I hope “Lesson #1 Getting off the Ferris wheel and stepping onto the bridge” encouraged you to move forward this next year; and “Lesson #2 Are you dreaming dreams or seeing visions?” helped you to sort through the difference between the vision you are called to and the dream tools you think you need to accomplish it.
Today’s lesson gets very practical: Lesson #3 – Six steps to embrace your vision.
Goals are a good thing because they give you a destination to move towards. But destinations have no value if you don’t know how to get from where you are to where you want to be. Embracing your vision is much like planning a long road trip. You need to break it down into the daily drive that moves you closer to the destination, and plan for the daily provisions and expenses needed for that section of the trip.
So, what are the steps we need to take to embrace our vision?
1. Determine your destination. What is your vision? What is the big thing that you feel called to do? If you can’t seem to discover what direction to go talk to those closest to you, the ones that really know you. Choose individuals that you feel you can be vulnerable with and that you greatly trust. Ask them what talents and skills they think you have, what do they see as your contribution to your family, church, and community?
For me, my destination/vision is to build a ministry/business in three phases that 1) provides encouragement and inspiration to homemakers through blogging, 2) initiates instructional opportunities for women in the homemaking arts of cooking, canning, crafting, gardening, organizing, etc. and 3) produces quality, creative home-made product for sale.
2. Start listing and gathering the provisions you need to reach your destination. Do you need to take classes or lessons? Do you need tools or supplies? Do you need a business plan? Do you need financial assistance?
For me, I need to improve my blog writing and management skills, develop simple lesson plans for classes in the homemaking arts, start developing recipes and patterns that will become the products to be sold, learn the legal steps required to set up a food production business, and write a business plan.
3. Layout a plan and timeline for obtaining or creating the needed provisions. Look at the calendar for the next year and sketch out when you would like to have the provisions in place. Set at least tentative dates for completing classes, writing business plans, setting a budget, etc.
In this step it is very important to remember that you have more to your life than moving toward your vision. You have family and friends with whom you need to spend time. You may still have a full- or part-time job. You may have church or club commitments. These all need to be a part of your planning. Our lives are multi-faceted so the plans to fulfill our visions must include those many facets of our lives.
I am working on this as I develop my planner for this next year. I use a 3-month planner with a 12-month calendar. This allows me to keep big events and family celebrations on my radar while managing the daily details of all the various areas of my life and family. I know that I don’t need to list daily tasks for a Wednesday in September right now like I need to start formulating the daily task list for January 2nd (my first day back to work after Christmas break), but I do need to keep in mind that I have a Family Reunion the first week of August and need to plan for it. The road to my vision includes a full-time job, spending time with my family, and being active in my church.
4. Break your plan into monthly/weekly/daily manageable tasks. Get specific, i.e. write lesson plan for “how to can applesauce,” fill out application for business license, etc. Put these items on a master task list, and transfer them to your calendar when it is time to complete them. Be real with the amount of time you have to dedicate to these tasks. Overestimating what you an accomplish in small amounts of time will lead to discouragement.
5. Revisit, revise, and redirect as needed. We all want life to be an easy trip from point A to point B, but life is full of distractions, road blocks, and detours. Also, recognize that there may be more than one way to reach your vision.
6. Enjoy the journey! I am easily distracted by wanting to hurry the process. But I thank the Lord for the lessons He teaches me through my granddaughter about how to enjoy the journey! When we take walks, we meander, we stop to look at bugs and dirt, we enjoy the splash of the fountain, and more. It takes much longer than the “as the crow flies” route but is way more fun! Don’t become so focused on the destination that you miss the joy and wonder of the trip.
The planning steps to embrace your vision don’t take place just at New Year’s. They need to be a consistent part of your planning process. When you find that something isn’t working, let it go! Revisit the ultimate goal, look for a new path to get there, and start taking steps on the new path.
I pray that you have been inspired by these Lessons for the New Year. I would love to hear about your vision and how I can encourage you. Please click on this link to contact me and leave a message.
I am excited to start living my vision through sharing My Heart 4 Home!
