Having been a coaching student and a life coach myself for many, many years, the idea of creating a vision is not a new one for me. In our work together, my coach shared his techniques for gaining a clear and actionable vision.

In starting a new business this year, I had a big “Aha!” moment after drawing on my major vision. Although I‘ve worked hard to create a clear vision for my life, I found I was still significantly limiting what I believed I could accomplish. I was thinking small when the vision is all about thinking BIG. 

Not consciously realizing it, I erected barriers to my dreams surrounding this new business. I did it out of fear, out of a need to feel safe. I was dialling back my vision to one as I felt it would be more “realistic,” and there would be much less room for failure, right? Well, yes, but at the same time I wasn’t stretching my potential – I wasn’t letting in the possibility of becoming astronomically successful.

To help combat these barriers we put on ourselves, my Summit Journey Coaching team and I created the “Big, Bigger, Biggest” exercise. In walking through these four steps over 15 minutes I think you’ll be surprised to discover just how far your Vision can reach. When I went through this exercise for my new business, I was blown away by the new possibilities for success that was unleashed before my eyes.

1. What You Want to Do

Is your dream to retire at 60? Do you want to start a new app software company? Identify what you want to do in any aspect of your life and write it down. It’s good to be specific – writing that you want to be rich isn’t helpful as it’s too vague. Your “I want to…” statement only needs to be one sentence.

My “I want to…” Statement:  I want to buy a portion of other financial advisor practices and leverage systems to significantly increase annual revenue.

2. Think Big

Stop and take a couple of minutes to visualize what this looks like to you. What have you accomplished? What timeframe are you looking at? This first iteration of your Vision may pop into your mind right away or it may take a few minutes to start forming. Relax and just let your thoughts flow – there’s no need to analyze what comes in, just write it down.

My “Big” Statement:  Each partner earns $100k in revenue in year one with 20% growth in years 2-3. We invest in 10 financial practices by 2016.

3. Think Bigger

Now build on your first vision. How can you stretch this Vision? Where can friends, family or colleagues fit in to increase your total success? Take a few minutes – you may even want to close your eyes – and let your mind create visual images from the thoughts streaming through your mind. You may even find that this second iteration of your vision comes to you more easily than the first.

My “Bigger” Statement:  We create more leverage by hiring a dedicated assistant for each financial advisor practice we invest in as the “face” person and to network with potential referral sources. By 2016 we have invested in 20 practices, not 10, and each partner makes $150k in year one with 30% growth in years 2-3.

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” – Napoleon Hill

4. Think Biggest

Your thoughts are probably flowing pretty well at this point. The possibilities keep growing. Take advantage of this opportunity to “think biggest” and expand your Vision one more time.

My “Biggest” Statement:  We create a network of acquisition specialists who broaden our reach to financial advisor practices across the country and more institutions. Each partner gets a smaller percentage of the revenue, but we invest in exponentially more businesses. Revenue would be $75k in year one with 30% increases in years 2-3, and we invest in 200 practices by 2016.

That’s a BIG vision! And it only took me 15 minutes to get from start to finish.

As I went through this exercise the first time, I discovered that the bigger my vision got, the smaller I was within it. Not that I played a small part, but in allowing others to join in my Vision I could achieve greater things.

What’s one of your BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST visions?

How can you break down your barriers and create a vision that gives you the opportunity for stellar success?

Just remember: