The Benefits to Creating a Personal Vision Statement

Each year, individuals sit down with poster board, scissors, and paste in hand to create a vision board – an outward depiction of the things that they aspire to pursue and obtain in their lives in the season ahead.  Similarly, a personal vision statement is a vivid idealized description of a desired outcome that inspires, energizes and helps you create a mental picture of your target. In essence, it is a statement that describes how you see yourself in the future.  A personal vision statement describes your hopes and dreams and evokes a sense of achievement and fulfillment.


A personal vision statement is a powerful tool that provokes you to reflect upon your goals to build and shape your dreams.  It differs from a vision board in that a vision board can be very two dimensional; I see it, I like it, I cut it out and put it on a board. But what does the pictures you cut out really mean? Do you really want it or was it an impulse at that moment of time? In this manner, a vision board is a great place to start, but it only scratches the surface.


A personal vision statement allows you to go deeper. It does so by guiding you through structured exercises, reflecting on your answer and then translating it into a personal vision statement that outlines what is important to you. It includes all the important elements of your life and career – who you want to be, what you want to do, how you feel… It helps you to answer the questions: “what are you passionate about?” And most importantly, “what were you put on this earth to do?”


A personal vision statement is the framework for creating a powerful life. Unlike a goal, a vision rarely changes. It is a reason for our existence; it guides you in the decisions you make, as well as, the directions you take to achieve your goals.  The overriding benefit to writing a personal vision statement is to express: 

·         your purpose,

·         your life’s dream,

·         your core values & beliefs,

·         what you want for yourself,

·         what you want to contribute to others, and

·         what you want to be

A personal vision statement is a very useful tool to help organize and focus your life. The personal vision statement is a well-considered guide by which your personal and professional activities are efficiently coordinated to bring you closer to your stated goals. Professional organizations, businesses and many others have long used the personal vision statement to drive their organizations to greater success by adding focus and attention the overall purpose of their activities.

As we approach the new year, how does your personal vision statement inform your life?