2018 and Beyond:Sharing My Deepest Desires AKA My Vision and Goals
2018 GOAL SERIES: PART Three
** This is a re-creation of the original blog post from 2017 **
Previously to starting Before Twenty-Five, I had always been one to keep my goals locked up tight, close to my heart.
I’m pretty sure it has something to do with fear. The what ifs. The inside voice that’s afraid of judgement and the possible repercussions of sharing. I know this is a big stopping point for many people when it comes to sharing their deepest desires (can I see a raise of hands). If this is you, know you’re not alone! It’s scary business!
Another reason I keep my goals buried deep inside is sometimes I feel like sharing deflates them. What I mean by that is once I’ve shared my goals, I’ve often found I felt less motivated to pursue them. It’s almost like I’ve already completed said goal. Stange...I know.
These reasons aside, I really do believe it’s important to share. I’ll say it again, sharing your goals is freakin SCARY but it’s also so rewarding. Not only is it great for accountability, it can be a ridiculously inspiring and enlightening way to get to know someone.
So with that being said, I am going to share my 10 year vision and goals with you. GASP! By sharing my goals I not only hope to shed some light into who I am but I also hope to inspires you to write goals of your own.
Before I share I just want to give you a little background on what I mean by “vision” and “goals.”
VISION
When I talk about my “vision” I’m talking about what I see as my dream life 5 to 10 years down the road. A vision is all about dreaming BIG and not worrying about the details. That’s the beauty of it. In my case, I’ve created my vision as a story but they can take form in many different ways. Think: collages, mind maps, word clouds, brainstorms, drawings, pinterest board, the list goes on. Basically whatever media works best for you as long as it gives you a strong idea of what you want.
GOALS
For me, goals are the steps I need to take in order to move myself towards my vision. After you’ve read my vision, take a gander at how I’ve broken it down into 1, 3 and 5 years “goals.” You’ll notice that they are all clear statements with a defined by-when (basically a deadline). This is called a SMART goal. Don’t worry if this is a little confusing right now. I’ll talk more about how to break your vision down and create SMART goals in part four of my2018 goal series.
And now here you have it: Drum roll please……Here are my vision and goals. Enjoy!
Vision
I awake, slowly feeling my body come to life. As the world around me becomes reality I feel the warmth of another person next to me and the excitement of a new day. It’s just about 8:00 AM as I curl in close to Matt, thinking about what the day ahead of me has in store. Slowly I crawl out of bed, he will be up soon and I really want to surprise him with a steaming cup of coffee. Usually, he’s the one waking me up with coffee so it’s nice to be able to return the favour for once.
Like a mouse, I head to the kitchen to prepare our morning beverages. The feeling of the sun streaming in the windows brings me to life and reminds me how lucky I am. Once our liquid gold is brewed and ready to consume I head out to my favourite spot in the house: the patio. It’s furnished with giant chairs which I sink into, coffee and my favourite book in hand. Before I dive into what I am reading I take in my surroundings: the beautiful blue sky, the bold turquoise waters, the warm salty breeze, all of it makes me smile. Shortly after starting my book my brain quickly wakes up which inspires me to get started with my day.
My favourite part about the patio? It doubles as my office. Because one of my top values is time, I have worked hard to create an online business which allows me to make my own schedule. Additionally I’m location independent so I can work from anywhere.
Over the next couple hours I work from my laptop curled up in the sun. I’m working on an upcoming launch retreat geared towards women. I host one every year and always find them so rewarding. They’re a great way to combine my love of travel with my passion for developing and empowering other women.
I notice myself starting to get distracted and decide it’s time to move on with the rest of my day. Matt is still typing away next to me in his “office” so I decide to head to my space: my dance studio. Located just down the stairs from our patio, my studio is me in every way. It has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ocean with a small patio of its own for when I need me time or just want to feel the ocean breeze. Opposite the windows, the wall is fully mirrored, perfect for practicing whatever I am working on at the time.
Beneath my feet I feel the cool, smooth sprung floors and begin to let myself go. I start with a warm up and then move onto a piece I’ve been working on. Dance is my meditation. As the studio heats up with my energy, the day progresses and my practice starts to come to an end.
It’s hot, even with the air conditioning and I feel the need for a swim. A few steps down from my dance studio we have a pool which directly overlooks the ocean. I don’t waste any time and quickly jump in to cool off. In my opinion nothing feels better than a cool swim after getting your sweat on. I curl up at the edge of the pool, gazing down at the ocean and notice Matt off in the distance kiting. It looks as if he is about to come in so I wave at him to come join me in the crystal water.
For the next few hours we enjoy reading and more working supplemented with swimming to keep ourselves cool. Before we know it the day has gone by and it’s time to start thinking about our evening. As I start to get my thoughts around what my evening will look like Matt interjects with the fact that he has plans for us but it’s a surprise. He explains to me that I need to pack a change of clothes and meet him in our living room in one hour. Excited, I quickly go get ready; I love nothing more than surprises.
Once ready we head down to our marina and I know the surprise has something to do with our catamaran. He’s planned a sunset cruise and a delicious dinner of fresh sushi with saki, one of my favourite meals. As for where we are headed, I’m not really sure but I am up for an adventure tomorrow. Matt’s hired a crew member for the night so we can spend it together and not worry about sailing the boat ourselves which makes it that much more special.
As we enjoy our delicious sushi meal we talk about life and our goals. Life seems pretty perfect: we have two houses the one we live in most of the year and one in Canada close by our families which we rent out for additional income while we’re not there, we have a boat which we use to travel and explore the world, we are financially stable and able to work from our laptops anywhere we want.
While we watch the sunset, the gentle rock of the boat begins to nudge me to sleep. Sleepily I head to bed, trying to keep the excitement for what the morning has in-store at bay. I crawl into bed and my mind is swimming with possibilities as I drift off to sleep, wrapped up in the warmth of embrace. Smiling, we sail into the blackness.
Love L. Age 36 2028
GOALS
I BELIEVE IN JOB LOVE.
ONE YEAR: I launch my first ecourse geared towards teaching people to launch their own brand + website by October 1st 2018.
THREE YEAR: I host my first international lifestyle design retreat by January 15th 2021.
FIVE YEAR: I am a lifestyle design coach + blogger, teaching people how to live their best lives via their laptops by December 31st 2023.
I BELIEVE IN ADVENTURE.
ONE YEAR: We book our next trip to a new destination by December 31st 2018.
THREE YEAR: I book a round-the-world plane ticket leaving by March 1st 2021.
FIVE YEAR: I go on one “comfy” trip and one boundry pushing, learning trip a year by December 31st 2023.
I BELIEVE IN LIVING.
ONE YEAR: I make an effort to spend time with at least one friend a month by June 18th 2018.
THREE YEAR: I have a little doggie friend by March 1st 2021.
FIVE YEAR: I am living someplace H-O-T in a house with a pool by January 15th 2023.
And there you have it! There are my goals! I did it!
Now that I've showed you mine, how about you show me yours ;-). Just kidding but for reals! I’d love to hear them. Feeling up for the challenge? Stay tuned for the fourth and final blog post of my 2018 goals series. Get those dream wheels turning and ready to write your goals in whatever format works best for you.
Thanks for listening and as always,
P.S. If you’ve been paying attention to my blog you’ve probably read the first two parts to this series. If you missed them take a gander at part one and part two.
