2015 #ProjectMe

The end of the year is around the corner and the process of creating a personal vision for next year is already churning within me.

Last year I adopted an extraordinary pattern of self care for this process and outlined 10 steps to writing a vision in this blog for Blogging4Jobs.com.

This year I'm putting my process in one place - right here - and it's received a few upgrades.

Steps to Writing A Vision for The Year Ahead 

1. Get off the wheel.

Last year this meant take some time off, which I did, and spent time at home.  But at the time I did not entirely like my home and was feeling way to isolated to isolate for this process.  This year I am surrounding myself with people and traveling to Europe for 3 weeks to write my vision.

2. Put extra effort into self care.

Im not sure how to do this in Europe but will figure it out.  The general eat healthy, get enough sleep, exercise and be very mindful of the energy I allow around me will all be in scope. 

3. Get up early and go inside. 

Leverage any preferred technique to go inside (meditation, yoga, bath, incense - what ever).  For me this is not about stopping thought or feeling or controlling either.  It's about observing both and becoming more aware of what's in there.  All of what's in there both delightful and difficult.   

4. Reflect on 2014 & everything experienced.  Evaluate the prior year vision and any specific goals.  

While in a quiet place I ask myself a lot of question to see what comes up.  I ask myself how I feel, what I liked, what I didn't like and what parts of my prior vision felt on par with what I had intended and what parts should have been better articulated.  I ask what parts of the vision would have been better of being free'd up to be more of a flow vs. pinned down into steps I execute and vice versa.  I also ask myself tough questions about things I did not deliver on and really listen to what comes up.  Im both empathic and compassionate but also very direct and brutally honest if necessary. 

5. Write the vision for the coming year.  Establish goals where appropriate. 

In the past I've put a lot of emphasis on SMART goals and I still find value in these relative to efforts that need sustaining.  What I've realized, however, is that to reach well beyond your status quo you need to go deeper than SMART goals and you need to step outside of analysis.

My process this year will begin by imagining how I want to feel by the end of 2015.

This feeling will tell me where will need to place greater focus in life.  I'll then imagine a series of circumstances around me in order to support this feeling.  Then I'll imagine a few alternatives to each of the circumstances and pick an A, B & C path to the feeling I want to feel.  The process Ill be using to is known as Appreciative Inquiry.   

Once I know the potential paths I will catalog the skills I will need to learn to walk down them outline how to learn these skills by using SMART goals.  For me, continuous learning is my status quo so attaching SMART goals to learning new skills is about sustaining vs. disrupting.  

Next I stand from this imagined destination at the end of 2015, then as that person I turn around and look back at my present self.   This is where I become honest about what I need to UNLEARN in order to get there.  What needs to be unlearned is then added to the list using SMART goals.  Again, unlearning is also part of my status quo.  It may take a whole year dedicated to continuous learning and unlearning as foundational before stepping into this level of visioning for yourself.   

Lastly I establish a ritual that will connect me to my vision only this time I will connect deeply with my end of year feeling and measure progress with my heart before I check off milestones or account for actions taken and decision made that day.  Many people use vision boards as their ritual and if that works for you, that's great.  Personally - I hate them.  My ritual is signature and proprietary. 

6.  Remind yourself of your super powers and how they can be used for both good and evil.  

At this point in life I have cataloged 12 distinct super powers that I can consistently deliver or combine for any situation.  By super power I don't mean skill - I mean super power.  These are gifts that I was born to wield in this lifetime.  They have come naturally and intuitively and the skills and knowledge I learn only serves to further enhance them.  There is no degree in being you and there is no end to developing your super powers.

Some of these super powers are better served being played proactively and some do well in a pivot or a mess.  I have come far enough to know that each of my powers can be and have been used for destructive purposes in the past and that using their dark sides is perfectly fine - especially if this is a conscious choice.  I'll pair up my powers to my vision both in ways that will help create what I need to create and destroy what I need to destroy to achieve my outcome.  All of me gets to play a part in my purpose and I absolutely love this about my life.

7. On the 7th day - I'll rest.  :)

Good luck in 2015 to everyone!  May you create the best year of your life in what ever way those words make sense to you - uniquely you.

Cam 

Authenticity * 'Self disrupt' * Do Epic Shit