Create a Legacy by Crafting Your Life Vision Statement

So I turned 40 and I was literally a wreck. I most definitely wasn’t in the place that I thought I would be at this age. I saw a lot of friends go on cruises and have extravagant parties, but that wasn’t my life, and frankly, I didn’t have a ton to celebrate. I was divorced, battling depression, suffering from imposter syndrome, transitioning out of my ideal job and just plain unhappy. The problem was that I lacked vision and I allowed my life to control my destiny instead of me controlling it. And yes, I had a great vision, I just wasn’t implementing it because I didn’t know how. I thought that my vision was clear but my execution was most definitely terrible. I realized that even though, I had a vision, I did not have a plan. The vision was there but I really could not see how to get to it and there was no GPS in sight.

So after much prayer and deliberation, we (God & I) began crafting a plan to execute. I became more consistent in prayer, read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and began implementing the ideas from the book — waking up early, having quiet time, speaking affirmations and I created a vision board and WOW!! The scales began to fall off my eyes and my vision became crystal clear. I CAN SEE. I CAN SEE!!

Helen Keller said “The greatest tragedies in life are people who have sight, but no vision.”

That statement is true for so many people that physically have eyesight but have no plans for their current situation or their future. I can remember the genius mind of my father. He was the best mechanic I knew. He could fix anything; I swear he was the jack of all trades. He was technically in business for himself for years as an independent contractor. The problem was that he had a vision and talent but no plans of executing it. He went through the same struggles, year after year. He didn’t think much about it because, like a lot of us, he thought he had the time to do it.

Unfortunately my father didn’t get the opportunity to see the Other Side of 40. He passed away at the age of 36 taking his vision with him. As his oldest child, I was saddened that he never experienced a life where his vision came to pass. I know that he would have loved to leave a legacy for me and my siblings.

Forty approached abruptly and right away I realized that I didn’t want to walk in my father’s footsteps. As much as I loved him and was enamored by his work ethic, I didn’t want to leave this earth without walking into the vision that God had for my life; I didn’t want to leave my children without a legacy.

See the problem with having a lack of vision is that you become complacent in your current situation believing if “I just work hard then life will get better.” Well, of course hard work pays off, but have you heard of insanity? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. I realized this definition was true while I was experiencing an amazing career, financial security, and happiness.

And as I transitioned into my 40s, it all faded away. Remember what happened in the first paragraph? I had no choice but to make changes immediately.

So where did I start?

So after doing some soul searching, Bible reading, and praying I put together my Life Vision Statement.

Your Life Vision Statement is the business plan for your life. When we own a business, we lay it out exactly how we want it, we know how much money we want to make, we know what we want to sell, we know who wants to buy our products, and we also know the benefits of our products. And most importantly, we know what to do if we don’t receive the outcomes we are looking for.

But we don’t often do that for our own lives. We work on other people’s visions and don’t focus on our own. And we don’t even realize it!

So just like a business has business plans with vision and mission statements, we need to create a Life Vision Statement to sum up what we want for our lives.

What’s in a Life Vision Statement? It states what you exist to do. It answers the questions:

• Why am I here?
• What do I know about God’s dreams for my life?
• How can I be obedient to the call on my life?
• Where would my gifts make the most impact?

I took some time and really thought about these questions. I sat with them. I prayed about them. Through that process, I crafted my Life Vision Statement:

“I exist to serve God as a surrendered vessel, to love my husband like Christ loves the church and to do him good and not bad all the days of my life, to love my children and raise them up in a way that is pleasing to God
without being a stumbling block. To encourage, empower and equip women with the tools to grow their relationship with God so that they can walk in the vision that God has for their lives.”

This statement has been the core of all that I do. It helps me to remember who I am, my purpose, and my values. By following it, I am creating the legacy that I want to leave for my children.

So if you are struggling with vision or purpose, I would encourage you to pray, dig deeper into your core values, and write that Life Vision Statement.

Here’s a little encouragement that blessed me as I started writing my Life Vision statement:

“And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by. For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2:2-3‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

I hope it helps you in the same way while you’re crafting your God inspired Life Vision Statement. Be blessed!