What will you be doing in five years? Ten years? What will you have achieved? It is up to you to create a vision for your future. Unfortunately, most people have no vision for their future. So, here I will show you how to write one. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons/C.P.Storm [/featured-image]Click to Listen*NOTE: If you are reading this in email, you will need to go to Itunes or my blog to get access to this show.The Future NewsThe other day I was in a meeting with our dean of engineering. He showed me the powerpoint slide he was going to share with the faculty displaying his vision for the School of Engineering. It was a newspaper article dated October 4, 2028 (15 years in the future). He had taken the web link from the newspaper and used it as a template, changing the title and the text of the article to spell out his vision of what would be written about the School of Engineering fifteen years in the future. The article was written as if it had already happened and was being reported on in the news. His creativity with his presentation demonstrates how much thought he has given to where he wants to take the department, and how much passion he was putting behind his goals.What is Your Vision?What about you and your work? What does your vision look like? Let's try to set it now.What do you want to accomplish in 5 years?Where would your accomplishment be reported? A newspaper? Website? Family reunion newsletter? Does not matter, but get specific. If a newspaper, which one? Your local paper or the Wall Street Journal?Write the article about what you have done as if someone else (who is highly impressed with you and your accomplishments) is reporting on it. Give specific details such as dates, times, people, cities, etc. Again, like a reporter.Examples of Future VisionJack Canfield writes many examples of people with vision in his book Success Principles. Here are a few of them:- Monty Roberts (the real Horse Whisperer) drew out his entire ranch and house in detail when he was in high school. Today his ranch looks much like his original drawing.- Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10,000,000 with "for acting service rendered" in the memo field and kept it in his wallet.- Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen edited the New York Times bestseller list and put in their book Chicken Soup for the Soul on the top. They hung the list on their wall as a constant reminder of what they were working to do.Why Having a Future Vision WorksWhen you express your future vision as if it is being reported in a newspaper right now, you have to be concrete with your goals (or in the article's case, your achievements). In his article, our dean explained that the School of Engineering was beginning its third stage of a three part plan to change the face of online learning. He had a diagram drawn to show how we do it today (in 2028) as if it was a current diagram of work flow. This made the goal concrete. He now knows what he is after and has a concrete outline for reaching that goal.The biggest issue I see that holds us back is lack of clarity in our vision. We have no idea what we want. Instead, we just show up day after day to work letting someone else decide our future. Why?Action WinsOf course, vision is only part of the game. Action always wins. Having a vision Dale Callahan, Ph.D.Business Coach for Professionals Ready to Take Control Helping you move from stuck to in-demand — or start something of your own. Grab the Idea Engine: 7 prompts to find your next move Book a Next Step Strategy SessionDirector of Engineering Management @ UAB (205) 790-8447 dalecallahan.com LinkedIn

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