Asking Questions ...
A personal exercise to draw out personal visions
STEP 2: REFLECTING ON THE FIRST VISION COMPONENT

Next pause to consider your answer to the first question.  Did you articulate a vision that
is close to what you actually want?  If there may be a reason why you found it hard to
do, would it be because:

  • “I can’t have what I want.”:  In this exercise you are trying to learn what your
    vision is.  The question of whether it is relevant is literally irrelevant. (That’s part of
    current reality.)  Suspend your doubts, worries, fears and concerns about the
    limits of your future.  Write, for a moment, as if real life could live up to your
    deepest wishes.  What would happen then?
  • “I want what someone else wants.”:  For the duration of this exercise,
    concentrate on what you want.  You may find yourself articulating that you want
    a good relationship with (for example) your spouse; you want the time to devote
    to that relationship, the understanding to act wisely within it, and the ability to live
    up to the mutual commitments you have made to each other.  But you should
    include it only if you want it for yourself – not because you think your spouse
    would want it.
  • “It does not matter what I want.”:  Do not belittle yourself;  if like many of us,
    you have doubts about whether you deserve rewards, imagine the rewards you
    would want if you did deserve them.
  • “I already know what I want.”:  During this exercise, you may create a new
    sense of what you want, especially if you have not asked yourself this question for
    some time.  A personal vision is not a done deal, already existing and waiting for
    you to unearth and decode it.  It is something you create, and continue to
    recreate, throughout your life.
  • “I am afraid of what I want.”:  Since it is your vision, it can’t “run away” with
    you; it can only increase your awareness.  Nonetheless, we suggest that you set
    your own limits on this exercise.  If a subject frightens you too much, ignore it.  
    However, the fact that you feel uneasy about something may be a clue to
    potential learning.  A year from now, or two, you may want to come back to that
    subject – at your discretion.
  • “I don’t know what I want.”:  Don’t believe that.  That response to that is to
    say, “Suppose you had a vision of greatness: what would it be?”  A vision exists
    within each of us, even if we have not made it explicit or put it into words.  Our
    reluctance to articulate our vision is a measure of our despair and a reluctance to
    take responsibility for our own lives, our own unit, and our own organization.  A
    vision statement is an expression of hope, and if we have no hope, it is hard to
    create a vision.”
  • “I know what I want, but I can’t have it at work.”:  This is really a question
    of current reality.  As such, the perception is worth testing.  Occasionally, someone
    we know does test it, by asking other members of the organization what they
    really think of this “dangerous” proposed vision.  More often than not, the answer
    is: “It’s no big deal.”  When approached directly, organizations tend to be far more
    accepting of our goals and interests for ourselves than our fears lead us to
    expect.  Nonetheless, you may be right about your vision’s unacceptability.  If you
    can’t have it at work at this place, then your vision might include finding another
    place to work which will allow you to grow and flourish.

STEP 3: DESCRIBING YOUR PERSONAL VISION

Again use the present tense, as if it happening right now.  If the categories do not quite
fit your needs, feel free to adjust them.  Continue until a complete picture of what you
want is filled on the pages:

“Imagine achieving the results in your life that you deeply desire.  What would they look
like?  What would they feel like?  What words would you use to describe them?”

  • Self image:   If you could be exactly the kind of person you wanted, what would
    your qualities be?
  • Tangibles:   What material things would you like to own?
  • Home:   What is your ideal living environment?
  • Health:   What is your desire for health, fitness, athletics and anything to do with
    your body?
  • Relationships:   What type of relationships would you like to have with friends,
    family and others?
  • Work:   What is your ideal professional or vocational situation?  What impact
    would you like your efforts to have?
  • Personal pursuits:   What would you like to create in the arena of individual
    learning, travel, reading or other activities?
  • Community:   What is your vision for the community or society you live in?
  • Others:   What else in any other arena of your life would you like to create?
  • Life Purpose:    Imagine that your life has a unique purpose – filled through what
    you do, your interrelationships and the way you live.  Describe that purpose, as
    another reflection of your aspiration.

STEP 4:  EXPANDING AND CLARIFYING YOUR VISION

Part of the purpose of this exercise is to suspend your judgment of what is “worth”
desiring and to ask instead: “Which aspect of these visions is closest to your deepest
desire?”

Ask yourself the following question about each of the above element before going to the
next one:
•        If I could have it now, would I take it?
•        Assume I have it now, what does that bring me?