Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek Leading a Life RSS Feed

What's Your Vision of the Good Life?

8:20 AM Monday August 18, 2008

Tags:Career planning, Personal effectiveness

While world-class organizations craft banner vision statements to inspire their efforts toward success, most people haven't thought to do so for themselves. As we watch the Olympic Games in Beijing, we are reminded in interview after interview with champion athletes about the importance of envisioning their success, of visualizing their performance flowing perfectly, leading to the medal ceremony and their dreams coming true. Aristotle observed that "the soul never thinks without a picture."

Creating a compelling vision for our lives -- one that includes not just a vision of our professional accomplishments but also a vision for family life, education, health, community engagements, travel, and adventures -- can point us in new directions and provide the drive we need to get there. A personal vision statement asks: what do I want to be, do, and contribute in life -- and who do I want to share it with?

Some people struggle with the notion of having a vision of the good life because it sounds abstract and distant. Fortunately, authors Richard Leider and David Shapiro have come to the rescue with an elegantly simple definition of the good life: "living in the place you belong, with the people you love, doing the right work -- on purpose."

Keep in mind that vision is different from purpose (a.k.a. "mission") and goals. Our purpose is our reason for being, and we should think of it as timeless. Our goals are the objectives we want to accomplish, and they are best conceived in one- to three-year increments. By contrast, our life vision is a vivid description of what we will do with our lives. It's best thought of over a decade, or even a lifetime. Our life vision should take our breath away with its audacity. It should roar with passion and set markers for what we plan to do with our days on the planet.

As we craft a vision for our lives, we should ensure that it is:


  • Vivid enough to capture our (and others') imagination

  • Unbounded by the status quo

  • Aligned with our authentic essence

  • Distant enough that we have to work toward it

  • Clear enough that we can measure our progress against it

  • Broad enough to encompass all the major aspects of our lives (including personal, professional, and relationships)

Note, though, that a good vision will evolve over time. Having a vision can be a catalyzing force in our lives, but we shouldn't expect that we will travel a linear path from point A to point B to realize it. Sometimes "stuff" happens.

Most importantly, our vision needs to be grounded in who we are. Many people stumble here, neglecting to look inward before projecting outward. Carl Jung says that "Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." In essence, our vision statement is an authentic rendering of how our purpose and values can play out in the world.

So, as you watch the Olympic athletes put their dreams on the line, what's stopping you from crafting your own vision of the good life -- and going for it with unbounded courage and abandon?

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Comments

I ejoyed reading your article.

Can you pls give an example of a vision?

- Posted by Ajay Hayer 
August 22, 2008 12:16 AM

Hi Ajay

Thanks for your note - great question.

An example of a personal vision statement is as follows (from our book):
(In ten years…) I am an accomplished artist with several solo shows to my name. I have traveled the world extensively learning about new cultures that have in turn been represented in my paintings. Through my work and studio, I am able to make a direct contribution to my community – both through my civic leadership and commitment to teaching art to young people. I am deeply committed and connected to my family and friends and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. I live in a place that stimulates my creativity daily and continues to introduce me to new and exciting people.

An organizational example is as follows (taken from an organization I direct at Duke University):
In ten years… ELI will be a model for social change through entrepreneurship. Over one thousand students will be directly and indirectly affected by our work. The global communities in which we focus, particularly Durham, NC, will continue to benefit measurably and substantially by the innovative solutions of our students and alumni. Additionally, all of our alumni recognize their full potential as life entrepreneurs and embrace life accordingly. ELI is a significant factor in the growth and success of the Hart Leadership Program and we have supported the emergence of the Terry Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University as an internationally recognized public leadership institution.

Hope that's helpful!

Christopher Gergen

- Posted by Christopher Gergen 
August 22, 2008 12:34 PM

Which book for Richard Leider and David Shapiro are you referring to?

- Posted by Ahmad Al-Kashef 
August 24, 2008 5:47 PM

Hi Ahmad. The book by Richard Leider and David Shapiro is called Re-Packing Your Bags. It's a good read.

- Posted by Gregg Vanourek 
August 28, 2008 4:53 PM

Here are a couple examples of a vision:
1) A personal vision (from our book, Life Entrepreneurs):
"[In ten years. . .] I am an accomplished artist with several solo shows to my name. I have traveled the world extensively, learning about new cultures that have in turn been represented in my paintings. Through my work and studio, I am able to make a direct contribution to my community—through both my civic leadership and my commitment to teaching art to young people. I am deeply committed and connected to my family and friends and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. I live in a place that stimulates my creativity daily and continues to introduce me to new and exciting people."

2) Henry Ford's vision:
"I will build a motor car for the great multitude.…It will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one and enjoy with his family the blessings of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.…When I’m through, everybody will be able to afford one, and everyone will have one. The horse will have disappeared from our highways, the automobile will be taken for granted…[and we will] give a large number of men employment at good wages."

Hope that is helpful.

- Posted by Gregg Vanourek 
August 28, 2008 4:58 PM

Thank you.

- Posted by Ajay Hayer 
August 31, 2008 5:27 PM

I think the good completed success of our vission depends of many things such as the other and the blessing of our God. Never forget to pray and work harder, dilligent and smarter for the good effort.
Wish our dream come true...

- Posted by Andre Budianto 
September 20, 2008 1:46 AM

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The editors

Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek are founding partners of New Mountain Ventures, an entrepreneurial leadership development company, and co-authors of Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives. Previously, Gregg founded and ran Vanourek Consulting Solutions, helped launch an online education company, and co-wrote a book on charter schools. Christopher is also a visiting lecturer and director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative at Duke University and co-founder and chairman of Smarthinking, an online tutoring provider.

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