The year 2020 is here! Some people may be happy to put 2019 behind them because of negative situations that occurred in their lives last year. Some people lost loved ones. Others, had health issues, financial difficulties or problems with personal relationships. Any one of these situations can be distressing and some people faced multiple challenges. Sometimes just being able to turn the page on the calendar to a new year can give a sense of hope. A fresh start can create the vision for things to be better in the future.

In the vision world, 20/20 is considered to be very good vision, where things are seen clearly. That got us thinking, what would help you have a clear vision for your best life in 2020? In our coaching practice, we talk about determining your destination/goal. Here are some questions you might find helpful to ask yourself: What do I vision for my life? What are my values? Where do I want to go? Who do I need to be? What do I want to experience? What do I want less of and what do I want more of? Once those questions are answered, specific action steps can be created to get there.

Sometimes people even create what’s called a BHAG. That stands for “big, hairy audacious goal”. Maybe there’s something you’ve been wanting to do but have been apprehensive about trying it. You may be asking yourself questions that stoke the fear. You might be thinking, what if I don’t make it? What if people think I’m crazy to even try?

Well, then it’s time to sit down and read The Magic of Thinking Big, a best-selling book that is a classic, written by David J. Schwartz, PhD. This book presents a carefully designed program for moving past fear to get the most out of life. We encourage everyone to read it. A sample of a few of the chapter titles include: Cure Yourself of Excusitis, The Failure Disease; Build Confidence and Destroy Fear; Make Your Attitudes Your Allies; You Are What You Think You Are.

As you can see from these chapters, improving your life is more about who you need to be rather than what you need to do. It may be helpful to ask yourself some questions, such as: Who do I need to become to achieve my BHAG or other significant goals? What difference will meeting specific goals make in my life and the lives of others? Don’t be afraid to think BIG.

Tony Robbins says that, when making goals, one of the most important things to consider is what you believe about yourself. “Create a vision and never let the environment, other people’s beliefs, or the limits of what has been done in the past shape your decisions.”

We recently watched two separate football games with Minnesota teams, the Vikings and the Gophers. Many “experts” believed these teams would not win. Their coaches and respective team members believed otherwise. Guess what – both teams won their games beating the odds against them! Ahead of the Vikings game. Coach Zimmer said, “We’re going to win this game!” Congratulations to both teams! Yes, it takes preparation and training, but belief can be the motivator to win.

Did you see the games? If so, did you feel the teams’ enthusiasm and resolve to win as you watched? Those teams were a good example of how a work-team, or even a family-team, can accomplish difficult goals when positive belief is strong and members pull together.

What about you? What is the vision you have for your life in 2020?

Some thoughts: It’s easy to take more time creating a vision for a vacation than in creating a vision for your life. But taking time to vision what you really want for your life and the person you want to be in 2020 will help you get there. We’ve suggested some questions for you to answer to help you see more clearly how you want your life to unfold in the coming year. Some plans you make could take longer than a year, but if you get started on them, you’ll be able to influence the outcomes by the decisions you make each day. If some things in the past didn’t turn out so well, we hope you can see these as learning and move on with excitement for a new day and a new chance to have success. Wishing you 20/20 vision for your life in 2020!

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2019 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.