest because he won championships, he’s the greatest because he’s Michael Jordan. Jordan was the most competitive player in the NBA. He not only wanted to win, he wanted to dominate. He also demanded excellence. That informed his practice and how he pushed his team. NBA analyst Kenny Smith has said that Jordan is the only player whose weakest part of their game entering into the NBA was his strongest when he retired.

Jordan won because of immense talent, yes. Yet, it was his qualities that drove him to be the greatest.

Jordan’s qualities made him the best basketball player. Consider what qualities would make you the best and most ideal version of yourself. Kindness, determination, conscientious, tenacious, loving, steady, joyful. Those are examples. What are the ones – regardless if you feel like you currently possess those now – they would allow you to be your ideal self in the future.

Your North Star

North stars are sometimes mistaken for goals. Instead of being something tangible, it provides a guiding direction.

Back to Jordan. He wanted to be the greatest basketball player. Reality is, no one can be the best ever. There’s no way to pinpoint how we’d award that. It’s not championships: Jordan has six and Bull Russell has 11. It isn’t a skill. It would be hard to argue the skill sets of today’s elite pros are as good, seeing as the talent level as a whole is vastly better than in Jordan’s day.

Find the thing that drives you forward and points you in the right direction. Is it being an inspiring leader, the best parent and partner for your family, ending world hunger, leaving a legacy? 

What drives you to be your best and illuminates your path so you know you’re going the right direction.

Big Future Accomplishments

If I asked you to close your eyes and dream about all the things you want and accomplishments you’d like to experience, what would you list off? The caveat is that you cannot be constrained about what seems feasible today or even have a plan of action to make that someday dream happen.

Just brainstorm on what you want in the future.

It’s a simple exercise that is not necessarily easy. We often don’t allow ourselves to “go there” because on the surface it might seem too far-fetched. Doing this work allows you to think bigger and see yourself on the other side of being the person with your ideal characteristics and following your north star.

Create Better Goals

Now that you a) know the ideal qualities you want; b) the north star that you want to follow; and c) some of the big dreams you want to accomplish, you have a compelling future that you can take steps towards today.

For example, in 10 years you want to be semi-retired (i.e. not having to work for money), with a house at the beach you spend 1/2 you time while creating a wake of millionaires in your path, what step to you need to take this year to put you on that track? What business results does this necessitate? What provisions do you need to set-up in order to ensure you are helping to build wealth for the people in your world?  How do you need to manage and invest your money differently to set you up for that beach house?

Notice how your goals become better because there’s greater reasons and consequences for going after them. Then, when the obstacles and problems arise during the year, you’ll have more internal drive and desire to do what it takes to overcome.

That client who created the big vision for themselves and though deep into the future, is working toward seeing that future come to fruition. Is it easy? Of course not. In fact, it’s hard. Yet they are on cusp of breaking through what they once questioned as possible. That is the power of using your vision to craft and create your goals.