Step Six: Your Vision

Now you have identified the things that create the most fulfillment and satisfaction in your life, you have cleared with yourself what kind of a man you will need to become in order to reach your goals, and you are ready to formulate your vision for the future. 

What you write for your vision here should be the most compelling and important part of what has come up for you in the previous exercises. Perhaps it includes a specific goal with your work or relationships, perhaps it was a place where you were living, a level of income you have reached, or a goal you have attained in your community. 

Your vision should make you feel at least slightly uncomfortable – especially if you imagine telling it to someone else. If it does not, then it is most likely too small and will not be able to continue to motivate you for a longer period. 

My personal 10 year vision is very simple: to create the world’s best offering for online men’s groups in Maniphesto Core.

Having this vision means that everything else in my life is ordered around that priority. Decision making is simplified greatly, as I have one and only one main priority, which contains and builds upon a strong foundation in all the other priorities in my life such as my family, friends and personal practice. 

Now it is your time to write down your vision. 

If this is the first time doing this, then do not expect a revelation and perfect clarity with what to write. You will likely feel pulled in multiple different directions. Accept that this is where you are at and then write what is on your heart. You can change your vision at any time in the future again – actually you can expect to go through regular revisions through the Maniphesto quarterly goal setting process. 

Keep your formulation as short and as simple as possible. Best if you can formulate it in one to three simple sentences with one goal – it is the ONE thing, that you could do in the next ten years, that if you did that, then everything else would be ok. If there are several complementary issues which you would like to include, then that is fine. Do very careful about including several elements which will pull you in opposing directions. For example, most entrepreneurs would witness that starting your own business means less stability as well as less time and energy available for focusing on your family for at least a few years.

Again, write it in the present tense and experience for a moment what it is like living that vision as you write it.

This is the final “What” part of your vision – what the future actually looks like. 

In closing

Creating a compelling and meaningful vision is a task which never ends. It starts by accepting that you are where you are right now, and there is no need to beat yourself up for how you are doing it. There is no right or wrong way, and whatever comes from your heart is the perfect place for you to begin.

You will be getting feedback and input from the men in your Core team, and more importantly from the actual work of putting your vision into an action plan which you will be implementing.

So do what you can for now, and move on to begin integrating your vision into practice.