Why Having a Clear Vision is Crucial

I don’t know about you, but I certainly hadn’t thought that much about the lifestyle I wanted when I was a teenager, or even in my twenties.  My thoughts about the future were mainly things that had been drummed into me from my parents and grandparents – “get good grades, go to university, and get a good job”.

Then there is the classic desire to own your own home.

What this lacked though was how life would actually be and what I wanted it to be.  To a certain extent this is a bit tricky when you’re young and still building your sense of self and identity. How would you know what you want, when you don’t yet really know who you are?

There is a bit of chicken and egg here, but what you can do is try things out, so you see what you do and don’t like or want.

The next part of this is WHY do you want the lifestyle you want.  Is it to throw in a family member or friend’s face?  Or is it because that’s what your parents said you should want?  Or, did you see a movie and thought that lifestyle would be great?

It is a big question, why, yet it’s an important one.  Sit with it. Imagine how your lifestyle looks, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes.  It should ignite all your senses, even though it will be more intense for some of your senses than others (for instance, I’m very auditory and visual).

If you would like some help with this, here is a mini-course where there is a guided meditation that I lead you through – Lifestyle Vision.

Next, how far into the future do you want this lifestyle to be?  It doesn’t just have to be a retirement lifestyle.  You might want to make changes now, to lead you towards the lifestyle you want in your 40s and 50s.

Once you have a vision (it doesn’t have to be complete or perfect), the next steps are what you need to do in order to actually achieve this lifestyle.

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Calculate how much money do you need to make this lifestyle a reality. Look at what the type of property you want to live in will cost you.  How much will travelling or outings, or other things and experiences you want to have cost?
2. Rewire your Beliefs around money to match the person you need to be in order to have this lifestyle. There will be things holding you back and how you see yourself is foundation of this sense of identity. Here is a free download to help you with this – Kick Your Limiting Beliefs Out of Your Life.
3. Make changes to your money habits, so they will help you achieve the lifestyle you want. Our repeated behaviours become our habits, and even something small like either starting or increasing what you are saving each month is important.  Then, investing small amounts regularly will help to build wealth.
4. Understand your current Net Worth. This can be a bit intimidating at first, but it’s better to be aware than have your head in the sand.  Add together everything that you own. Then add together everything that you owe (debt), and then minus this away from what you own.  If the final number is positive, you have a positive net worth.  If the answer is negative, you have a negative net worth.  Remember, this is a place to start, and with this information you can make changes to your money beliefs and habits to turn this into a positive net worth (or grow what you currently have).
5. Set up your Money Pie. This links in to number 4.  Look at ways to increase your income, and then ways to reduce your spending.  Save regularly.  Invest regularly.  Make sure you’re paying into superannuation.  These are the fundamentals that will help you build the wealth you need to have your lifestyle.
6. Automate your Money Pie as much as you can. Automate your saving and spending, so it happens without you thinking about it.  The same goes for putting money into superannuation.
7. Check in regularly to track the progress you are making, and tweak where necessary. Revisit your net worth at least once a year.  See if you’re beliefs and habits need more work, and whether you are seeing improvements – even small ones.

For business owners – it’s also very important to be clear on your lifestyle vision, as without this, building a business model that supports and funds your personal lifestyle is very difficult.