Day 28
And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2
READY. Vision planning has become a buzz word but cliche or not, it is one of the most important things you can do before setting out to accomplish a goal or objective. You wouldn't set out on a race without having a destination or objective in mind would you? You'd just burn a lot of energy without accomplishing anything. No matter how small it is, a goal is essential otherwise you never know when you get there.
‘Where are we going?’ ‘What are we doing?’ ‘Why are we doing what we are doing?’ ‘Are we there yet?’
Those are questions to ask before you start the race not when you are in the middle of a race with hurdles. You want to know why you are running, where you are running so that you can gauge if you are on the right track and avoid tripping and falling flat on your face.
Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. (Hab 2:2 New Living Translation)
The purpose of vision is that it inspires people to run. You are never just responsible for yourself. You are a leader and so I write this with the expectation that you are leading yourself and others, and if you are not aware that you are a leader, now you know. A vision is essential when you lead because when people don't have a goal, they tend to faff around and waste time and resources and we are good stewards like our Father in heaven so we do not waste.
It’s difficult to hold yourself and others accountable when you have not clearly articulated a vision. Like Pro 29:18 says “Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy”.
Getting the vision to be as plain as possible for any and everyone to understand takes a lot of work, including: asking the right questions, reflecting and meditating, reviewing, etc. If you make your vision ambiguous, you cannot measure progress and neither you nor others can run with it.
I like to plan for all areas of my life including family, business, health, emotional, fashion, etc. Below are some of the tips I have used in the past
SET
You’ll need to document everything so please grab a notebook and a pen or your laptop and don’t forget to grab a snack as well (brainstorming, reflecting and visualizing is hard mental work sis)
PRAY (commit the exercise to God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you)
REFLECT on the past (what did i love or hate about this area in my past and how can i feed these lessons into the future?)
VISUALIZE the future (picture yourself when you have met your goals. What does it look like? Where are you? What version of yourself do you need to be to get there? What habits do you need to start/stop?)
START small (incremental progress is more empowering than biting more than you can chew and failing)
SUCCESS INDICATOR? (How will you measure your life, year, project, etc, what does success look like in those areas to you?)
REVIEW often (take the time to reflect on the vision and tweak as necessary)
Now that it is all written down, remember to put it where you can see it often (visualization is key) and celebrate both the small and big wins as you progress towards your goals. Also share with trusted friends so they can keep you accountable.
RUN. But do not forget to enjoy it. I made a commitment to myself that I would choose to enjoy the journey as much as I work towards the destination and I hope you do too.