Why a vision is more important than a goal

​You are at your best when you have a clear sense of purpose and you have effective goals which you are pursuing in order to create the life you really desire. But there is a critical step between your purpose and your goals which will help you to create that life you desire, much quicker that you otherwise would. That step is your vision. While your purpose Is all about the person you want to be; your vision is about how you want your life to look once you have achieved your goals. Once you have a crystal clear vision, it is much easier to set specific effective goals which you can achieve as milestones along the way to bringing your vision to life.

Many people try to set effective goals but unless they know what they are trying to achieve with those goals, they have little chance of success. Imagine you have decided that you would like to go on a day out. You get in the car and begin to drive. When you come to the first junction; do you turn left or turn right? How could you know if you haven’t decided where you want to go to on your day out. And before you can decide where you want to go, you must have a vision for what you want from the day. For example, do you want to enjoy a sea breeze or mountain air?

So, if you are starting off by writing a goal, you are starting in the wrong place. First you must discover your purpose, then you must create your vision and finally, you must set goals which will help you to bring that vision to life.

A goal is a written down objective which is very specific and easy to measure. You will have heard that a goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound (S.M.A.R.T.).  If you tell somebody your goal, they should be able to understand exactly what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to try to achieve it.

A vision is more concerned with the end result. It is lighter on detail than a goal but it evokes more positive and powerful emotions. It is positive and powerful emotions which motivate you to take action towards your goals, even when you don’t really want to. You may start off with a vision to be buff, lean and have a six pack. Your goal may then be to lose 20lbs in 6 months. If I tell you that you have to lose 20lbs in 6 months you are probably not going to feel too good about it but if I describe to you the vision of how you will look (buff and lean with a six pack) you are going to feel more positive and emotionally charged.

Simply visualising the life you desire, each day, will give you a great deal of motivation to take the actions necessary to achieve it.

​So why are visions more powerful than goals? The following are just some of the main reasons:

Goals can be very abstract. If I tell you that you are going to lose 20lbs; you don’t really know what that is going to look like or feel like. It is hard to connect with that goal. If you take the time to develop a vision of your ideal body; then, you can actually picture it in your mind’s eye. You can then realise how you would feel once you have lost the 20lbs.

The more you can connect with a goal, the more likely you are to achieve it.

If you have goals but no vision for what you are trying to achieve, then you can get so caught up in the goal that you want to achieve it at all costs. If things don’t go to plan, it is hard to create alternative plans because due to a lack of vision, you are still not sure what you are trying to achieve.

There are always alternative ways to achieve your goals but if you don’t know what you are trying to achieve and, why you are trying to achieve it, you can have no way to determine what these alternatives are and which is most appropriate.

As already mentioned, a clear vision creates positive and powerful emotions which serve to motivate you to take the action you need to create the life you desire. Your vision has immense motivational qualities which you can tap into, as and when you like, to boost your confidence, belief and motivation.

If you would like to create powerful goals tied to a strong vision, check out Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting.

​Goals are an incredible personal improvement tool. They serve as detailed plans and milestones to help you get to where you want to go to in life. But before your goals can be of service to you, you must first have a clear vision of where you want to go to. What does your dream life look like? When you have achieved your goals, what will you see, hear, feel and experience? Your vision will answer all of these questions. That is why you must create your vision first and then, set effective goals which will help you to bring that vision to life.