#154: Why You Need a Vision & How to Create One with Chiropractor Haley Day

Why You Need a Vision

Earlier this week I talked about not comparing yourself to others because we all have different needs, wants, and aspirations in life and how comparing yourself to others will keep you from reaching your own goals. Today I’m talking about Vision. Regardless of where you’re at in life, having a clear vision is an extremely powerful tool you need in order to achieve the results you want out of life. With a vision, you have a clear sense of purpose and you’re able to make decisions that will get you closer to your goals and highest aspirations in life. We all at one time had a vision of becoming a doctor, caring for patients and making an impact in people’s lives by offering conservative treatment that would give our communities better options for their ailments. With this vision we set out to get the undergrad experience we needed, we chose a chiropractic school, took the classes, and continued to pursue the vision of being a doctor to the point we’re all at now. (Spotify | iTunes)

All of our Actions Started with a Vision

When Rich and I graduated almost 12 years ago we had a vision of opening a family chiropractic practice with low overhead, a cozy atmosphere, providing above standard care. With that vision we were able to set goals, make a plan, and take action to realize our vision. Once our vision included moving to a different state, buying another practice, and managing our first practice from out of state, we set new goals, made new plans, and took new actions. Then we had a vision of helping students and new chiropractors by creating this podcast and affordable resources for finding your ideal associate job and starting your own practice. We set goals, created a plan, and took action. So all of the actions we’ve taken, all started with a vision. A vision for what we wanted to do with our lives and how we wanted to grow and serve others, in order to support our family.

What's the Vision You Have for Yourself?

Today I want you to think about the vision you have for yourself. Rich and I normally set our sights 3-5 years out, what major change do we want to realize in that time? Then we create the goals, make the plans, and take the actions necessary. Hopefully this is starting to sound a little redundant and somewhat easy, because it can be that easy to realize your vision, but without a vision you will most certainly wander around, reacting to the choices presented to you, never realizing your highest goals.

Every Good Team Has a Vision

Once you have a vision you have a clear understanding of what choices are going to help you realize that vision. If you have a spouse then your vision will help guide you both in a unified direction. You’ll be able to work together and get more done, moving in the same direction. A unified team that is organized, focused, and working together to contribute to the vision is a better team! Also, having a unified vision creates an energy of inspiration and enthusiasm. This will be important in difficult or stressful times, because having a clear vision will produce persistence and remind you why you started. It will define your goals, help you make a plan, and create confidence in the actions you begin to take in order to realize the vision.

3 Things to Remember When You’re Creating Your Vision

Creating a mental picture of the results you want to achieve. 

• Dream Big - Your vision should be extraordinary and unique to you. This is what will make it motivating, inspiring, and something you won’t give up on. A great vision sets a standard of excellence and forces you to stretch yourself toward greater things.
• Be positive - Don’t let your fear or past defeats hold you back from visioning something truly great for yourself and your future. We are not defined by our past! There will be challenges and difficulties, but keep your focus on positive outcomes and have a can do attitude.
• Be Clear - A vision should be detailed and specific, so you can clarify purpose and direction. It should be easy to understand, clearly pointing towards a specific future.

Once you Have a Vision

It's time to start thinking about these things:

• Do your friends and associates align with your vision? You are the sum total of the 5 people you hangout with. Level up your friendships and level up your life. This doesn’t mean you have to cut people out of your life, but beware of who you’re spending your time with and how that’s affecting you and your ability to reach your goals. Are your friends and family you spend the most time with supportive? Do they hold you accountable to your dreams? Anyone who is successful financially, is successful because of their ability to communicate their vision and surround themselves with people who were willing to invest in their vision. Your friends should be the same way; they should be able to help you fulfill your purpose and vision by adding value to it. Once you understand your vision, valuable associates will help you realize those dreams and aspirations. After graduation we had friends that decided Chiropractic was a waste and they’d never get anywhere pursuing the career. We didn’t hang around with those people much and haven’t seen them since they made that decision. Those conversations were toxic and we didn’t share that vision!
• Are you spending your time wisely, in order to fulfill your vision? The time you invest in your work should align ultimately with your vision. In order to reach your goal and purpose, the time you spend will determine your actions to achieve your vision. If you want to become more fit, you’ll work out more consistently, your time will be spent at the gym or exercising outside. If you want to build your practice, then you’ll spend time building relationships in your community and marketing your practice in order to spread the word. Time is the most important resource you have. You will never get back the time you wasted today. Money, people, and opportunities can always come again later in life, but once the time is gone it is gone forever. Having a vision and actively pursuing it will not allow you to waste time.
• Hopefully you are starting to see that vision does a lot of things for us once we realize what we want. Not only does vision decide our friends, how we spend our time, but it also creates our habits. Habits become who you are as an individual because what you repeatedly do, say, and think will create the person you are. What do your current habits say about you? How do they need to change so you can realize your vision? Changing your habits has the power to change your life because once we understand our purpose our life becomes more narrow, more focused and much clearer. We know what we want and we start making choices and creating the habits necessary to get there. 

 How You Can Start Creating a Vision for Yourself

• Peace and quiet. Take time to be alone with yourself. 
• Think about what you like, what you want to be a part of your life.
• Think about what you don’t want, what you can avoid or stop doing.
• Create a vision board, pinterest board or document. Something you can review, look back at, and think about often to remind yourself of your why and inspire you.
• Put what you want into words. Be able to articulate your vision. The clearer, the better!
• Set goals!
• Make a plan!
• Start taking action

Are you Still a Chiropractic Student?

Having a vision for after graduation should be something you're working on! Having a plan will put you steps ahead of others. Want to learn more about how you can get a SMART START, listen to podcast episode 194! Listen now on Spotify | iTunes. The Smart Start program walks you through your options after graduation, the top things you'll need to think about to make your personal decision, and the money management tools necessary to get you started! Get a SMART START today!

Want Help with this Process?

Want like minded friends pursuing extraordinary goals? Join us in our facebook group. Follow us on Instagram @lifestylepractice. We have helped hundreds of students and chiropractors find their ideal associate job and start and build their own practices. We’d love to help you, wherever you’re at, to create and fulfill your own vision.