Crafting My Future - Why 2025 Vision is Better Than 20/20

I recently got my annual physical exam for work and I'll be honest, I struggled with the distance vision test.  Line 9 was pretty blurry; it took a few tries and some coaching from the med tech but I was able to squeak by with "20/20" vision.  So according to the test I've got perfect physical vision.  But when it comes to my vision for my life, until recently, I was pretty much blind.  Let me explain.

On the way to my annual physical I was actually listening to BP Podcast episode #307 "The Science Behind Setting and Achieving Big Goals".  It was a great listen and one of my main takeaways was the release of the Brandon Turner's "90 days of Intention" journal.  So here's what I did in just 2 simple steps:

1. I bought "90-Days of Intention" Journal.
2. I followed along with the videos included with the Journal.

It's that simple.

I've fallen prey to online guru's in the past but I've listened to enough BP podcast and read enough content to know that Brandon is the real deal.  Why not lean in, trust the process and put in the work?

So in case you haven't watched the video series, here's a graphic to provide an overview:

The Success Process (graphic credit: BP Clarity Video Series)

Basically, success can be broken down into three main phases:

1. VISION - Create a compelling vision of what you want and what would be amazing.  Start with the end in mind.  Think 3-5 years ahead. Determine your WHY and who/what compels you to succeed.  Focus on the what, not the how.

2. GOALS - Set an annual goal.  For your vision to be on track, what do you need to do this year (the next 12 months)?  Set SMARTER goals; Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Timely, Exciting and Risky.

3. ACTION- The last four steps of the process focus on taking your goals and breaking them down into actionable steps.  Determine what Brandon calls your Super Six; what 6 main areas to focus on to achieve your goal.  Additionally, what is your Most Important Next Step (MINS)?

Starting with step 1, I realized pretty quickly that I had never thought to craft a life vision before.  Unlike my physical vision, when it came to my future, I was blind!  

With my new epiphany, I set out to close my eyes, open my imagination and create my vision for 2025.  It's relatively simple to day dream of the future, it's a bit more challenging to capture it into a clear vision.

I started the process by clearing my schedule for an entire day to essentially get creative and gain clarity on what actually matters.  I decided to write down 100 things I want to do before I die.  I maxed out at 60 things.  It was telling that I couldn't think of 100 but also a clear trend emerged.  I really want to travel and I want to have a lasting positive impact on others, especially in the LGBTQ community.  With the clarity I gained from creating my bucket list, I sat down to write my vision.

I chose to capture my vision by writing a magazine article about the Real Estate business I am going to create and the associated lifestyle I'd like to live.  I spent a sunny, breezy afternoon in my backyard and let the creative juices flow.  As an engineer and pilot, I don't do any creative writing so this was definitely a change of pace.  I have to admit, I actually had a lot of fun with this.  If you're interested in my vision, the final article is here.  Feel free to let me know what you think!

The gist of my vision is that by 2025, I want to create a real estate company that focuses on generating cash flow through wholesaling and flipping properties in markets throughout the US.  I want to create a core team of 5 people who are results oriented, self-motivated and most importantly, enjoy working together.  I want to be able to travel internationally.  Additionally I want to donate $200,000+ to LGBTQ causes here in Las Vegas and eventually purchase/support a housing project that assists with temporary housing for local LGBTQ youth.

These goals seem audacious now but I know they're within the realm of possibility.  So why not just write the paragraph above and call it good?  Well because crafting the article forced me to visualize what achieving my goals would physically look like.  It gave me a visceral, tangible outcome in my mind.  Now when I close my eyes, I can think back to the vision I've created and it's as clear as seeing something in real life.  That's the power of creating a vision!

It's ironic but when I close my eyes, my vision of 2025 is better than my current situation in 2020.  

If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to take the time to create and write your own vision.  Don't just day dream about the future.  Force your mind to see it.  Force yourself to see it.  Capture it in writing (or in a video, diorama, pictures, or whatever. Get creative!).  My guess is that of the thousands of people that will watch Brandon's videos or listen to the podcast, less than a hundred will actually create and capture their vision.  Will you be one?

While I don't have the long term results yet to prove the effectiveness of this exercise, it's already changed the way I feel about my ability to tackle my real estate problem set.  I guess I'll have to write a follow up post in five years...

That's it for now!  In the next blog post I'll be covering step 2 in the process; My 1 year goal.  Stay tuned and see you on the flip side!